Significant technological developments, particularly in cyber warfare, electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO), and precision fires, are fast becoming more accessible to opponents, thereby threatening to change the delicate landscape of global security and power dynamics.

According to Comtech’s Chief Strategy Officer and President of the Company’s Satellite Network Technologies business, Daniel Gizinski, today’s threat landscape looks wildly different from five to 10 years ago.

“There’s been a dramatic adjustment, both in terms of the capabilities and how and where they’re being deployed,” he explained.

“We’ve seen some pretty significant developments as a result of innovations and change, and over the last several years, we’ve had the opportunity to look at very different levels of what’s possible and what can be done. And from a product development and program fielding perspective, this change has put a lot of emphasis on how we design and develop products that can last over a long-term period in the field,” he continued to describe.

According to Daniel, the pivot towards strategic competition presents an “enormous challenge” to the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its international partners as they look to build and design products capable of being fielded for the next 10 to 25 years.

To support the warfighter both today and in the future, Comtech continues to focus on upgrading legacy systems as well as the development of emerging, next-generation technologies.

“The net result of this change has been a shift away from the development of bigger, more expensive, more hardened systems including advanced wideband waveforms and satellites capable of tolerating levels of spectral interference towards enormous investment in building out resilience in connectivity,” Daniel explained.

“Resilience on the battlefield lies in the diversity of multiple networks capable of providing the necessary levels of connectivity to route traffic via the best available network. Ultimately, the goal isn’t necessarily to keep a network running at all costs—it’s to keep data getting to the right place at all costs. And there are sometimes more efficient ways to do that, and you must bake in that headroom and that ability to adapt via software updates to maintain pace with a rapidly changing threat,” he added.

Uniquely Positioned

Consequently, Comtech continues to focus efforts on a series of technology areas of interest to support DoD and international partners.

Focus areas include Assured Communications and EMSO, with Daniel explaining how the company remains “hyper-focused” on the transition away from heavily stove-piped satellite systems towards digital satellite ground infrastructure and other capabilities that allow the warfighter to rapidly reconstruct networks based on the requirements of any given day.

Similar sentiments were shared by Comtech’s Executive Vice President of Business Development and Sales, Roly Rigual, who explained how Assured Communications can support operations against near-peer adversaries today and in the future.

“It’s been a long time since the major powers have had to ‘fight to get to the fight’ so assured and protected communications are more important today than ever,” Roly explained, highlighting the proliferation of multi-orbit (LEO, MEO, and GEO) constellations.

“It’s just starting, but there’s a lot of technology that still needs to be developed and deployed alongside the relevant standards supported by the ground infrastructure. I believe Comtech is in a very good position to help the customer solve these challenges,” he said.

In terms of EMSO, Comtech has focused on developing new understandings and techniques over the past decade, particularly relating to improved coordination of electronic attacks and electronic support through communications.

Dual Use Expertise

As it continues to support DoD and international partners, Comtech benefits from expertise in both commercial and defense markets.

“As a company that’s got its roots in dual-use technology development, we design a lot of cutting-edge commercial technologies with a unique set of abilities and capabilities to develop defense articles,” Daniel explained.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say one is universally ahead of the other, but having a foot in both camps allows us to take clever commercial innovations and bring them to the defense market and vice versa.”

Daniel highlighted satellite and troposcatter communication solutions as two of the most relevant dual-use capabilities that, when stitched together, can offer DoD and international partners significant value across a battlespace.

Specific Comtech successes include the US Army’s Enterprise Digital Intermediate Frequency Modem (EDIM) program, which has its roots in commercially developed technology. Awarded a contract in October 2023, Comtech is on track to deliver an initial tranche of systems to the army in the coming months.

Elsewhere, Comtech continues to support a resurgence in Troposcatter technologies across the US Army, Marine Corps, and international partners.

“Troposcatter was viewed as legacy technology-heavy, expensive, and hard to deploy. But it’s been fun to see the look of realization and appreciation that sets in with certain customers when they realize the art of the possible with modern solutions,” Daniel said.

Furthermore, Comtech is in the process of rolling out a next-generation of satellite modems capable of supporting exquisite platforms such as combat air aircraft.

“We recently received an award to bring some of the most advanced military jets into the overall network, so this is a pretty exciting growth opportunity and part of a new modem family we’re in the process of releasing over the next six or so months,” Daniel said.

Finally, Comtech remains dedicated to ensuring customers benefit from ‘Zero Trust Architecture’ as they move away from traditional network-centric infrastructures towards more data-centric models.

“One of the biggest challenges we see is bridging legacy and new networks together. I think everyone likes to imagine that we will flip a light switch and have zero trust architecture rolled out next year, but it’s going to be a 10-plus year roll-out process,” he concluded.

As the contemporary operating environment continues to change, so too must connectivity products and solutions over the long term to ensure the warfighter benefits from truly resilient communications.

Only increasing levels of investment and diverse inventories of products and concepts of operation will support those who need it most as they continue to observe uplifts in asymmetric warfare around the world.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this blog post contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking information in this blog post is qualified in its entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

During natural disasters and unplanned outages, businesses and entire communities can be exposed to an extended loss of communications capabilities. Cellular networks can be overwhelmed due to critical infrastructure data being shared on the same network used by public and non-critical applications with direct access to the Internet.

Having secure and private networks over satellite can play a vital role in boosting reliability and enhanced security across critical infrastructure, such as oil and gas pipelines, and water and power supplies.

