Introduction

RapidM was established in July 2001 to focus solely on the development of core HF radio modems, 2G ALE (Automatic Link Establishment), 3G ALE and HF e-mail software products and services. Since its inception, RapidM has built up significant technical competency in the wireless modem field, especially with regard to conformance with the applicable standards STANAG 4539, STANAG 4285, MIL-STD-188-110B, MIL-STD-188-110A, STANAG 5066, MIL-STD-188-141B, MIL-STD-188-141A. RapidM is also active in the area of 3G ALE and STANAG 4538. Our development team consists of 27 highly skilled Electronic Engineers and Computer Scientists. RapidM has developed cutting edge embedded modem hardware and software for use in standalone or embedded scenarios. The team is committed to continuous improvement of the quality and performance of our products to most importantly, provide priority support to our key clients.

RapidM is privately owned with significant stakes held by the founder, the management team and Treacle Venture Partners, one of the largest independent private equity fund managers in South Africa.

Management team

The RapidM Management Team consists of Stephan Isebeck (CEO), Markus van der Riet (COO), Jan van der Watt (CTO), Danie van Wyk (Client Relationship), Christo Coetzee (Production) and Abri Coetzee (Waveforms). Summarised CV's of Stephan, Markus and Jan are as follows:

Stephan Isebeck (43) is the Chief Executive Officer of RapidM. Through his long-standing involvement in high frequency and radio development work, Stephan has managed to develop significant contacts with international companies involved in this market. He has built a strong team of design engineers, and provides leadership in the architectural innovation and quality aspects of the RapidM HF radio modem design.

Markus van der Riet (40) is the Chief Operating Officer of RapidM. Markus is an experienced electronic engineer with specific technical skills in the areas of mission critical certified software and wireless data protocol design as well as extensive knowledge of the 2G and 3G ALE protocols and STANAG 5066. He provides crucial leadership in the area of software quality assurance.

Jan van der Watt (38) is the Chief Technical Officer of RapidM. Jan has an Honors degree in Electronic Engineering and specialises in DSP, Internet Protocols and web development. He is also the project leader of various undertakings at RapidM.

Product offering

RapidM has an existing range of HF radio modem products, which have found application in high-profile NATO navies. We have a permanently staffed on-site production facility. In-house, the company focuses on the important areas of component buying, QA, final assembly, burn-in and test, whilst we outsource PCB manufacturing and assembly.

RapidM provides licensed STANAG 5066 based software solutions for HF e-mail and IP over HF. The company has the capacity to establish software development teams on short notice for this purpose. The software development process is typically based on MIL-STD-498 unless adapted by the customer. To date, these solutions have been adapted for use in high-profile European military organisations and tested by world-leading HF system houses.

Commercial
This is driven by the demand for long-haul bandwidth, especially in the commercial marine HF E-mail application area.

Military
This demand is driven by the strategic requirement for satellite independence for long-haul military communications and interoperability within NATO.

Clients

• Barrett Communications, Australia
• Nabishi, UK

• EADS RACOMS, Germany
• Rohde & Schwarz, Germany
• Thales Defence, UK
• Thales Communications, France