Geo-stationary satellites are usually very large, and weigh anything between 3 – 7 tonnes. They are expensive to build, launch and insure. And when a satellite fails or suffers a problem it is a major nightmare for the operator impacting services and revenues. There are a handful of would-be satellite rescue plans under consideration, including […]
On July 26th SES will unveil its latest quarter of numbers (Q2) and a forecast from analysts at investment bank Exane/BNPP is not exactly rosy. The analysts say they expect the quarter’s revenues to be “weak” adding: “In Video, we expect underlying revenue growth to reach -10 per cent in Q2/19 (vs. -7.8 per cent […]
Analysts from investment bank Berenberg visited E3, the annual gaming expo held in Los Angeles, and in a comprehensive report provided a valuable analysis of the importance of the event to the industry, and pay-subscription patterns. Berenberg’s first comment is that there is an abundance of structural tailwinds that are likely to drive the games […]
A new filing to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and commenting on the C-Band Alliance’s plan to sell off 180 MHz of satellite spectrum for 5G, has thrown up some important concerns about the scheme. In particular, the letter expresses concerns about potential extremely harmful interference from new commercial wireless applications in the 3.7-4.2 GHz […]
The recent 8K Display Summit in New York saw speaker after speaker explain why they thought 8K displays would break through into the mass market, and not just for viewers in Asia. Florian Friedrich (Principal, FF Pictures) argued that many prejudices needed to be addressed. He said: “Some people say you need to sit 60 […]
Ajit Pai, the Chairman of the FCC, along with two of his key Commissioners, met with the FCC oversight committee on June 12th at the US Senate on Capitol Hill, and were specifically questioned on the C-Band Alliance’s scheme to reassign 180 MHz of spectrum for 5G over the US. What followed were very timely […]
Analysts at investment bank Morgan Stanley have reduced Intelsat’s target share price from $24 to $22. Barclays, in their note, suggest a similar figure of $23 although that was some weeks ago. JP Morgan Chase placed a target value of $27. Others have placed a higher value on Intelsat, even as high as $50. However, […]
There has been widespread gossip in recent days that DirecTV and Dish Network might be ripe for some sort of merger. A Bloomberg report on June 7th said that while no active talks were going on, Dish Network was “open” to discussions. The Dallas Business Journal (AT&T has a HQ in Dallas) added that AT&T […]
If – or perhaps when – the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approves some sort of variation of the C-Band Alliance’s plan for the adoption of 180 MHz of satellite frequency over the US, there will be another financial beneficiary. The Alliance is being led by Intelsat and SES, who between them control around 90 per […]
Vivendi, late on June 4th, wrapped up the issue of a massive €2.1 billion bond in tranches to mature in 3, 6 and 9.5 years. A report to clients from Deutsche Bank summarises the background behind the move, saying: “The stated rationale was to finance the €1.1 billion M7 acquisition and to refinance an existing […]