Focus: Telecom

AST SpaceMobile has signed an MoU with Globe Telecom, a mobile network operator in the Philippines. The Thursday announcement did not include specific details, but AST SpaceMobile “would aim to provide Globe with expanded coverage” once its network is launched. As of 2021, Globe had 86.8 million mobile subscribers.  AST SpaceMobile is working to build...

AST SpaceMobile is generating a lot of interest as it nears the launch this summer of Bluewalker 3, a satellite designed to connect directly with unmodified cellphones on Earth.  The company went public in April 2021 and recently provided its first full-year financial results. The company reported $12.4 million in revenue. Total operating expenses increased...

Thaicom is the latest satellite player to sign a deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as it looks to deploy a cloud-based satellite TV broadcast distribution platform for the Asia Pacific region. The two companies signed a contract on March 31 to manage a broadcast platform consisting of cloud services providing software-defined encoding, transcoding, and...

At SATELLITE 2022, one of the key topics of conversation was how the satellite industry can work better with the telecoms industry. Neil McRae, the chief architect at BT, was uniquely positioned to speak to this issue. Recently, the British telecommunications company joined OneWeb’s distribution partner network to provide OneWeb connectivity across BT Group. In...

One of the world’s leading telcos Orange is teaming up with AST SpaceMobile to test its space-based cellular broadband network. The two companies announced the non-binding MoU on March 25. Orange will test AST SpaceMobile’s service in one African country, following AST SpaceMobile’s planned launch of its BlueWalker 3 test satellite that is designed to...

Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom has signed a multi-year contract with Intelsat to modernize its network and expand LTE coverage across the country. Intelsat will provide Safaricom with both cellular backhaul over satellite and enterprise connectivity services, the companies announced March 10.  Much of Kenya’s population, about 70%, lives in rural areas. Safaricom said its LTE...

Intelsat, which announced a collaboration with TIM Brasil this week, has signed another telco deal, this time in Africa. Orange Mali selected Intelsat to bring 3G and 4G connectivity to hard-to-reach areas in Mali, the eighth largest country in Africa. Mali has a population of just over 20 million people. Intelsat announced the deal March....

Global connectivity provider Orange has been a valuable customer for satellite operators as it builds its seamless mobile network in various regions around the world. Recently, Orange and its Senegalese telecoms subsidiary Sonatel announced plans to deploy the first SES O3b mPOWER gateway in Africa. Just prior to making this announcement, Via Satellite interviewed Jean-Luc...

Lynk Global reports that recent pre-commercial tests on its fifth satellite in orbit connected the satellite to thousands of unmodified devices, including cell phones and IoT devices.  Lynk said in a Tuesday release that the tests were done across five countries — the Bahamas, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States — connecting...

Satellite operators and service providers Speedcast, Intelsat, and SES worked to restore emergency communications in Tonga after the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami.  The undersea volcano Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai erupted on Jan. 15 near the island in the South Pacific. The volcanic explosion caused a tsunami that knocked out the undersea internet cables that keep the island...