Trilogy’s Mercury IP Communications System Keeps SES On Station
Trilogy, a world class supplier of voice communications technologies for the industrial, broadcast and defence sectors has been selected to provide a Mercury multi-site IP communications system to SES to co-ordinate mission critical activities across its nine internationally located operations and tracking stations.
SES has just celebrated the launch of their 50th satellite with which they provide high-bandwidth communication links anywhere in the world. These links help broadcasters deliver almost 6200 TV channels to over 245 million homes worldwide; deliver connectivity to companies through reliable networks, broadband access and flexible services and ensure secure and reliable communications links for governments and international institutions.
Now installed and operational the Mercury system provides highly robust communications between SES’s Spacecraft Operations Centres (SOCs) and Telemetry, Tracking and Control (TT&C) Stations located in the USA, Canada, Gibraltar, Mexico, Belgium and Luxemburg. These systems, linked over industry standard IP connections, enable operators to communicate freely during routine operations including repositioning of the satellites, configuration of ground systems as well as planned and unplanned maintenance.
Each of the nine locations features a Mercury Interface Unit (MIU) with a dual redundant power supply and a second standby unit reflecting the critical nature of the operations they will be supporting. Operator positions are equipped with a 16 Key communications panel providing latching or non-latching participation in one-to-one, group or conference calls. All of the groups and conferences are easily configured by SES using the PC based Mercury Configuration Editor.
One of the key features of the Mercury solution was its ability both to work with and extend the reach of the existing Trilogy Commander intercom system which has worked faultlessly in SES’s Betzdorf facility for over a decade. The Commander system offers an extensive communication capability within Betzdorf but only limited external pathways via standard PABX telephone lines. By interfacing the Commander through a second MIU the system was then able to enjoy class leading communications between any and all of SES’s nine locations.
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The systems include a number of features which have added significantly both to SES’s communications capability and to the overall operational efficiency. These include a Quick Response (QRS) key which inherits the number of the last person to call a panel even if they do not normally have a key to call that person allowing operators to respond rapidly in even the most stressful moments. The system also features audio recording using a Stancil VoIP Network Recorder accessible from a back-up or live from any point on the network, recording is configurable based on current or planned operations.
“Trilogy provides solutions for its customers using a combination of COTS technology and a tailored configuration” said Mark Ellis, director Trilogy Communications. “we pride ourselves in listening to what the customer wants and delivering it to them”
About Trilogy
Trilogy has supplied audio communications equipment to customers in more than seventy countries since 1986. The company was originally formed to design and build video and audio infrastructure equipment for the television and radio broadcast industries. It continues to serve this market but now also offers its products to a wide array of customers in defence, emergency management, training and simulation, oil & gas and other industries.
Trilogy has achieved a compound growth rate of over 20% over the past 4 years and hopes its success in the 2009 Queen’s Award for Enterprise will spearhead activities over the coming years. Trilogy counts some of the world’s best known names in defence and broadcast among its customer base. These include Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, L3, Lockheed Martin, SAIC, BAE, Teledyne, BBC, Sony, CBS, Hearst-Argyle, Radio France and others.
About SES
SES are a world-leading satellite operator, providing reliable and secure satellite communications solutions to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers worldwide.
SES own and operate a fleet of 50 geostationary satellites that are complemented by a network of teleports and offices located around the globe. This far-reaching infrastructure enables our customers to reach 99% of the world’s population and places SES at the heart of the global communications chain.
Headquartered in Luxembourg SES operate worldwide through dedicated regional teams. http://www.ses.com