Latest News

March 2008

iDirect Deploys Children's National Medical Center Implements International Telemedicine Network

Singapore, 4 March 2008 — Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited’s (ST Electronics) US satellite communication company, iDirect Inc. (iDirect), today announced that it has deployed an international satellite-based telemedicine network to improve medical treatment processes in the Kingdom of Morocco together with Intelsat, Ltd (Intelsat), the world's leading provider of commercial satellite services.  With this network doctors at Children's National Medical Center can now provide clinical information, share medical advancements and conduct training sessions with healthcare professionals in the African nation.  Children’s National Medical Center is a leader in the development of innovative treatments for childhood illness and injury based in Washington, D.C.,

iDirect and Intelsat designed the network, which aims to advance the promise of telemedicine by making training and treatment methods more globally available. The network is built on the iDirect satellite communications platform and is delivered through Intelsat’s Fuchsstadt Germany teleport with Ku-band satellite capacity on the Intelsat 901 satellite located at 342 degrees East.

The Moroccan Children’s Telemedicine Network will connect Children’s National Medical Center via satellite with the medical institutions of the Hôpital d'Enfants de Rabat (IBN SINA); the Institut National D’Administration Sanitaire (INAS) - Royaume du Maroc Ministère de la Santé; and the Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie de Marrakech.

We needed a secure, reliable network that could be easily managed despite the diversity of locations. Given our previous affiliation with Intelsat, we turned to a satellite-based solution.  Now we have a cutting-edge education platform that doctors in the United States and Morocco will use to discuss patient cases, provide clinical consultations, lead distance learning training sessions and provide access for emergency communications.  We are pleased to be working with Intelsat and iDirect on this important project.

Craig SABLE, MD
Medical Director of Telemedicine, Children’s National

The Moroccan Children’s Telemedicine Network establishes an important lifeline for doctors in Africa to advance medical treatment and education with the help of healthcare professionals here in the US. Satellite communications is a perfect solution to improve the reach of medical treatment globally, and iDirect is proud to contribute its satellite technology to this bold initiative.

Dean GRIFFLER
Senior Vice President, Global Sales, iDirect

Telemedicine applications are one of the most vivid examples of the power of satellite technology to provide critical infrastructure, and that is why we leapt at the opportunity to deploy this network.  Intelsat has provided service to the Kingdom of Morocco for 42 years, and Children’s National and Intelsat have enjoyed a special relationship for many years.  We are proud of the life-saving healthcare that will be afforded as a result of the network.

Dianne VANBEBER
Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, Intelsat

Children's National Medical Center, located in Washington, DC, is a leader in the development of innovative new treatments for childhood illness and injury. Consistently ranked among the top pediatric hospitals in America, Children’s has been serving the nation's children for more than 135 years. Children’s National is ranked among the best pediatric hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report and the Leapfrog Group. For more information, visit www.childrensnational.org.

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services (FSS) worldwide and is the leading provider of these services to each of the media, network services and government customer sectors, enabling people and businesses everywhere constant access to information and entertainment. Intelsat offers customers a greater business potential by providing them access to unrivaled resources with ease of business and peace of mind.  An extensive customer base, including some of the world’s leading media and communications companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and government/military organizations, utilizes our services.  Real-time, constant communication with people anywhere in the world is closer, by far.

iDirect, designs, develops, and markets satellite-based broadband access solutions targeted at the enterprise, government, carrier and educational sectors that have the need for fast, flexible, and geographically dispersed two-way internet/intranet access. These include extending private networks to remote offices; supporting mobile connectivity across land, sea and air; providing rural telephony and Internet broadband; and maintaining communications in the wake of disasters and network failures. The iDirect Intelligent Platform™ integrates advanced technology into iDirect’s portfolio of hubs, routers and network management software to address the growing complexity of deploying and managing global IP networks.  With more than 13 years of global satellite communications experience, iDirect serves customers in 30 countries through a diverse network of channel partners, including some of the largest satellite providers, operators and carriers in the world and seven of the World Teleport Association’s Global Top Ten. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, iDirect has offices in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Please visit www.idirect.net.

ST Electronics, the electronics arm of ST Engineering, delivers innovative system solutions to government, commercial, defence, and industrial customers worldwide. It specialises in the design, development and integration of advanced electronics systems, such as broadband radio frequency and satellite communication, e-government solutions, information communications technologies, rail and traffic management, realtime command & control, training and simulation, intelligent building management, information security solutions and managed services. Please visit www.stee.stengg.com.

Media contact:

Magdalen Loh
AVP / Head, Corporate Communications
Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited
Tel: (65) 6413 1788 / 9822 3321
Fax: (65) 6484 8840
Email: magloh@stee.stengg.com