Goh Wai Pheng joined iDirect Asia as its General Manager in June 2009. Prior to this, he was with the Info-Comm Systems subsidiary of ST Electronics. He was Vice President of the Comms & Security Business Unit at ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems). This Business Unit operates with two Divisions, one involved with Comms Systems Integration, while the other is a Comms Product business, responsible for the design and development of a VOIP-based Softswitch that enables comms interoperability. This product is targeted at Mission-Critical Integrated Comms Network for the military and HLS agencies.

With his experience in the comms industry, in particular on mission-critical comms infrastructure for the Military, homeland security, private and public networks, Go Wai Pheng aims to open up new areas of opportunities for iDirect products and solutions in the Asia Pacific.

SatMagazine (SM)
Mr. Pheng, How long have you been with iDirect and what does your experience bring in working within this market?

Goh Wai Pheng
I have been with iDirect Asia for about one year. Prior to iDirect, I spent more than 20 years working on mission-critical communication infrastructure for the military as well as public safety and emergency relief agencies. For these customers, the ubiquity and broadband connectivity offered by satellite communications is a key part of their overall communication needs, especially when operating in areas with non-existent or damaged terrestrial communication infrastructure. My experience helped me gain a deep understanding and appreciation of the vital role and opportunities that satellite communications play in developing markets like Asia.

SM
In what verticals does VSAT currently play a role in this crucial region of the world?

Goh Wai Pheng
In the Asia-Pacific region, VSAT delivers reliable, secure, scalable connectivity in areas where terrestrial infrastructure is either inadequate, too costly to build or impossible because of geography. Many rural villages and remote sites rely on VSAT to deliver basic Internet and VoIP access where there otherwise isn’t any.

In the GSM market for example, VSAT plays an increasingly important role in providing an efficient, cost-effective method for backhauling rural cellular traffic when building additional cell towers is not economically feasible. In the education sector, VSAT is enabling fully interactive distance learning rich in multimedia content, helping students in remote locations use applications like videoconferencing to seamlessly participate in lessons that are hundreds of miles away. Likewise in the resource sector, VSAT virtually eliminates the distance factor by bringing connectivity to oil rigs hundreds of miles off shore, utility and pipeline stations in the middle of the desert, and mining sites deep in mountain ranges to enable constant monitoring and control of core functions.

In addition to establishing basic communications in developing parts of Asia, VSAT is also advancing and redefining mobile connectivity. In the maritime market, VSAT connectivity enables a wide range of onboard applications from basic Internet access that bolsters crew morale, to weather and charting data that’s critical to a navigating a ship. For military communications, thanks to new technology that enables high-speed mobility, security and ruggedness, VSAT communications can now be deployed on the move like never before to support command and control, reconnaissance and telemedicine. Likewise, VSAT also provides quick and stable connectivity at relief sites for emergency communications and disaster management.

Further, VSAT is being used today by enterprise, banking and finance companies to keep remote branches in countries with big land masses stay connected with corporate headquarters for data sharing that yields increased productivity and efficiency. For sites in more developed areas of the region where terrestrial communications provides primary connectivity, VSAT is deployed for business continuity purposes as an active back up to terrestrial systems that are vulnerable to natural disasters.


SM
How does iDirect’s Evolution platform benefit service providers in Asia?

Goh Wai Pheng
Evolution is iDirect’s next-generation product line, built on DVB-S2 with Adaptive Coding Modulation (ACM). Evolution is up to 50 percent more efficient than non-S2 systems, designed for networks with larger outbound capacity requirements.

Customers can leverage Evolution to build next-generation satellite networks that significantly improve bandwidth efficiency and offer lower operating costs — especially critical in satellite capacity strained regions like Asia.iDirect’s ACM can automatically optimize link performance, balancing efficiency and availability as link conditions change due to adverse weather conditions. This can result in increased availability and cost savings for the customers in remote areas or for vessels out at sea.

SM
Who are some iDirect partners currently using Evolution?

Goh Wai Pheng
One important iDirect partner that has deployed an Evolution network in the region is Tatanet Services Ltd, India’s fastest growing VSAT service provider. Tatanet is using an Evolution-powered network to expand its business across multiple developing markets that require specialized service capabilities.

