Ai Telecom partners with Astranis and ST Engineering iDirect

London, 31 March 2023.- Ai Telecom Networks, a Mexican satellite and terrestrial communications provider, will partner with Astranis – American geostationary communications satellite operator and manufacturer- and ST Engineering iDirect – an American satellite communications company – for new MicroGEO satellites. The satellites and ground infrastructure will deliver connectivity for 4G cellular backhaul and enterprise services across Mexico and part of Central America. Ai Telecom’s MicroGEN satellites will be built by Astranis and will use ST Engineering iDirect’s Mx-DMA MRC waveform technology. 

ST Engineering iDirect’s Mx-DMA MRC return technology and GTP acceleration was critical for Ai Telecom as it will enable the company to serve many use cases in a single return link without making trade-offs between speed, efficiency and scale. This also lowers their total cost, and minimises network configuration complexity to create flexible connectivity for all LTE/4G types of sites. Mx-DMA MRC aims to enable Ai Telecom to scale its services while simplifying its operations, sharing capacity seamlessly and very efficiently amongst its user terminals, and satisfying the most demanding throughput requirements presented by its MNO and enterprise customers.

“We are excited to partner with Ai Telecom and ST Engineering iDirect to offer an end-to-end, managed service for our customers,” says Doug Abts, Astranis Chief Commercial Officer. “This offering will allow us to expand high-speed coverage throughout Mexico, offering a turnkey service for an affordable price.”

The MicroGEO satellites from Astranis are designed and manufactured at a rapid pace in comparison with larger GEO satellites, and at a lower cost. The satellites are slated for launch in Q3 2024.