Advanced Television

Satellite

SpaceX to raise $500m-$750m in tender offer

SpaceX is looking to raise more than a half-billion dollars in fresh equity by selling so-called ‘insider shares’ priced at about $95 per share, according to a Bloomberg report. If successful, the tender offer would result in a valuation for SpaceX of some $175 billion (€162.4bn). This move underscores SpaceX’s growing prominence in the commercial […]

December 7, 2023By Chris Forrester

Starlink will attack the D2D market

Starlink is definitely going after the satellite ‘direct-to-device’ (D2D) market and this includes providing a cellular connection service for telephony. Details are still sketchy but what is known is that Starlink has been licensed by the FCC for testing of connections. Starlink is reportedly planning to include connectivity for users from 840 new satellites to […]

December 7, 2023

Starlink readies for South Africa

Contrary to some recent reports that Starlink would not be available in South Africa, local sources say that SpaceX is making moves that would see its equipment sold legitimately in the country. Just days ago South African communications regulator Icasa, in the nation’s official Government Gazette, published a notice about “illegal provision of satellite internet […]

December 6, 2023By Chris Forrester

Ooredoo, Zain, TASC Towers create $2.2bn tower company

Zain has announced the signing of definitive agreements between Ooredoo Group, Zain Group and TASC Towers Holding to create the largest tower company in the MENA region, in a cash and share deal. The enlarged tower company, comprising approximately 30,000 towers, has a combined estimated current enterprise value of $2.2 billion (€2bn). Ooredoo and Zain […]

December 5, 2023

Starlink failure report

Having launched more than 5,000 satellites it is inevitable for SpaceX’s Starlink that some will fail. SpaceX has filed to the FCC its latest report on those failures over the past couple of months and gives the reasons. Starlink reference number 3337 suffered failed software. Remedial action was taken and the software updated but ultimately […]

December 5, 2023

Rivada adds GlobalSat for LatAm

Rivada Space Networks has partnered with GlobalSat Group to bring Rivada’s planned ‘OuterNET’ satellite system to Latin America. GlobalSat, a provider of mission-critical satellite and wireless connectivity solutions, will use the OuterNET seamless connectivity to provide a next-generation network for customers in the energy, government NGO, agriculture, utilities and transportation sectors throughout the Americas and […]

December 5, 2023By Chris Forrester

Kuiper shocks with rival SpaceX bookings

Amazon’s Project Kuiper mega-constellation has surprisingly ordered three rocket launches from rival SpaceX. It seems the SpaceX launches are needed to ensure that Kuiper meets its ITU obligations to orbit 50 per cent of its 3,236 fleet by July-2026. Coincidentally, the order comes at the same time as a lawsuit from an institutional investor is […]

December 4, 2023

SpaceX Starship Test 3 part-licensed

Communication permissions for Elon Musk’s third test flight of the SpaceX Starship has been issued by the FCC. The communications licence covers a period from December 1st to January 6th 2024. The formal communications licence was issued to SpaceX on November 28th, but is not permission to actually launch. Those final permissions will come from […]

December 4, 2023By Chris Forrester

ESA issues warning to Ariane 6 suppliers

The European Space Agency (ESA) issued a strong warning to contractors supplying components for its new Ariane 6 rocket. They will be barred from raising prices over and above their originally quoted costs – and that ESA expects prices to be reduced. Phillippe Baptiste, head of France’s CNES space agency, said this was not the […]

December 1, 2023By Chris Forrester

Forecast: 130m direct-to-phone satellite users by 2032

Euroconsult’s Prospects for Direct to Handheld and IoT Markets report unveils the developing potential of the satellite direct-to-device market, with projections indicating that direct-to-phone services could connect nearly 130 million average monthly users by 2032. Euroconsult’s market intelligence report delves into the dynamic landscape of three crucial satellite communication market segments: traditional handheld phones, direct-to-phone […]

December 1, 2023