Telecomunicaciones
Bantel Selects iDirect Platform To Offer GSM Satellite Backhaul In
Venezuela
(15 July 2008) VT iDirect, Inc.
(iDirect), a company of VT Systems Inc (VT Systems), announced today that
Telecomunicaciones Bantel (Bantel) has installed a network of iDirect Series
3000 Remote Satellite Routers, enabling Corporacion Digitel (Digitel) to expand
cellular access within Venezuela by backhauling GSM traffic over
satellite.
Bantel, a leading service provider in Venezuela,
installed the new network on its existing iDirect Series 15000 Universal
Satellite Hub. Digitel, the leading cellular operator in Venezuela, will
leverage the network to extend the reach of its voice and data services and
bolster capacity for existing customers. iDirect is a world leader in
satellite-based IP communications technology.
Bantel selected the
iDirect system after a series of extensive tests found that other methods of
GSM backhaul proved too costly or incapable of managing voice traffic. The
iDirect solution lowers bandwidth requirements and guarantees voice quality
through advanced traffic optimization capabilities. Service providers can pool
bandwidth across multiple sites on a shared IP Time Division Multiple Access
(TDMA) network and allocate it to each Base Tower System (BTS) based on its
immediate bandwidth requirements. For Digitel, the iDirect network will serve
as an alternative to microwave backhaul systems that require greater operating
and capital investments.
"Current microwave backhaul systems require a
hub every 50 miles. In Venezuela, this isn't cost-effective because the
distance between sites often exceeds 700 miles. For years, we've been working
to develop a more effective GSM backhaul solution. With iDirect, we have now
brought a viable solution to market and signed our first customer. This is a
major accomplishment for us." Ricardo OTAOLA, President, Bantel
"There
are entire cities in Venezuela whose development is constrained by limited
cellular access. With iDirect's cost-saving GSM backhaul technology, Bantel is
now overcoming this barrier and enabling its customers to deliver service in
areas that were previously out of reach." Dean GRIFFLER, Senior Vice President
of Global Sales, iDirect
Telecomunicaciones Bantel is the leading
provider of satellite communications services in Venezuela. Bantel was the
first company to provide private networks in Venezuela when the market opened
in 1991. Since then, Bantel has maintained a leading position in this market,
while providing satellite connectivity to the financial sector, government
entities and private enterprise.
iDirect, a subsidiary of VT Systems, is
transforming the way the world gets and stays connected. The company's
satellite-based IP communications technology enables constant connectivity for
voice, video and data applications in diverse and challenging environments.
These include extending private networks to remote offices; supporting mobile
connectivity across land, sea and air; providing rural telephony and Internet
broadband; and maintaining communications in the wake of disasters and network
failures.
The iDirect Intelligent Platform integrates advanced
technology into iDirect's portfolio of hubs, routers and network management
software to address the growing complexity of deploying and managing global IP
networks. With more than 13 years of global satellite communications
experience, iDirect serves customers in 50 countries through a diverse network
of channel partners, including some of the largest satellite providers,
operators and carriers in the world and seven of the World Teleport
Association's Global Top Ten. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, iDirect has
offices in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
VT
Systems and its subsidiaries are preferred providers of engineering solutions,
products, integrated systems, and services in the Americas across the core
business areas of marine, aerospace, electronics and land systems.
Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, VT Systems operates throughout North
America and offers a broad range of proven innovative services to both the
commercial and government sectors. VT Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd.
(source: iDirect)
