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EMS Press Room: EMS SATCOM Fact Sheet

EMS SATCOM headquarters buildingEMS SATCOM Fact Sheet

EMS SATCOM is a pioneer in the development of satellite-based communications equipment. The company excels at delivering off-the-shelf communications systems for defense, commercial and corporate aviation, Search and Rescue, and tracking and messaging applications.

Based in Ottawa, Canada, EMS SATCOM employs over 362 people and has sales offices in
Washington, DC and Monterrey, Mexico—as well as
development labs in Tewkesbury, UK and Adelaide, Australia.


EMS SATCOM’s primary focus is high-speed Internet access for business and military aviation. The company has leveraged its expertise in satellite-based communications equipment to address vehicle communication and portable communication system markets. Since 1978, EMS SATCOM has been deeply involved in the Search and Rescue (SAR) field developing both equipment and software for the management of SAR operations that saved thousands of lives.

Allied with Inmarsat, the world leader in mobile satellite communications, the company’s products include terminals, antennas and radomes, and cabin network equipment. Its customers are front-runners in a diverse range of industry segments.

Satellite-based Avionics Pioneer

EMS SATCOM holds the leading market share of Inmarsat-based Swift64 terminals, and is the industry leader in providing aeronautical broadband (SwiftBroadband) connectivity.

The company’s eNfusion Broadband™ solution gives commercial and military users in-flight access to video conferencing, email, voice, and data networks—virtually anywhere in the world. The complete package consists of the company’s HSD terminal an antenna and radome, and its CNX® Cabin Gateway device. The CNX® Cabin Gateway is a key component of the eNfusion solution because it is line of multi-function cabin network devices that replace a mixture of commercial off-the-shelf networking hardware, including: hubs, routers Ethernet switches, multiplexors and 802.11g wireless-access points. It is the first network accelerator to provide integrated cabin communications to passengers, with up to 8 Ethernet connections. The AMT-50 Antenna is a mechanically steered antenna that is the standard in the industry.

With the introduction of its HSD-400 and HSD-440 series of aeronautical broadband terminals EMS SATCOM has delivered combined high-speed data and safety services in one line replaceable unit (1LRU). The HSD-400 and the HSD-440 are both SwiftBroadband ready and software upgradeable. The HSD-400 supports two 432kbps channels of Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband service. The new HSD-440 builds on the HSD-400 and supports classic aero safety services.

Business Aviation & Air Transport

With customers ranging from leading airframe OEMs Boeing, Gulfstream, Dassault and Bombardier, to avionics companies such as Honeywell and Thales, the company has been successful delivering equipment engineered for business aviation. And with more than 2000 antennas flying on a diverse variety of aircraft, the division is a recognized leader in business aviation. Executive travelers no longer need to feel like they’ve left the office behind when they fly—EMS SATCOM offers a full solution under one roof. The company’s eNfusion Broadband system bundles all the necessary equipment together to make the in-flight office a reality for executive travelers —giving them access to the critical resources they need while on the move.

Through airframe and avionics manufacturers, and systems integrators, the company is entering the air transport market. The demand for broadband communications both in the cockpit and the cabin is a new trend that will lead to both improved operations for airlines, and new services and Internet access for passengers. The company expects that Internet access and mobile phone usage will be commonplace air passenger service in the future.

Military & Government

The trend in Military & Government communications is the demand for continuously increasing bandwidth. Traditional communications networks are proving inadequate in the face of new methods and operational demands on mobile platforms. EMS SATCOM’s success in serving military programs is its ability to provide broadband communications capabilities wherever and whenever defence users require them—in the air, on land, and at sea.

The company holds a reputation for excellence with its military and paramilitary customers and provides its eNfusion Broadband system to a wide spectrum of programs for a variety of applications. The company developed several specialized products including: the Viper, a roll-on, palletized, ruggedized broadband terminal, the HMIA (Hatch Mounted Inmarsat Antenna) for C130 aircraft, and the Helicom radome and terminal package for helicopters. EMS SATCOM supplies Boeing with the communications system for the new Multi-mission Maritime P8 Aircraft, to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, and to German Army CH-53 helicopters for real-time video and data transmission, while the Army Airborne Battle Command uses eNfusion for command and control.

Leveraging Technology and Serving Diverse Markets

The company has taken its experience in avionics equipment and translated it into solutions for the trucking and transport industries, and maritime applications.

