Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) has unveiled the recipients of the industry’s tenth annual Better Satellite World Awards. — tawards honor established companies along with disruptive innovators who make the world more prosperous, healthier, better-educated, more sustainable and more inclusive.
An international jury selected Andre L. Jones, Hughes, Microsoft and Colombia’s MICT – Juntas de Internet: Connectivity Communities program and Speedcast as recipients of this year’s awards. They will be honored at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner on December 2nd in London along with the SSPI UK chapter’s Personality of the Year, who will be announced live at the Dinner.
The selection of recipients was made by an international jury consisting of a broad cross-section of industry thought leaders and distinguished professionals.
“Once again, we witnessed the growing influence and capabilities of space and the satellite industry to help regions and societies achieve key social and economic goals and stabilize places struck by disaster. Each of this year’s recipients are commercial enterprises, or people who have served in the industry, who turned their formidable expertise and resources toward the common good. It is what makes the often-misunderstood technologies of satellites a primary tool for a better world,” said Louis Zacharilla, SSPI’s Director of Innovation and host of the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner since its inception.
The Better Satellite World Awards Celebration, a festive networking event and dinner, will be held at Whitehall Place on December 2nd. It is produced by SSPI and its UK Chapter. The UK Chapter is chaired by Betty Azzarelli, CEO and Founder, AB5 Consulting.
The 2024 Better Satellite World Award Recipients:
Andre L. Jones
Andre L. Jones co-founded WANSAT Networks, Inc. to provide connectivity to underserved and unserved areas in his birth country of Guyana. Born in one of the poorest regions of the nation, he witnessed firsthand the challenges that rural communities faced due to their isolation. When oil was discovered in Guyana, for example, the nation experienced rapid economic expansion, but the benefits did not reach many rural areas. Andre turned the years of expertise in the satellite communications industry he had developed as a successful businessman in the United States toward the problem, securing vital partnerships with leading companies operating in the region such as Intelsat, Viasat and Telefonica. Through these partnerships, WANSAT was able to deliver connectivity to remote regions unreached by fiber and terrestrial networks, providing those isolated communities with access to essential services and communication options.
WANSAT has installed satellite terminals in remote communities throughout Guyana, allowing previously unconnected citizens to access the government’s telemedicine program, including remote consultations and general healthcare access. This connection is a lifeline for remote villages, providing timely diagnoses and medical advice that were previously out of reach. WANSAT connectivity also facilitates distance learning, enabling rural students to participate for the first time in programs such as the government’s GOAL initiative. Students in remote areas now have access to educational resources and opportunities that were once unimaginable, leveling the playing field and fostering a brighter future for these communities. Guyana’s gold mining industry has been another major beneficiary of WANSAT connectivity. Miners, who often face prolonged isolation from their families, now benefit from satellite internet that keeps them connected to their loved ones. This connectivity not only enhances social cohesion, but also improves workplace safety and personal security, mitigating the extreme hardships that come with long separations.
To ensure that WANSAT’s connectivity offerings continue to benefit communities throughout Guyana, Andre has established training programs to equip local youth and former defense personnel with the knowledge of how to install and maintain satellite systems. He actively collaborated with Guyana’s largest telecom provider, GTT (now One Communications), to ensure sustainable development and increased regional participation in the nation’s rapid economic growth. For Andre, WANSAT is not simply about technology, but about ensuring that no one is left behind in Guyana’s economic transformation.
Hughes, Microsoft and Colombia’s MICT – Juntas de Internet: Connectivity Communities
Hughes, with Microsoft and the Colombian government, brought internet access to some of the most isolated communities in Colombia through Juntas de Internet – Comunidades de Conectividad (Internet Connectivity Communities).
According to the Wireless Broadband Alliance, more than four billion people globally remain without internet access, including 80% of households in poorer countries and 75% of students in rural areas. The Colombian government laid the groundwork for Juntas de Internet in July 2023 with the backing of the country’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTIC). The program was established to both enhance existing networks and build new ones. Internet implementation, connection, and maintenance is a joint effort between connectivity communities and regional internet service providers (ISPs). Connectivity communities are non-profit organizations whose income is exclusively used for the administration, operation, and maintenance of fixed community internet service. Hughes, serving as a regional ISP, partnered with Microsoft on Juntas de Internet.
Regions such as Villa del Río in San Juan del César, Chilvicito in Tumaco, and Domingodó in Chocó have long struggled with minimal or no internet connectivity, resulting in high unemployment, increased violence, and economic and labor inequalities. In the initial phase of the program in Villa del Río, Hughes trained community members to install fixed internet connections in all 50 households, providing access to roughly 160 people as of early 2024. In April 2024, Hughes completed the second site survey in Chilvicito while the third site, in Domingodó, became fully operational in June 2024 incorporating solar panels due to the region’s lack of reliable electricity.
