The launch of the satellite teleport is an important moment for the institutions of the Polish state, the army, services that care for the country’s security, business and public administration – said the Ministry of National Defense. Exatel, however, hopes that the interest of not only public institutions, but most of all business will be great.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the first to use satellite teleport services. The company has been developing its competences in the field of satellite communication since 2018. Until now, it has provided this type of service only to public institutions.
In October 2020, Exatel announced the construction of its own infrastructure – a satellite teleport. – In eight months, a teleport was built. The project works. We have been providing services since June 1 – said Rafał Magryś, vice president of Exatel during the press conference.
The teleport enables the provision of satellite and broadcast communication services for media companies (radio, television) or may constitute a backup access to telecommunications satellites for their operators. Thanks to modern solutions, it can receive satellite data with the EDRS system in real time from satellites in low Earth orbits and forward them through satellites in geostationary orbit. It can also be used for mission control, i.e. to manage e.g. the constellation of Polish observation / telecommunications satellites.
Currently, a team of seven modern satellite dishes is in operation. The infrastructure is complemented by a Data Center. – The entire infrastructure and the services provided on it are under constant monitoring of our Network Operations Center and Security Operations Center. It is also not without significance that – as a Polish telecommunications operator – we have the 1st degree EU and NATO Certificates of Industrial Security and the Top Secret clause – explained Magryś.
Maciej Małecki, Deputy Minister of State Assets, who was present at the official opening of the teleport, emphasized that it was “an important step in building the state’s cybersecurity”. – The events of recent weeks prove how important it is to develop your own competences in the area of cybersecurity and independence in this market segment – he noted and added that Poland is not present enough in space today.
The possibilities offered by the satellite teleport can be used by many industries and sectors of the economy: precision agriculture, the army, services responding to crisis situations such as flood or fire or geodetic services.
Marcin Ociepa, deputy minister of national defense, said that such projects were “catching up for many years.” – We show that we can cooperate: inter-ministerial, but also between administration and business – he emphasized.
The president of Exatel, Nikodem Bończa-Tomaszewski, pointed out that the state must now stand solidly on six pillars in order to even think about providing cybersecurity to its citizens. – It must have its own staff, infrastructure, data protection ability, the ability to provide e-services, which gives the opportunity to interact with citizens, the ability to ensure cybersecurity and the infrastructure of the ICT market – Bończa-Tomaszewski mentioned. He also emphasized that the elimination of “white spots” on the Internet access map in Poland was no longer a key task. – We are moving away from fighting white spots and moving towards building a strong position in cyberspace. 5G, building a fiber optic to the US, a constellation of satellites, a teleport – all of them must place Poland in cyberspace. Projects that we implement build Polish connectivity – said the president of Exatel.