Telesat, one of the world’s largest and most innovative satellite operators, and QEST Quantenelektronische Systeme GmbH (“QEST”), one of the leading suppliers of antennas for aeronautical connectivity, have signed a development contract for the Telesat Lightspeed Aero Flat Panel Antenna (FPA).
Under the terms of the agreement, QEST will extend their patented FPA antenna technology for Telesat Lightspeed, including the development of the transmit and receive antenna apertures, RF components, and the antenna control unit.
Building on its heritage of developing high-performing antennas that operate in harsh environments, the QEST-designed Telesat Lightspeed FPA is expected to provide high reliability with very low power consumption and no active cooling required. The QEST FPA is expected to support data rates over 1 Gbps on the Telesat Lightspeed network.
Aneesh Dalvi, Vice President of Lightspeed Systems Development for Telesat, said, “We’re excited to work with QEST to bring their innovative antenna technology to the market for the Telesat Lightspeed network. Building on our open architecture antenna ecosystem approach, QEST’s technology is well-positioned to provide LEO optimized solutions as well as multi-network and multi-orbit operations, providing increased options and flexibility for inflight connectivity service providers and their customers.”
“QEST is confident that Telesat’s exceptional network architecture and maximum throughput capabilities position it as a future-oriented and competitive network. We believe that the superior antenna technology of QEST, combined with the Telesat Lightspeed network, will deliver the high data rates required for the demanding aviation market,” stated Michael Seifried, CTO of QEST. “QEST is excited to collaborate on Telesat’s dynamic and flexible network infrastructure to transform the aviation industry.”