Intelsat, the satellite and terrestrial network operator, has signed an expanded satellite services agreement with GCI, Alaska’s largest telecommunications company, that will soon deliver multi-orbit broadband services throughout the largest state in the US. “Four years ago, Intelsat and GCI entered into an agreement that dramatically increased the size and speed of GCI’s geostationary satellite […]
On January 6th Ligado Networks entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy reconstruction. January 7th opened a legal action against London-based Inmarsat over a 2007 spectrum and capacity leasing agreement. Inmarsat, now owned by California-based Viasat, allegedly owes Ligado $1.7 billion (€1.65bn) in payment under the agreement says the action. Ligado is arguing that the UK-based satellite telecommunications […]
This past weekend it was widely reported that the Italian government had chosen Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite broadband service in a massive $1.6 billion (€1.4bn) 5-year deal to equip its military with secure connectivity. The news emerged as Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni visited President-elect Donald Trump at his Florida home on January 4th. The […]
NovelSat, a player in content connectivity, and Ayecka, a provider of solutions for satellite link-based IP and video delivery, have announced their unification, creating a single, unified company. This strategic union combines the companies’ complementary technologies and expertise, positioning the converged company to offer end-to-end solutions across multiple markets, including broadcast, media, government, defence, mobility […]
Ligado Networks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 6th. Ligado holds some extremely valuable ‘L-band’ spectrum over North America but is in the middle of a bitter dispute with the US government and has accused the US government of improperly blocking it from commercialising licensed spectrum through what it called one of the […]
Gilat Satellite Networks has successfully closed the acquisition of Stellar Blu Solutions, a US-based provider of next-generation SATCOM terminal solutions. The deal was first announced in June 2024. Gilat expects its annual revenues from Stellar Blu to range between $120 million (€115m) and $150 million in 2025, based on Stellar Blu’s backlog. In addition, the […]
The planned launch of the Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin rocket on January 6th was delayed because of poor weather at the Cape. The rocket, named New Glenn, is now slated to launch from Florida on January 10th. The plan puts it head-to-head with Elon Musk’s important Starship and its seventh flight and attempted ‘chopstick’ landing. […]
British Airways (BA) is in discussions with SpaceX and Amazon’s Project Kuiper with the prize being the outfitting of its entire jet fleet with either Starlink Wi-Fi or Kuiper’s service. BA’s long haul fleet currently uses Intelsat’s 2Ku system, while its short haul fleet uses Viasat‘s EAN (European Aviation System). The question now is whether […]
US satellite operator Viasat has filed a further objection to SpaceX’s plans to start using some of its satellites for Direct-to-Cellular services. The filing, ‘Petition for Reconsideration regarding SpaceX SCS Order’, was made on December 27th to the FCC. SCS refers to the FCC’s ‘Supplementary Coverage from Space’ guidelines. Amongst other statements, Viasat said: “More […]
SES, itself busy looking to absorb arch-rival Intelsat which it agreed to acquire last April, perhaps has its eyes on its next expansion step. Rumours – wholly unconfirmed – suggest an investment in AST SpaceMobile could be in the offing. The satellite operator’s Chief Strategy Officer JP Hemingway is already on record as saying that […]