[Satnews] XTAR, LLC, renewed a long-term contract to supply EMC with high-throughput X-band to disadvantaged airborne terminals.

EMC is a leading provider of communications and content services for remote locations around the world.  As part of the contract, XTAR will continue to provide space segment to airborne intelligence, surveillance and recognizance (ISR) platforms involved in border surveillance missions.

This contract signifies a renewal of a service that began in 2014 and XTAR’s services provides EMC with seamless coverage and plays a crucial role in supporting airborne communications requirements.  EMC has innovated communications solutions for government entities for more than 35 years.  The company operates in 140 countries, leveraging an advanced, hybrid satellite and terrestrial network with access to 21 teleports around the world and three wholly-owned—the largest U.S.-owned teleport infrastructure supporting U.S. Government activity outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS).  The company also operates two manned 24x7x365 Secured Network Operations Centers (SNOCs).

“Our work with EMC is another good example of how customers are finding X-band to be useful in Airborne ISR,” said Philip Harlow, Chief Operating Officer of XTAR. “Applications using cameras and feedback capacity require double or triple the bandwidth on other frequency bands when compared to X-band. We work to effectively and efficiently fulfill objectives and provide users with unmatched mobility communications capabilities.”

“Using XTAR-LANT allows us to maximize our abilities to support government customers’ mission objectives and demonstrate our management of complex regulatory requirements,” said Chris Ivory, president, Government and Enterprise Services, EMC. “X-band outperforms other frequencies in many of our government customers’ most demanding scenarios.  There are technical and operational advantages, including freedom from clutter of commercial users and interference, rain-fade resistance, maximized throughput, higher power for mobility, and high data rates with existing government terminals. In airborne operations such as this customer’s, it also is valuable to have a partner who knows the technology, understands our goals and knows how to navigate potential obstacles. So we are pleased to continue working with XTAR as we deliver mission-critical communications to this important on-the-move, aviation operator.”