Satellite, Earth Station, Global: Claimed by manufacturer Andrew Corporation to lower ownership costs, two new earth station products are aimed at reducing prices, compared with competitive units from rivals. The Andrew 4 Meter Class High Value ESA and the pre-engineered Andrew Earth Station Terminals (EST), “meet the cost of ownership needs of customers and systems integrators worldwide.” They were introduced at Satellite 2007 in Washington, DC.

Andrew Corporation has introduced two new Earth Station Antenna (ESA) products designed to provide a quality product at prices competitive with units available elsewhere. The two new lines, the Andrew 4 Meter Class High Value ESA and the pre-engineered Andrew Earth Station Terminals (EST), are intended to meet the cost of ownership needs of customers and systems integrators worldwide.

“The cost of purchasing an antenna and related system are only part of its ownership cost,” said Russell Dearnley, Director, Earth Station Antennas and Systems, Satellite Communications, Andrew Corporation. “That initial saving can be quickly consumed by higher costs for shipping, installation, and support of less reliable systems.”

The Andrew 4 Meter Class High Value ESA is described as well-suited for emerging markets such as Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which require robust systems with a low cost of ownership. The new 4 meter class antenna will replace Andrew’s existing 3.7 meter product with a view of total cost of ownership, augmenting Andrew’s premier 4 meter class antenna offering and Andrew’s full line of ESA offerings in use to transmit signals to and from satellites for broadcast, cellular backhaul, and general satellite applications.

The unit offers, in Andrew’s opinion, advantages that provide lower cost and ease of use for customers worldwide. For example, it can be installed without a crane, and moved inside buildings via regular elevators and stairwells. In addition, transport costs are “lower because Andrew can load up to six units per 20 foot container.”

Andrew is also bringing to market several new pre-engineered Earth Station Terminals that “provide major savings by eliminating the need for custom design.” They provide one- and two-way satellite communications for specialised customer segments. Andrew anticipates strong demand for these units in cellular backhaul, and single carrier per channel applications for public and private broadcast networks.

The pre-engineered Earth Station Terminals are a teaming of Andrew’s 4 meter and 5 meter class antennas, with a number of standardised electronic packages to provide a quick-to-deploy solution for various bandwidth requirements.

• more info: www.andrew.com