Focus: Telecom

The Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) announced the Norwegian Space Center has ordered a new, 15 kg microsatellite satellite called NorSat 3. Construction is well underway at SFL’s manufacturing facility at the University of Toronto. NorSat 3 will carry an experimental navigation radar detector to augment ship detection capabilities from its Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver....

CETel has signed a five-year contract with SES Networks to connect new exploration and production sites in Africa via SES’ Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) O3b satellite constellation, the two companies announced. CETel will leverage the O3b fleet’s low latency and high throughput capabilities for Big Data applications required by the exploration and production industry. According...

Yahsat announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tanaza, an Italian Wi-Fi cloud management software provider. Under the terms of the MOU, Tanaza will provide Yahsat with a web platform to manage multiple users accessing Wi-Fi and social hotspots across the operator’s coverage footprint. Yahsat will take advantage of the Tanaza’s cloud-based...

Dutch ship owner De Poli Tankers has extended its contract with Marlink, securing high-bandwidth global communication using the Sealink Plus service for its fleet of eight chemical tankers and two gas tankers. According to De Poli Tankers, it chose to retain the Sealink Plus service for the future as it combines high-bandwidth Very Small Aperture...

Aireon announced today that it has signed a data services agreement with the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA). Together, the pair will bring real-time air traffic surveillance to high-trafficked, terrestrial African corridors. ASECNA is one of Africa’s largest Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), covering 16.1 million square kilometers of airspace, through six Flight...

ViaSat announced it has begun beta service on the ViaSat 2 satellite, and affirmed plans for full commercial service launch in February. The company expect the ViaSat 2 satellite system to significantly improve speeds, reduce costs and expand the footprint of its broadband services across North America, Central America, the Caribbean, a portion of northern...

On the occasion of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China, Eutelsat Communications signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China United Network Communications (China Unicom) aimed at addressing the fast-growing satellite communications market in Asia-Pacific in the framework of the “Belt and Road” initiative. China’s Belt and Road initiative is a strategy put...

The integration of newly available satellite and cellular-based data communications technologies, or “connectivity,” is creating new opportunities to improve helicopter offshore support, search and rescue (SAR), medevac and corporate/VIP operations. While the concept of the connected helicopter is not new (Iridium notes that 15,000 helicopters globally are equipped with products that enable its satellite communications...

Intelsat has awarded Orbital ATK a contract to build its Galaxy 30 communications satellite, the 11th spacecraft Intelsat has ordered from the company. The satellite will be based on Orbital ATK’s GEOStar 2 satellite platform. According to Intelsat’s Senior Vice President of Space Systems Ken Lee, Galaxy 30 renews Intelsat’s commitment to its Galaxy cable...

VT iDirect announced that Dalkom Somalia has installed an iDirect Hub and will leverage iDirect’s series remotes to provide high-speed satellite connectivity in Somalia. The new iDirect network will enable Dalkom Somalia to scale its service more cost-effectively, expand end-user data rates up to 38.5 Mbps, and improve Service Level Agreements (SLAs) by reducing service...