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Paradigm Services - Providing a cool link home from the desert
Troops on operational service in the scorching heat of the Omani desert keep in touch with family and friends thanks to modern satellite technology
Paradigm Services has been awarded an extension to its welfare communications contract with the UK MOD to cover EXERCISE SAIF SAREEA II in Oman. This follows its success in providing welfare communication services to UK troops overseas under the MOD's WELCOME project since April 2000. SAIF SAREEA II, the largest UK exercise for 15 years, is testing not only the war fighting skills of the UK and Omani Armed Forces, but also the huge logistics operation.
Preparations were underway for some months prior to the start of the exercise and Paradigm engineers now have all the 22 cabins required to support the thousands of troops deployed in Oman fully operational. With the 8,000 troops already in the Balkans, Sierra Leone and on board Royal Navy vessels, Paradigm Services is ensuring that the additional 20,000+ service personnel are able to maintain regular contact with their families and friends during EXERCISE SAIF SAREEA II.
Paradigm Services is upholding its commitment to provide the most reliable and cost effective service available using a variety of communications methods. Fully air-conditioned satellite or fixed-line communications cabins are in operation at the 8 principal locations. These link into commercial satellite and local OmanTel terrestrial communications networks. In addition to telephone calls, Forces personnel are able to use the new Internet and E-mail service, which was launched early, specifically for EXERCISE SAIF SAREEA II. A substantial number of telephones and computer terminals are installed in the cabins while IRIDIUM and GSM-dedicated hand-sets are provided for mobile units and those in smaller camps.
With significant naval involvement in the exercise, including 24 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels operating off the coast of Oman and visiting the ports at Muscat and Salalah, access to Paradigm's welfare service is via Maritime INMARSAT terminals and MENTOR lines on SCOT-fitted ships.
The Paradigm welfare service allows all military personnel, serving on MOD-defined 'entitled operations', 20 minutes of free phone calls per week. Paradigm Services enables Armed Forces personnel to augment their welfare allowance through the purchase of £10 pre-paid phone cards, available from NAAFIs/EFIs in theatre. 200,000 phone cards have been produced for EXERCISE SAIF SAREEA II alone and an estimated 3,850 kbps of commercial satellite bandwidth will be used during this exercise.
In order to guarantee a high level of availability, Paradigm Services provides a 24 hour / 7 day helpdesk, which is able to process fault reports and account enquiries. Paradigm Services also provides a team of in-theatre engineers to maintain the system.
Paradigm Services has been established by Paradigm Secure Communications to provide network operations and service delivery. Paradigm Secure Communications was formed by Astrium, Europe's largest Space Company, to address the emerging military communications services market. Astrium's world-leading expertise in military satellite communications makes Paradigm the natural choice to support military forces on overseas operations.
ASTRIUM, Europe's leading space company, is a joint venture owned 75% by EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company and 25% by BAE SYSTEMS. In 2000 Astrium had a combined turnover of 2.03 billion Euros, covering science and Earth observation, military observation and communications, telecommunications, navigation and ground systems, launchers and orbital infrastructure. The Company employs over 8,000 employees in France, Germany, United Kingdom and Spain.
Editor's Notes
Project WELCOME
The WELCOME (WELfare COMmunications Everywhere) contract was the first service contract awarded to Astrium's Paradigm Secure Communications in October 1999. Armed Forces personnel are entitled to 20 minutes of free phone calls per each week, credited to Paradigm phone cards. Originally this was defined as all personnel away from home for more than 4 months, however, this has recently been revised as part of the Operational Welfare Package agreed in April 2001, to more than 2 months away from home. It is expected that this will lead to a 50% increase in the average number of users (i.e. from 8,000 to 12,000), before taking into account EXERCISE SAIF SAREEA II usage.
Currently operational in the Balkans, Turkey, Sierra Leone, The Gulf and on RN vessels, the contract has now been extended under Project WELCOME until March 2003.
EXERCISE SAIF SAREEA II
Aim: To Deploy, Sustain, Exercise and Recover a Medium Scale war-fighting Joint Task Force at Strategic Distance into a key Strategic Area.
EXERCISE SAIF SAREEA II is an important training opportunity for UK and Omani Armed Forces, with substantial elements across all 3 Services exercising together. The training involves the live firing of weapon systems from across the Services. In addition to the main training activity, the deployment and support structures needed to sustain and recover over 20,000 UK military personnel thousands of miles from their home bases will also be thoroughly tested.
There are four key training stages:
" The initial period from early September entailed UK national training in Oman to acclimatise and prepare the forces.
" This was followed by Force Integration Training with British and Omani units from all 3 services.
" A purely artificial scenario was created to allow a flexible, realistic, computer assisted live exercise (LIVEX), involving air, sea and land activity. This began on 18 October. UK and Omani units formed two joint forces - the 'Combined Joint Force' and the 'Alawham Joint Force' to be exercised at both operational and tactical levels.
" The exercise will culminate in two days of joint UK/Oman maritime and land firepower demonstrations on 28/29 October. All UK forces will then be withdrawn from Oman.
The initial training on land was completed in an area close to Thumrait in the South of Oman known as 'Training Area South'. The LIVEX and demonstrations are carried out in a specially created exercise 'LIVEX box' area away from major habitations in the East of the country. RN and Royal Navy of Oman vessels train in the Arabian Sea off the East coast of Oman. Particular care is taken to minimise the effect of the exercise on Oman's local population and natural environment.
Photo Caption : A fully operational telephone and Internet cabin supplied and installed by Paradigm Services was available for troops when they arrived at Port Salalah. HMS Illustrious is clearly visible in the background.
(Available on the paradigmsecure.com web site)
For further information, please contact:
Alistair SCOTT Tel:+44 (0) 1438 773698 Fax: +44(0)1438 773069
www.astrium-space.com paradigmsecure.com
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