France’s telecommunications agency is formally asking the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to take action on persistent satellite jamming by Iran.  France’s National Agency of Frequency Regulation (ANFR) says it is “extremely concerned” about Iranian jamming, and reports suggest that discussions between France and other national bodies are discussing sanctions against Iran. In other news Iran […]

Eutelsat and Intelsat have already taken down Iranian TV transmissions coming from IRIB and Press TV. On November 8th the US government applied sanctions on certain named individuals connected to Iran’s broadcasting efforts, as well as criticising Iran’s deliberate jamming of its neighbour’s satellite transmissions and local Internet censorship policies. The US State Department has […]

Iran’s IRIB state-backed TV channels have been dropped by the Eutelsat and Intelsat organisations. The decision also affected the controversial Press TV signals. Press TV has been proscribed by German and British media regulators. Now, according to communiqués from the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) the channels are being reinstated for satellite viewers from satellites […]

Eutelsat has increased its level of cooperation with a major state-backed Russian satellite operator. Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) has signed a fresh agreement with Eutelsat which sees Eutelsat leasing capacity on two RSCC craft which will launch next year and in 2015. The leases are for the 15-year lifetime of the satellites, and have […]

During a post-results financial statement late on October 25th the CEO of Eutelsat, Michel de Rosen, made a robust defence of its position regarding the 28.5 degrees East orbit slot, and from where hundreds of TV and radio channels are beamed into the UK and Ireland. SES Astra is also claiming certain transmission rights from […]

Iran is not having a good week. Its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is increasingly sidelined, and it has seen much of its powerful overseas television influence severely diminished. Now, its parliament is proposing an urgent review of its satellite strategy, and to urgently build its own satellite.  Buying a satellite would be extremely difficult given the […]

Satellite operator Intelsat says it is not required to drop Iran’s international TV channels from its satellite services, as did France-based satellite operator Eutelsat earlier this week. A report carried by BBC Monitoring regarding Luxembourg-based Intelsat’s position in relation to increased EU sanctions on Iran, Intelsat’s director of corporate communications, Alex Horwitz, said Intelsat’s situation […]

Modern Times Group is in an envious position in the Scandinavian and Baltic markets, with pay-TV and free-to-air channels as part of its portfolio. However, there seems to be some major events that are already affecting MTG’s position and prospects. A major report from investment bankers Morgan Stanley suggests that other elements are also in […]

“Our friends in the EU commission are telling us today that the telecoms industry is now mature, and that further funding needs are falling,” stated Giuseppe Viriglio, Vice President at trade organisation Eurospace, and a highly vocal critic of many of today’s European space policies, speaking at ESOA’s European Satellite Day in Brussels recently. “One […]