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.
On September 5th a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket placed its 7,001st Starlink satellite into orbit. That’s good news, and amongst that number there were 13 of its Direct to Cell (D2C) versions capable of communications direct to smartphones. Those D2C satellites now number 181 in orbit. But a report from Scotiabank itemises the very real […]
Reports from India say that the various permissions for direct-from-satellite broadband services are again awaiting action. India’s authoritative Financial Express (FE) says that the country’s department of telecommunications (DoT) is unlikely to issue any provisional or interim spectrum to companies such as Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio to commercially roll out their satellite internet services soon. […]
Deutsche Bank has looked again at how it values AST SpaceMobile, and has trebled its share price target from $22 (€19.82) per share to a spectacular $63. AST says SpaceX will launch five of its BlueBird Block 1 satellites on September 12th subject to the usual weather and technical considerations. The bank forecasts a revenue […]
Investment business Seraphim Space says that AST SpaceMobile has surged to a $10 billion (€9.05bn) market cap, making it the second highest–valued space company in the world, trailing only SpaceX. AST, a direct competitor to Starlink, launched its prototype BlueWalker 3 ‘cell tower’ satellite in 2022 and successfully tested its 5G direct–to–cell capability in 2023. […]
Between 1999 and 2014 satellites were regularly launched from by Sea Launch, initially a joint–venture between the US, Norway, Russia and Ukraine. Sea Launch placed satellites into orbit for EchoStar, DirecTV, XM Radio and PanAmSat amongst others. The company, however, went bankrupt in 2009. There is now a new contender supplying ocean–based launch activity. China’s […]
Elon Musk, in a Tweet on X, says he will “blast away the dead [cellular] zones,” helped by a launch on August 31st which added 26 Starlink satellites suitable for handling calls direct–to–cellular (DTC). The latest batch takes the number of DTC satellites to 168, with another launch likely later this week. However, waiting in […]
Analysts at investment company B. Riley have upped their share price guidance for would–be satellite 5G cellular operator AST SpaceMobile to $36 (from $26). The rating is the latest in a series of banks and investment houses which have boosted their advice to clients regarding AST. B. Riley held a symposium last week where AST’s […]
Deutsche Bank has trimmed its share price target slightly from €3.10 to €3 and says it is concerned by continued delays with OneWeb and in particular with repercussions following Eutelsat’s merger with low Earth satellite operator OneWeb. The bank maintains its ‘SELL’ advice to clients. The bank says it believes that the satellite operator’s growth […]
India’s giant telcos, each of which has invested in broadband–by–satellite operations, are increasingly frustrated with the bureaucratic delays which are holding back them launching services. According to Deloitte, India’s satellite broadband service market is expected to reach $1.9 billion (€1.7bn) by 2030, growing 36 per cent per year over the next five years. India’s telcos […]
NSLComm, an Israel-based company, has asked the FCC for permission to launch its BeetleSat system and to access the US. The scheme calls for 344 small Ka-band satellites in total. The 344 will comprise 264 orbiting at 720 kms and 80 at 810 kms. The satellites are small, weighing just 9 kgs and each capable […]
Ofcom: “BBC should play to its strengths”
Australia: Content quota for streamers becomes law
Brazil: Anti-piracy action takes down 535 websites
Paramount+ partners with Arsenal
BBC Sport agrees La Liga digital clips deal
Magic Light creates The Gruffalo & Friends idents for BBC
ESA secures €22bn in funding
Report: Disabled people underrepresented in broadcasting jobs
Channel 4 reports record Hollyoaks viewership
URC returns to Premier Sports with Black Friday deal