....in the category “Development of Integrated, Deployable Systems for Live Reporting from Remote Environments.” The award recognizes MTN’s CTO Richard Hadsall, NBC and the late David Bloom for constructing the Bloom-Mobile,a satellite-based mobile communications platform, to broadcast live coverage of the War in Iraq.
Photo of the Bloom-Mobile in use in Iraq in 2003.
“With the high demand for news as it happens, it was essential for NBC to have the technology in place to relay information to its viewers, and the Bloom-Mobile made this possible,” said Richard Hadsall, CTO at MTN. “Not only did MTN make David’s concept into a reality in 45 days, we also provided the broadcast industry with a vehicle that changed the delivery of news from the Middle East. We are proud to receive this recognition from NATAS for our work with NBC and it’s a fitting tribute to David’s vision to deliver live coverage of the War in Iraq to viewers at home.”
Since the Bloom-Mobile’s launch, its presence in the broadcast industry continues to expand. The vehicle is used to cover a variety of stories including hurricanes and elections, and is leveraged by the U.S. government for both tactical and non-tactical applications. The Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards honor companies, organizations and individuals for innovative advances in broadcast technology that have a ground-breaking influence on television engineering. The awards were presented on January 12, 2012 during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.