When working in conflict and disaster zones, quick and reliable communications are essential. Government organisations seek high-performance satellite connectivity services that will meet their requirements for applications like border management, emergency response and defence operations.
Enter Intelsat’s FlexMove for Government, the end-to-end managed service which covers the space and ground segment of the network right through to the end terminal and is a game changer for government “satcoms”.
Serving customers like the US Department of Defence, as well as US Federal Agencies, FlexMove provides global, high-throughput satellite connectivity for daily applications such as traffic optimisation and fleet management, transforming the way governments access satcom services.
Tailored for governments
“In the past, governments have used typical do-it-yourself solutions,” explains Raakesh Parmar, Intelsat’s Senior Principal Product Manager. “They would build their own infrastructure and manage their own networks. With FlexMove, you have the ability to dispose of the complexity of managing a satcom solution and just buy services in a subscription-based format.”
FlexMove is built with its customer’s needs in mind and meets them in a market-leading style. Parmar summarises these needs: “Governments are looking for three main things,” he explains. “Speed, price and a range of terminals.”
Speed guaranteed
Parmar explains that speed is characterised in two ways. The maximum information rate (MIR) of a network is its burst speed, the fastest rate that can be achieved. Whether that rate is available at any given moment depends on the loading of the network. FlexMove provides an MIR of up to 10 Mbps to the terminal and up to 3 Mbps from the terminal – the highest in the industry. Committed information rate (CIR) is a guaranteed minimum speed of service. That means the network will provide at least the CIR whenever you use it.
Intelsat has recently enhanced the speed offering of FlexMove to provide the best combination of MIR and CIR speeds available on the market. “Previously, we were marketing an MIR service,” says Parmar. “The recent enhancement has added a CIR of up to 2 Mbps to the terminal and up to 1 Mbps from the terminal.”
CIR is essential for real-time video applications such as video conferencing and surveillance. It supports situational awareness, encryption, and various other intelligence applications. And with CIR and its SLA guaranteed throughput delivery, users can depend on available throughput when needed. “For highly critical missions where total resiliency and reliability is required, we deliver it with our new CIR plans,” Parmar explains.
For users, this solves the challenge of not knowing what throughput to expect from their network, guaranteeing that they will have the necessary data-rate for vital applications. In addition, FlexMove’s MIR still stands, which means users can still enjoy MIR rates of up to 10 Mbps x 3Mbps.
Flexibility and affordability
Customers can take advantage of this outstanding service through Intelsat’s flexible subscription-plan model. Intelsat has worked rigorously to develop its highly competitive pricing structure.
The pay-as-you-go subscription offers a no-commitment option for customers with sporadic or unpredictable needs. Additionally, monthly unlimited data or fixed gigabyte plans provide a predictable monthly cost. Intelsat has further enhanced the flexibility of these plans, adding one, six, 12, 24 and 36-month commitment options.
These affordable, flexible options provide plenty of choice, giving organisations the freedom to choose the best plan for their needs. “We also have two CIR tiers,” adds Parmar. “Lower speed CIR for the more budget-conscious needs, and higher CIR for customers who need higher throughput to meet their mission requirements.”
Terminal variety
“We’re fairly open architecture,” Parmar explains. “We host a range of terminals, so you don’t need to purchase any new hardware for this service. For organisations like the US Army, and other defence agencies which have hardware that’s still in life, you don’t need to invest in additional acquisition funding to operate on our network.”
There are currently more than 20 Comms-on-the-Move, Comms-on-the-Pause and Manpack terminals qualified on the Flex network, ensuring a wide choice of terminal options. In addition, some of Intelsat’s terminals are “self-commissioning”. This means they don’t have to call in to access the network. Instead, the smart terminal connects automatically, meaning they can be deployed in minutes with a minimum of training.
The Intelsat approach
“We’re constantly looking at ways to innovate and ‘wow’ our customers,” says Parmar. “With this solution, we’ve addressed all the pain points we could identify. It’s super flexible while still providing a high data rate, and our pricing is highly competitive.”
With FlexMove, customers can be confident they are receiving a high-quality service, delivered in a way that is designed to suit their operation, budget, and mission requirements.
