Chris Forrester is one of the most experienced and highly regarded journalists in the field. His insight and analysis, particularly in the satellite and pay-TV arena, is highly prized. He has written for all the major business journals in the sector as well as several national newspapers.
A slew of investment banks have come out decidedly in favour of would-be global direct-to-device satellite operator, AST SpaceMobile. For example, analysts at Deutsche Bank are forecasting free cashflow for AST reaching $1.44 billion (€1.24bn) by 2028. The bank has raised its price target to $81 (from $59) and reiterates its ‘Buy’ rating. Bank of […]
Fitch Ratings has examined the long-term debt for pay-TV broadcaster DirecTV. The downgrade is modest (at BB from BB+) but the result could make further borrowing slightly more costly. DirecTV is owned by AT&T and TPG (the former Texas Pacific Group). Fitch says: “The downgrade reflects secular pressures resulting in increased uncertainty around industry valuations. […]
While some US potential subscribers can sign up for a new Starlink dish and connection for zero cost, others have to pay a significant ‘congestion’ fee to gain access. The low-cost concept sees SpaceX offering a ‘$0 Upfront’ cost plan, which effectively loans out a Starlink dish hardware as a free rental, instead of charging […]
Amazon’s broadband-by-satellite service, Project Kuiper, started launching its satellites in April. But a study by Analysys Mason says that even though only 153 Kuipers have been launched (out of a planned total of 3,232) the embryonic system is already topping Eutelsat’s OneWeb and has surpassed the 3.6 terabits/second that Eutelsat’s LEO system offers. Project Kuiper […]
OQ Technology, a Luxembourg-based pioneer in satellite 5G Internet of Things (IoT) and Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity, announced that it has received an official government concession from Luxembourg, marking a historic step in Europe’s advancement of 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN). The concession, issued by Elisabeth Margue, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Media and Connectivity, […]
Reports from the Russian Space Web (RSW) say that heads continue to roll at Russia’s Roskosmos. The site says that the Director General at ISS Reshetnev, prime developer of military and communications satellites, is “voluntarily resigning”. On October 10th, Roskosmos announced that Evgeny Nesterov, the head of ISS Reshetnev, Russia’s prime developer of military and […]
Canada-based MDA Space suffered a dramatic fall in its share price, down 16 per cent, because of reports that an important order for satellites to be built could be cancelled. The order was announced back in February and involved a C$1.1 billion (€0.68bn) contract to build low Earth orbiting satellites for Globalstar. The sell-off was […]
The FCC unveiled plans earlier this week to again hold an auction of satellite C-band spectrum. It has now emerged that SES, the main satellite beneficiary of the restructuring, is firmly in favour of the FCC’s scheme. The FCC plan is to auction “at least” 100 MHz by July 2027. The FCC said the commission […]
Charles Delfieux, CEO and Founder of Univity, says that the continued race for LEO constellations cannot continue unchecked. Low Earth Orbit populated by spacecraft and the risk of orbital debris is not an infinite resource. It’s a shared environment that must be protected. He argues that the planet needs a new alternative and says that […]
October 25th saw SpaceX launch its 135th launch mission this year. The rocket carried a batch of 28 Starlink satellites in what was another routine mission for SpaceX, although it set a record and beats the total launched in 2024 by SpaceX. The launch was from Vandenburg Spaceforce Base in California. The launch used Booster […]
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