With enhanced resilience, new security capabilities, and software-defined core, Comtech ELEVATE networks are designed to predict events and take countermeasures before security threats could impact critical infrastructure. By moving from reactive to preventative capabilities, operations can improve dramatically with Comtech’s software defined VSAT systems.

A Proven Success
Korea’s government-run water resource management agency, Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-Water), is leveraging Comtech’s intelligent VSAT solution to stay ahead of the increasing unpredictability of the Geo-Political and Environmental challenges with a more resilient and redundant data network.

A factory acceptance test (FAT) has been completed by the Comtech team and Korea Water Resources Corp. executives in Montreal aligned with the MOU previously signed in Seoul. Very valuable feedback and suggestions were provided by the Water Resources ICT Management Team of the Operation Department.

“We are very happy to see that Comtech was open to our advice, based on our extensive experience in managing the Korea Water Critical Infrastructure. Together we have eliminated potentially weak points of the network architecture and managed to avoid dependence on terrestrial communication ground infrastructure. Comtech implemented in a very short time new smart and intelligent algorithms that greatly increase our network resilience, demonstrating their dedication to integrate feedback in order to solve specific customer needs,” Jeong-Hyun Kim, Water Resources ICT Management Team of the Operation Department of Korea Water Resources.

Comtech’s intelligent VSAT ground system covers more than 500 sites that collect and transmit data from sensors and nodes at Korea Water Resources’ stations throughout Korea, where roads and terrestrial infrastructure and connectivity are limited.

Comtech ELEVATE will help K-Water’s management system running this Critical Infrastructure, allowing the system to glean important insights that could lessen the impact of evolving changes and treats.

To avoid cyber-attacks, the network operates with specific Comtech developed algorithms over separate gateways. This capability permits any of the gateways to take over the full operation in case of malfunctioning of the other one.

Comtech ELEVATE Enabling New Levels of Resiliency

Designed from the ground up as a software-defined network architecture, Comtech’s ELEVATE next-generation VSAT platform provides extreme flexibility to sustain constant changes in user traffic demand.  As future-proof platform, customers can deploy Comtech ELEVATE as a GEO solution today and migrate it later to a LEO solution or a multi-orbit hybrid solution. Comtech’s next-gen VSAT is a multi-orbit platform, which isn’t customized for any band or orbit so it can be tailored to meet specific customer needs. That equates to short lead times, adaptability, and low-cost points.

Comtech has designed ELEVATE to operate either simultaneously or uniquely over LEO, MEO, and GEO satellite orbits with the same hardware platform. In fact, Comtech ELEVATE operates on scalable hubs, which enable customers to expand capacity as their business grows. Those hubs can be tailored to specific applications. Comtech ELEVATE can operate effectively on a single hub-based architecture or simultaneously on multiple hubs deployed and dispersed geographically.  

The ELEVATE next-gen VSAT platform features Comtech’s powerful link bonding and traffic balancing algorithms using spectrum multiplexing. In the event of an antenna outage or fiber interruption, the system can reconstruct point-to-point traffic over small antennas and discontinued bandwidth segments over multiple satellites and teleports.

Multi-Gbps links can be established using this approach as an immediate back up for fiber. Comtech ELEVATE enabled with Comtech’s Digital Gateway technology has the ability to run traffic over terrestrial, wireless or SATCOM links. At the same time, the next-gen platform can compress the data, optimize it, and accelerate and manage various delays over different links.

Comtech’s ability to provide unsurpassed multipath capabilities using VSAT enables more flexibility and resiliency in the face of outages and growing threats. Using the Digital Gateway interfaces, users can plug in a variety of different analog, UHF/VHF, and IP radios, as well as traditional IP-based hardware.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this blog post contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking information in this blog post is qualified in its entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Contact Us

For more information about Comtech’s ELEVATE VSAT platform, please fill the form below:

When people think of emergency response, they usually do so with the iconic “911” number in mind, but there’s another growth driver emerging: 988.

988 is the newly-named suicide and crisis helpline that was originally established in 2005 as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. However, in 2022, the government passed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, redesignating the former ten-digit number to the current 988 code for 24/7 crisis care. The government has put more focus on mental health issues in recent years, and has increased crisis communications spending almost 20x from $24M to $432M to scale up crisis centers, improve response rates and ensure calls are routed to the correct call center. 

While the need to increase 988 resources is important, a greater issue is still looming: call routing. When a call comes in to 988, it’s routed to a center with proximity to the caller’s area code. If someone is on vacation and initiates a 988 call, that call will be routed according to their phone number – potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from a caller’s actual location. Once a dispatcher answers that call, they will have to redirect it to the appropriate local point of contact, which can create costly delays in situations where every second matters. These inefficiencies in the 988 infrastructure will only amplify as the number of 988 calls continues to skyrocket. In fact, after 988 was established in July 2022, the helpline saw a 33% jump in call volumes the following year. 

This has become such an important issue that last month, the FCC announced a proposal requiring 988 end points to deploy georouting solutions to better identify a caller’s location (such as by using neighboring cell towers, versus a caller’s area code), allowing counselors to react quickly to incoming calls while avoiding unnecessary use of other emergency services or law enforcement. At the same time, carriers must be able to maintain customer privacy requirements. This is precisely where Comtech comes in. 

