About Us
Bruce Elbert
President & Founder of Application Technology Strategy, LLC
Mr. Elbert is a leading space technology and satellite industry expert, communications engineer, project leader and consultant with over 50 years experience in communications and space-based systems in the public and private sectors. Areas of expertise include space segment design and operation in all orbit domains, systems architecture and engineering, ground segment systems engineering, development and operation, overall system performance improvement, and organizational development. He has been an expert witness in legal proceedings related to radio communication system performance, patents, construction contracts, service agreements, RFI identification and resolution, and taxation. Mr. Elbert was engaged in several satellite networking projects where he led and advised teams of engineers and managers to evolve LEO and GEO systems to better address rapidly changing user requirements. Prior to founding ATS, he had an extensive space industry career and directed major satellite system projects and service organizations, and led business activities in the US and overseas. Bruce Elbert currently assists a broad range of client organizations, including satellite operators and wireless service providers, equipment manufacturers, investment managers, as well as enterprises and government agencies that employ satellite and radio communications systems. He wrote several popular industry books, presented at leading industry conferences, and conducted technical and business training around the world.
Industrial Career and Earlier Work
Highly Experienced and Accomplished Technology Executive
Before founding ATS in 1999, Bruce Elbert spent more than 25 years with Hughes Electronics (since aquired by Boeing, AT&T, and Intelsat), where he was senior vice president, project and systems development, in the international division. In this position, he led his team to develop innovative satellite and telecommunications projects for commercial customers in the US and overseas. He was heavily involved in program management of several Hughes space products, including design of HS-333, HS-376, HS-601HP and HS-702 space vehicles. Mr. Elbert also managed the introduction of Hughes’ advanced broadband and mobile satellite systems in the US, Asia, Latin America and Europe. His geostationary mobile satellite architecture was adopted for the Thuraya system. During the 1980s, Mr. Elbert directed all engineering, marketing and operations for the Hughes Galaxy System (now part of Intelsat), the most successful satellite network at that time. Under his tenure, the Galaxy system increased from three to 12 operating satellites, while system revenues grew five-fold. Throughout, Mr. Elbert managed all ground staff and resources, spectrum and orbital plans, including relationships with the FCC and ITU, and created an environment wherein RFI and all other technical issues were identified and resolved before any services were degraded.
Leadership Roles
Bruce Elbert completed the Hughes Space Program Management Training Course prior to assignment as Galaxy Satellite Program Manager and subsequent Launch Mission Director at the NASA Mission Direction Center. In previous leadership assignments, Mr. Elbert was responsible for systems engineering for the modernization of Indonesia’s domestic telecommunications network (Palapa A), which included two satellites and forty earth stations located throughout this archipelago nation. He developed the Hughes ITU regulatory strategy and RFI resolution approaches that overcame challenges to the launch and operation of this system. Other projects under his direction included the development of single-channel per carrier DAMA ground communications equipment as well as the first Ka-band digital microwave repeater and antenna system for broadband satellite communications. intended for the AT&T domestic network.
Early Industrial Career
Mr. Elbert began his industrial career at COMSAT as a satellite systems engineer, during the time of early development of the global INTELSAT system. This included primary research into Ka band high bandwidth links using spot beam satellites. He also contributed to the definition of maritime and aeronautical mobile satellite communications, which provided the foundation for Inmarsat, Iridium and others.
Military
Having completed Signal officer training with honors as well as Airborne Infantry training, Mr. Elbert served in the US Army as a captain and radio officer, including a tour in Southast Asia with the 4th Infantry Division. During that time, he led a tactical radio telecom detachment and subsequently as Division Radio Officer introduced a new radio engineering technique and supervised frequency management for tactical forces of the 4th Infantry and 173rd Airborne. Mr. Elbert was appointed as chief radio communication instructor in the Signal School officer training course, and completed four years of active duty in the regular US Army.
Bruce Elbert was Adjunct Professor of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, helping to establish the first distance Master of Engineering program. He was an instructor in the UCLA Extension Engineering Program for 30 years where he presented courses on satellite communications, space communications systems, and IT networking. In 2006, Mr. Elbert received the Dean’s Distinguished Instructor Award for exemplary teaching and record of consistent excellence.
He received a senior executive MBA degree from Pepperdine University. He also earned an MS degree in communications engineering and computer engineering from the University of Maryland – College Park and a BSEE from The City College of CUNY.
Professional Associations:
IEEE, AIAA, SSPI, SPIE, Pacific Telecommunications Council
Books by Bruce Elbert
- The Satellite Communication Applications Handbook (second edition, 2004)
- Introduction to Satellite Communication (third edition, 2008)
- Radio Frequency Interference in Communications Systems (2016)
- Networking Strategies for Information Technology (1992)
- The Satellite Communication Ground Segment and Earth Station Handbook (second edition, 2014).
- Client Server Computing – Architecture, Applications, and Distributed Systems Management (with Bobby Martyna, 1994)
- International Telecommunication Management (1990)
- Private Telecommunication Networks (1989)
Application Technology Strategy, LLC, provides professional consulting services to users and providers of satellite communications.