Bentley Walker drives iDirect DVB-S2X deployment in the Middle East, and Africa using Avanti’s HYLAS fleet.

London, 12 January 2018

Bentley Walker, the largest supplier and operator of VSAT Networks outside of North America, announces the launch of the iDirect based DVB-S2X service in Afghanistan, following highly successful deployments in Iraq and Libya.

Utilising Avanti Communications’ Ka-band satellite capacity, this latest launch provides Bentley Walker’s customers with a seamless upgrade path to utilise the iDirect iQ Series family of modems for increased throughputs. The iQ Desktop modem supports a full range of DVB-S2X MODCODS up to 256APSK with a wide range of FEC rates and Adaptive TDMA, allowing greater bandwidth efficiencies.

Bentley Walker is also adding new functionality including software that allows resellers the flexibility to activate, upgrade, downgrade, change and find location. Additionally, customers will have more access to multiple performance indicators to help in the management and delivery of more efficient operations.

Bentley Walker’s EMEA coverage is set to significantly increase with the announcement in 2018 that they will commence service roll out across Africa utilising their initial $1m bandwidth commitment on Avanti’s newest High-Throughput Satellite, HYLAS 4 which is due to launch in March 2018 from Kourou, French Guiana.

HYLAS 4 will expand capacity over Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa with 64 active Ka-band fixed beams and 4 steerable beams with Civil, Government and BSS service capabilities. This will extend Avanti’s coverage to 1.7bn people across 118 countries, and support Bentley Walker’s market expansion into West, Central and South Africa.

We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Bentley Walker with their deployment of iDirect DVB-S2X in Afghanistan, and we look forward to being their trusted partner in more markets with the launch of HYLAS 4.”

Enrico Leonardi, Chief Sales Officer of Avanti Communications

This is another great extension to our business using Avanti’s Ka-band satellite capacity and iDirect game-changing DVB-S2X technology, placing us at the forefront of the market. We have already gained a number of new clients including military and corporate customers who demand higher throughput and greater efficiencies. We look forward to working with Avanti and iDirect on our continued market expansion into Africa.”

Anthony Walker, CEO of Bentley Walker

We are pleased to enable Bentley Walker to extend their reach throughout the world with our DVB-S2X technology. Our next generation iQ Series of remotes were built to introduce a new level of performance and flexibility for our partners, and greater throughputs and a seamless upgrade path for their end customers.”

David Harrower, Vice President Global Sales, VT iDirect