Comtech is uniquely positioned to meet the complex demands of 988. We’re already established as a trusted call handler, with multiple successful NG911 deployments. While 988 calls currently can’t be transferred to the 911 system, there is significant promise to bring these two services together – particularly piggy-backing 988 services on new NG911 infrastructure. Using ESInet solutions nascent in NG911, 988 calls could come from a variety of sources beyond cell phones – including VoIP or smart devices – and then get transferred to the correct crisis center based on where the caller is reaching out from. With less guesswork and faster response times, these location and routing services will also allow crisis centers to absorb increased call volumes. This is a perfect application for our expertise, and end-to-end platform. 

The opportunities for our business are clear. With pressure to modernize the 988 lifeline country-wide, it’s a communications sector with growth potential of a roughly 20% CAGR, according to our internal analysis. In fact, over half of US states have passed legislation to address 988 implementation policies – which is to say that these opportunities already exist, and will continue to grow.

So much of the success of an emergency response, whether someone is in physical or mental distress, boils down to how quickly the call can get to the right person. At Comtech, we pride ourselves on making that process work better and playing our role in getting people the help they need when it matters most. We look forward to applying our NG911 track record and technology to opportunities in the 988 space to make this lifeline more accessible and efficient in the future.

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Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this blog post contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking information in this press release is qualified in its entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Old Systems Don’t Support What & How We Communicate Now

The biggest influence on public safety today is the near-total switch to wireless communications networks. Not long ago, using a phone meant being tied to a specific space – whether at a home, business or phone booth. Cell phones are now as ubiquitous as wallets, so when someone is experiencing an emergency, their home address is meaningless: what matters is their current, physical location. In fact, according to a recent study by the National Center of Health Statistics, only 27% of homes still had landlines at the end of 2022 and only 2% of households had landlines alone. It should be no surprise that over 80% of 911 calls made in the US come from wireless devices. This means that even if a landline is in place, it’s not the sole (or even, preferred) means of communication.

In addition to the decline of landlines, there has been an exponential increase in the number of touchpoints that can communicate on our behalf. While this means we have more ways to call for help in an emergency (including smart watches, connected cars and alarm systems), these new modes of communication create a host of new challenges for emergency communications systems to manage. For example, simply determining if an emergency exists in the first place represents a huge amount of work: it’s estimated that a staggering 94-98% of calls made from alarm systems are by accident.

Today, with calls originating from multiple devices, they are also being delivered through different connections such as VoIP and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). What does that mean? It means we now have to find ways to successfully identify, transfer and organize communications data, be it audio or visual, from the “front end” of a call, to an ideal end result: when the right respondent gets to the right person as fast as possible.

Emergency call volumes are also exploding. Given we have so many more ways to connect, we are connecting more often simply because we can. According to our internal analysis, 911 calls have been steadily rising over the past decade to nearly 250 million each year in the US alone. Additionally, a survey conducted by the National Emergency Number Association last year found that 83% of call center respondents experienced high call volume on a weekly basis. Aside from combatting the many technology changes at play, the sheer increase in calls is putting an even bigger strain on Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).

Technological Advancements Have Changed the Landscape

Not only do next-generation 911 systems have to accommodate all of the different tools we use to communicate, they need to consider how the information we share has changed as well. For years, we relied on hard wire connections that could only transmit audio. Today, nearly all of our technology infrastructures rely on the cloud. This creates advantages: by deploying cloud-based services, PSAPs can move away from physical equipment that requires maintenance, space, and power, allowing them to operate more efficiently and at a lower cost. In addition, the cloud gives PSAPs the flexibility to add-on other features that can, for example, transcribe messages in real-time, prioritize and categorize emergencies, and analyze incoming data to better allocate resources. Cloud services also work with AI, which telecommunicators can use to manage workloads and improve efficiency, to filter requests by level of emergency, or help route callers to the service they require – whether police, fire or EMS. 

PSAPs are now receiving calls in different ways, from multiple devices, and ingesting all kinds of data – including voice, text, image, video and even sensor/IoT data. This can be a double-edged sword: while dispatchers have more accurate and comprehensive information than ever, this also creates more data “noise” that has to be organized and prioritized to find what’s important, even as every second matters. With the right technology in place, PSAPs can make more informed decisions, faster than ever. For example, by gathering weather and traffic data from nearby sensors and CCTVs, next-generation 911 technologies can give emergency personnel the fastest real-time route to the caller’s location. They can even go as far as accessing medical records so EMTs are better positioned to serve people on-site. 

This evolution of data and technology has the potential to make emergency response not only more accurate, but more accessible as well. For example, if a caller suffers from a disability, can’t speak or is hard of hearing, they won’t have to rely on audio cues alone. Even live recording gives callers a bridge to dispatchers if they are in a situation where it’s not possible (or even dangerous) to speak out loud.

The Public Sector Structure is Streamlining

Finally, while the broad adoption and availability of new communications technologies have created huge opportunities to transform public safety infrastructure, the way PSAPs operate has also changed. Most PSAPs today are consolidating to conserve resources, while at the same time suffering from staff shortages. In fact, the National Emergency Number Association found that 80% of 911 call centers are understaffed in a recent survey. On top of that, they also note a constant frustration with outdated technology, with 60% citing regular outages due to inefficient equipment. By implementing modern solutions – and modern technology – call centers can alleviate these pain points.

