China wants to launch a global competitor to the satellite mega-constellations proposed by OneWeb and Elon Musk’s Starlink system. The Hongyan system now calls for 864 satellites as part of what could be an even-larger national satellite Internet scheme. The satellites are intended to orbit at 1175 kms high and carry in total a potential […]
International Data Corporation (IDC) has revealed its European predictions for 2020 and beyond. The predictions were presented in a live webinar hosted by Thomas Meyer (GM and group VP) and Phil Carter (chief analyst). The future enterprise was the theme of the webinar: tech-everywhere, platform-based, ecosystem-centric with innovation as the norm. IDC explained the decisions […]
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket performed a textbook launch from Florida on December 16th carrying a Boeing-built ‘condominium’ satellite serving Japanese and Pacific islands clients. In what is now very much a routine event, the rocket landed on a floating barge, Of Course I Still Love You, after the launch. Lift-off was at 7.10 pm […]
The FCC held a meeting last week part of the agenda was the planned auction of C-band spectrum over the US and offered up by four satellite operators; Intelsat, SES, Telesat and Eutelsat. Some of the FCC all-important Commissioners have now been quoted favourably supporting prompt action on getting the auction up and running. Commissioner […]
BT has reached an agreement for the sale of its Spanish managed ICT services business including its domestic network infrastructure to funds managed by Portobello Capital. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to complete in the first half of 2020. The sale is part of BT’s ongoing transformation of its Global […]
Elon Musk’s plans for a potential mega-constellation of 42,000 broadband satellites have been called into question. There are already more than 120 Starlink satellites in orbit, and another 60 will be orbited later in December. But there are concerns. Tim Farrar, an analyst at TMF Associates, questions the vague business plans for Musk’s system and […]
Weather permitting, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will orbit a ‘condominium’ satellite this afternoon (December 16th). The Boeing-built satellite is part JCSAT-18 for SkyPerfect JSAT and the other portion is Kacific 1. Timetable for launch from Cape Canaveral is at 19.10 pm Florida-time (0010 GMT December 17th). The rocket itself was test-fired on December 13th […]
Basque-Country-based telco operator Euskaltel, owned by UK’s Zegona, has signed an agreement with Orange Spain to use its mobile and FTTH networks to cover the whole territory. With this move Euskaltel takes a major step in its national expansion since it will enable the telco to offer its convergent services across Spain, covering Orange’s 14 […]
Russian operator MTS hosted a two-way, long-distance holographic video call between its 5G pilot zones in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The laser-based video conference, reported in Mobile Europe, connected viewers at Moscow’s World Trade Centre with visitors to a theatre in St. Petersburg. Speakers on the call included Russian tech experts who discussed 5G’s potential. […]
French transmission regulator ARCEP (l’Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des Postes) has published and submitted to government its thoughts and recommendations on how the 3.4-3.8 GHz spectrum bands can be restructured for 5G. ARCEP says: “The 3.4-3.8 GHz band is the core band for 5G whose deployment promises to make French businesses more […]