Advanced Television

Satellite

Intelsat fights back; Market likes C-band plan

All last week there was something of a ‘tug of war’ between Intelsat and other major industry players regarding the Intelsat/Intel proposal to see some Intelsat C-band frequencies leased to cellular operators and the access used to spur the adoption and availability of 5G services over North America. SES, for example, was extremely cautious on […]

October 9, 2017

Intelsat hits brick-wall on C-band plans

The Intelsat-Intel application to the FCC to permit terrestrial 5G cellular operators to access some of Intelsat’s C-band spectrum over the US has gone down like a proverbial ‘lead balloon’ amongst many of the world’s major satellite operators. On October 4th, SES issued an extremely cautious response to the proposal, and since then Asia Satellite Broadcasting […]

October 5, 2017By Chris Forrester

Intelsat suggests ‘transferring’ C-band capacity to 5G

Satellite giant Intelsat says it is working with Intel and is prepared – for cash – to cede some of its allocated C-band spectrum for use by wireless operators. The move is expected to financially benefit Intelsat and potentially other satellite players. The move sees Intelsat and Intel proposing to the USA’s Federal Communications Commission […]

October 3, 2017By Chris Forrester

SES boosts sat-based WiFi to cruise ships

A modern cruise liner can have as many as 6,000 passengers, plus crew, and is in essence a small town on the water.  Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest leisure travel company, says it has contracted with MedallionNet, a “game-changing” connectivity service enabled by SES Networks. “MedallionNet will provide guests with easy-to-access Wi-Fi that features exceptional […]

September 29, 2017By Chris Forrester

Spain: Orange and Ericsson first 5G trials

Orange and Ericsson are carrying out the first 5G trials in Spain in a Madrid street with connection speeds of 15Gbps average (up to 17 Gbps maximum) through the 26 GHz band with up to 800 MHz. With a speed of 15 Gbps, four HD movies could be downloaded in a second or the six […]

September 25, 2017From David Del Valle in Madrid

SES orders 7 O3b ‘mPower’ satellites

Satellite operator SES used the Euroconsult Satellite Business Week event to announce a major contract with Boeing to build seven “super-powered” craft as additional satellites for its O3b fleet. According to SES these new satellites represent a “the beginning of a new era in global cloud-scale connectivity”.  SES says the order represents a “rapidly expandable and […]

September 11, 2017By Chris Forrester

ATEME supports Arqiva, Samsung 5G trials

ATEME has announced that its advanced video compression technology is being used by Arqiva and Samsung Electronics to conduct the first field trial of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technology in the UK. The trial, first of its kind in Europe, is taking place from July to December 2017 in central London and involves the […]

September 7, 2017

Nokia puts operators on path to 5G

Nokia is extending its portfolio of ultra-broadband product and technology solutions to give operators new flexibility to meet consumer demand and enhance mobile network performance as they evolve towards 5G. As mobile broadband traffic continues to grow, operators want to enhance network performance where they see the greatest demand – with first deployments traditionally in […]

September 6, 2017

Alphasat Irish broadband by DTH goes bust

Alphasat Communications Ltd (of Ireland), which supplied broadband by satellite to customers in rural Ireland, has appointed liquidators. Alphasat, which was headed by former Irish football star turned pundit Niall Quinn, had a shareholder deficit of some €2.8 million, and creditors (in October 2015 when the last set of accounts were filed) of €3.5 million.  […]

September 4, 2017By Chris Forrester

EchoStar Mobile ready for work

EchoStar XX1 satellite has successfully completed its in-orbit testing, and the craft has been handed over to EchoStar by builder Space Systems/Loral. The satellite is based at 10.25 degrees East and can now start operating its S-band Mobile Satellite Services payload (operating as EchoStar Mobile) with its HQ in Milton Keynes, UK. “We are pleased […]

August 30, 2017By Chris Forrester