Additionally, 911 call centers are under financial pressure, putting their purchasing decisions under intense scrutiny. While the US and Canada are leading a combined initiative to upgrade public safety communications to next-generation 911 to address the issues discussed here, they haven’t established budgets to fully support this effort. That said, the importance of public safety infrastructure is universally understood. Many transitions are currently funded at the state and county level, while Congress is simultaneously seeking to usher bills forward for federal funding.

In fact, the FCC just proposed improvements for routing wireless calls to the new 988 lifeline, which is crucial for supporting people experiencing mental health crises. The proposal requires implementing georouting solutions for all wireless calls to 988, ensuring they can be directed to crisis centers closest to the caller, while at the same time allowing carriers to maintain privacy requirements given the sensitive nature of these calls.

It is exactly this kind of next-generation, end-to-end solution that Comtech already provides thanks to our long experience in the 911 market. More broadly, it speaks to the opportunity that lies ahead. At Comtech, we understand the importance of this transition, and we are in a unique position to support customers bringing public safety into the modern era. 

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Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this blog post contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking information in this press release is qualified in its entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

What we mean when we say public safety is the underlying infrastructure that supports emergency response, and the transformation currently underway to modernize this framework is largely known as next-generation 911 (NG911). In fact, this term was coined to label the combined initiative of the US and Canada to modernize public safety communications across North America. Comtech has already established itself as a well-known competitor in the public safety space here, and in the US alone, the market surrounding NG911 is expected to grow to nearly $1.2 billion in 2026 – increasing at a steady CAGR of 6.1% from 2021 according to Frost & Sullivan analysts.

When we look at this market globally however, we see some distinct differences, but no less opportunity. The international market is perhaps less mature in the sense that there is a historically less formalized commitment to universally address this issue. But international markets are more advanced in that they don’t have the wireline legacy we have in the US, and wireless communications are predominant – which means they are easy and ready to adapt.  With that in mind, our collective market represents an over $2 billion opportunity for Comtech, and is expected to grow anywhere from a 5-10% CAGR as resources are increasingly committed to it.

Why is that? First, consider the extraordinary growth of connected devices: a recent IoT Analytics report calls for the number of connected endpoints to grow at a 16% CAGR to reach 29.7 billion by 2027. Everything from cars, to watches and even home appliances, are Internet-enabled, and these devices can communicate with greater sophistication with us and each other, as well as transmit everything from photos and videos to location.

Here, Comtech not only helps our customers integrate the diversity of technologies and media now available to public safety (meaning, video, sensors, smart devices, etc.) but to make sense of that data – increasingly with AI – to help sort the haystack to find the needle. We’ve all seen stories about someone calling 911 to order a pizza, and Comtech’s mission is to appropriately filter for only relevant 911 calls, and further, only pertinent information to the call taker (away from the mass of data “noise” that is irrelevant).

With today’s technology, with the right communications infrastructure, we can more comprehensively and precisely capture and process information, which is never more critical than when someone is experiencing an emergency and every second counts.

Let’s take an even deeper dive and consider the potential of the markets we serve with our Terrestrial & Wireless business. There are a number of elements that make up the public safety communications ecosystem: carrier services, ESInet and PSAPs.

At Comtech, “carrier services” really means Trusted Carrier Location Services. Our job is to help carriers identify user locations for both general (and, commercial) uses, but in addition, with accuracy in the event of a 911 call. Our customers – providers such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast – are sensitive to CPNI and their own users’ privacy. But: the moment you dial 911, different laws and requirements come into play, and – understandably – more can and must be done to determine caller location and get this information to a public safety node.

While calls are largely made over wireless connections, carriers are also having to quickly absorb the needs of today’s reliance on VoIP and OTT (over-the-top) video streaming from anywhere and any device, which will extend to emergency services if, for example, a car’s system detects a crash and activates a call from the passenger trying to make contact. Last year alone, we estimate this market represented a roughly $300 million market opportunity for Comtech to support this diversity of access, and will only grow.

Second, we need to consider ESInet, which is the underlying IP network that supports NG911. It’s what allows better data transfer between the sender and recipient, including location tracking and the ability to send images or other large data files, as well as manage text messages in addition to voice calls. For NG911, this allows operators to issue a response with precision if they can locate and diagnose the situation via better insights provided from the person and/or device at the other end of the line. This facet of public safety is expected to experience double-digit growth in coming years as more states (and, all of Canada) seek to contract NG911 coverage – of which, currently about 20% of the population is under no, or only partial, contract according to the FCC and Emergency Agencies at the state and county level. In fact, at the end of 2022, only 11 states were fully, or in the progress of, migrating to NG911. Comtech, however, already has established strong footing, currently holding significant contact share in the US with successful deployments, such as in Arizona, and prominent contract wins – like our recently announced deal extension with the state of Washington.

The last piece of the puzzle is Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) – such as call centers – and the solutions they need to sustain effective call handling and routing. To support the current state of communications, many PSAPs are moving to cloud-based offerings, and as we see the continued emergence of other capabilities like AI, this is another exciting subset of NG911 experiencing what we believe will also contribute to long-term growth over time.

Lastly, while 911 services are typically top-of-mind when we think of public safety, there is an equally pressing need to upgrade 988 services, those that support suicide hotlines and other mental health crises. These calls are traditionally routed from static area codes, a highly ineffective system, and several states have already passed legislation to address 988 implementation policies. We’ll explore this in a future post, but this is an area where Comtech also sees tremendous growth and opportunity in the coming years.