Tracking & Management Systems (TMS)

Building on its successes, EMS SATCOM developed equipment for tracking and management. The company offers an advanced packet data satellite communications terminal for fixed and mobile land use. The eNcompass packet data terminals are ideally suited to situations where terrestrial telecommunications are unreliable or not available. With integrated GPS, the terminal features text-based communications on the fly, and for some applications, broadcast message capabilities. Companies like Norfolk Southern use the device for rail management, and as recently announced, NATO is using the device for its Force Tracking system to track vehicles and stay connected with personnel.

The PDT has no moving parts and provides fail-safe two-way messaging and location information virtually anywhere in North America, Central America and Mexico. Maintenance-free and easy to install, the PDT (integrated with other applications) is used to thwart cargo theft and protects truck drivers in the Mexican and Latin American transport industry. It is also used in the oil and gas industry for monitoring high-value compressors, and for workforce automation to track and maintain communications links with operators servicing remote areas.

Operating on the Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) satellite network, the PDT offers value-added resellers the opportunity to provide continent-wide applications and communications solutions for the mobile end-user. The terminal is in high demand in the trucking industry as the solution for managing and tracking cargo, but other applications include:

  • Rail car tracking and management;
  • Lone-worker protection and management in utility and service industries; and,
  • Personnel protection for law-enforcement workers.

Search and Rescue

The company’s long history in Search and Rescue (SAR) applications extends back to the industry’s very beginnings in 1978, and is reflected in the number of world-wide systems developed and deployed by EMS SATCOM. In June of 2005, EMS SATCOM introduced its new Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminal (MEOLUT). This terminal is the first step in the next-generation of LUTs and will enable real-time data transmission by combining speedy detection of distress beacons with global coverage and positioning determination capabilities. Real-time information will allow Rescue Coordination Centers (RCC) and Mission Control Centers (MCC) to minimize the search part of an operation, and place the emphasis on rescue–saving more lives.

The division has expanded its traditional capabilities by combining new communication technologies with leading-edge Geographic Information Systems (GIS). As the pioneer in SAR, EMS SATCOM continues to serve rescue operations management.

Industry Leaders

EMS SATCOM holds the leading market share of Inmarsat-based Swift64 terminals and is the industry leader in providing aeronautical broadband connectivity. The company’s eNfusion Broadband solution provides critical communications capabilities to commercial and military users – email, upload, download, video conferencing, streaming video, voice, and data — virtually anywhere in the world.
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Headquarters
EMS SATCOM
400 Maple Grove Road
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K2V 1B8

Tel: 613-591-9064
Web site: www.emssatcom.com

Products

Aircraft Comm. Products:
AMT-3500
Intermediate-Gain Antenna
AMT-3800
High Gain Antenna
AMT-50
Multi-Channel Aero-H/H+ Antenna
AMT-50G
Multi-Channel Satcom Antenna System
CNX
Cabin Gateway
HMIA
Hatch Mounted Inmarsat Antenna
HSD-128
High Speed Data Satcom Terminal
HSD-400
High Speed Data Satcom Terminal
HSD-440
High Speed Data Satcom Terminal
HSD-X
High Speed Data Channel Extension
Viper
128 Kbps Ruggedized Mobile ISDN
Tail Mount Antenna Radomes
For Gulfstream, Bombardier, Boeing and Global Express aircraft

Vehicle Comm. Systems:
PDT-100
Satellite Packet Data Terminal
PDT-300i
Satellite Packet Data Terminal

Search And Rescue Systems:
GeoLUT 600
Geostationary Local User Terminal
LeoLUT 600
Advanced Technology Local User Terminal
MeoLUT
Antenna Sub-system
OCC
Command Center
SARMaster
Rescue Co-ordination Center

Leadership Team

Neil Mackay
President

Gary Hebb
General Manager

Steve Edgett
Vice President,
Search and Rescue

John Broughton
Vice President,
Product Development

Forrest Colliver
Vice President,
Business Development

Pierre Bertrand
Vice President,
Finance

Joanne Walker
Vice President,
Business Operations

Jean Menard
Director,
Commercial Sales

Stephen Newell
Vice President,
Satcom Sales

Number of Employees
362

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For more information: Kate Murchison, Marketing Comm., +1 613 591 6040 ext. 1415, murchison.k@emssatcom.com