Vizada Group

Satellite reception antennas at Vizada’s Land Earth Station located in Aussaguel, France.
Company type	Private
Industry	Communications satellite operators
Headquarters	Paris, France
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Mobile and fixed satellite services
Owner	EADS Astrium
Subsidiaries	Vizada, Vizada Networks, Marlink

Vizada is a worldwide satellite communications service provider which operates stations that connect satellite communications to terrestrial telecommunications and IP networks. Vizada provides both mobile and fixed satellite telecommunications to markets including merchant shipping, defense and government, fishing and yachting, oil and gas, mining, and non-governmental organizations. The product offer covers maritime, land, and aeronautical services. In 2011, the Vizada Group was acquired by EADS, to be integrated as a subsidiary of Astrium.^{[1][dead link]}

History

Vizada has conducted acquisitions and reorganizations of several global telecommunications entities including France Telecom and Telenor, as well as vertically-specialized companies such as Sait Communications and TDCom.

• 1940s: The company was involved in maritime communications from World War II, when it began operating a network of radio communications in Europe.^[2]
• 1970s: Originally part of Norwegian operator Telenor, Vizada became the first to use satellites for domestic use.^[3]
• 1976: Eik Teleport, situated on the southwest coast of Norway, was established to provide communications to oil platforms in the North Sea.^[3]
• 1979: Creation of the International Maritime Satellite Organisation (Inmarsat) under the auspices of the United Nations and IMO with the contribution of France, Norway, and the US as founding members.^{[citation needed]}
• 1991: The France Telecom group was the fifth largest shareholder in Inmarsat, the international maritime satellite provider.^[4] Telenor Satellite Services at Eik Teleport developed the Sealink Maritime VSAT solution to provide communications services between remote locations at sea and fleet management offices on shore.^[5]
• 1997: Creation of Taide Network (now Vizada Networks) in Holmestrand, Norway, from an academic project initiated at universities in Oslo, Norway, and Vilnius, Lithuania in the early 1990s. VSAT services operations were established in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Austria.^{[citation needed]}
• 1999: Satellite services were split from Telenor core business into independent operating units: Telenor Satellite Services (maritime Inmarsat and fixed satellite services) and Telenor Satellite Network (VSAT networks). They would later form one single company.^{[citation needed]}
• 2001–2002: France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications acquired DT Mobile Satellite (Germany), Glocall (Netherlands), and TDcom (France).^[3]
• 2002: Telenor Satellite Services acquired Comsat Mobile Communications (USA) and Sait Communications, a leading maritime communications service provider which was renamed Marlink.^{[citation needed]}
• 2007: Apax Partners acquired FTMSC and Telenor Satellite Services and formed Vizada.^[6]
• 2010: Vizada, through its subsidiary Marlink, received the Inmarsat 2010 partner award recognizing Vizada as a solutions innovator for the merchant shipping market.^[7]
• 2011: EADS acquired all assets of the Vizada Group for approximately US$1 billion for its Astrium Services business unit. The acquisition was concluded in December 2011.^[8]
• 2015: Airbus DS decided to sell its Satcom division.^{[citation needed]}

Vizada Group

The Vizada Group operates offices and satellite gateways worldwide, and it has three subsidiaries: Vizada, which markets global mobile and fixed satellite communications; Vizada Networks, which specializes in fixed satellite and hybrid network solutions; and Marlink, which focuses on maritime satellite communication.

Vizada

Vizada is an independent provider of global satellite-based mobility services. The company, which was formed by the merger of Telenor Satellite Services and France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications, offers mobile and fixed connectivity services from satellite network operators through a network of 400 service provider partners.^{[citation needed]}

Vizada works with a range of network providers in the industry, including: Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya, Eutelsat, Intelsat, Loral, SES World Skies, and SES Americom.

Vizada Networks

Vizada Networks (exTaide Networks),^[9] provides international and regional broadband fixed satellite services, international telephony and hybrid network solutions. Vizada Networks works with the major fixed satellite operators, such as Eutelsat, Intelsat, and SES World Skies.

Vizada Networks' offices are located in Oslo and Holmestrand in Norway.

Marlink

Marlink is a large maritime satellite communications provider^[10] equipping vessels with mobile-satellite services and VSAT services.^[11]

Products

Sea

For more than 25 years, Vizada has provided maritime communication products based on Inmarsat and Iridium technologies. Vizada also developed its own satellite communication solution based on VSAT technology called Pharostar. Vizada's products provide broadband data and voice communications onboard seabound vessels.

Land

Vizada provides land satellite communication products based on Inmarsat, Iridium and Thuraya technologies. Vizada also provides broadband satellite solutions based on a VSAT network.

Air

Vizada provides aero satellite communications products based on the Inmarsat Swift services. These products enable high speed and IP based communication in the cockpit and cabin for voice communication, internet browsing, fax and file sharing.

Solutions

Vizada provides services around satellite communications such as data traffic management tools, secure communication tools, emailing services, data compression and encryption services, prepaid cards for satellite communications and fixed to satellite mobile communications.

Infrastructure

Land earth stations

Vizada is operating five earth stations around the world that connect satellites to terrestrial networks.^[12]

Earth Station	Country	In operation since	Infrastructures	Technologies supported	Coverage
Aussaguel	France	1980	37 acres	Inmarsat, Thruaya, Iridium and Vizada's solutions	Atlantic and Indian oceans
Eik	Norway	1976	10 acres	Inmarsat, VSAT Maritime	Atlantic and Indian oceans
Nittedal	Norway	1986	-	VSAT Networks	Africa, Asia, Europe and eastern part of South America
Santa Paula	United States	1976	10 acres	Inmarsat, VSAT Maritime, DGPS	Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Rim nations, the eastern Indian Ocean and the western North America
Southbury	United States	1975	6 acres	Inmarsat, VSAT Maritime, DGPS	Atlantic Ocean regions East and West

Vizada also has an earth station in Japan through a partnership with KDDI. The earth station is located in Yamaguchi.

Point of presence

Vizada's IP points of presence provide local access to the global broadband services. They are located in:

• Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Aussaguel, France
• Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• London, United Kingdom
• New York City, United States
• Oslo, Norway

Partnership

Telecoms Sans Frontières

In 1998, Vizada entered into partnership with the Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF).^[13] Vizada provides TSF with mobile satellites services and training for TSF personnel. TSF used Vizada's services on 14 separate occasions in 2009, and notably for the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In 2011, Vizada provided TSF with hardware, airtime for the voice calls and internet connections on the border between Tunisia and Libya.^[14]