Bentley Walker Expands Its iDirect Infrastructure with Purchase of 2nd and 3rd iDirect 5IF Hubs

HERNDON, Va., July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems Inc. (VT Systems) today announced that Bentley Walker, a major satellite operator headquartered in the UK, has purchased two iDirect 5IF Hubs to expand services via Eutelsat SkyLogic's teleports in Turin and Cagliari, Italy. Bentley Walker will leverage iDirect's latest software release, iDX 2.1, to deliver a variety of network services across EMEA and South America. iDirect is a world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology.

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Bentley Walker will use its upgraded network infrastructure to expand its satellite coverage and offer new services to its growing customer base. The providers' EMEA network currently delivers satellite broadband to small and home office customers for core business applications including Internet, VoIP and video conferencing. The additional iDirect hubs enable Bentley Walker to utilize increased bandwidth capacity on Eutelsat's Premier W Series Satellites W2, W6 and W7, to provide extensive coverage over the EMEA region. With this added capacity, Bentley Walker will broaden its reach across Africa and introduce coverage in South America for military and high-end enterprise customers. Additionally, the company will offer leased capacity to Virtual Network Operator (VNO) providers who do not own any telecommunications infrastructure.

Bentley Walker's infrastructure upgrade is built on iDirect's latest software release, iDX 2.1, as part of the provider's continued investment in next generation technology. The release further enhances the DVB-S2 efficiency gains of Evolution and iDX 2.0 to allow Bentley Walker to deliver more bandwidth at a lower cost to its customers. iDX 2.1 features several new capabilities including software optimizations designed to yield up to a 15% improvement in packet-per-second (PPS) performance, a new bandwidth allocation algorithm for iDirect's powerful and versatile Group QoS technology, and scalability enhancements that enable service providers to support up to 5,000 remotes on a single network. Further, Evolution's built-in Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) technology continually adjusts link performance during bad weather to ensure that Bentley Walker can maintain link availability even during rain fade.

"iDirect's Evolution satellite hubs give us the flexibility to offer a variety of services while maximizing bandwidth efficiency -- especially critical for serving capacity-restrained regions like Africa. Further, the iDX 2.1 software proved to be an obvious and seamless upgrade, giving us additional performance and scalability enhancements so we can expand our reach and target new customers."

"Bentley Walker is a key iDirect customer who continues to lead the way in adopting our latest technology and features. The iDirect 5IF hub continues to be a valuable asset within Bentley Walker's portfolio, delivering multi-satellite operations at the lowest total cost of ownership. Further, iDX 2.1 will help Bentley Walker grow its services across Europe, Middle East and Africa, and now South America."

Bentley Walker is ranked as the largest supplier and operator of VSAT Networks outside of North America. Comsys independently audited Bentley Walker as having around 45% of the Market in Europe and the Middle East, to date having sold and brought online over 12,000 VSATs. Bentley Walker Ltd and Bentley Telecom are both privately owned Companies, the former started in 1947 by the Late LT Commander C Walker (George Cross DSC, DSO, DFC) RNVR in 1947 and is currently run and owned by Mr. Anthony Walker and Mr. Matthew Walker, the shares in trust to the next generation thus ensuring the business continues to be a family owned and run business.

iDirect, a subsidiary of VT Systems, is transforming the way the world gets and stays connected. The company's satellite-based IP communications technology enables constant connectivity for voice, video and data applications in diverse and challenging environments. The iDirect Intelligent Platform™ integrates advanced technology into iDirect's portfolio of hubs, routers and network management software to address the growing complexity of deploying and managing global IP networks. With more than 15 years of global satellite communications experience, iDirect serves customers in over 50 countries through a diverse network of service provider partners, including seven of the World Teleport Association's Global Top Ten operators. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, iDirect has offices in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. In 2007, iDirect Government Technologies (iGT) was set up to drive adoption of its IP-based solutions in the US Government market. In 2008, iDirect Asia Pte Ltd was established in Singapore to enhance its value-add and responsiveness to customers in the Asia Pacific region.  Please visit www.idirect.net.

VT Systems is a diversified company providing solutions to the commercial and government markets in the aerospace, electronics, land systems and marine sectors.  VT Systems products and services include aircraft inspection, maintenance and modification; software solutions in training and simulation; satellite-based IP communications technology; network solutions that integrate data, voice and video; rugged computers and computer peripheral equipment; specialized truck bodies and trailers; weapons and munitions systems; road construction equipment; and shipbuilding.   Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., VT Systems operates globally and is a wholly owned subsidiary of ST Engineering.  Please visit www.vt-systems.com.

SOURCE iDirect