Norsat NewsLink™ portable satellite terminals now live and ready for action
	True broadcast video quality anywhere

Three of ERA’s advanced design satellite antennas are now in Kuwait and providing news coverage links for CBS News and another major US network news organization. They are part of the Norsat NewsLink™ portable satellite terminals, designed to provide high quality live broadcasting from remote areas, which have just gone live.

The ERA antenna chosen by Norsat is the 1m Ku band segmented Diamond antenna, which is integrated into Norsat’s OmniLinkÔ family of portable satellite terminals. The Norsat NewsLink™ allows broadcasters to file reports from any remote area in the region – from mountaintops, the desert, mid-ocean, or from the middle of nowhere – instead of being tied to a fixed location. Norsat engineers accompanied the NewsLink™ terminals to Kuwait from Canada and provided field training for news crews and reporters. Whilst on location in Kuwait City, they also noted that other broadcasters are still restricted in their remote broadcasting capabilities and have had to set up their traditional “flyaway” equipment on hotel roofs on Kuwait City.

The Norsat NewsLink™ allows the transmission of broadcast quality MPEG-2 video via DVB-S over satellite. The terminal is ideally suited for the transmission of video, voice, and IP data in remote or hostile environments.

Mr. Chris McCormack, Norsat’s General Manager, Norsat OmniLink™ Business Unit, said, "We evaluated several portable antenna solutions for our OmniLink Terminal Family and found that the 1m ERA carbon fibre antenna offered us the lowest possible weight with the very best performance in a sectionalised, portable package. The combination of Norsat's RF solution and ERA's antenna provides our customers with a suitcase-size, broadband satellite terminal achieving data rates over 4Mbps worldwide."

The compact and specially designed terminal can be carried in two suitcases and deployed and set up easily in the field in several minutes without tools. It allows the transmission of broadcast quality MPEG-2 video via DVB-S over satellite.

Dr Robert Pearson, Head of the ERA Antenna Systems business, said, “We have a track record of success dating back more than 25 years, and this latest order demonstrates ERA’s continuing leadership in the supply of small satellite ground terminal antennas. Our capabilities range from the supply of high-performance military satellite communications terminals to the development of low cost consumer products. Another very recent example of our innovation, ERA’s unique low profile scanning antenna is changing the face of mobile satellite communications by making it possible to fit unobtrusive antennas to smaller vehicles allowing the use of satellite services on the move.”

As well as supplying its range of type-approved “Diamond” satellite communications antennas, ERA remains active at the leading edge through research programmes from UK Government, European Space Agency and other agencies, the outcomes of which are feeding into future product developments. Most recently ERA secured a major multi-year research contract from the UK’s Ministry of Defence into “stealth” antenna technology, which was won against competition including both major prime contractors and research companies.

About ERA

ERA Technology Limited works at the leading edge of many advanced technologies. The business was founded in 1920 and today provides specialist, high value added, technology-based services including design and development, testing, assessment and expert advice. ERA helps businesses resolve problems that they lack the technical expertise to do themselves; and assists business that rely on substantial infrastructures, including power generators, railways, telecoms, airports and oil refineries.

For general enquiries e-mail: Public Relations

For more information…
Business contact Dr Robert Pearson 01372 367129
Press contact: Marketing 01372 367000

About Norsat International Inc.

Norsat International Inc. designs and markets satellite products for high-speed data transmission, including the Norsat OmniLink™ group of portable satellite terminals for application in remote or hostile environments.

For more information…
Mr. Chris McCormack
General Manager, Norsat OmniLink™ Business Unit
Norsat International Inc.
300-4401 Still Creek Drive
Burnaby, BC Canada V5C 6G9
www.norsat.com
Phone: 604 292-9103
Fax: 604 292-9009
cmccormack@norsat.com