Eutelsat Ka-Sat to Begin Service in May

Eutelsat Communications has positioned the Ka-Sat satellite at 9 degrees East and will begin a series of in-orbit tests as it prepares to enter commercial service in May.

The high-throughput satellite, built by Astrium and launched by International Launch Services in December, switched on its payload and deployed its solar panels and antennas. Ka-Sat will enter the final phase of integrated validation with its ground stations network and Internet backbone following in-orbit testing.

Eutelsat will use the satellite to offer 82 high-capacity multi-spotbeams delivering broadband and data services over Europe and the Mediterranean Basin.
 

Hughes Network Systems Introduces VoIP Enterprise Broadband Service

Hughes Network Systems has launched its managed Voice-over-IP (VoIP) solution for the distributed enterprise market. The service aims to eliminate the need for customers to invest in leased-line MPLS networks by providing high-quality voice and broadband using Hughes’ ActiveQoS technology.

The ActiveQoS technology integrates into Hughes’ customer premise equipment monitor and adapts to network congestion over the broadband network. The offering incorporates traffic metering, network change adaptation and traffic prioritization for real-time, latency-sensitive applications.
 

Iridium Gathers 17 Partners for Service Guarantee

Iridium Communications signed agreements with 17 of its service partners to participate in the company’s Network Quality Guarantee program, which promises complete network availability for customers purchasing new Iridium satellite phones and airtime service.

The guarantee includes an Iridium offer of up to 100 minutes in airtime credits as well as up to three months of free subscription fees if the network fails to complete properly initiated voice calls from customers’ new Iridium handsets.

The offer applies to new customers using Iridium 9555 or Iridium 9505A satellite phones.
 

MSCI Plans 78 Small Satellite Constellation

Canadian satellite manufacturer Microsat Systems Canada Inc. (MSCI) plans to launch a network of 78 small, low-flying satellites designed to help relieve network congestion caused by smartphones,.

The project, called CommStellation, will operate in low-Earth orbit and provide competition for O3b, the Google-backed satellite broadband access company.
 

RRsat Distributes BabyTV in North America on Galaxy-23

Content management and global distribution services provider RRsat signed an agreement with BabyTV to distribute the Fox International channel throughout North America on Intelsat’s Galaxy-23 satellite located at 121 degrees West.

RRsat will provide access to the channel to thousands of cable headends representing up to 90 percent of the U.S. cable market. RRsat distributes BabyTV to Europe via the Eutelsat’s Hotbird satellite as well as to Asia via Measat 3A.
 

SES Astra Deploys Astra2Connect to Albanian Post Offices

SES Astra signed an agreement to provide the Albanian Postal Service’s rural customers with free Internet access via the Astra2Connect satellite broadband service.

The Albanian Postal Service also will use Astra2Connect for its daily operations through Starsat, SES’ distribution partner in Albania. The satellite broadband platform will be installed in 300 post offices, which is more than half of all the post offices in the country. SES said the Albanian Post is the first postal operator to use the Astra2Connect satellite technology on such a wide scale. The project is a cornerstone of the country’s government program Digital Albania, launched in 2005.
 

Thrane & Thrane Aviator 200 Wi-Fi receives Cessna certification

Thrane & Thrane’s Aviator 200 SwiftBroadband solution received a Supplemental Type Certificate for installation aboard Cessna 500, 550, S550, 552, 560 and 560XL aircraft.

The certification follows installation and testing of the Aviator 200’s Wi-Fi service on Cessna aircraft by Thrane & Thrane partner Banyan Air Service. The certification enables the Aviator 200 to connect crew and passengers to the service using iPads, iPhones, Blackberrys and other Wi-Fi enabled devices.