Advantage of two-way satellite broadband

How To Take Advantage Of Two-way satellite broadband: Any Time, Any Place

By René Villapando, Senior Director of Sales, Globecast Americas

When it comes to offering new and innovative technologies, we like to think we have our finger on the pulse. Take high-speed connectivity, a constantly expanding requirement across almost any market and across a wide variety of scenarios, a requirement that our Globecast Virtual Networking (Globecast VN) offering in the US satisfies in an innovative way. This might ring a bell, especially since Tim Jackson, our SVP, Sales and Marketing, the Americas at Globecast wrote about it last year.

Our efforts with Globecast VN continued last year with a demo at

FestForums 2019 in Santa Barbara, CA last November, where we clearly highlighted the service’s numerous capabilities and market potential.

What is Globecast VN?

To recap: Globecast VN is a practical, cost efficient new service that brings two-way, high bandwidth, IP-over-satellite connectivity to any location at any time where terrestrial networks fail or are inconsistent. In essence, Globecast VN responds to the need we’re seeing for fast, reliable IP connectivity at any location across the B2B space; think music festivals, corporate events, or even movie sets with high attendance where cell service bandwidth is scarce or where internet connectivity is uncertain. In addition, Globecast VN is also great for live sports and other contribution events, or to deliver a signal or group of signals to a remote venue: think offsite production workflows where multiple feeds are brought back to a master control room for live distribution.

A lot of organizations we speak with don’t actually realize that they have the option of this type of service. When we talk about it, we like to describe it as a layering of fiber connectivity wherever you need it, and with this, light bulbs go on. The reaction we get is positive, as people realize they can use it as a primary or backup service, as a one-time service, or on an as-needed basis.

Fundamentally, Globecast VN arose from work we did with Santa Barbara-based CBTV, which provides news/event remote connectivity via satellite, specializing in Internet protocol networked transmissions. We first partnered with CBTV in 2018 when they started supplying RF/modem modulation, IP switching, and routing equipment to connect customers using the platform to Globecast’s Culver City Media Center. We then took that offering and expanded it to create Globecast VN, which is a fully integrated service offering.

We received a lot of positive feedback at FestForums 2019. To illustrate, we had an outside activation that featured an SNG truck along with satellite flyaway, which was provided by CBTV with the help of Chris Borghesani, CEO of CBTV. The outdoor display generated plenty of questions that ultimately lead to us booking satellite time for that Thursday to conduct a demo, which is what we were hoping to do for conference attendees.

Attendees were able to test the Globecast VN solution by switching their phones to airplane mode, connecting to Globecast VN, then making calls over IP, FaceTime, and even using streaming TV services. FestForums held a group activity in the exhibit hall where conference attendees were grouped into teams with several people on each team. The group activity was to create a new festival, with prizes awarded for the best idea. Participants used their knowledge in the industry and vendors in the exhibit hall to create, plan out, and execute their idea.

During one of the presentations, a group was looking to create a festival around animated holograms that would feature musical legends of the past performing for festivalgoers. This group included Globecast as part of their solution for Globecast VN connectivity to help with internet connectivity for ticketing, food and beverage payments, point of sale, communications, safety/security, and video live streaming.

FestForums was an excellent venue for us to demonstrate the capabilities of Globecast VN, which we think will meet the growing need for temporary, premium quality, two-way IP networks for special projects. At the moment Globecast VN is available in the US via connectivity with Globecast’s Culver City Media Center. If you’d like to know more, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!