Satellite Networks

Gilat Satellite Networks won another contract to boost mobile connectivity, this time to expand signal for two Mexican operators in a multi-million-dollar deal from AXESS Networks.

Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications has signed a framework agreement with its distribution partner InterSat to provide connectivity services to the Post Office in Côte d’Ivoire.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) loaned satellite company Eutelsat €200 million, to launch a satellite designed to boost capacity, and provide ubiquitous and affordable fixed and mobile broadband services in Europe.

A partnership to help satellite service providers access Brazil’s connectivity market has been announced between satellite connectivity provider SatADSL and Telespazio, a satellite solutions and services company with a wide international network of space centres and teleports.

SKY Brasil, the largest satellite pay TV operator in Brazil, and Viasat Inc, a global communications company, have announced a partnership to increase the availability of fast, reliable satellite internet across Brazil.

The Turkish communications satellite Turksat 5A launched in the US last week, bringing with it, potentially, a new source of satellite-borne services to the aviation and maritime markets.

Yet another satellite-based communications initiative aimed at the underserved has recently been announced, this time by Vodafone and cellular satellite network provider AST SpaceMobile.

More news of satellite support for rural connectivity comes from South Africa with the announcement of a deal between operator Telkom and satellite broadband solutions provider YahClick.

The PNG Sustainable Development Program (SDP) is working with Kacific Broadband Satellites Group (Kacific), Emstret Holdings and Tag Energy to install and operate 30 solar-powered satellite dishes.

News that China’s 34th satellite launch of the year went smoothly will come as little surprise. However, some mobile communications users on the ground may be pleased.

Senegal’s postal authority has signed an agreement with satellite communication service provider Spacecom. The deal will help the public company in charge of postal services in Senegal to provide internet services to the country’s rural population.

As part of a government initiative to connect 100 percent of Colombia for which it has already deployed a large number of Wi-Fi zones, SES has announced a deployment of 300 additional free community Wi-Fi zones in the country, enabled by high-speed broadband over satellite.

Russian operator MegaFon has announced plans for a project through which low earth orbit (LEO) satellites will provide data access to users on the ground.

Satellite telecommunications solutions provider Axess Networks, which is providing backhaul connectivity services for connectivity supplier Altán Redes in Mexico, has been assigned further participation in the Shared Network project developed and operated by Altán Redes.

The past few days have brought more news of the HyperActive programme, expected to launch in mid-2021, whose primary aim is a flight demonstration of hyperspectral imaging and communication payloads.

Comtech EF Data Corp, a supplier of communications equipment with a focus on satellite bandwidth efficiency and link optimisation, has announced that it has received a $1 million order for satellite ground station equipment from what it describes as the largest telecommunications company in Africa.

Global mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat and radio and satellite communications solutions provider Cobham SATCOM have been awarded a contract to connect 732 fishing vessels active in the Maldives Economic Exclusion Zone to Inmarsat’s Fleet One maritime broadband services.

Hughes India has said that it has been selected by infrastructure provider Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) and Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) to provide high-speed satellite connectivity to 5,000 remote Indian gram panchayats (roughly translated as village councils).

Ignite Power, a pan-African developer of infrastructure projects, and Spacecom, the operator of the AMOS satellites fleet, have announced a strategic cooperation agreement involving e-health.

Two connectivity deals have been announced in Oman in the past few days, both relating to the extension of communications services to remote parts of the country.

According to a number of Indian press reports, Nelco, a local satellite communication service provider, is to partner with Canadian satellite operator Telesat to offer low earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity in India.

A new agreement has been announced that aims to allow satellite service providers to access Spanish-speaking markets throughout South America.

There’s been a further boost for Brazilian connectivity with the announcement from global communications company Viasat of the expansion of its residential internet service to 14 additional states in Brazil.

The Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) and Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) began broadcasting a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) signal, providing a major boost to satellite and aviation navigation tools used in African and Indian ocean regions.

The start of work on building the new Satellite of the Republic of Indonesia (SATRIA) is reported to be imminent.

The government of Colombia has chosen Speedcast International for a project to provide high-speed internet to 250 sites across rural Colombia.

Satellite connectivity company Eutelsat Communications inked a multi-year distribution agreement with Paratus to bring high quality network connectivity to South Africa, meeting growing demand in the country’s underserved areas.

The recent news of a deal between leading aerospace industry company Airbus and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, a leading global satellite operator in the UAE, has been quickly followed by another contract announcement – this time involving L3Harris Technologies.

iSAT Africa, a leading data, video and internet service provider, has signed an agreement with Azercosmos, a leading satellite operator in the South Caucasus.

Recent satellite news from Latin America includes a backhaul contract for Gilat and an extended partnership involving SES and COMNET.

Africa Mobile Networks has extended its satellite cellular backhaul contract with Gilat Satellite Networks.

Remote connectivity is a continuing focus in African telecommunications, and a recent announcement from Telecom Namibia underlines the relevance of satellites and VSATs to this drive.

Kazakhstan’s largest operator Kcell has tapped Gilat Satellite Networks for a cellular backhaul project that will provide connectivity to hundreds of rural villages.