ASTEL-S

The ASTEL-S convention is a French Ministry of Defence framework agreement for the provision of satellite telecommunications services to meet ever-increasing armed forces’ requirements for secure and commercial satellite communications capacity.

Database tool for analysis and selection of satellite capacity

Within the framework of the ASTEL-S convention, Astrium Services was selected in may 2005 to supply the French armed forces (joint staff, army, navy and air force) with satellite telecommunications services in both the civilian bands – Ku-band (between Europe and external theatres of operations) and C-band (globally) – and the military SHF-band (globally). The applications focus is on land-based, naval and airborne activities (including communications with UAVs) and worldwide service coverage (video-conferencing, Internet, data exchange, etc.).

Astrium Services ‘one-stop-shop’ approach enables an optimally tailored, rapid response to meet requirements as they occur. The complete range of services includes engineering study, regulatory support, identification, booking and provision of satellite capacity. Astrium Services has concluded agreements with major commercial satellite operators (such as Intelsat, PanAmSat, New Skies, Hellas-Sat) for use of available capacity for prompt on-demand reactivity anywhere in the world. For ASTEL-S, Astrium Services’ technical partner is satellite capacity supplier company London Satellite Exchange (LSE), in which Astrium Services holds a 49% stake. LSE provides specialist market knowledge and daily operational contacts with satellite operators. Its highly sophisticated database contains details of more than 180 commercial telecommunications satellites, with specifications of their operational capacity, frequencies, coverage and availability. Volume discounts are also leveraged so as to offer a highly cost-efficient solution for the customer.

With this system, once a request for capacity is received, Astrium Services/LSE cross-references the database to ascertain which satellites can offer precisely the technical characteristics, footprint and period required, negotiates with the operator or operators involved and guarantees delivery of that capacity to the customer within an very short timeframe – no more than 20 days between taking an order and commencing transmission. (In the pre-ASTEL-S era, the time lag between the MoD placing a request and capacity being laid on could have been up to six months.)

The flexibility of the ASTEL-S business model, with Astrium Services as ‘meta-operator’ and interface between satellite operators and the French MoD, can take fluctuations in military satellite capacity demand into account.

Furthermore, Astrium Services ensures customer satisfaction through high quality standards and its 24/7 French hotline.

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