MONTREAL: Polarsat, a new, privately-held Canadian company focused on the manufacture of satellite communications equipment, has purchased the assets and product lines of the former broadband division of NSI Global
Polarsat is involved in the Very Small Aperture Terminal segment of satellite communications. VSATs allow customers to securely communicate (via voice, data and video) with branch locations anywhere in the world. The company is targetting the emerging markets in India, China, Africa, and the Middle East.
For the recent acquisition, the firm raised $9 million from three investors active in the satellite-communications industry. It also retained key former NSI employees to ensure a smooth transition and rapid startup.
The investors are Telenor Satellite Networks which provides satellite-based communications and services, Infinium (India). and associates which provides telecommunications and VSAT services in the country. and Agilis Communication Technologies, a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Electronics which is one of the largest electronic system houses in Asia.
Chairman of Agilis Communication Technologies Seah Moon Ming said, “Polarsat’s range of communication products will augment our existing communication solutions. The resulting synergies and expanded line of products will allow us to provide customers around the world with a range of comprehensive communication solutions. This will further grow our business in satellite-based and broadband communications, covering markets in Asia, Europe and the Americas.”
Besides its committment to the VSAT Plus II and FlexiDAMA product lines, Polarsat will now be able to accomplish additional research and development with this development. Analysts peg the global potential for this niche market at $350 US million a year, with a 15 per cent annual growth. Polarsat is aiming to be a major player in the VSAT market.
Tag: focus Asia
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Polarsat to focus on Asia, ME with new company
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‘Focus Asia’ correspondent Adrian Brown takes first prize at Amnesty press awards
Star’s Focus Asia correspondent Adrian Brown took first prize in the English television category of the 7th Annual Amnesty International Human Rights Press Awards in Hong Kong.
This is the third successive year that Focus Asia has walked away with the esteemed award. Focus Asia correspondent Jennifer Lee took the prize in 2001 and correspondent Susan Yu won in 2000.
The 2002 award was given in recognition of Adrian Brown’s report on Child Sexploitation, which was originally broadcast on Focus Asia in April 2001. The report detailed the problem of child prostitution in Cambodia and the inability of Cambodian authorities to crack down and manage this widespread problem. In the report, Brown interviewed an American man in jail awaiting trial on child sex charges as well as a Japanese man accused of similar offences. He also interviewed a child rights campaigner who has worked to rescue under-age girls from brothels.
Adrian Brown is an experienced television journalist and has worked in Asia since 1988. He has interviewed a number of Asian leaders for Focus Asia including former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Jim Laurie, vice-president of network news and current affairs, said: “We are extremely proud of this accomplishment by our Focus Asia correspondents. By taking our third consecutive Amnesty International Human Rights Press Award, we have proved that our talented team of correspondents rivals the best of any news team and that we are continuing to provide hard hitting and socially relevant reports affecting the Asian region.”
Focus Asia is the flagship current affairs program produced by Star’s news team in Hong Kong, exploring a wide range of social, economic and political issues across the Asia region. Indian viewers can see this hard-hitting programme on Star World every Sunday at 5:30 pm (8:00 pm Hong Kong time).
The 7th Annual Human Rights Press Awards were sponsored by Amnesty International (Hong Kong), the Foreign Correspondents’ Club and the Hong Kong Journalists Association, and announced on 8 June.