Following successful validation tests of its next-generation Ku-band antenna design, NXT Communications Corporation (NXTCOMM) is pleased to announce formation of a new Board of Directors to help guide the next phase of its growth and commercial market introduction. Coming from the technology, aerospace, manufacturing, retail and satellite sectors, the board brings more than a century of experience and leadership to address the connectivity challenge.

NXTCOMM is on a mission to bring proven, affordable connectivity technology to broadband mobility markets. The company launched in 2017 and last June unveiled its new Electronically Steered Antenna (ESA), a building block for a portfolio of next-generation, lower-cost commercial satellite antennas designed to meet global demand for cost-effective worldwide mobile connectivity.

The board members include:

• Robert (Scott) Zimmer, Board Chairman, NXTCOMM
• David Horton, CEO, NXTCOMM
• Stephen Newell, Chief Commercial Officer, NXTCOMM
• Curtis C. Reusser, Board Member, NXTCOMM
• Lawrence Soriano, President, Western Pioneer, Inc.

“NXTCOMM will benefit immensely from the business leadership and guidance of these directors,” said Scott Zimmer, board chairman. “This is the right board to support the management team at this critical stage in NXTCOMM’s growth. The directors collectively bring a breadth of expertise and relationships across aerospace and defense and the broader connectivity market that will allow us to execute on our strategy and deliver a new high-performance antenna to meet the explosive demand for mobile broadband with speed and scale.”

The timing of appointing a new board follows successful validation of NXTCOMM’s Ku-band antenna design with Georgia Tech Research Institute, during which NXTCOMM’s antenna achieved more than 88% efficiency across the band.

“We are very pleased with the results. Not only have we completely de-risked our design development, but we also now have data to prove that NXTCOMM’s core subarray can achieve efficiency levels that are significantly better over what is in the market today,” Horton said.

The board, a combination of NXTCOMM management and outside directors, collectively have significant market and technical expertise to guide the company forward.

Horton brings more than two decades of leadership experience in satellite communications equipment manufacturing for aerospace and satellite companies, having worked with both top antenna providers and the industry’s leading inflight connectivity hardware and service providers.

Newell is a 25-year satellite communications entrepreneur and business development executive with proven results driving growth in avionics and satcom firms, most recently serving as FLYHT’s VP, Business Development and as the Chief Commercial Officer of TrueNorth Avionics (now part of Satcom Direct).

Zimmer’s three decades of satellite sector leadership includes launching EchoStar International Corp., serving as its first president for a decade, followed by serving on the board and advising EchoStar Communications Corp. He also consulted with global CEOs in the mobile communications and IoT market on their growth strategy.

Curtis Reusser’s over three decades of broad aerospace and defense industry experience includes leading United Technologies’ multi-billion-dollar Aircraft Systems business and then leading Esterline Technologies Corporation as its president, CEO and chairman, where he negotiated its merger with Transdigm, a leading specialty manufacturer serving the global aerospace and defense markets. Reusser also led the Electronic Systems Segment for Goodrich Corporation, growing the company’s military business and revenues before its acquisition by United Technologies.

Lawrence Soriano comes from an entrepreneurial family with a 40-year heritage serving Alaska’s dynamic fisheries trade. In college he worked on freighters going from Seattle to Alaska and the Bering Sea, an experience that reinforced to him the need for maritime boat operators to have reliable connectivity. As president of Western Pioneer, Inc., Soriano has helped strengthen the company’s core retail and real estate businesses in Alaska and Seattle, including its thriving Alaska Ship Supply retail grocery and marine supply store.

With the board in place and initial testing completed, NXTCOMM is on schedule to drive the next step of product iteration, with 50-centimeter panel evaluation units sent for production. The company intends to support customer demonstrations in the second quarter of 2021. In tandem, NXTCOMM is further developing its internal capabilities and infrastructure to support additional customer requirements and manufacturing.