New members appointed in the US, Brazil, Singapore, South Korea and Spain to support customers worldwide
Airbus Defence and Space has expanded its Field Service Alliance (FSA) with the recent appointment of five new certified partners. Launched in March 2014 to ensure fast, professional and cost-effective VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) installation and service support for maritime VSAT satellite service providers, the FSA now has ten strategically positioned member companies worldwide.
Recently joining the Airbus Defence and Space owned Marlink and the initial FSA partners Pro Nautas Marine Electronics (Germany), Livewire Connections (UK) and SRH Marine (Greece), is Mackay (eight locations in the USA), Arion Communication (South Korea & Japan), Waldo System (South Korea), Jason Electronics (Singapore), Aage Hempel (Spain, The Netherlands) and Radiomar (Brazil).
The recent expansion of Alliance partners means the FSA has achieved a truly global reach covering most shipping HUBs worldwide. With close to 40% growth in the number of Airbus Defence and Space VSAT installations in 2014 compared to 2013 and continued growth forecast for 2015, the FSA supports Airbus Defence and Space’s service provider partners to deliver highly reliable VSAT services across the globe.
Engineers from all FSA members have received or are in the process of receiving in-depth training on the hardware solutions and technical solutions used by Airbus Defence and Space and its Pharostar maritime VSAT services. The company also provides a ‘train the trainer’ program so members can expand their base of FSA certified engineers across locations in their home countries or international offices. Aage Hempel is the first member to take advantage of this program.
FSA certified partners will provide the complete range of installation and technical service to ensure uninterrupted operation of Airbus Defence and Space’s VSAT services. This includes installation, demobilisation, repair, upgrade, replacement and maintenance of VSAT equipment. The FSA is a core aspect of the Airbus Defence and Space AuroraGlobal portfolio, which offers a multi-band service approach to maritime VSAT, with significant flexibility for operation on Ku, Ka and C-band networks.
“We set the FSA up to create a support network that covers the planet, so wherever a vessel is sailing, there will always be a certified partner close by. By adding these new members to the FSA, the global part of our alliance is now fully established, which supports the reliability and availability of the Pharostar services that hundreds of shipping companies rely on to communicate every day,” says Tore Morten Olsen, Head of Maritime satellite communications activities at Airbus Defence and Space.
Source: Airbus Defence and Space
