Satellite Networks

Iridium is reporting that its new-generation global marine satellite communication system OpenPort has successfully completed sea trials on a number of different vessels, and worldwide commercial rollout is now underway...

O3b Networks is to help build the world's first ultra-low-latency, fibre-speed satellite network. One of the locations to be served will be the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where O3b will be partnered by Global Broadband Solution (GBS)...  

Boeing is set to construct a new satellite for Intelsat which will be active at 72° longitude over the Indian Ocean area. The satellite is designed to address the demands of high-growth service areas, more specifically C-band for Africa/Asia and Ku-band to bridge South-East Asia, the Indian Ocean and the African coast...

International Launch Services (ILS), which provides mission and launch services to the commercial space industry, has successfully carried the W2A satellite to orbit on behalf of Eutelsat Communications of France via a ILS Proton. The Proton vehicle lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome...

Intelsat and SES are advocating VSAT installation training for technicians in both developing and developed countries...

Transmode, a leading Scandinavian provider of optical networking solutions and NEC Corporation have announced global a partnership agreement...

SES New Skies has announced that its NSS-9 satellite has safely arrived at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, onboard an Antonov cargo plane. The NSS-9 spacecraft, manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation, will now be readied for launch onboard an Ariane 5 booster, scheduled for take off on February 12, 2009. The launch window for NSS-9 onboard Ariane 5 opens at 22:09 GMT time...

Intelsat has entered into a Joint Venture (JV) with a South African investor group led by Convergence Partners that will utilise project financing to build and launch a new satellite into the 33º East orbital location, thereby ideally positioned to serve the African continent...

Intelsat and Sonema, which provides telecommunication services in Europe and Africa, have expanded their current agreement for contracted satellite capacity, whereby Sonema will be able to increase its enterprise services offerings...

Seven GSM mobile networks in as many countries in Africa are to be connected via a VSAT network to be installed by Globecomm Systems. The contract follows Atlantique Telecom's programme of consolidation of its African markets...

The objectives of Connect Africa took a major step forward when the NetHope aid alliance joined the Global VSAT Forum, the African eDevelopment Resource Centre (AeRC) and iDirect in launching an advanced VSAT installation and maintenance training programme in Nairobi this week...

O3b Networks, a start up company is aiming to provide low cost, high speed broadband access to emerging markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East during 2010...

Thuraya's strategy of product innovation has led to a portable satellite terminal with advanced video-streaming capacity. The terminal is aimed at commercial enterprises such as oil terminals, coastguards, media and transport...

Kenyan businesses are to get a new VSAT network to deliver high quality voice, broadband data and video services...

In support of the ITU's "Connect Africa" initiative, the global satellite communications sector plans to double the number of earth station terminals operating in the region by 2012, empowering more than 1 billion Africans located in under-served rural, suburban, and urban areas throughout the continent. To support this growth, more than 20 satellites will be brought into service to connect Africa during the next five years...

A study examining the impact the SAT-3 fibre-optic submarine cable has had on telecommunications in four African countries has found that the potential of this major cable has not been properly exploited. Instead, ownership of the cable by telecoms incumbents in the countries researched has reinforced their market positions...

Satcom specialist Newtec has now installed its Multimedia Exchange Network over Satellite (MENOS) multimedia concept at the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) facility in Algiers. It is intended to allow video and audio material to be shared over large geographical areas. ASBU's new MENOS networking capability is designed to support all of the transmission applications required by ABSU broadcaster-members...

The Global VSAT Forum has issued a plea for its members to support the recent ITU initiative "Connect the World". The Forum believes that the initiative will bring the power of its private-sector members to bear in increasing the developing world's access to communications...

Private equity firm Resilience Capital Partners, of Cleveland, Ohio has purchased the Satellite Communications Division of Andrew Corporation. Andrew Corporation, the CommScope subsidiary, has completed the sale of its Satellite Communications business to Resilience Capital Partners, a Cleveland, Ohio-based private equity firm...

Talia, one of the largest suppliers of satellite Internet for North Africa and the Middle East, is launching its new 'Good Works' scheme at the 2008 International Aid + Trade conference in Geneva, Switzerland...

Eleven years ago Dr William Welty founded the Super-Wide Area Network Satellite System project. Swansat initially applied to the Ministry of Telecommunications of the Republic of Nauru so as to operate a group of space stations in W-Band...

SWANSAT - the Super-Wide Area Network Satellite - first proposed as a satellite based service in 2003, aims to provide low cost voice and data services using a constellation of four high powered geosynchronous orbit (GSO) telecommunications satellites...

Reports of severe WiMAX interference during tests conducted simultaneously with satellite tests have led a global industry coalition to argue against re-allocating C-Band spectrum...

Thirty satellite terminals deployed by ITU have helped restore vital communication links in remote and underserved areas of Bangladesh, a country recently ravaged by floods...

Developing Telecoms has received a letter from the Global VSAT Forum asking for help to stop C-Band spectrum being re-allocated to the terrestrial wireless sector. Michael Schwartz reports...

Less than three months remain before the governments of the world meet at this year's World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) to decide whether to re-assign C-band for the terrestrial-wireless sector...

Iridium Satellite has become an official supplier to Connect Africa, a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to introduce mobile communication and public service facilities for rural communities across Africa. Iridium will supply satellite voice and data services...

Thuraya is embarking on a plan to make satellite phones more attractive to everyone...

Several recent stories reported by Developing Telecoms have revealed the rise in importance of ICT and telephony to Nigeria. One more example of this trend is UK-based Gateway Communications' purchase of GS Telecom. Gateway gains a foothold in Nigeria, not to mention greater subscriber numbers throughout Africa...

Claimed by manufacturer Andrew Corporation to lower ownership costs, two new earth station products are aimed at reducing prices, compared with competitive units from rivals...

Advantech has announced its wholly owned subsidiary Advantech Satellite Networks Inc has been awarded a contract to provide a new VSAT satellite communications network for Saudi Aramco in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia...

ViaSat Inc will be supplying its LinkStar DVB-S2 satellite networking system to Unete Telecomunicaciones SA (Bolivia) to expand enterprise broadband services in Ecuador and the surrounding region...

Currently boasting the largest subscriber base of satellite handheld users, UAE-based Thuraya will be launching a new satellite, Thuraya-3, by the end of March 2007...