Israeli satellite communications equipment manufacturer Gilat has won a contract to supply the ground segment network for China SatCom and its currently operational CHINASAT-16 (CS-16) and CHINASAT-18 (CS-18), expected to be launched in mid-2019, as part of China Satcom’s ongoing effort to provide High-Throughput Ka-Band coverage throughout China for satellite broadband applications.
“Gilat is grateful for the long-term relationship with China Satcom and for the continued trust in our technology indicated by the expansion of Gilat’s platform for commercialization of ChinaSat-18,” said Jun Xiang, General Manager, Gilat China. “This achievement is another step in materializing Gilat’s HTS broadband strategy worldwide and further supports Gilat’s continued strategic focus on the Chinese market.”
Gilat’s multi-application platform, SkyEdge II-c, has been deployed in China over CS-16 to provide inflight connectivity (IFC), rural broadband, cellular backhaul, and maritime applications. With the launch of CS-18, Gilat will deliver Ka-band high throughput and highly efficient connectivity across the rest of China.
CS-18’s Ka-band will be launched in mid-2019, thus completing the company’s Ka HTS coverage over all of China, which is critical for broadband applications requiring continuous service.
Gilat’s ground network will be provided for CS-18. The nationwide Ka-band coverage now to be provided by CS-18 and CS-16 will be uniquely supported by Gilat’s single platform supporting multiple applications all over China.
China Satcom is the only satellite operational enterprise in China that has self-controllable commercial communication and broadcast satellite resources. It is one of the major forces supporting command-and-control communication system under the direct supervision of national communication authorities.
