Norsat International Inc.
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryCommunications · Defense
Founded1977; 46 years ago (1977)
FounderRod Wheeler
Headquarters
Richmond, British Columbia
,
Canada
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Amiee Chan, President & CEO
Productssatellite terminals, VSAT, microwave components
Number of employees
175
ParentHytera
SubsidiariesSinclair Technologies
Websitewww.norsat.com Edit this at Wikidata

Norsat International Inc. is a satellite communications company based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The company, founded in 1977, develops and produces communications technology for the transmission of data, audio and video. The company is owned by Hytera, a Chinese company partly owned by Shenzhen Investment Holdings of Shenzhen's municipal government.[1] Norsat's primary customers are from the military, broadcast and maritime industries.

History

The company was founded by Rod Wheeler in 1977 in Whitehorse, Yukon under the name Northern Satellite Systems. Wheeler founded the company after attempting to build the first affordable consumer satellite dish with chicken wire and foil. This satellite dish eventually became the company's first prototype. After the company's IPO, it was renamed Norsat and Rod Wheeler became its first CEO. Norsat produces satellite communication products and is managed by President and CEO, Amiee Chan.[2]

In 2011, Norsat acquired Sinclair Technologies,[3] a Canadian company providing antenna and RF conditioning products.

In 2017, Norsat was sold to Hytera, a Chinese telecom company with the long-standing ties to the country's Ministry of Public Security, for CAD $85 million.[4][5] The sale was flagged by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission as raising "significant national-security concerns for the United States" and its allies.[6][7][8] In 2019, Hytera was effectively banned from doing business with U.S. government agencies due to national security concerns.[9]

In 2022, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police terminated a communications equipment contract with Norstat's subsidiary, Sinclair Technologies, over national security concerns.[1]

In April 2023, a ThrustMe NPT30-I2 iodine electric propulsion system was launched on the NorSat-TD satellite. The NPT30-I2 was launched in collaboration with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket which took off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Canada police suspends contract with China-linked company". Reuters. 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  2. ^ "The 2015 PROFIT 500: Vancouver's Fastest-Growing Companies". Canadian Business. September 17, 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Sinclair Technologies". Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
  4. ^ "Norsat sale to Hytera closes for CAD $85 million, despite controversies and contention | China-Canada Investment Tracker". www.chinainstitute.ualberta.ca. Archived from the original on 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  5. ^ Fife, Robert; Chase, Steven (July 21, 2017). "Chinese firm expelled from trade association days before takeover of Canadian high-tech company". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  6. ^ "U.S. rebukes Canada over Chinese takeover of Norsat". The Globe and Mail. 2017-06-12. Archived from the original on 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  7. ^ John Manthorpe (5 January 2019). Claws of the Panda: Beijing's Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada. Cormorant Books. p. 217. ISBN 978-1-77086-539-6.
  8. ^ Chase, Steve; Fife, Robert (June 8, 2017). "Liberals waive security review for Chinese takeover of high-tech firm". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  9. ^ "U.S. formalizes ban on government contracts to Huawei, ZTE, other Chinese entities". The Japan Times. 2019-08-08. ISSN 0447-5763. Archived from the original on 2019-08-17. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  10. ^ "The ThrustMe NPT30-I2 iodine electric propulsion system launched on board the NorSat-TD satellite – SatNews". news.satnews.com. Retrieved 2023-09-29.

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