A European Space Agency (ESA) researcher says that the impending launch of the first batch of Elon Musk’s ‘Starlink’ Low Earth orbiting satellites could herald the start of the Kessler Syndrome, and turn space into a dangerous minefield. The Kessler effect talks about two satellites colliding in orbit, and that then kick-starting other collisions in […]

Equity analysts from investment bank Exane/BNPP spent an intense week talking to industry executives as well as regulators in Washington, and taking advantage of the Satellite 2019 conflab. The result is a 15-page report which very much focuses on the prospects for the C-Band Alliance’s financially important release of some 180 MHz of C-band spectrum […]

Worldwide spending on telecom services and pay-TV services totalled $1,615 billion in 2018, an increase of 0.8 per cent year over year, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). Worldwide Telecom Services Database. IDC expects for the worldwide spending on Telecom and Pay-TV services to reach $1,657 billion in 2023. Mobile services will continue to […]

One of the FCC’s key Commissioners, Michael O’Rielly, last week delivered a strong message that appears to be supportive of the C-Band Alliance’s plans for restructuring satellite bandwidth over the US. The comments appeared to be favourable. “I am cautiously optimistic on what I have been hearing regarding the C-Band, different conversations occurring, internal and […]

Telesat’s Erwin Hudson (VP/Low Earth Orbiting broadband division) speaking at last week’s Washington Satellite 2019 conference, said that the successful bidder for the company’s planned LEO fleet of “quite large” craft would be producing satellites at a rate of 20-25 a month. Hudson told delegates that Ottawa-based Telesat was already working with several antenna suppliers […]

SpaceX says it will start launching the first cluster of its Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites next week on May 15th. SpaceX’s president Gwynne Shotwell told delegates to the Satellite 2019 event in Washington DC that “dozens” of satellites would be launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. However, Shotwell also stated that not all of […]

Analysts from investment bank Jefferies held a 7-hour series of VIP meetings with key industry executives at the giant Satellite 2019 show, and the bank’s subsequent comments from analysts Giles Thorne and Sebastian Patulea make fascinating reading. Two topics dominated their meetings: “A greater interest in High Throughput Satellites/LEO than in previous years, [and] a […]

OneWeb launched six pilot satellites into a transfer orbit on February 27th. It has now confirmed that the first of that batch has now reached its designated position. OneWeb is planning to place a total of 648 satellites, each weighing about 150 kgs, into Low Earth orbit (LEO) and using at least 20 Russian-built Soyuz […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is asking the C-Band Alliance (of Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat) to clarify certain key points on the Alliance’s plan to reallocate 180 MHz of C-band (3.7-4.2 GHz) satellite spectrum to speed the roll-out of 5G over the US. The FCC’s request, made on the eve of the important 2019 […]

Intelsat and SES, the two key members of the C-Band Alliance, say they will order 8 new C-band satellites if the FCC gives its approval for the Alliance’s scheme to reallocate 180 MHz of satellite spectrum over the US. One the opening day of the Satellite 2019 show in Washington DC, the Alliance confirmed its […]