5 May 2004

Improved satellite communications for NATO News 05/05/2004 - NATO NATO SATCOM POST 2000 Key links NATO C3 Agency On 5 May NATO announced the results of SATCOM POST 2000, a project to give NATO significantly improved satellite communication capabilities. A new satellite constellation will be provided by a Joint Consortium of France, Italy and the United Kingdom, to replace the two existing NATO owned satellites and give NATO a far greater satellite capacity. This will include increased coverage and expanded capacity for communications, including with ships at sea and NATO’s AWACS early warning aircraft. Enhanced satellite communication coverage is an essential capability as NATO takes on new missions in new areas, beyond the Euro-Atlantic area. The winning consortium won in competition in accordance with the standard NATO procedure for International Competitive Bidding. The proposal submitted by the Joint Consortium was determined to be the lowest priced, technically compliant bid. The capability will be furnished through a service provision arrangement for 15 years, from 2005 through to 2019 for a price of 457 million euro.