Rivada Space Networks GmbH has appointed satellite industry veteran Donald Chew to lead commercial activities for the company in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and he will be based in Singapore.
Donald Chew has more than 25 years of experience in the telecom and satellite industries in Asia Pacific, including key roles developing maritime and aero connectivity for Singtel and overseeing data and maritime projects for AsiaSat. For SES, Donald was responsible for growing revenue in new markets, including Indochina and Papua New Guinea. He was also responsible for developing special connectivity projects at Kacific, a company which delivers satellite broadband to isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia.
Rivada is launching a global, low-latency, point-to-point connectivity network of 600 LEO satellites: the “OuterNET.” This nexgen architecture combines inter-satellite laser links with advanced, onboard, data routers to create an optical mesh network in space.
This approach to “orbital networking,” in which data stays in space from origin to destination, creates an ultra-secure satellite network with pole-to-pole reach, offering end-to-end latencies similar to or better than terrestrial fiber. This is a unique capability for operations in the government services, enterprise, telecom, maritime and energy markets. The first satellite launch is set for 2025, with global service starting in 2026.
By allowing satellites to go beyond their traditional role of “gap-filler,” Rivada’s LEO system will become the technology of choice for data communications in Asia-Pacific and a more dynamic extension of the terrestrial telecoms networks. Rivada’s OuterNET will solve essential communications and connectivity challenges and meet the ever-growing need for an enterprise-grade, on-demand experience anywhere in the world for multinational enterprises and governments. For regional satellite operators, Rivada’s LEO network will complement their existing GEO infrastructure and help them expand into new markets.
A wholly owned subsidiary of Rivada Networks, Inc., Rivada Space Networks is rapidly moving ahead to deliver a game-changing LEO network of 600 Ka-band communications satellites. The company has placed a contract with Terran Orbital to build the satellites and SpaceX for the launch.
“I am excited to be joining Rivada Space Networks at this time when everything is on track to deliver a LEO network unlike any other. The OuterNET addresses real market needs of enterprise and government customers in Asia and around the globe, utilizing key attributes of low latency, high throughput and data sovereignty. I look forward to contributing my experience to bring this new opportunity in data communications to the Asia Pacific region.” — Donald Chew, VIce President, Asia-Pacific, Rivada Space Networks
