Comtech is a leading global technology company providing terrestrial and wireless network solutions; next-generation 9-1-1 emergency services; satellite and space communications technologies; and cloud-native capabilities to commercial and government customers around the world. With facilities located in technology corridors throughout the United States and around the world, Comtech is leveraging its global presence, technology leadership, and decades of experience to create the world’s most innovative communications solutions.
Business Focus spoke to Ken Peterman, the company President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman, about the company’s ongoing transformative development and its vision for the future.
Ken joined the Board as an Independent Director in May 2022, was later elected Chairman, and became President and CEO of Comtech in August 2022. As a trusted leader in the industry, Ken has helped shape the strategic landscape and trajectory of multiple defence and technology market segments for over 40 years. He has held top leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies and 
industry-recognized defence organizations where he led global enterprises to achieve differentiated growth in diverse business environments.
Ken has achieved wide-ranging recognition for his innovative leadership. He was recently selected as one of the top ten most innovative CEOs by CIO Views Magazine and has also been named amongst the ten best innovative business leaders by Industry Tech Outlook; voted Businessman of the Year by Battlespace Magazine; and selected as a Game Changer Awardee by Vanguard Magazine, to name just a few.
Under Ken’s leadership, Comtech is moving to consolidate its business segments and open a new chapter as a company. Through this unified One Comtech approach, the company is leveraging its unique culture of innovation, employee empowerment, and relentless passion for customer success to deliver cutting-edge capabilities that meet the needs of customers today and those in the future. He says: “The task is exciting, not only for me but for all our employees. Comtech, as a market leader in satellite, space, wireless, and terrestrial communications, is a fascinating company with enormously talented people stretched across a number of different geographies.”
“We have a unique culture of innovation that empowers our people to be creative, to innovate, and to put technology to work in varied ways to solve customer problems in ways they never dreamed possible,” said Ken.
Increasing Customer Value
Comtech provides services and solutions to a range of customers from mobile operators to state administrations. Within its wireless network infrastructures, roughly 60% of all 911 emergency calls in the United States are handled by one or more Comtech solutions.
“I see the enormous potential and vast opportunities that exist as we bring together the innovative creativity of our people and the cutting-edge technologies across our two core markets: satellite and space communications, as well as terrestrial and wireless network infrastructures.”
“Importantly, these markets have very high growth potential. Comtech has made significant investments to position itself at the heart of markets that are themselves transforming; when this is combined with our strong culture of innovation, I’m confident we will capture a meaningful share in our key end markets and deliver enhanced outcomes and potentially unprecedented value for our customers.”
Ken points out that the convergence of terrestrial, wireless, space, and satellite connections is set to play an increasing role across industries and have a positive impact on our daily lives. This convergence sometimes referred to as hybrid infrastructures, is very similar to the progression and steep technology trajectory we have seen in mobile devices over the past 15 or 20 years. This new era of hybridized connectivity is happening now, offering many new, exciting opportunities.
“Comtech, as a technology leader in space, satellite, terrestrial, and wireless technologies, can help expand connectivity to remote areas and other regions of the world that remain disconnected. As the value proposition to the community at large is going to increase, Comtech can play a foundational role in connecting the unconnected and empowering individuals, businesses, communities, and governments through access to new communications technologies.”
Transformed to Meet the Future
To make sure Comtech is ready to handle the opportunities available with increased demand, the company has initiated a process of business transformation to consolidate its segments, further enhancing value to customers as well as increasing internal performance, efficiency, and, ultimately, profitability.
“The company was put together through a series of acquisitions over the last 15 to 20 years, assembling different building blocks that co-create the comprehensive capabilities that we have today,” Ken explains.
“One of the first things that I’m doing as a CEO is to assimilate these different businesses that have operated autonomously, in order to harvest the untapped opportunities of behaving as a holistic enterprise, offering combined capabilities and technologies as the satellite and terrestrial networks converge.”
“Working as a single, consolidated enterprise will enable us to speak with an amplified voice as we deal with our supply chain. We will also be able to capture new manufacturing efficiencies, which 
in turn will drive improved operational performance. We believe our unified approach to doing business will not only positively impact our bottom line, it will also enable us to pursue new business opportunities that could not be pursued by the previous operating structure.”
Ken affirms that a positive outcome can only be achieved by a joint effort and both he and his leadership team have extensive experience in business consolidation. “We have proven tools, methods and tactics to implement the transformation in an efficient way. And everyone counts. We would not be successful without our employees, who are embracing this transformational change, as they see an exciting new chapter opening up for the company.”
Staying at the Forefront
The transformation aims to make Comtech the company its customers need it to be, now and in the future. “We believe that providing secure and reliable connections makes the world a better and a safer place. And that’s what rewards us as engineers and technologists. We are in the right place at the right time.”
Comtech invests significantly in research and development, in order to continuously enhance and broaden the customer experience; as the business consolidates, investments will also become more efficient, Ken remarks.
He further affirms that in the years to come, Comtech will continue to push the global communications landscape forward with innovative technologies, outside-the-box thinking, and best-in-class customer service.
“From a productivity perspective, an improved customer experience creates an opportunity to grow our business and accelerate the delivery of new technologies and services in the markets we serve. We strive to be fluent in the future to see where the market is headed, to be able to get out in front of that market, to see what the customer is going to need from us next week, next month or next year, and to be able to provide technology-enabled capabilities that enable and execute that,” he concludes.
