Advanced Television

Satellite

CBA still facing tough opposition

According to a statement from Senator John Kennedy, who had objected to the C-Band Alliance being responsible for auctioning off C-band spectrum over the US, he remains committed to a public auction as distinct to a private sale of spectrum. This does not mean that the Federal Communications Commission has to abide rigidly to his […]

October 7, 2019By Chris Forester

‘Stratollite’ stays on station for a month

A Stratollite is a large balloon (or ‘high altitude platform’) that sits between the Earth and the high-orbiting satellites, and can remain – more or less – in place over its target audience below. Tucson-based Stratollites, developed by World View Enterprises (which has a marvellous mission statement: “Sometimes to break new ground, you have to […]

October 7, 2019By Chris Forrester

Controversial satellite project tries again

A company registered in the Cayman Islands is again trying to get a satellite launched despite alleged links with backers from China. Global-IP (not to be confused with Global IP Solutions) wants to finance and build a satellite to provide sub-Saharan Africa with 150 Gb/s broadband. But the company has some history behind it. In […]

October 4, 2019

Space Tug will greatly extend satellite’s life

In the next few days a ‘space tug’ satellite will be launched into orbit from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The satellite, MEV-1 built by Northrop Grumman, will drift for about 3 months in a geostationary transfer orbit and rendezvous with a satellite which will have deliberately been raised out of its conventional orbit by […]

October 3, 2019By Chris Forrester

Musk unveils his BFR

Elon Musk has unveiled his Starship Mk 1 ‘Big Falcon Rocket’ at its South Texas assembly facility. Musk said that test flight will start in a month or two, and be ready to reach orbit within 6 months. The prototype rocket is a beast, standing some 50 metres high, and was in the background as […]

October 1, 2019By Chris Forrester

LeoSat restructures financing

LeoSat is planning to girdle the planet with between 78-108 satellites, each equipped with laser-based connectivity for ultra-fast low-latency communications. But raising sufficient cash has proved to be a major challenge. LeoSat has Mark Rigolle as its CEO, and Rigolle has past expertise as CEO at SES-backed O3b and prior to that position he as […]

September 30, 2019By Chris Forrester

CBA “aggressively” looking at more than 200 MHz

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, as previously reported, is firmly in favour of seeking the C-Band Alliance (CBA) freeing up 300 MHz of satellite spectrum for relocation for 5G usage over the US.  Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington DC this week he stated that the US needs 300 MHz of C-band spectrum freed […]

September 27, 2019By Chris Forrester

Favourable C-band decision seems certain

Comments from investment bank Exane/BNPP are very specific in stating that the long-awaited C-Band Alliances scheme to auction some of its C-band spectrum for 5G deployment over the US looks like being decided on a highly favourable basis to the Alliance. The bank reports on comments made by FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly and helped by […]

September 26, 2019

FCC chairman “optimistic” on C-band decision

FCC chairman Ajit Pai is optimistic that there will be “results to show” this autumn on the issue of the C-Band Alliance’s (CBA) plan to auction some of its spectrum over the US for 5G repurposing. Pai was addressing delegates at America’s Spectrum Management Conference in Washington DC on September 24th. He said: ˜We’re also […]

September 25, 2019By Chris Forrester

Euroconsult: Satellite comms market worth $19.4bn by 2028

Euroconsult, an expert on space and satellite-based applications, has released its flagship research, which predicts the satellite communications market will grow to $19.4 billion (€17.6bn) by 2028. Following a decline that began in 2014, the research forecasts a return to revenue growth beginning in 2020, driven by demand for broadband applications, including rural connectivity, in-flight […]

September 25, 2019