With the existing portfolio of solutions we have in our T&W business, our reputation and our strong customer relationships, we estimate that Comtech’s addressable market today – in both the US, and internationally – represents over $2 billion in value, and every component of that market is benefiting from secular growth drivers we’ve written about above. As we expand our offerings, and develop new customer relationships, that number has significant room to grow.

With all of this in mind, we recognize the incredible opportunities ahead of us. Public safety and service provider communications solutions is already a sector Comtech has established itself in as a trusted partner, and as more NG911 initiatives come online, we are ready to work hard and capture them.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this blog post contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking information in this press release is qualified in its entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Comtech recognizes this fast-evolving landscape is creating new and growing demand for next-generation public safety architecture as more states, and even countries, prioritize upgrades to their existing systems to accommodate changing communication requirements. Comtech has already emerged as a leader in this space, providing proven call and text location, routing and handling, with a long-established history as a credible and trusted partner. However, a key advantage Comtech has is agility, which many other vendors don’t possess: Our solutions rest on an interoperable platform that can easily grow into and absorb new capabilities, providing the end-to-end solutions service providers truly need.

In plain terms, given the number of complex elements that need to come together for emergency communications to work, our clients must solve what is essentially an infrastructure puzzle. And, while some market participants may have one piece of that puzzle, or even several, there are very few solutions providers who can claim to have not only all the pieces, but the top of the box: a clear view of how it all fits together. At Comtech, we have the pieces, we have the box top, and we have a team in place that’s built this puzzle before.

Unlocking this value means having the right leaders, with the right expertise, in place. Most recently, we appointed Jeff Robertson as the President of T&W, a 30-year industry veteran with the experience and vision to grow the business into the future. Following this exciting hire, we’re also thrilled to share two more additions to Jeff’s leadership team: Tom Guthrie, who will serve as the Chief Operating Officer, and John Whitehead, who will be General Manager of the Safety & Security Technologies (SST) unit. Both will be instrumental in accelerating growth into this expanding market opportunity by strengthening operations in T&W’s three segments, expanding T&W’s offerings, closing key deals and moving their organizations to be as close to our customers as possible. 

Tom Guthrie, Comtech’s new Chief Operating Officer.

Tom Guthrie joins Comtech as a seasoned public safety and service provider communications professional, having operated in both that space and broadband communications for 35 years – inclusive of multiple executive positions. His clear understanding of both the needs of the emergency response market and the underlying technologies that support those endeavors makes Tom an ideal choice to help oversee Comtech’s T&W business.

Previously, Tom acted as CEO of Commnet Broadband, an operator serving the Southwest US with fiber, fixed wireless, and mobile wireless communications services, and as General Manager of Public Safety at RapidSOS, managing key partner relationships with Apple, Google, and a portfolio of Call Handling and CAD vendors, as well as building the support organization for PSAPs. Tom also served as CEO of Twisted Pair Solutions in Seattle where he raised capital before ultimately selling the company to Motorola Solutions. As we look to further expand into the public safety sector, Tom’s experience successfully managing growth cycles and transitional phases, including acquisitions, will be crucial to steering the business into position for optimal return.

John also has an impressive public safety background – serving over 30 years in the industry. Most recently, he was Chief Revenue Officer at Utility Inc., which provides a platform that captures and manages video evidence for law enforcement, first responders and more front-line workers, growing the SaaS startup into one of the most major players in the body camera market. Before that, he spent 20 years at Hexagon (formerly Intergraph) heading up their sales efforts across North America, and eight years as an Operations Manager for Jefferson County 911 in Missouri. An avid public safety advocate, John has served as a volunteer firefighter and currently serves on the board of directors for Jefferson County 911 where he previously worked.

John Whitehead, the new General Manager of the Safety & Security Technologies (SST) unit.

Both Tom and John bring a great blend of experience, deeply-versed not only in the nuances of public safety and the current shifts in the industry, but the ability to identify new avenues for a business to find growth and success. The changes in the public safety market, as more entities migrate to next-generation emergency response, create a real opportunity for Comtech to capture share, and we expect Tom and John will be critical in those efforts.  

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Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this blog post contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking information in this press release is qualified in its entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

One pillar of our strategy is continuously strengthening the company’s leadership, attracting the best talent to scale the organization and capitalize on both existing markets and new market opportunities. Investors will recall our recent hire of John Ratigan – a seasoned satellite communications executive – to serve as Chief Corporate Development Officer to champion these efforts. With John now serving as Comtech’s interim CEO, he’s accelerating this important work, and Jeff will be instrumental in this initiative.

Jeff is an ideal leader for Comtech’s T&W business given his storied experience in the public safety and telecom sectors. Over a nearly 30-year career, Jeff has held several executive roles, and is well-known and highly regarded by employees, customers, and capital markets participants alike.

Most recently, Jeff served as the President & CEO of Intrado Life Safety. During his tenure at Intrado, he strengthened key go-to-market relationships, managed crucial – and profitable – organizational restructurings, spearheaded key acquisitions to expand the company’s technological innovation, made key hires, and increased employee retention. Importantly, Jeff implemented a value-based selling approach that is very much in-line with our solutions-focused customer strategy, and which drove significant growth.

Jeff joins Comtech’s T&W business at a pivotal time for public safety communications. Historically, these businesses were attractive as they generated reliable cashflows combined with modest, but steady growth. Now, we are at an inflection point as step-changes in communications technologies are changing not only the performance potential of next-generation public safety, but have significant implications for accelerated overall market growth.

