Focus: Telecom

Ball Aerospace is collaborating with Honeywell to develop and produce high-performance, high-reliability optical communication datalinks that enable satellite operators to deliver high-capacity, high-data rate connectivity to users around the world. Together, the two companies will establish volume production of optical terminals for communications from ground to space, spacecraft to spacecraft and spacecraft to aircraft. According...

For the first time, GomSpace has accomplished live data capture from its two nanosatellites in space, which the company placed into orbit 12 weeks ago. GomSpace officially has transitioned from the test phase to the demonstration phase in its mission to conduct interlink communications on nanosatellite tandem formation flights and data retrieval, including surveillance of...

AsiaSat announced an expansion and renewal agreement with Speedcast to use multiple C- and Ku-band transponders on the new AsiaSat 9 satellite. This upgrade will enhance Speedcast’s managed network services for its customers in the mobility, maritime, energy, enterprise and government sectors, and for cellular backhaul solutions to emerging markets. AsiaSat 9 has been in...

Viasat announced it will offer a satellite-enabled Wi-Fi hotspot service known as Community Wi-Fi to nearly all of Mexico. The new service will bring an affordable Wi-Fi experience directly to consumer’s devices, in places where internet service has historically been unavailable or unusable. According to Viasat, the service can be deployed with minimal local infrastructure...

Vodacom Business Nigeria has signed an agreement for satellite services with Intelsat to expand its enterprise broadband networks and enable new and enhanced services throughout West Africa. Under a new multi-year agreement, Vodacom Business Nigeria will use the satellite services on Intelsat 35e to deliver broadband connectivity to the banking, oil and gas, and enterprise...

Eutelsat has passed on a potential deal with Viasat for use of its ViaSat 3 satellite, instead ordering a new Very High Throughput Satellite (VHTS) system from Thales Alenia Space. The satellite, which will enter service in 2021, will have a Ka-band capacity of 500 Gbps. Eutelsat was previously considering striking an agreement with Viasat...

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) confirmed over the weekend that it has lost communications with the recently orbited GSAT 6A communications satellite. ISRO launched the satellite on March 29 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. On Sunday, ISRO reported it lost contact with the satellite shortly after carrying out the second orbit...

Coca-Cola and Intelsat have joined forces to help stimulate economic and social growth in rural communities by leveraging the operator’s Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) technology. By offering Wi-Fi hotspots in small retail kiosks, the goal of Coca-Cola’s Ekocenter project is to enable long-term sustainable solutions that benefit both the local community and Coca-Cola’s broader...

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted SpaceX approval to provide broadband internet services with its planned constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) nanosatellites. The constellation, called Starlink, will be comprised of 4,425 satellites using the Ka- and Ku-bands to deliver global internet connectivity from approximately 1,100 km above the Earth’s surface. SpaceX intends...

Rarely a day goes by without a senior government official in the United States or elsewhere focusing on how to best address the digital divide: an important global goal to ensure that no one is left out of the benefits of the digital world. Accordingly, a significant amount of governmental resources are focused on enabling...