2008: The satellite communication industry made great strides during 2008 in connecting people throughout the world through an expanding array of mediums. In one of our specialty markets, Iraq Reconstruction, we were proud to facilitate the transition of our satcom network from the Coalition Forces to the Iraqi government. The fully meshed secure voice network provides the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior with more than 250 nodes, latency at 650ms and toll quality voice connections for voice, e-mail and Internet.

PCI has engineered a vehicle that allows for secure satellite communications on the move. PCI’s Satellite Platform and Remote Tactical Access Network (SPaRTAN™) allows military and emergency personnel to communicate and provide real_time information updates over Internet Protocol (IP). Communications such as Ku On the Move/Halt, Internet access, voice over IP (VoIP), video teleconferencing (VTC), tactical conference bridge (TCB) and real-time video with an unmanned surveillance camera are aggregated at the vehicle/node and transported over commercial satellite/IP to the designated communications center.

PCI also developed and successfully marketed its Everything over IP (EoIP) systems to existing customers who desire a converged network. This COTS product allows all types of communications (landline, cell, VoIP, radio, video, camera, etc.) to be integrated over IP and transported over satellite. This effectively extends multiple lines of corporate communications from the field to the C-suite.

The biggest challenge for PCI is to create market segments that are less competitive. This is very difficult in an age of acquisitions and mergers; U.S. government administration changes and attendant foreign policy modifications; and changes to the local customer conditions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and U.S. Gulf Coast. Operating in the face of these market realities means developing closer strategic alliances with our most aggressive customers, which require rapid decision-making, financial commitments, and clear IT/communications advantages. This situation has forced PCI to become more than just a satcom provider. We are now expected to offer our customers enterprise services riding on the satellite network. In effect, PCI is changing and becoming a multifunctional communications services provider. Our work in the EoIP arena is a specific example of how we are overcoming this challenge.

As examples of overcoming the challenges mentioned above, PCI has partnered with long-time customers such as SAIC, Lockheed Martin, and Fluor in large-scale contract awards that included...

• Information Technology Enterprise Services (ITES-2) with SAIC — awarded task orders include VTC design and delivery in Korea and Army Medcom
• ENCORE II with SRA and Lockheed Martin with awards for Information Assurance
• LOGCAP IV with Fluor – current awards include task orders for networks in Afghanistan

2009: A look forward to the opportunities and technologies for 2009 for both the company and, even more importantly, our industries. Due to the lessons learned from intense security requirements, crucial reliability measures, and the critical nature of communications in a military setting, some of the most advanced satellite communications services are now being developed for commercial business use.

Satcom providers such as PCI are taking what they have learned from wartime environments and applying those best practices in a corporate setting. Whether leading a group of fire and rescue workers, environmental survey teams, or widespread sales teams, secure, quality communications can be a challenge where there are disparate or nonexistent standards. Satellite communications providers will be challenged to integrate video, source and data communications without geographic boundaries and we feel there is a tremendous opportunity to translate military communication services to the corporate environment.

About the author
Mr. LeGare became CEO of Proactive Communications, Inc. in 2006 after serving as the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Operations Manager since 2003. Under Mr. LeGare’s leadership as CEO, Proactive Communications has become the first U.S. company to work directly with the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior. Prior to joining PCI, Mr. LeGare was Senior Consultant and Operations Manager for Force XXI Battle Command Brigade of TRW/Northrop-Grumman. From 1981 to 1999 Mr. LeGare served various command and staff positions for the US Army worldwide including Battalion Commander from 1999 to 2001. LeGare earned a B.S. from the United States Military Academy, West Point, a Master of Science from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the School of Advanced Military Studies.

About the company
Proactive Communications, Inc. (PCI) was founded in 2000 with a mission to provide reliable and secure enterprise-class communication capabilities to government agencies, military, and corporate entities around the world. Our headquarters in Central Texas, near Fort Hood, reflects our roots in military culture and service. We are a certified veterans-owned business where three fourths of our employees, including senior management, are former military leaders with many years of operational and combat experience. It is this unique heritage that has enabled PCI to become a proven and trusted resource for satellite communications in the most demanding situations and harshest environments, including war zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq, natural-disaster areas, and remote geographic locations. For war fighters, first responders, and nation-building operations, we deliver secure voice, video, and data via satellite communication networks that are rugged, reliable, and fully scalable. These ground-and-vehicle-based satellite systems provide a crucial transitional technology to deploy when other transmission methods are unavailable. Systems reliability is enhanced and assured by our on-site presence in the field. PCI employees are fully deployable world-wide, even to the most hostile combat zones. Once a system is in place, we provide proactive network defense and support, as well as 24/7 management through our Network Operations and Security Center in Killeen. Many of the attributes that make us a valuable resource for government and military entities are applicable in corporate and commercial settings as well. A growing number of companies have come to rely on us for increased productivity and enhanced IT security through our highly specialized LAN/WAN design, engineering, installation and support.