Major NBN satellite player IPSTAR Australia has acquired Australia’s Orion Satellite System in a move to grow its enterprise business.
IPSTAR, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thaicom, provides 95 per cent of the capacity used by the NBN’s Interim Satellite Service. The government named the company an ISS provider, along with Optus, in May 2011 in a deal worth $100 million. IPSTAR is also an NBN retail service provider.
Orion holds a full carrier licence to provide telephone and data services to customers in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Before the NBN, IPSTAR had 85 per cent share of the Australian market. By taking over 100 per cent of Orion, IPSTAR aims to expand its share in the corporate market and strengthen its operations and management, according to Thaicom chief executive Suphajee Suthumpun.
"Given Orion’s vast experience in providing premium satellite services and solutions, it will complement our existing products and services portfolio and drive the take-up of IPSTAR in the enterprise, corporate and government markets in Australia,” Suthumpun said in a statement.
The transaction gives IPSTAR access to Orion’s engineers and development team, added IPSTAR general manager Supoj Chinveeraphan.
"We hope we will be better able to meet the demand from our existing and new channel partners and customers,” he said.
Adam Bender covers telco and enterprise tech issues for Computerworld and is the author of a dystopian novel about surveillance. Follow him on Twitter: @WatchAdam
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