Advanced Television

Policy

Starlink quits South Africa satellite discussion

Last week the South African government, via its ICASA telecoms regulator, held formal public consultations on a proposed licensing plan for satellite services in the country. But SpaceX, and therefore Starlink, declined to appear. SpaceX was due to make a presentation to the hearing, but failed to turn up. According to an ICASA spokeswoman, SpaceX […]

February 10, 2025By Chris Forrester

New C-band auction mooted

Kathy Grillo, SVP, public policy & government affairs at US telco Verizon, speaking on reports that the US government wanted to access more C-band spectrum for terrestrial use, said Verizon welcomed the news. “We are now years past the last auction of mid-band spectrum and we are far from where we need to be as […]

February 7, 2025By Chris Forrester

Sweden: IPTV piracy enquiry welcomed

Every year, online piracy costs rights holders around the world billions of dollars. In Sweden, the issue has not received much attention until now, with the Swedish government announcing an enquiry into the matter, citing the fact that Sweden is one of the EU countries where the problem is the biggest. “We want as many […]

February 7, 2025By Colin Mann

Danny Dyer presents Moments Worth Paying For

Pro-copyright consumer education body The Industry Trust for IP Awareness’s ‘Moments Worth Paying For’ campaign is teaming up with national treasure Danny Dyer to present an exclusive message ahead of True Brit Entertainment’s Marching Powder, set to hit the big screen across the UK and Ireland on March 7th 2025. In exclusive content made for […]

February 7, 2025By Colin Mann

UK 2024 production spend £4.7bn

Official film and high-end TV (HETV) production statistics from the British Film Institute (BFI) show that production in the UK continues to generate billions for the UK economy. Recovering from the global impact of 2023’s US SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, inward investment spend in the UK generated by film and HETV production during 2024 reached […]

February 6, 2025

SpaceX complains over South Africa investment rules

SpaceX currently cannot operate in South Africa despite some apparent enthusiastic support from Cyril Ramaphosa, the nation’s president. SpaceX has formally asked for local telecoms regulator ICASA to modify its requirements. ICASA is to hold consultations starting on February 5th and 6th with interested stakeholders and the public. The filing is by SpaceX Internet Services […]

February 5, 2025

Ofcom consults on spectrum auction

UK comms regulator Ofcom has launched a consultation on its proposals to auction the upper block of 1.4 GHz band (1492-1517 MHz) for 4G and 5G mobile use. 1.4 GHz spectrum was internationally harmonised for mobile telecommunications in 2015, and 40 MHz of the band (1452-1492 MHz) is already in use by mobile network operators […]

February 4, 2025By Colin Mann

InterDigital enforces patents against Disney

InterDigital, the mobile, video and AI technology research and development company, has initiated litigation against The Walt Disney Company, including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, claiming an ongoing infringement of InterDigital’s intellectual property. “Our video technologies enable Disney to efficiently stream content and enhance the user experience,” said Josh Schmidt, Chief Legal Officer, InterDigital. “We always […]

February 3, 2025

UK Lords call for AI, tech start-up ‘ambition’

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee has warned that the UK is at risk of becoming an ‘incubator economy’ unless it does a better job supporting UK AI and creative tech start-ups to grow into global competitors. “If we do not reverse the trend of innovative British technology companies moving to other markets […]

February 3, 2025By Colin Mann

Ofcom licenses Kuiper, boosts connectivity

UK comms regulator Ofcom has granted an earth station network licence to Amazon Kuiper Services Europe SARL for its ‘Kuiper’ non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite system. This decision means Kuiper will be authorised to provide satellite connectivity services such as high speed, low latency broadband to customers in the UK. Satellite services transmit data to and […]

February 3, 2025By Colin Mann