{mprestriction ids="1,2"}SpeedCast will acquire Eutelsat’s 70 per cent stake in WINS for a consideration based on a total enterprise value of approximately €60 million.

WINS provides services to some 100 passenger carrying vessels, such as cruise liners and ferries, as well as approximately 2,000 merchant ships, from its portfolio of VSAT, L-band, international maritime GSM and accounting authority services.

“We are very pleased to welcome WINS to our family,” said SpeedCast CEO, Pierre-Jean Beylier.

“This acquisition is further affirmation of SpeedCast’s growth strategies, and is a significant milestone for us. WINS brings a strong local presence in Germany, a major maritime market, as well as expertise in the cruise industry in Europe, a fast growing user of satellite communications.”

“Together, we are well poised to expand our network to support the growing demand of VSAT services in the maritime sector.”

In announcing the deal SpeedCast also confirmed the signing of a contract to provide Ku-band VSAT to 50 vessels in partnership with WIN subsidiary DH-INTERCOM, based in Germany.

DH-INTERCOM will leverage SpeedCast’s satellite infrastructure to provide connectivity to the unnamed customer, which will be used to offer crew access to internet services, as well as providing remote monitoring and operations applications.

“Our customer is looking for network connections with higher speed to run more applications and provide better data services to their crew on 50 vessels. SpeedCast’s outstanding global network will deliver the performance and reliability we need to support our customer,” said David Bunting, director of operations at WINS.{/mprestriction}