Via Satellite Announces Peter Shaper, CEO of CapRock Communications, Satellite Executive of the Year 2009

Satellite Executive of the Year Award Presentation Luncheon to be held Wednesday, March 17, at the SATELLITE 2010 Conference and Exhibition

ROCKVILLE, MD - February 16, 2010

Peter Shaper, CEO of CapRock Communications, has been named Via Satellite’s Satellite Executive of the Year for 2009. Shaper’s vision and his ability to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the satellite marketplace made him the most deserving candidate for the award.

Since joining the company in 2002, Shaper has developed CapRock’s business portfolio dramatically, and under his direction, CapRock posted revenues of $358 million in 2009, up more than 20 percent from the prior year.

Shaper has also expanded CapRock’s business globally, entering and providing service in 35 new countries in 2009. As a result, nearly 70 percent of CapRock’s revenue today is derived from client operations outside of the United States.

“Peter Shaper led his company’s communications solutions to meet the needs of the government as well as oil and gas market, two areas that provided growth in a period of overall economic difficulty,” said Jason Bates, editor of Via Satellite. “His vision and leadership are commendable and we are proud to recognize him as the 2009 Satellite Executive of the Year.”

The company's December 2008 award for the world's largest VSAT deal in energy market history may have been an indication of the year to come, as 2009 brought with it additional milestones for Shaper and CapRock to celebrate.  Most notably, he guided the company's government division through a successful rebrand and repositioning which launched at SATELLITE 2009, and played a key role in CapRock's second annual Customer Advisory Board that both led to successful investments in X-band infrastructure and the launch of new products and services including a first to market subscription-based service – CommandAccess™, and a Crew Infotainment solution.

“This award represents the commitment of our employees that focus day in and day out on providing reliable service that our clients can count on,” said Shaper. “We are also fortunate to have dedicated customers and partners that helped us reach unprecedented milestones in 2009. We are excited about the dynamic future of the satellite industry and look forward to reaching even greater heights.”

For more than 20 years, Via Satellite magazine has been honoring the satellite executives who made a lasting business impact on the global satellite market during the previous calendar year.

Via Satellite magazine will showcase Shaper in its “Satellite Executive of the Year” cover feature in the March issue. Shaper will be presented with his award at the Satellite Executive of the Year award luncheon on Wednesday, March 17, and a reception in his honor will be held that evening. Both events take place during the SATELLITE 2010 Conference and Exhibition, which runs March 15-18 at the Gaylord National Convention Center at 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, Maryland. For more information or to register, visit www.SATELLITE2010.com.

About Via Satellite

Via Satellite, the satellite community’s leading magazine, keeps its 22,000 global subscribers ‘in the know’ by providing essential news and analysis on the commercial communications, broadcast, military and enterprise sectors of the satellite marketplace. Every issue includes information on current and evolving applications, infrastructure issues, technology, procurement reports and business and regulatory developments around the world.

About SATELLITE 2010

The SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition is the premier event providing solutions to the global satellite end-user community.  SATELLITE 2010 will attract more than 9,300 delegates from 70 countries, features 300 exhibiting companies and a full conference program led by more than 300 satellite communications experts and innovators. The 2010 Conference features focused forums on broadcast, enterprise, military and emerging regions. For more information, visit www.SATELLITE2010.com.

About CapRock Communications

With nearly three decades of experience, CapRock Communications is a premier global satellite communications provider for the energy, maritime, government, engineering and construction andmining industries as well as for disaster recovery services. The Company utilizes the latest field-proven satellite technologies to deliver highly reliable managed communication services including broadband Internet, voice over IP, secure networking and real-time video to the world's harshest and most remote locations. CapRock delivers on its promise to be the market's reliability leader by leveraging "best of breed" partnerships, technical expertise and a robust global infrastructure that includes four self-owned and operated teleports and eleven regional support centers across the U.S., Central and South America, Europe, West Africa and Asia Pacific. More information about CapRock is available at www.caprock.com.

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