Banco Mexicano is expanding its existing satellite network from nine to 16 units, and is upgrading the capabilities of its hub site in Mexico City.
The $12 billion/asset bank, the fourth largest in Mexico, uses its small-aperture terminal network for back-office, automated teller machine, and teller-processing functions. With the new upgrade, the bank will have enhanced disaster-recovery systems as well.
The supplier of the VSAT network is Satellite Technology Management Inc., a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based firm that first installed VSATs for Banco Mexicano in 1992.
Negotiating Difficult Terrain
According to Steve Strohman, a senior vice president at Satellite Technology Management, VSATs are ideally suited for banks and other companies operating in areas where the geography and terrain might pose an infrastructure problem.
"It's difficult to lay down a traditional infrastructure rapidly in rural villages and mountainous regions," he-said. "Satellite technology makes it a great deal easier."
TV by Satellite
What's more, a private satellite system gives banks a way to circumvent problems associated with relying on existing infrastructures. Mr. Strohman indicated that in certain Latin American companies, it's not uncommon to wait a year and then pay more than $10,000 for a get an order processed to set up a phone line.
Because Satellite Technology's VSAT technology transmits both voice, data, fax, and video, banks can in effect set up their own phone and even television network by satellite.
Mr. Strohman added that Satellite Technology is in the final stages of preparing for the Banco Mexicano hub and VSAT installations. The installation will be fully complete by the third quarter of this year.
Ms. Sullivan is a freelance writer based in New York.
