Hogan Lovells has represented the Government of Mexico in its recently-announced $1 billion contract with Boeing to deliver an end-to-end satellite communications system. The system, known as MEXSAT, will provide secure communications for Mexico’s national security needs, as well as enhanced coverage for the country’s civil telecommunications. Corporate lawyers Steven Kaufman in Washington, D.C. and Randy Segal in Northern Virginia led the Hogan Lovells team representing Mexico in the contract.
The Government of Mexico has described the contract as the country’s most significant investment in telecommunications in 20 years. MEXSAT will provide communications to even Mexico’s most isolated populations, allowing the government to quickly and broadly disseminate vital information such as warnings about natural disasters. All of Mexico will be connected to e-education, e-health and e-government services by telephone and Internet. At the same time, emergency and military workers will have a system of communication available that is not dependent on terrestrial infrastructure and susceptible to damage from natural disasters.
MEXSAT will consist of three satellites, two ground sites, associated network operations systems and reference user terminals. Under the contract, Boeing will deliver a complete turnkey satellite system and also will develop two ground sites in Mexico with advanced beam-forming flexibility to direct mobile user spot beams to government agencies operating in Mexico and its patrimonial seas, including the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Orbital Sciences Corporation will provide the complete Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) segment of the MEXSAT satellite system.
