WASHINGTON D.C. — ST Engineering iDirect says it has inked a memorandum of understanding with SES Satellites to “revolutionize” connectivity.
The arrangement will see the two firms harness ST Engineering iDirect’s next-generation virtualized ground system, Intuition, with SES’s multi-orbit GEO and MEO satellite network.
“By integrating iDirect’s Intuition virtualised, scalable ground system with our multi-orbit satellite network, we’re able to deliver dynamic, reliable, and cost-effective solutions for commercial and government sectors,” SES said in a post on X.
“This partnership,” added ST Engineering iDirect on LinkedIn, “will set a new standard for flexibility, reliability, and multi-orbit excellence.”
Explicit details have not yet been disclosed, with both parties saying “stay tuned”.
SES is already a customer of ST Engineering iDirect; for several years, it has used the firm’s current-generation Velocity ground infrastructure to support high throughput GEO satellites within the SES fleet. And in 2020 it tapped ST’s ground technology for the O3b mPOWER MEO communications system.
But with multi-orbit and multi-constellation networks making their mark in aviation, cruise and government — and indeed, as satellite operators including SES enjoy nice momentum for their multi-orbit service offerings — Herndon, Virginia-headquartered ST Engineering iDirect saw fit to develop Intuition, an advanced satellite networking ground system that is based on a virtualized, cloud-native, multi-orbit architecture.
Timely launch
Unveiled with much fanfare at the SATELLITE 2024 conference and exhibition (SatShow) in Washington D.C., Intuition boasts increased mobility and multi-orbit functionality over predecessor ground platforms. And since last year, ST management has been in discussions with various stakeholders about how they can migrate from their legacy ground platforms to Intuition, as well as educating them on what Intuition means for brand new networks.
Some customers are already putting the hardware in place to upgrade to Intuition. The platform’s full general availability is expected this fall. “[We’re] getting ready for Intuition 1.1, that’ll be released in September of this year. So, the discussions have gone very well,” company CEO Don Claussen told Runway Girl Network in D.C.
At this year’s SatShow, ST Engineering iDirect introduced its services-based platform, Intuition Unbound, which is billed as being the satellite industry’s “first ground segment implementation offered in a consumption-based model”. This product, which has already secured customers, effectively supports more flexible go-to-market strategies.
“Traditionally our relationships with our customers have been very transactional. They’ve put up a satellite, we sell them stuff, they buy the stuff, they install their hubs. And then over the course of three or four years they expand their networks and then they operate pretty much standalone for the next 15 or 20 years over the life of the spacecraft. With Intuition Unbound, it’s more of a partnership,” explained Claussen.
“As you know, they have an initial capability that they need. They purchase services from us for that initial capability and then we grow with them over time. So, it’s less transactional. It allows us to partner with them and you know, we take on some of the risk as they build their network out. So again, moving away from the transactional nature that it’s been for the last 20 or 25 years.”
Intuition Unbound may prove particularly attractive to start-ups who are keen on entering the space.
“If you think about somebody launching a new network, they spend a lot of money putting something on orbit, right? That’s an expensive piece and then they have to build out their infrastructure and then it takes a while to ramp up the consumers. So the CapEx expenditure at the beginning before they’re generating cash flows can be quite large. So this allows them to kind of pay as they grow,” said Claussen.
ST Engineering iDirect is perhaps best known in aviation for its aero modems, which power inflight connectivity. As many as 41% of commercial airplanes leverage its technology. But its ground platform advancements, including for SES and other satellite operators, will also have a meaningful impact on the passenger experience, even if ground platforms overall remain a bit of an unsung hero in the satcom chain.
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