As of mid-2024, nearly 485 people from the three regions now have internet access, providing new opportunities for work, study, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, Microsoft provided Office 365 licenses for 20 computers at the Villa del Río Educational Institution to enhance educational options and digital literacy for students and their families.
While the tangible end goal of the program is internet connectivity and infrastructure, Hughes and its partners have focused on improving the quality of life and long-term success of these communities. Juntas de Internet involved members of each community, designating a group of four-to-ten representatives to participate in the process. They are trained in topics including taxes, network monitoring, antenna pointing, and cybersecurity so that they can support the program. In addition to receiving a Better Satellite World Award, Hughes, Microsoft and Colombia’s MICT were also finalists for the “Bridging the Digital Divide” category of the Leading Light Awards in 2024.
Speedcast
Speedcast has consistently demonstrated a commitment to humanitarian aid and disaster response efforts by providing essential connectivity solutions during crises. In areas affected by natural disasters, the company has delivered reliable communications as a vital lifeline for both the affected communities and first responders working to aid them. In May 2024, Speedcast contributed to disaster response efforts in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, when the region experienced catastrophic flooding. Rio Grande do Sul received an entire year’s worth of rain in a matter of hours, leading to widespread landslides, the collapse of a key dam and many deaths. Speedcast took quick action to donate and deliver Starlink terminal kits and airtime to the Brazilian government, providing necessary connectivity to police, hospitals, the Brazilian army and various local and state government departments, which dramatically improved disaster response efforts. These quick-to-deploy solutions from Speedcast proved instrumental in reaching isolated areas and supporting recovery operations.
In August 2023, Speedcast supported local crisis response teams battling wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, providing essential hardware and connectivity, including dozens of Starlink kits. The company’s immediate support allowed the teams to establish critical connectivity within days, improving emergency response efforts and enabling more efficient coordination. Speedcast’s global network, combined with in-region teams and deep expertise in disaster recovery and remote engineering, has enabled the company to respond swiftly to major crises worldwide.
Speedcast is the world’s leading authorized Starlink integrator, with more than 9,000 kits sold since adding the service to their connectivity portfolio in late 2022. Starlink’s high-capacity, low-cost service, paired with its automated, self-aligning terminals, has made it an invaluable tool for disaster response, enabling internet connectivity in mobile and remote sites. Recognizing the need for rapid deployment, Speedcast introduced a new Rapid Deploy Kit designed for on-the-go connectivity and critical disaster response. This portable solution, which hosts a Starlink Flat High Performance Kit and a network device, is packaged in an airline-checkable case, making it an ideal choice for first responders, remote workers, NGOs and humanitarian aid organizations.
About the Better Satellite World Campaign
Working with partner associations and supporting companies around the world, Space & Satellite Professionals International’s Better Satellite World campaign (www.bettersatelliteworld.com) is changing the global conversation about satellites and their influence on the economy, business and societies everywhere. The campaign was launched in Washington, DC during SATELLITE 2015. It has since become a cornerstone and a viral effort that is successfully communicating the incredible power of satellites for human good.
SSPI has published a series of stories and videos that dramatize the immense contributions of the “invisible infrastructure” of satellite to life on Earth, which are widely shared by individuals, companies and the media. The Better Satellite World campaign is available for repurposing by any organization or person who wishes to use the content to help promote the industry at www.bettersatelliteworld.com and through the Twitter hashtag #bettersatelliteworld
About SSPI
Founded in 1983, Space & Satellite Professionals International (www.sspi.org) is on a mission to make the space and satellite industry one of the world’s best at attracting and engaging the talent that powers innovation. The space and satellite business has never seen a time of greater experimentation and disruption than we see today. Investment is the fuel for transformation, but people are the engine. SSPI helps the industry attract, develop and retain the talented people it needs to keep the engine turning. People who connect through high-profile events and gain recognition from prestigious awards. People who rely on SSPI for a broader understanding of the industry as much as for individual networking and career mentoring. From young people seeking a career path to industry veterans with wisdom to share, SSPI connects them all.
Talent, investment and opportunity flow to industries that make a difference. SSPI is the only organization that also promotes the enormous value of space and satellite through dramatic stories of our technologies and companies making a better world. Those stories overturn misconceptions about the industry that hold it back. They inspire our people and attract new ones to the industry. They help justify investment and give new customers a reason to care about our services and products. Through the stories we tell and the people we serve, SSPI inspires the growth of the $1 trillion space economy of the future.
