About the BSN-UK
Why Join the BSN-UK
Events
Events Calendar
Our Most Recent Event
Goonhilly Earth Station – Still Vibrant After All These Years - 20 February 2019
The BSN’s networking agenda got off to a flying start for 2019 with an event sponsored by Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd. Anver Anderson, GES Director of Sales, explained to the assembled members that even though Goonhilly Earth Station was one of the world’s first teleports (transmitting the first transatlantic TV signals back in the early 1960s), it’s still at the cutting edge of space-based telecommunications.
GES is involved in a range of projects for near space, LEO, MEO and GEO satellite communications as well as Deep Space, forthcoming Moon and Mars missions as well as radio astronomy. All this at a time when a renewed interest in space exploration and cube-sats is attracting so much investment from both government and industry.
In addition to the standard teleport services of uplink transmission and downlink feeds, TT&C, ranging and monitoring services, Goonhilly Earth Station is also introducing a brand new Data Centre facility with extensive connectivity to local and international fibre loops. In fact the SEA-ME-WE-3 international cable network has a node inside GES, connecting through the Middle East to South East Asia and Australia as well.
Significantly, the team at Goonhilly has doubled in size during the last year and with so many projects developing in the coming years, the team is set to grow further. Goonhilly is already a partner with the UK’s new rocket launch centres at Newquay – and more recently Shetland – to provide support to the UK’s ambitions of being a centre of excellence for launch services.
Goonhilly is led by CEO Ian Jones, who along with his Board of Directors, has dared to dream of how Goonhilly can take its place alongside the next generation of space communications and explorers. Having saved the site from becoming a wind farm back in 2004, Ian and his team have established training courses and projects that have kept some 400 school pupils, 150 university students and 4 PhD students enthused about their own future – as well as that of the space industry.
This event was immediately preceded by the BSN's AGM.
The evening was another resounding success, with nearly half of the BSN membership attending, and our thanks to Goonhilly Earth Station for hosting such an enjoyable evening.
Click here to see details of BSN's past events
Membership
The Board
Jonathan Higgins
Chair
Jonathan is the Managing Director of BeaconSeek Ltd, a firm largely involved in design, project management, integration, training, and commissioning of satellite ground systems. Previously Jonathan was Head of BBC News Location Facilities Unit, operating fast-response satellite uplinks and terrestrial microwave links in the UK and around the world. As a Chartered Engineer he is an active Member of the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET), and is also the author of Satellite Newsgathering, the seminal book on the subject published by Focal Press, and Introduction to SNG & ENG Microwave. He runs training courses on various aspects of satellite communications, from beginner to advanced levels.
Anver Anderson
Secretary
Anver has over 30 years strategic marketing business development, planning experience in the telecommunications and broadcast industry (including working for BT, Inmarsat, Vyvx, VT Merlin Communications and Europe*Star), and has worked with many of the world’s leading broadcasters, teleports, satellite operators, satellite service providers and equipment manufacturers.
Andrew Stimson
Treasurer
Andrew has worked in the satellite industry for his whole career, starting with Hawker Siddeley Dynamics, Cable and Wireless and then for 31 years with Intelsat in a number of senior positions in the USA, UK , Bermuda and Luxembourg. He has also served on the boards of the World Teleport Association (WTA) and the Global VSAT Forum (GVF). He retired in 2010 but remains active in the industry as a volunteer, currently also serving on the IET Satellite Systems and Applications Network Committee.
Martin Jarrold
Martin has been the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) Chief of International Programme Development since June 2001. His responsibilities include development of the profile of the Forum within the satellite communications industry, including delivery of programmes focused on extending the understanding of, and promoting the use of, satellite-based communications in various key end-user vertical markets.
Martin is also Co-Chairman of the GVF Maritime Satcom Forum, and frequent contributor to various telecommunications and other industry publications. He chairs and contributes to a wide variety of telecommunications conferences, symposia, and workshops around the world. Formerly Commissioning Editor and Head of Research for Space Business International magazine.
Neil Neusten
Neil has more than 30 years experience in the broadcast industry having worked for Worldwide Television News, Vyvx, Associated Press and NTL Broadcast as well as a number of SNG service providers. Neil’s experience covers operations, planning, commercial and strategic use of satellite and communications links along with the deployment of new technologies to improve services. Working both in the UK and internationally, Neil’s experience encompasses both the use of fibre-only and combined satellite / fibre networks on a global basis. This includes the setting up of planned events such as the Olympics (Winter and Summer) and ad-hoc events for sports and breaking news.
Martin Coleman
Martin is Executive Director, Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG). Since taking on the position in 2011, Martin has been active in spearheading a number of significant initiatives, including a campaign to introduce Carrier ID across all SCPC/MCPC transmissions from the 2012 Olympics through to being implementation ready by 1st January 2015. Martin regularly addresses the industry on the subject of satellite interference, at global industry events, on an individual basis, and facilitates IRGs workshops. Martin has his own company, Colem, a services, design and project management consultancy since 1992, developing Network Management Systems (NMS) since 1997. Prior to setting up Colem, Martin worked for BT as an engineer in charge of various BT projects for Madley, Goonhilly and other ground stations within the UK as well as working at BT’s London international switching centres.