These include satellite VPN, VoIP and Internet broadband services to major enterprises and organizations, supporting remote communications, business continuity networks and a wide array of critical IP applications. Evolution also enables Tatanet to deliver communications solutions for the maritime broadband and GSM backhaul markets, and to host Virtual Network Operators.

Australian Satellite Communications (ASC) is another key iDirect partner who has leveraged Evolution with great success. ASC selected Evolution to expand and improve a critical distance learning network operated by Australia’s Northern Territory Government (NTG). The NTG’s Department of Education (NTDET) needed to boost the network’s interactive capabilities and support new applications, regions and end users

With Evolution’s data throughput gains, NTDET has added inbound video to the network and significantly increased the number of interactive lessons available, enabling students to collaborate more directly with teachers and peers. Further, iDirect’s Group QoS technology enables the network to easily handle a wide range of bandwidth-intensive applications including multicast video, synchronous audio and file sharing.

NTDET will also leverage the network to extend its multimedia distance learning program to new sites, including many in NT’s tropical areas, where the wet season often jeopardizes network performance. Evolution’s built-in ACM technology has shown to deliver a 400 percent increase in capacity while operating at peak performance under adverse weather conditions.

Another important partner that has deployed an iDirect Evolution network in the region is SQUARE InformatiX Ltd, the largest satellite service provider in Bangladesh. SQUARE recently upgraded its satellite broadband service to iDirect’s Evolution platform to support banks and other corporate customers in Bangladesh’s growing enterprise market. The Evolution network replaced SQUARE’s existing satellite system to maximize bandwidth capacity for advanced applications such as online banking, ATM, Point-of-Sale and e-Commerce.

iDirect’s Evolution platform has delivered data throughput improvements of up to 60 percent over SQUARE’s prior system. These bandwidth efficiency gains have allowed SQUARE to amplify its overall value to current customers with next-generation services, while at the same time allowing the provider to stretch existing satellite capacity further to expand its service and pursue a broader market opportunity. SQUARE plans to support an emerging telemedicine service that will deliver remote access to medical consultation in rural areas where quality healthcare service has not yet reached.

SM
How do you see the Asian VSAT market developing or expanding in the future?

Goh Wai Pheng
In the past, the quality and affordability of VSAT couldn’t match that of terrestrial communications. Today, the scaling costs of the VSAT platform investment options along with advanced technologies are reducing satellite bandwidth usage and associated costs, and ensuring higher quality and reliability. Given these changes, satellite communications will continue to be adopted in new markets to support an ever-growing diversity of applications.

New government initiatives in the region will continue to drive greater use of VSAT, as urban centers seek to extend education, healthcare and other services to remote parts of the region. The maritime market is another key growth driver for the Asia Pacific region, as the industry matures and more ships switch from legacy narrowband connectivity to VSAT to deliver their onboard broadband communications.

In the region’s most mature and developed economies, there is increased jeopardy and devastation potential from the constant threat of natural disasters. In these markets, though terrestrial communications is most prevalent, there will always be a need to reinforce core communications with VSAT as the most dependable and high-quality continuity system available, providing emergency communications for disaster management as well as for enterprise business continuity.

SM
What is iDirect Asia doing to capitalize on the current market opportunities?

Goh Wai Pheng
As we are a relatively young team in APAC compared to our counterparts in the U.S. and Europe, we are focused on building a local team that can closely support customer requirements in the region from pre- and post-sales support, logistics (in-region warehousing), to developing a local Technical Assistance Center and Training capabilities.

We are also leveraging our parent company’s expertise in RF equipment, integration and design to provide our customers with turn-key solutions as and when they need them. We continue to work very closely with our growing base of existing and potential customers, as many service providers and network operators in the region turn to us for consultancy while planning for the future. Their continued trust in iDirect is a good indication of the capabilities and success of our technology. They know that we understand their needs, which is always very important in any business.

As always, we will reach out to our customers about the benefits of iDirect technology — the cost effectiveness and advantages that new platforms such as Evolution can bring to their business and customers from a commercial and technical aspect. Perhaps most importantly, iDirect will continue to develop new technologies that test the limits of efficiency, flexibility and scalability to allow our partners to offer differentiated VSAT services and capitalize on the growing market demand in markets like Asia.