Advanced Television

Satellite

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

Apple ramping up ‘super constellation’ plans?

Apple has reportedly hired a pair of highly experienced satellite experts. Bloomberg Business News says the pair are John Fenwick, who led Google’s spacecraft operations, and Michael Trela, who headed up satellite engineering at Google. The two now report to Greg Duffy, co-founder of the camera company Dropcam, another former Googler, according to the Bloomberg […]

April 24, 2017By Chris Forrester

Intelsat ready with ‘Plans B and C’

Global satellite operator Intelsat’s planned merger with Jersey-based OneWeb has suffered its first hiccup. Intelsat’s bondholders are not signing up to the proposed financial restructuring engineered by Japan’s media giant SoftBank and Intelsat has had to extend the acceptance period from its April 20th deadline to May 10th. To date, barely 1 per cent of […]

April 24, 2017

Intelsat, OneWeb merger facing challenges

Intelsat is reportedly extending the timetable deadline for bondholders to accept the proposals of a proposed merger with giant satellite constellation OneWeb. Reuters reports that the merger – announced back in February – is conditional on gaining approval from at least 85 per cent of the face value held by Intelsat’s bondholders. The report suggest […]

April 21, 2017By Chris Forrester