Just about every way people communicate has rapidly changed: from just voice historically to now include multimedia (text, image, and video), wearables, all our IOT devices (like connected smoke alarms and doorbells, or connected vehicles), and more.  It’s conceivable that in the near future, most requests for help will be automated, rather than being made via voice-based phone calls. The fact is that legacy emergency response systems were never architected to handle these new methods of requesting help. Yet, there is a critical need to manage emergency requests rapidly and securely from multiple devices, capture and interpret information, and prioritize the right response so our nation’s public safety dispatchers can improve emergency response.

Comtech is already satisfying this need as a trusted technology provider. In fact, we estimate that, when considering the need to migrate to next-generation 911 services at a global level, there is an expanding $4 billion addressable market – one which Comtech is uniquely qualified and positioned to capture. It’s the intersection of this exciting opportunity and Comtech’s already proven ability that excited Jeff to take the wheel as our T&W lead.

In his new role as the head of Comtech’s T&W business, Jeff will oversee all aspects of operations, engineering, program management, new product development, system design, strategic planning, and customer engagement within the segment. Beyond his recent work at Intrado, Jeff brings a wealth of public safety experience to Comtech. Jeff has previously served in executive positions as Senior Vice President of emergency data platform company RapidSOS, and as CEO for Airbus DS Communications (which was sold to Motorola Solutions), a provider of command center software for emergency call handling. Finally, Jeff brings a unique, and personal, understanding of the importance of public safety to his role: as a police officer and deputy sheriff, he knows first-hand the kinds of communications challenges first responders face. He is an ideal candidate to oversee Comtech’s future in the public safety space, and his full background is detailed in our official press release.

For our investors, Jeff’s hire creates a real advantage: he’ll be an excellent steward for a T&W business that is already on solid footing and extremely competitive – as demonstrated by our recently-announced $48 million contract renewal with Washington State. Jeff is an experienced leader that is adept at strategic positioning, identifying and executing the necessary business decisions for sustainable growth, reducing costs, and who knows how to build a culture which not only brings teams together, but keeps them focused on delivering results.

We’re thrilled to have Jeff on board – and so are our customers, who are looking for a trusted partner to help them prepare for and implement reliable, powerful next-generation public safety solutions over the coming years. With Comtech’s history, vast customer base, and longstanding focus on emergency response, we believe we are well-positioned to serve this market transformation, and can grow market share and revenues while doing so.

Stay tuned for more Signals posts to hear from Jeff directly about his thoughts regarding the public safety space, why the iron is hot to strike right now, and how he’ll be guiding Comtech forward to capture these opportunities.

Forward-Looking Statements Certain information in this blog post contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking information in this press release is qualified in its entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

One thing we promised on our second quarter earnings call was direct, more consistent communication.

On that front, we want to make sure our investors saw the press release [here], announcing that Jeff Robertson has joined Comtech as the President of our Terrestrial & Wireless Networks business segment. 

This has huge implications for Comtech, and our investors.

Jeff is – in our view – the best, most experienced executive in the public safety communications space. Before he joined us at Comtech, he was President and CEO of Intrado Life Safety. Jeff’s record at Intrado speaks for itself:

• Under his leadership, Jeff enhanced Intrado’s operating structure, implemented critical digital transformation initiatives, and migrated legacy products to next-generation cloud-based infrastructures;
• Jeff simultaneously improved employee retention and strengthened key go-to-market partnerships; 
• Importantly, Jeff created and realized enormous value for Intrado’s owners: he profitably grew the business over the course of a four-year tenure, at which point Intrado was purchased for $2.4 billion.

For employees, customers, partners, and you, this means Comtech’s Terrestrial & Wireless segment – at a critical time for Comtech – is now in the hands of a veteran operator who understands not only how to operate and grow this kind of business, but how to maximize its value.

There’s a lot of work still to be done here at Comtech. But we’re hoping you will appreciate the magnitude and importance of Jeff coming on board, especially now. Going forward, we’ll be providing more information about Jeff, our T&W business, and our end markets because we see such a huge opportunity in front of us.

And, once he’s got his feet underneath him, we’ll organize an opportunity for our shareholders to interact more directly with him. 

We appreciate your time and attention, and let us know if you have any questions.

Comtech’s transformational shift that started only 12 months ago is delivering results right out of the gate for the company, employees, and customers.

“Since day one of our One Comtech journey, we focused on delivering exceptional results for customers. Through our renewed and unified customer-centric approach, Comtech is leveraging our unique understanding of our customers’ needs to succeed in global markets,” noted Comtech CEO Ken Peterman. “Comtech is leading the way in delivering the blended, hybrid, smart-enabled solutions and services that can empower a truly connected planet.”

In June, Ken took the stage at Comtech’s first-ever investor day to tout the company’s new unified structure and detail Comtech’s commitment to embrace and enable the new world of converged networks and markets. “It’s what we refer to as unleashing the more comprehensive value creation of One Comtech,” explained Ken, outlining Comtech’s ability to move beyond a siloed business structure to exploit the opportunities that come with market convergence.

The move to One Comtech has also driven efficiencies and streamlined focus, which has quickly contributed to a string of major commercial and government market wins at the outset of the company’s new fiscal year.  

