Updates

Texas National Guard Selects SkyPort to Provide Emergency SatCom Solutions

Houston, Texas - The Texas National Guard has contracted with SkyPort Global Communications to provide satellite communications solutions throughout the state for ongoing operations, training exercises and in emergencies like recent Hurricane Ike.   As part of the agreement, the Guard will co-locate routers at SkyPort's secure teleport facility at the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston and also provide connectivity to dedicated T-1 lines at the Guard's headquarters at Camp Mabry in Austin. Under the contract, SkyPort will supply ongoing satellite access and up to 5 MHz of bandwidth, giving the Guard access to the world-wide communications network in the event of a loss of land-based network access. Today in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the Texas National Guard is deploying terminals to have emergency communications in place of the terrestrial network for Guard units and other first responders. The category 2 hurricane has left terrestrial networks inoperable, with power outages affecting most of the region. Thus, SkyPort's satellite communications solutions are critical to speeding recovery efforts. In addition to the Texas National Guard, SkyPort is also supporting four Florida National Guard Emergency Communications trailers that were deployed into the area to aid the Guards efforts in keeping first responders connected during this trying time. "We are proud to add the Texas National Guard to our growing list of Guard units that contract directly with SkyPort for satellite service,"  said Michael Polmar, Vice President of Sales for SkyPort. "SkyPort has been the preferred supplier to the National Guard Bureau since 2004 and is now contracting directly with State Guards to increase their communications capabilities in times of emergency and for training. Our service will insure that the citizens of Texas can depend on the Guard throughout the hurricane season." In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, SkyPort won the prestigious Minuteman Award from the National Guard for providing a high-level of satellite communications support to units responding to the disaster throughout the Southeast. "During the past four years I can honestly exclaim SkyPort's solutions have delivered excellent and exceptional service in times of calm and disaster to the National Guard of Texas. SkyPort is an agile, responsive and reliable industry partner," said Colonel Janice E. Bruno of the Texas National Guard. "Our number one goal in the Texas National Guard communications directorate is to provide seamless, secure, and always available communications to our customers. SkyPort delivers exactly that, and this assurance gives us the satisfaction of knowing we can count on SkyPort anytime, anywhere." About SkyPort Global Communications, Inc. SkyPort is a global communications carrier providing managed, secure, broadband satellite and terrestrial communication services. SkyPort provides end-to-end voice, video, and data solutions that are fast and designed to be 99.999% reliable. Customers in sectors such as energy, military, government, enterprise, and others, depend on SkyPort's carrier solutions for their critical communications. SkyPort was founded in 1999, and is headquartered in Houston, TX. With its global network, engineering expertise, and owned infrastructure at the highly secure Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston, SkyPort continues to exceed the security and reliability standards of its growing list of clients. SkyPort was honored by the World Teleport Association as the fastest-growing teleport operator in 2006; and received the National Guard's Minuteman award in 2005 for outstanding disaster support during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. To learn more visit: SkyPortGlobal.com For more information, contact: Patrick Boyle, Senior Partner Longbottom Communications, LLC Phone: 1-703-237-4244 Email: Patrick@longbottomcommunications.com