Advanced Television

Broadband

Analyst: “Eutelsat could buy OneWeb”

Following its Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, OneWeb’s aim is to carry on operating under ‘debtor in possession’ rules and is looking for a buyer to acquire the assets – such as they are. Sami Kassab, satellite analyst at investment bank Exane/BNPP, says that Eutelsat could be a potential buyer. Kassab said: “We note that Eutelsat […]

March 31, 2020By Chris Forrester

West Africa undersea cable broken

The vital West African Cable System (WACS), the key undersea connector to data, internet and telephony, is broken. The result is extremely low internet speeds in South Africa and other nearby nations who were dependent on WACS. The WACS cable is some 14,530 kms in length and comprises four fibre-pairs linking Yzerfontein in the Western […]

March 31, 2020

OneWeb’s bankruptcy examined

Examining the OneWeb Chapter 11 ‘debtor in possession’ documents, it is Arianespace which is the company’s top creditor owed $238 million in unsecured claims. OneWeb signed a contract worth $1.1 billion back in 2015 for a total of 21 launches using Ariane’s Soyuz rocket.  Three of those launches have happened, the most recent at the […]

March 31, 2020

Forecast: 10m satellite-connected IoT devices by 2025

The internet of things (IoT) has already conquered the earth, with billions of devices everywhere—from cars, to factories, to entire cities. Now the IoT is blasting off into space, with cumulative satellite-connected IoT devices expected to rise to more than 10 million by 2025, according to Omdia. The installed base of satellite IoT connections will […]

March 31, 2020

Google gets ballooning over Kenya

Kenyan telco Telkom along with its Google Loon project partner have received approval from the nation’s aviation authority to deploy a 4G ‘station’ over Kenya’s airspace to provide broadband communications. The news, in a statement from Telkom, says the balloon scheme will facilitate communication and satellite internet connectivity in remote areas of the country, and […]

March 31, 2020By Chris Forrester

OneWeb files for bankruptcy protection

OneWeb filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on March 27th. There is a preliminary hearing into their bankruptcy on March 31st. A OneWeb statement said: “The Company intends to use these proceedings to pursue a sale of its business in order to maximize […]

March 30, 2020By Chris Forrester

UK altnets support comms users protection

The Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA) – a co-operative trade association for next generation broadband services – has expressed its support for the measures announced by the UK government in agreement with the telecommunications industry to protect consumers during the Covid-19 international health crisis. “At a time when all reaches of the country are affected […]

March 30, 2020By Colin Mann

Report: UK PM briefings doubling data traffic

A huge volume of people have been using mobiles to tune into UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s daily Covid-19 briefings on the BBC at 5pm, with data consumption on mobile network EE more than doubling during the briefings. When  the Premier set the most stringent measures to date at 8.30pm on Monday 23rd, traffic on […]

March 30, 2020

UK telcos’ ‘Stay Connected’ message

The UK’s telecoms providers have joined together to highlight the essential work tens of thousands of dedicated staff are carrying out to ensure the country stays connected during the coronavirus crisis. In a joint advert that has appeared in national and regional newspapers, the majority of the UK’s main broadband and mobile providers, with the […]

March 28, 2020

OneWeb seeks protection

OneWeb has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. A OneWeb statement said: “The Company intends to use these proceedings to pursue a sale of its business in order to maximise the value of the company. Since the beginning of the year, OneWeb had […]

March 28, 2020By Chris Forrester