Gateway Communications Chooses iDirect Evolution DVB-S2/ACM Network to Expand Services in Africa

iDirect's Evolution system will enable Gateway Communications to capitalize on growing demand for its services acrossAfrica's banking, oil and gas and corporate enterprise markets. Built on the DVB-S2 standard and featuring Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) capabilities, Evolution delivers dramatic gains in bandwidth efficiency, and provides the flexibility to offer high levels of service for advanced applications on which businesses rely. Currently, more than 1,200 multi-national corporations operating in Africa depend on Gateway to deliver business critical information between headquarters, branch offices and remote locations.

"Gateway Communications needed the most reliable platform to meet the rigorous demands of our African business customers. With iDirect's Evolution system we are able to deliver world-class bandwidth efficiency to our customers and expand our reach across a diverse and growing range of vertical markets inAfrica."

~ Chris YOUNG

Chief Technology Officer, Gateway Communications

"Gateway Communications is the first satellite hub operator inAfrica and a long time, strategic iDirect partner. Their decision to launch an expansive DVB-S2 network demonstrates the magnitude of business demand for satellite communications and the strength of Gateway's reputation for reliability and customer support."

~ Rash JHANJEE

Regional Vice President forMiddle East andAfrica, iDirect

Extensive tests show that the Evolution product line can deliver a 30 percent improvement in bandwidth efficiency over DVB-S systems. An additional gain of 50 percent is possible through ACM, an advanced feature of the DVB-S2 standard which iDirect has built into its Evolution product line. These dramatic gains open new opportunities for service providers to improve support for a range of IP applications, including virtual private networks (VPN), voice over IP (VoIP), videoconferencing, enterprise networks, point of sale, SCADA, telemetry, multimedia and Internet cafes.

Gateway Communications owns and operates the largest and most advanced pan-African communications network, with customers in 40 African countries. Established in 2001, Gateway Communications has been responsible for pioneering the delivery of high quality, cost effective voice, data and e-commerce services throughout the continent. Gateway Communications has developed the local presence, skills and expertise combined with the global infrastructure and relationships to uniquely meet the voice and data communications needs of local telecommunications operators and businesses operating withinAfrica. For more information see www.gatewaycomms.com

iDirect, a subsidiary of VT Systems, is transforming the way the world gets and stays connected. The company's satellite-based IP communications technology enables constant connectivity for voice, video and data applications in diverse and challenging environments. These include extending private networks to remote offices; supporting mobile connectivity across land, sea and air; providing rural telephony and Internet broadband; and maintaining communications in the wake of disasters and network failures. The iDirect Intelligent Platform(TM) integrates advanced technology into iDirect's portfolio of hubs, routers and network management software to address the growing complexity of deploying and managing global IP networks. With more than 13 years of global satellite communications experience, iDirect serves customers in 50 countries through a diverse network of channel partners, including some of the largest satellite providers, operators and carriers in the world and seven of the World Teleport Association's Global Top Ten. Headquartered inHerndon, Virginia, iDirect has offices inEurope,Asia, Middle East,Africa andLatin America. Please visit www.idirect.net.

VT Systems and its subsidiaries are preferred providers of engineering solutions, products, integrated systems, and services in the Americas across the core business areas of marine, aerospace, electronics and land systems. Headquartered inAlexandria, Virginia, VT Systems operates throughoutNorth America and offers a broad range of proven innovative services to both the commercial and government sectors. VT Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd. Please visit www.vt-systems.com.

SOURCE VT iDirect, Inc.