Advanced Television

Mobile

Research: 5G Advanced & RedCap key for telcos

Research from Juniper Research, a specialist in telecommunications markets, forecasts that operators will generate $400 billion (€365.7bn) in service revenue from 5G networks in 2024; an annual growth of 32 per cent from 2023. However, the report anticipates that as 5G penetration rates become saturated amongst consumers, it will be imperative for operators to launch […]

January 15, 2024

SpaceX serious about Direct-to-Phone

A slew of statements from SpaceX executives – and a serious of job openings – suggest SpaceX is serious about the prospects of ‘direct-to-phone’ connectivity from its Starlink satellites. SpaceX staffers have been testing signals from the half-dozen suitably equipped Starlink satellites now in orbit. The tests have used T-Mobile’s terrestrial network. SpaceX says it […]

January 12, 2024

UK entertainment sales reach £11.9bn

The value of the UK music, video and games markets increased for the eleventh successive year in 2023, rising 7 per cent to another all-time record of £11.9 billion (€13.8bn), according to preliminary figures released by digital entertainment and retail association ERA. It means the entertainment market has grown by just over 50 per cent […]

January 10, 2024

Iridium unveils Project Stardust

Voice and data satellite communications provider Iridium has unveiled Project Stardust, the evolution of its direct-to-device (D2D) strategy with 3GPP 5G standards-based Narrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) Non-Terrestrial Network (NB-NTN) service development. As a new standards-based solution, it will be deployed on Iridium’s existing satellite network giving the company a unique ability to offer both high-quality […]

January 10, 2024

Vodafone rules out Starlink D2D

Vodafone says it will not support Starlink with the satellite operator’s plans for orbiting ‘direct-to-device’ and cellular connectivity. Starlink last week orbited an initial six satellites capable of direct connection and plans to launch more than 800 extra satellites during 2024. Vodafone has ruled out a partnership with Starlink because it has already signed an […]

January 9, 2024

Barbie tops 2023 UK home entertainment sales

The first set of figures to be released in 2024 by the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE) and Official Charts Company (OCC) crown Barbie the Queen of 2023 home entertainment, with 700k sales across Disc and Digital EST and VoD. (Official Charts Company (OCC) measures inividual content purchases on disc and digital, to rent, […]

January 8, 2024

Can Starlink’s D2D have an impact for consumers?

Last week SpaceX launched six of its Starlink satellites with ‘direct-to-device’ cellular possibilities. The technology will allow Starlink to deliver direct satellite broadband connectivity on smartphones anywhere on the planet. The technology will also connect internet of things (IoT) devices with common LTE mobile standards. One consumer journal has already described these Starlink devices as […]

January 8, 2024

Study: Spotify app shares most data with third parties

In a study of 100 popular apps, research from cybersecurity company Surfshark highlights entertainment apps, particularly Spotify and SoundCloud, share data with third parties the most, while YouTube collects significant amounts of user data. Out of the 10 analysed entertainment apps, almost half track some of the data points collected across platforms. Research is aided […]

January 4, 2024

Musk downplays satellite-to-phone service

Elon Musk, speaking following the launch on January 2nd of a batch of Starlink satellites which included six specially equipped craft with ‘direct-to-smartphone’ capability, noted that the deployment allowed for mobile phone connectivity anywhere on Earth. However, he added: “[the deployment] only supports about 7Mb per beam and the beams are very big, so while […]

January 4, 2024By Chris Forrester

Gogo achieves 5G milestones

In-Flight communications company Gogo Business Aviation says that 2023 was a year where it gained momentum and which included obtaining FAA Supplemental Type Certification for its latest AVANCE LX5 equipment. “Receiving formal approval from the FAA to produce and manufacture the AVANCE LX5 Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) reaffirms our commitment to Gogo 5G as we […]

January 3, 2024By Chris Forrester