Big Deals on the Heels of Big Collective Change

“Comtech is better positioned than ever to attract and retain the right people and create the right environment to thrive,” said Maria Hedden, Comtech’s Chief Operating Officer. Redundancies were drastically reduced, key business processes were standardized, and, as a result, Comtech’s people and teams are better equipped to collaborate, innovate and meet our customer commitments in rapidly evolving markets.

Comtech’s customers have responded to the transformation. Comtech was just awarded up to $544 million to provide the U.S. Army with onsite professional engineering services and market leading satellite and terrestrial networking communications technologies for Global Field Service Representative (GFSR) support. This task order was awarded on Comtech’s existing contract with the U.S. Army, which leverages the ten-year, $5.1 billion Global Tactical Communications Systems (GTACS) II indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle. Comtech was initially selected as one of multiple GTACS II IDIQ awardees in 2020.

The GFSR program provides ongoing communications and IT infrastructure support for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and NATO, allowing U.S. and coalition forces to maintain robust, resilient, and secure connectivity for global all-domain operations.

The U.S. Army also awarded Comtech $48.6 million this fall for next-generation Enterprise Digital Intermediate Frequency Multi-Carrier (EDIM) modems in support of its digitization and modernization programs.

Comtech will design, develop, test, and deliver EDIM modems to replace aging military platforms and ultimately enable the Department of Defense (DoD) to move critical digitized data across hybrid satellite network architectures. The newfound capabilities will allow warfighters to simultaneously operate on multiple networks, easily roam across orbital regimes and blend traditionally disparate networks to maintain an information advantage in the world’s most challenging and adversarial geographies.

“This strategic contract award further illustrates the trust of our DoD customers in Comtech’s ability to deliver innovative software-defined solutions that meet the mission demands of today and the future,” explained Ken. “Our EDIM modems will be designed to continuously evolve over time to introduce performance enhancements that can significantly improve all-domain mission effectiveness.”

The DoD also recently selected Comtech for an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract award worth up to $3.2 billion over a ten-year period of performance. Comtech is one of multiple awardees under this Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Gateway to Sustainment (G2S) contract, which enables the DoD and other U.S. Government customers to purchase a wide range of capabilities and services from multiple vendors in support of the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) operations.

“This award further demonstrates the value our battle-proven, open architecture C5ISR capabilities can bring to warfighters operating in all-domain environments,” explained Ken. Comtech’s technologies available under this IDIQ multiple award contract (MAC) are designed to evolve over time to infuse new smart-enabled services and insightful applications that can help the DoD maintain a strategic advantage in a world of technology-driven deterrence.

“With our organizational transformation, the U.S. Government and our commercial customers can pull from all the technologies and expertise across Comtech and our collaborative solutions with integration partners around the world,” Ken added. “That’s a huge benefit and advantage Comtech brings to the markets we serve and a big driver behind our enduring customer wins.”

Comtech’s portfolio of defense and security technologies is designed to deliver the integrated communications capabilities needed to enhance Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control operations and deploy customized, interoperable, robust, and resilient communications systems and services for all branches of the DoD, as well as collation forces.

Comtech’s Public Safety Offerings Continue to See Growth

In July, the State of Ohio provided Comtech with initial funding of $21 million on a contract (with a total expected value of approximately $85 million) to design, deploy and operate Next-Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) services.

Comtech’s end-to-end NG9-1-1 systems will provide Ohio citizens with new public safety technologies, precise location-based services, and secure and reliable communications capabilities when they matter most. Through use of an Emergency Services Internet Protocol Network, Comtech’s NG9-1-1 services will provide a seamless, coordinated, and efficient statewide system that is available in every jurisdiction throughout Ohio.

“9-1-1 systems play a critical role in our daily lives, and we look forward to serving the citizens of Ohio by delivering Comtech’s comprehensive NG9-1-1 services that will significantly enhance overall response capabilities during an emergency,” said Ken.

According to Frost and Sullivan, Comtech was the second leading NG9-1-1 primary contract holder at the end of 2022 with an estimated market share of 22.3%.  The Company currently provides next-generation 9-1-1 services for more than one-thousand public safety agencies across North America and offers one of the most complete end-to-end in-house systems available.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) has more than 4.5 million Pennsylvania citizens in 42 counties, roughly 35 percent of the state, covered by Comtech’s NG9-1-1 services. History was made in the state of Pennsylvania in September, when the one-millionth 9-1-1 call on Comtech’s platform came in for law enforcement response in the city of Erie, PA.

In addition, Comtech’s contract supporting a major Tier 1 mobile network operator (MNO) in routing and location delivery with 9-1-1 calls was extended for another year, effective Oct. 1, 2023. The extension of our critical recurring services demonstrates the strength and quality of the services that are being provided by Comtech and the substantial value to the company’s expansive and growing list of carrier customers.

Comtech looks to expand its highly successful next generation wireless emergency communications service capabilities and community reach in the coming months and years through continued investment and new product introductions, including 988 solutions, data analytics and insights atop existing 9-1-1 offerings, allowing for more precision to the location and movement of objects and individuals around emergency locations.

The Road Ahead

As Comtech honed its business down to two core segments, it has been able to deliver on increased customer satisfaction and on-time delivery. The company has also implemented key performance indicators to measure, improve, and execute to drive empowerment at the lowest possible level to ensure we’re meeting customer commitments.

The One Comtech transformation is well underway but far from complete. “The company is committed to making the tough but impactful decisions that create greater financial flexibility and stronger future opportunities,” said Ken.

