Article: Exploring The World Of Wireless Communications At IWCE 2019

Norsat recently participated in the IWCE 2019 (International Wireless Communications Expo), the premier event for organizations involved with critical communications technology. The show took place between March 4-8, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada and included a five-day comprehensive conference program, workshops, short courses, power sessions and training.​ IWCE 2019 was an important event for Norsat as it enabled networking with over 7000 professionals and confirmed our leadership in developing innovative satellite terminals, products and microwave components for multiple applications.

At the show, Norsat exhibited the 0.9m WAYFARER fly-away satellite terminal. This product is part of the WAYFARER series which includes ultra-portable commercial fly-away satellite terminals, easy-to-deploy commercial drive-away antenna systems and a commercial fixed terminal solution. Booth visitors were excited as this series has a broad portfolio of terminals for a variety of commercial applications like broadcast, oil and gas, mining, forestry, emergency response and remote enterprises. Since quick deployment of satcom equipment is a growing concern in the industry, one of the most appreciated features of the WAYFARER showcased was the one-case airline-transportable solution. The team received a positive response to the overall durable look and feel of the product, but there were a lot of questions about positioning and satellite acquisition for manual terminals. This proved to be a great opportunity to showcase Norsat’s Link Control software that helps make pointing easier, no matter where the terminal is deployed. Besides commercial terminals, a few customers from the LATAM region were aware of Norsat’s signature military offerings and expressed interest in Norsat’s GLOBETrekker 2.0 satellite terminal.

The most interesting industry trend that stood out this year is the growing importance of DMR Radio over Satellite. Rather than just using radios for simple two-way communication within a single organization for minor updates, Norsat’s Unified Radio Satellite System allows every member of an organization to communicate effortlessly across the field, across the country, or across the globe. The Norsat team explained how the unified Radio Satellite System converts standard radio traffic to radio over IP (RoIP), giving users of this system a multitude of options and flexibility. Customers and distributors were amazed that this innovative system supports radio-to-radio, radio-to-telephone, telephone-to-radio with users located worldwide, truly enabling globalization.

IWCE 2019 facilitated the integration of technology and education, with tracks covering the broadest spectrum of views, topics and expertise on critical communications. The new Disaster Comms track, Planning and Preparation track and FirstNet & Public Safety Broadband track received significant attention. Whether its FirstNet, smart buildings, IoT, smart grid, or NG911, many of the needed technology characteristics are similar as all need exceptional satcom products, fast broadband, reliable connectivity, redundant operations and—increasingly—low latency. Norsat is committed to working with the industry, understanding requirements and providing innovative, customizable solutions for critical communications.