The UAE government has instructed Abu Dhabi-based Yahsat to study market demand and to assess the need for two new satellites which could launch in 2026. The UAE, via Al Yah (Yahsat) already operates Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 and the potential of two new craft Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5. […]
Patrick Drahi might not have William Shatner in his portfolio of headline-grabbing assets, and rich as he is, Drahi certainly cannot compete with the likes of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos in terms of cash-at-hand. But few will be surprised if Drahi doesn’t now come up with a Plan B to acquire Eutelsat. Certainly his […]
SES and Sirius TV are working to beam DTH channels to Smart Digital International, the Malaysian DTH operator. The broadcaster has signed a multi-year contract with SES to deliver a new bouquet of satellite TV channels across Malaysia. Terms were not revealed. The Sirius Basic subscription package launched on October 1st with 13 initial channels, […]
NewSpace India (NSIL), the renamed commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), says that its new satellite GSAT-24, due to be launched by Arianespace early in 2022, has been fully leased. The client for the satellite is DTH broadcaster Tata Sky. “The entire satellite capacity on-board GSAT-24 will be leased to its committed […]
Telecoms tycoon Patrick Drahi, having earlier this month bought a large slice (12.1 per cent) of BT, has made a bid to buy Eutelsat. Drahi is said to have offered a €2 (17 per cent) premium over Eutelsat’s current €10.35 share price. Drahi controls the cellular and cable business Altice. A September 30th statement from […]
SoftBank, a telecom carrier in Japan, has partnered with SES for the aggregation and delivery of live sporting events to its corporate customers, such as TV stations and video distribution companies. Under the new agreement, SES, via its global infrastructure of multi-orbit satellite fleets and fibre network, will aggregate content and deliver it directly to […]
Prestwick Spaceport has secured a launch partner for its spaceport development in a landmark deal that will boost Scotland’s space industry ambitions and create an important strategic asset for the UK. The spaceport, represented by Glasgow Prestwick Airport and South Ayrshire Council, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UK-based, commercially-operated horizontal ‘air launch’ […]
Nigeria wants two additional satellites for its communications fleet. Dr Abimbola Alela, the MD/CEO of NigComSat, told delegates at the 2021 stakeholder forum last week in Lagos that the new craft (NigComSat 2 and 3) were essential to further expand Nigeria’s position as a global satellite operator. “This will not only inspire confidence in our […]
A Chinese broadcasting satellite was launched on September 9th and is ready for 4K and 8K transmissions. The satellite (Zhongxing-9B) was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on a Long March-3B rocket on its 388th mission. The craft is designed to operate for at least 15 years and will […]
Doordarshan Direct (DD) offers Indian viewers free-to-view channels on its DD FreeDish. Some 20 channels, previously available on India’s various pay-TV platforms, are also broadcasting on DD FreeDish. Harit Nagpal, MD & CEO at Tata Sky, says there are 20 channels that are still part of the pay bouquets of the pay-TV operators. TataSky, Airtel […]