Jim Frownfelter returns to executive chairman role after three years making Speedcast a leader in LEO connectivity solutions, bringing Starlink and other networks to customers worldwide

Speedcast, a leading global provider of remote communications and IT solutions, announced  the appointment of Ross Rosenberg as Chief Executive Officer, effective this month. Rosenberg succeeds Jim Frownfelter, who has returned to his previous role as Executive Chairman of the Speedcast Board of Directors, a position he has held since the company’s 2021 recapitalization by Centerbridge Partners.

Frownfelter served in dual roles as Speedcast’s CEO and Executive Chairman of the Board since January 2024, guiding the company through a period of industry disruption and strategic repositioning, including the achievement of several milestones:

• Strengthened key partnerships, including Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb, effectively doubling the company’s LEO business and solidifying its standing as a leading Starlink integrator while supporting customers with GEO-to-LEO connectivity solutions.

• Introduced Speedcast’s latest-generation release of its proprietary SIGMA™ intelligent edge network management solution. The enhancements include a new architecture, evolving the SIGMA platform to address the modern-day challenges of visibility, control, compliance, and security required to manage distributed edge environments.

• Implemented major enhancements to the company’s Compass Customer Portal, incorporating advanced self-service capabilities – including on-demand data boosters for Starlink service, expanded Starlink self-management tools, personalized dashboards, and live SD-WAN visibility powered by SIGMA, giving customers more flexibility and insight into their operations than ever before.

• Led a strategic early investment in AI-powered platforms to help customers turn raw data into actionable operational insights and intelligence via a comprehensive data lakehouse.

“In the past three years, Speedcast’s global team and our SIGMA edge compute solution have directly enabled the company to sell and activate more than 20,000 Starlink kits to customers looking for seamless hybrid connectivity,” said Frownfelter. “As just one of many highlights to note during this period of transformation, the strength of Speedcast’s team around the world continues to be exemplified in our innovation and service delivered to customers. Looking forward, I have the utmost confidence in Ross and in his depth of experience and vision he brings to the organization that we will see further growth and success as a market-leading connectivity provider serving broad sectors of customer operations,” Frownfelter concluded.

As a leading global integrator of Starlink and as a Eutelsat OneWeb distribution partner, Speedcast sees a growing demand to integrate LEO service offerings with its SIGMA platform, providing a fully managed and future-proof solution for remote connectivity.

The leadership transition comes as Speedcast expands its position as a leading connectivity and edge intelligence partner in an industry being reshaped by low Earth orbit satellite constellations. Speedcast continues to expand its portfolio of new and emerging connectivity technologies. The company implemented the first successful Starlink Dedicated service last year, along with the roll out of Starlink’s secure business-grade Private Network service. The organization maintains its position as a Starlink Channel Account leader, with service lines and licensing in more than 30 countries to provide strategic coverage for customers, and more than 20,000 kits activated to-date. The company’s SIGMA platform is designed to keep pace with this growth, addressing the critical need for streamlined, seamless rollouts to tens of thousands of edge devices and the ability to automate at scale.

Rosenberg joins Speedcast as a seasoned technology executive with decades of experience leading transformations at multinational connectivity, hardware, and software companies. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer at Magic Leap, where he led the company’s shift toward new AI platform and software ecosystem models, grew revenue through strategic partnerships, and expanded the business into new markets. Earlier in his career, as Chief Transformation Officer at Belden Inc., he led the company’s evolution into a provider of connectivity, networking hardware, and industrial cybersecurity software, building machine-to-machine and cloud-based communication platforms for customers operating in remote, mission-critical environments, supporting many of the same sectors Speedcast serves today.

Rosenberg has also held senior executive roles at Rocket Software (a Bain Capital portfolio company), First Solar, and Danaher, consistently helping technology and industrial businesses shift toward higher-value, software and service-led models. Rosenberg brings extensive international operating experience to the role, which positions him well to lead Speedcast’s globally distributed customer base across a growing set of markets and sectors.

“We are entering a new era where LEO satellite constellations and edge computing are creating unprecedented opportunities to connect people, assets, and operations with greater speed, reliability, and intelligence,” said Ross Rosenberg, CEO at Speedcast. “Speedcast is uniquely positioned to help customers harness these technologies and turn connectivity into a strategic advantage, due to its deep customer focus and proven ability to solve complex connectivity challenges anywhere in the world. With our SIGMA platform, we can unlock operational data from the world’s most remote environments and make it available for AI-driven insight — giving customers intelligence, not just connectivity. I’m thrilled to join the team and excited about the opportunities ahead,” Rosenberg concluded.

Rosenberg, Frownfelter, and members of Speedcast’s commercial leadership team will be on-site at World Space Business Week in Paris, France, September 14-17, 2026, where they will meet with space and satellite industry executives, customers, and media to discuss the leadership transition and Speedcast’s strategy for its next phase of growth.