Advanced Television

Satellite

Hughes backs ‘Digital India’ initiative

Asia-Pacific telecoms company IPSTAR International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thaicom, has chosen the Hughes Network’s Jupiter broadband satellite to extend the reach of broadband throughout India. IPSTAR will operate the Jupiter System over THAICOM 4, a high-throughput satellite (HTS) in India, enabling government-owned service provider BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.) to offer fixed and mobile […]

May 23, 2017By Chris Forrester

Avanti, Q Sat dispute leaves 3,000 without service

Q-Sat, a rural satellite-delivered broadband supplier in Ireland, is in a “six-figure” dispute with London-based satellite operator Avanti Communications. The Financial Times is reporting that bills have allegedly not been paid. Q-Sat is run by former Irish and Arsenal football international Niall Quinn, who told Irish broadcaster RTE that he had been in dispute with […]

May 22, 2017By Chris Forrester

Intelsat extends merger plan; SoftBank exasperated

Japanese media giant SoftBank has helped Intelsat sweeten its proposed debt-swap by a small amount in its drive to merge with Jersey-based OneWeb. SoftBank will put in a minuscule extra $61.6 million, which might sound a lot, but doesn’t add up to much when the total pitched by SoftBank now on the table is $1.79 […]

May 18, 2017By Chris Forrester

Eutelsat Q3 results down 4.2%

Eutelsat’s Q3 overall revenues were €364.3 million, down 4.2 per cent (at constant currency) and 4.9 per cent as reported. Eutelsat said that its channel count was up 3.2 per cent (same period last year) at 6,356, and with HD penetration also rising at 1,057 channels and now represented 16.6 per cent of the operator’s […]

May 12, 2017By Chris Forrester

Intelsat + SoftBank plan at risk

Satellite operator Intelsat is looking to merge with Jersey-based OneWeb with help from Japanese media giant SoftBank. The deal needs Intelsat’s debt-holders to agree to new financial terms, and that agreement looks to be in doubt. The deadline for acceptances of new terms was at midnight yesterday, May 10th. New York-based Reorg Research, in a […]

May 11, 2017By Chris Forrester

ViaSat joins Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) has announced that ViaSat, a global broadband services and technology company, has become its newest member and the first broadband satellite service provider to join the Alliance. “ViaSat joining the DSA is a significant moment in the history of the Alliance,” said Kalpak Gude, president of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. […]

May 10, 2017

SpaceX racing to space for broadband domination

Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company has told a powerful Senate hearing in Washington DC on May 3rd that it intends having its super-constellation of orbiting satellites operating and supplying initial high-speed broadband within two years. SpaceX is planning a massive fleet of 4425 satellites to girdle the planet. SpaceX’s VP/government affairs, Patricia Cooper, told senators […]

May 4, 2017

SES ups profits 11.5%

SES is beginning to reap the rewards of extra capacity being utilised, and in reporting its Q1 numbers, says it has seen “substantial” growth in its contracted backlog (from €7.6 billion y-o-y to €7.8 billion). Net profit attributable to SES shareholders of €128.4 million (Q1 2016: €115.1 million) represented an increase of 11.5 per cent over the […]

April 28, 2017By Chris Forrester

SpaceX demands FCC put OneWeb on hold

Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company, which also has plans afoot to build and launch its own ‘super-constellation of more than 7500 V-band satellites, is objecting to Jersey-based OneWeb and its potential financial partner SoftBank of Japan with their plans for its 648-satellite constellation. SpaceX’s complaint is that the OneWeb/SoftBank financial structure is far from clear. […]

April 27, 2017By Chris Forrester

French Guiana strike ends

The European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is getting back to work. The industrial action which had caused a near-complete month-long closedown of the region ended on April 21 when the French government and strike leaders signed an ‘Accord de Guyane’ agreement. Officials at the spaceport, and from where Arianespace launch their rockets and satellites, […]

April 24, 2017By Chris Forrester