Ken took the opportunity to congratulate the Comtech team on a successful fiscal 2023 during the Q4 2023 earnings call on October 12, and pointed to the One Comtech-driven positive start to fiscal year 2024. “I am excited about the momentum we are building as we progress on our One Comtech journey,” Ken told investors. “Going forward, I’m excited that we are already realizing significant strategic wins and material results that stem directly from our actions. Our implementation of standard tools, procedures, and process discipline across the enterprise have been a key driving factor in the improvements we are seeing in our balance sheet and our performance.”

Comtech’s performance over the past fiscal year is validating the One Comtech approach. The company is riding a wave of efficiency and collaborative success that has already had a significant impact on product development, market demand, and customer satisfaction.

“These recent contracts and successes represent only the leading edge of new customer engagements, and it is clear we are establishing valuable, long-term partnerships,” Ken noted. “For our shareholders, the transformational One Comtech restructuring initiatives and forward-facing investments in innovation are already delivering revenues and margin improvement and creating value today.”

The differentiated expertise and diversity of perspective is enabling Comtech’s people to collaborate with customers like never before, Ken shared. “Leveraging our unique culture of innovation and technology leadership is resulting in our winning significant strategic new business and strengthening our core market positions.”

Read the company’s latest shareholder letter here to learn more.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this blog post contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from such forward-looking information. The Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking information in this press release is qualified in its entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Operations in Contested/Congested Satellite Environments

Intro

In our increasingly interconnected world, satellite communications have become a cornerstone of modern communication networks, enabling global connectivity for everything from connecting rural communities to navigation and surveillance. However, according to US Space Command (August 31, 2023), as the demand for satellite bandwidth grows and more actors enter the space arena, the once-uncongested satellite environment is becoming increasingly contested. The contention poses significant challenges to traditional satellite communications systems, leading to exploration of alternative solutions. One such solution that has gained renewed attention is tropospheric scatter, or Troposcatter, communications.

Contested Satellite Environment

Satellite communication has long been favored for its ability to provide wide coverage and high bandwidth connectivity across vast distances. This advantage, however, according to the European Space Agency (April 21, 2022), has led to an overcrowded space environment. A similar finding by the Union of Concerned Scientists (January 1, 2023), indicates that governments, militaries,  and corporations,  are launching more satellites into orbit, resulting in increased competition for radio frequency (RF) spectrum and potential interference issues. Moreover, the emergence of anti-satellite technologies and rapid evolution of satellite-targeted cyber threats have raised concerns about the reliability and security of traditional satellite communications systems.

Understanding Troposcatter Communication

Troposcatter communications is a technology that leverages the scattering of radio waves in the Earth’s troposphere – the lower portion of the atmosphere – to establish communications links over distances  beyond the radio horizon or beyond line of site (BLOS). Today, modern Troposcatter technologies send signals towards the troposphere, where they interact with atmospheric particles and scatter in various directions. A receiver located within the scatter region can pick up the signal enabling robust, resilient, and secure communications between the transmitter and receiver.

Advantages in Contested Environments

 Comtech’s next generation Troposcatter Family of Systems offer several advantages in contested satellite environments:

1. Resistance to Jamming: Unlike traditional satellite signals that can be vulnerable to jamming or interference, Troposcatter signals are more resistant due to their reliance on atmospheric scattering. Attempts to jam a Troposcatter link would require jamming a significant portion of the Earth’s atmosphere, making such efforts impractical.
2. Reduced Susceptibility to Cyberattacks: Troposcatter connections provide a smaller attack surface than broad area satellite beams, increasing the difficulty, cost, and complexity of launching a successful cyberattack. This inherent security advantage makes Troposcatter an attractive option for transmitting sensitive information.
3. Distributed Architecture: Troposcatter technologies are designed with distributed architecture, enabling multiple relay stations to create a network that can adapt to changing conditions. This flexibility is particularly valuable in contested environments where fixed satellite infrastructure might be compromised.
4. Lower Latency: Modern Troposcatter systems offer lower latency compared to satellite communications, as the signal does not have to travel all the way to space and back. This can be crucial for real-time applications like video conferencing or remote-control critical systems.
5. Spectrum Efficiency: As spectrum becomes a limited resource in contested environments, Troposcatter can make more efficient use of available frequency bands, potentially mitigating spectrum congestion.

Comtech’s Troposcatter Family of Systems

Comtech’s portfolio of defense and security technologies, including the company’s Troposcatter FoS, are uniquely positioned to deliver capabilities that will enhance Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) operations. The company has extensive experience developing and deploying customized, interoperable, robust, and resilient communications systems for all branches of the DOD and coalition forces. Comtech’s expansive portfolio of defense and security technologies is designed to continuously evolve over time to meet emerging Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) use cases and enhance mission effectiveness in future all domain command and control operations.

This article is the fifth in a series that will focus on important Troposcatter use cases including: Relay Link Replacement, Troposcatter Communications on the Move, Obstructed Line of Sight Communications, Operations in Contested/Congested Satellite Environments, and Extension of Services.

Comtech’s Troposcatter FoS meets the CJADC2 communication needs. Contact a Comtech representative at contact us, to discuss how Comtech’s Troposcatter FoS can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your organization

 Learn more about the Troposcatter Family of Systems below.

1. Introduction

2. Relay Link Replacement

3. Communications on the Move

4. Obstructed Line of Sight

5. Operations in Contested / Congested Environments