A report from analysts at QuiltSpace says that Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite system is missing out business with airlines, themselves rapidly adopting satellite delivery for their in-flight communications and entertainment services. Quilty praises Starlink for hitting the maritime industry “like a tsunami” and swallowing up cruise lines, yachts, and merchant vessels at such high rates […]
Investment business Seraphim Space says that AST SpaceMobile has surged to a $10 billion (€9.05bn) market cap, making it the second highest–valued space company in the world, trailing only SpaceX. AST, a direct competitor to Starlink, launched its prototype BlueWalker 3 ‘cell tower’ satellite in 2022 and successfully tested its 5G direct–to–cell capability in 2023. […]
The build–up to IBC has influenced Eutelsat [and SES] to announce new business. The satellite provider has signed an partnership agreement with Japan’s SoftBank Corp. Eutelsat’s deal with SoftBank will offer low latency, secure connectivity for businesses and government agencies throughout Japan, and sees Eutelsat enter the Japanese market for the first time. The agreement […]
In–Flight Communications (IFC) is an increasingly important part of satellite operator’s revenue stream. The likes of Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Viasat are all competing to supply broadband communications to every passenger seat. Panasonic Aviation and Thales InFlyt are also directly suppling airlines with entertainment even extending to 4K channels and movies. But connectivity over India […]
Between 1999 and 2014 satellites were regularly launched from by Sea Launch, initially a joint–venture between the US, Norway, Russia and Ukraine. Sea Launch placed satellites into orbit for EchoStar, DirecTV, XM Radio and PanAmSat amongst others. The company, however, went bankrupt in 2009. There is now a new contender supplying ocean–based launch activity. China’s […]
SES has struck an agreement with Digicel Pacific’s support for critical communications to be restored quickly in the event of natural disasters. This agreement is an extension of the companies’ long–standing partnership. The agreement follows on from the earthquake that hit Tonga on August 26th, when Tonga Domestic Cable Extension (TDCE), the island nation’s only […]
John Deere is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of farm and agriculture products. It is already supplying farmers with automated solutions for some of their tractors and harvesters and using conventional terrestrial cellular connectivity. Back in January, John Deere announced an upgrade to its automation options and using Starlink as the key element in […]
Elon Musk, in a Tweet on X, says he will “blast away the dead [cellular] zones,” helped by a launch on August 31st which added 26 Starlink satellites suitable for handling calls direct–to–cellular (DTC). The latest batch takes the number of DTC satellites to 168, with another launch likely later this week. However, waiting in […]
Comments made by critics of Brazil’s government on X has resulted in Starlink being banned in the country. There are a reported 250,000 users of Starlink in Brazil, and Elon Musk says that SpaceX will continue to support them and not charge a monthly fee while the dispute continues. Musk said: “SpaceX and X are […]
Deutsche Bank has trimmed its share price target slightly from €3.10 to €3 and says it is concerned by continued delays with OneWeb and in particular with repercussions following Eutelsat’s merger with low Earth satellite operator OneWeb. The bank maintains its ‘SELL’ advice to clients. The bank says it believes that the satellite operator’s growth […]