Robert Rosen: A Passion for Satcom

Everybody in this world has a passion. For Robert Rosen, that passion was found in satellite communications (“satcom”), a field he has been working in for more than 20 years. Satcom has evolved tremendously over that time, and Rob and his team at Remote Satellite Systems consider themselves fortunate to have played a role in it.

Rob’s story starts in 1991, after completing his degree in electrical engineering and joining Collins Marine Corp., local a Bay Area marine electronics company. Rob found himself quickly taking to the field, which had him supplying and installing electronics gear to the merchant and military fleet in the area, including radar, sonar, depth sounders, radio, and satcom equipment.
It was at Collins that Rob learned the basics of the satellite communications field, including the technology and networks, the products and suppliers–and most importantly of all, the customers. In addition to managing suppliers, Rob got his hands dirty with site surveys and installations where he would invariably find himself installing gear in the bottom of a massive seafaring vessel or high-up on a mast. A self-professed landlubber, he was often seasick but wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

Three years later, Rob set out on his own with Remote Satellite Systems International (RSSI). His goal with the new company was to serve the emerging market of mobile high speed data (HSD) and voice communications. The mid-90s were tremendously exciting in the field, thanks to analog to digital technological advances that were shrinking the size of satcom equipment and expanding the possible uses of such technology.

Rob and his new business found themselves in the thick of an emerging market that had the potential to transform how both individuals and businesses communicate. He immersed himself in new technology that worked with Inmarsat, Iridium, and MSAT the competing satellite networks at that time. Remote Satellite designed, sold, and serviced a variety of satcom solutions to companies, governments, and individuals who needed voice and data communications in far-flung places around the globe. In the Bay Area, Rob continued to design and install emergency communications solutions for public safety and emergency personnel for use during natural disasters and emergencies, creating one of the most prolific emergency networks in the country with more than 25 fixed sites just in the Bay Area.

While the technology was advancing in the late 1990s and early 2000s it was still not easy or intuitive to use, so with Rob at the helm, Remote Satellite Systems worked to provide a buffer between some of the industry’s “rough edges” and customers who just wanted the new technology to work. Rob’s expert knowledge of the technology and his ability to connect with people and understand their needs is what gives his company an edge in this competitive field.

Today, Rob and his team are watching as the industry transform yet again. New satellites are being launched that promise to improve resiliency of the network, while here on earth, advances in handheld and WiFi hotspot technology are opening up satcom to a whole new group of users.
Rob is excited about what the future holds, both in terms of technology and its impact on people. The field has come so far since the 1980s, and some of the complexity has disappeared, particularly in the field of data communications. He’s eager to explore the new possibilities that the latest communications advances enable, and to recommend and supply “solutions” for his customers’ toughest problems.