Satellite operator SES is buying three satellites in a series of orders that will cost around $1 billion in total to build and launch. One new craft, the hybrid SES-14, will replace and expand the role undertaken by NSS-806 at 47.5/48 degrees West, and add capacity to the location including backing up and providing extra […]

SES has announced that its Astra Connect for Communities solution will be used in a UK Government-funded Market Test Pilot (MTP) project. These Pilot projects aim to assess which technologies and commercial models are best suited to deliver superfast broadband to the final five percent of households in the UK that currently do not have […]

London-based satellite broadband supplier Avanti Communications reported its first-half numbers and declared widening losses ($48.1 million vs $41.8m in the same period a year ago). However, revenues were markedly up (24 per cent) from $25 million to $31.1 million. Avanti also reported that they had raised an extra £60.6 million ($90.7m) in new capital via […]

O3b, the satellite-by-broadband constellation that aims to reach ‘the other 3 billion’ people who have little or no access to Internet services, has added some important Pacific clients. It is now saying that O3b is the largest provider of satellite capacity over the Pacific region. Norfolk Telecom, situated halfway between Australia and New Zealand, and […]

SES’s Astra 2G satellite has been successfully launched on an ILS Proton Breeze M booster at 03:37:49 Baikonur time (22:37:49 CET and 16:37:49 EST on December 27th). After a nine-hour, 12-minute mission, the Breeze M upper stage of the Proton rocket successfully released the Astra 2G satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. Astra 2G will be […]

California-based satellite broadband operator ViaSat says it intends to offer an unlimited bandwidth service to subscribers once its upcoming ViaSat-2 is in orbit. Launch of ViaSat-2 is due in mid-2016. VCEO Mark Dankberg said his intention is to challenge cable and DSL service providers which are often unable to manage demand from users for higher […]

Ofcom has published its first in the UK since the 4G auction in 2013. The research measured the performance of 4G and 3G services on smartphones from the four main mobile operators – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Manchester. Helping to improve mobile coverage and quality of service […]

Charlie Ergen will get 60 per cent of new restructured equity in wireless company LightSquared, currently in Chapter 11, according to a deal agreed in the US Bankruptcy Court has announced. LightSquared is the somewhat troubled wireless business looking to develop a US 4G system that’s backed and integrated with satellite coverage.  However, back in […]

Satellite giant SES looks as if it is modifying its expectations. For a start it North America revenues are flat, according to its results released on Oct 31st. It is also suffering a downturn in its ‘governmental’ business now that the US military business is being trimmed because of US budget cuts. SES CEO Karim […]

According to findings from consulting and analyst firm Euroconsult, High Throughput Satellites (HTS) continue to proliferate in 2014 in terms of supply additions (+109 Gbps), system investments (nine new orders) and demand take-up (+40 Gbps). This trend should accelerate considering the 100+ projected new HTS system (payload and satellite) launches over the next decade. As […]