GDSatcom 9.2m Ka-band Gateway antenna installed at Plana Teleport in Bulgaria

GDSatcom 9.2m Ka-band Gateway antenna installed at Plana Teleport in Bulgaria.

Vivacom is the largest industry-leading communications company in Bulgaria and a former state-owned incumbent operator. The company provides mobile, fixed voice and broadband and Pay-TV (DTH and IPTV) to consumers and businesses and is headquartered in Sofia.

Vivacom operating the Plana Teleport in Bulgaria, which is able to deliver transmission and connectivity even to the most remote points, including orbital positions in the EMEA region and Asia. Plana Teleport is a member of the World Teleport Association (WTA) and in 2017 the teleport achieved full Tier 3 certification, making it among the most modern facilities of its kind.

In March 2021 satellite service provider Vivacom ordered two used satellite antennas with Skybrokers. A VertexRSI 6.1m and an ASC Signal 3.7m Earth Station Antennas were refurbished and prepared for shipment to Plana Teleport close to Sofia in Bulgaria. The 6.1m antenna required a good refurb due to its poor condition, panels were painted, hardware kits were checked out and completed and the Pedestal Mount was sand-blasted and spray-painted by a specialized company. Both antennas were transported by a dedicated truck and the customer took care of the Earth Station Antenna installation and commissioning.

This was the second delivery of antennas from Skybrokers. In 2020 we successfully delivered refurbished Andrew 3.7m and 4.6m antennas to expand Vivacom’s Teleport operations.

GDSatcom Technologies (GDSatcom) is now part of Communications & Power Industries, Inc. (CPI). In August 2019 it was announced that CPI would purchase GDSatcom Technologies. The acquisition was to be finalized before end of 2019 but U.S. Justice Department required CPI to divest its ASC Signal Division. Without CPI’s divesture of ASC Signal, there would be significant less competition for large Earth Station Antennas in the USA and the deal would give CPI a monopoly on the antenna business in the US.

GDSatcom was designer, manufacturer and installer of antennas for mobile satellite communications and fixed communication gateways. GDSatcom operated as a separate unit under the General Dynamics Mission Systems Division, a business unit of American global aerospace and defense company General Dynamics (GD).