4K Solutions, founded in 2006, is a global IT and cyber systems integrator specializing in turnkey solutions, including mobile broadband kits (MBKs™), professional services, and secure IT training. To address the need for secure, high-bandwidth communications for the U.S. government and defense leaders in austere or contested environments, 4K Solutions partnered with Curtiss-Wright. Together, they developed a custom MBK using PacStar® tactical hardware, leveraging commercial LEO satellites like Starlink/Starshield for resilient, secure communications.
The Challenge
A U.S. government agency required secure, high-bandwidth communications for executive travel teams operating globally in denied, disrupted, intermittent, and limited (DDIL) environments. Traditional satellite systems couldn’t deliver the speed, flexibility, or resilience needed for real-time, data-intensive tasks such as live video, secure conferencing, geospatial visualization, and mobile mission support, and they also posed security concerns.
The agency needed a solution that could operate reliably in electronic warfare environments, resist cyber threats, and comply with strict Department of Defense (DOD) information assurance policies. This required adapting commercial systems to meet DOD requirements for encryption, cyber resilience, ruggedization, and interoperability, driving rapid innovation in secure mobile communications.
