SpaceX’s Starlink has struck a partnership with Airtel Africa which will allow its Starlink Direct to Cell satellite to connect more than 173 million people in Africa across 14 countries, powering life-saving connectivity when it’s needed most. This marks the sixth continent for the satellite-to-mobile service and expands its mission to end mobile dead zones. […]

Jennifer Manner, SVP/Regulatory Affairs at AST SpaceMobile, told a Congress Committee (the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology of the Committee on Energy & Commerce) that the satellite Direct-to-Cell business would launch between 45 and 60 of its second-generation BlueBird 2 satellites during 2026. She confirmed that the satellites were under manufacture at its two factories […]

There has been some confusion, not to say argument, as to whether AST SpaceMobile will manage to connect to users when inside a home, office building or while out shopping and inside stores. AST has partnerships with dozens of cellular telcos but the whole rationale for AST is to provide connectivity when out of range […]

Amazon Leo’s giant United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is ready to launch the Leo-4 batch of 27 broadband satellites today (December 15th) at 08.49 am UTC. The price of the launch is quoted at $153 million (€130m). The Atlas/Leo mission is to provide fast, reliable internet to customers around the world, including those […]

South Africa has amended its ‘Black Economic Empowerment’ (BEE) rules, allowing Starlink to operate via rural school internet investments instead of insisting on the traditional – and to date rigid – 30 per cent equity stake for local people and businesses. The decision could pave the way for rapid satellite broadband rollout amid digital divide […]

Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, working with Germany’s Munich-based defence specialist Helsing, has agreed to build a constellation of satellites for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles to be deployed in 2029. Kongsberg’s majority investor is the Norwegian government. Kongsberg is an internationally known specialist producer of defence and space-related systems, and has an investment in […]

SES and Abra Group have launched multi-orbit inflight connectivity service on the first of more than 100 aircraft, solidifying SES’ position as a provider of satellite-powered broadband inflight service in the Americas. “Abra Group’s commitment to passenger experience will now include consistent reliable, multi-orbit satellite connectivity on its Airbus and Boeing fleet that provides the […]

Eutelsat has announced the success of its share capital increase with shareholders’ preferential subscription rights for a gross amount of approximately €670 million. Eutelsat says the proceeds of the Rights Issue, combined with the proceeds of the Reserved Capital Increases completed on November 21st, will be used to reinforce its financial structure and fund its […]

American Airlines currently uses Viasat’s satellites for its ‘direct-to-seat’ In-Flight Connectivity. There are numerous reports that it is to switch suppliers and use a Low Earth orbiting (LEO) fleet of satellites for improved speed and bandwidth. However, while many airlines have chosen Starlink to connect their aircraft, it seems that American has quietly chosen Amazon’s […]

Crossroads Capital Investment Partners, an investor in AST SpaceMobile, has provided a quarterly update and valuable comments on the continued rationale behind its investment. The letter reminded clients that its stake in AST is up 34 per cent this year. “We wanted to take a quick moment to note the company made significant strides in […]