Advanced Television

FCC

SES share buy-back boosts shares

The first-quarter results from satellite operator SES were buoyant, and helped by a commitment to buy in €100 millions-worth of its own shares for cancellation helped boost SES’s share price by almost 10 percent. At the end of the day the shares were up 9.3 per cent to – a still miserable in some eyes […]

May 7, 2021

SES vs Intelsat C-band trial delayed

The Court handling Intelsat’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reconstruction has agreed to delay the trial between SES and Intelsat and the SES claim over how the FCC’s C-band incentive payments are apportioned. SES is claiming that it is entitled to a greater share of the FCC payment and in addition is alleging that Intelsat is deliberately […]

May 4, 2021By Chris Forrester

Intelsat SA’s AGM on June 15

Intelsat SA has issued its proxy notice to shareholders for its AGM to be held on June 15th in Luxembourg. The proxy notification was signed by Intelsat SA’s chairman, Dave McGlade who is still at the business despite allegations of past insider dealing. A Federal Court lawsuit in January 2021 claims that McGlade, Intelsat’s chairman […]

April 29, 2021By Chris Forrester

Bank: “Eutelsat can make OneWeb viable”

Eutelsat is taking a 24 per cent stake in OneWeb. Eutelsat’s fresh cash values OneWeb at $2.3 billion. However, Eutelsat is paying a significant premium to enter OneWeb. When the UK government and India’s Bharti Global invested their cash into OneWeb they placed their $500 million into the business and received 42 per cent of […]

April 28, 2021

Musk gets FCC approval to lower Starlink orbits

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted Elon Musk permission to lower the orbital heights of its Starlink broadband satellite system. “Specifically, we modify the license by reducing the number of satellites from 4,409 to 4,408; modifying the primary operational altitude specified for 2,814 satellites, to change it from the 1,100-1,300 km range to the […]

April 28, 2021By Chris Forrester

Musk nears FCC LEO orbit approval

Elon Musk is getting closer to winning FCC approval to fly some of his Starlink low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites at even lower heights. Acting FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has asked her board colleagues to formally vote on the plan having herself endorsed the idea. SpaceX is already licensed to operate 1,584 of its Starlink […]

April 26, 2021

SpaceX blasts OneWeb over “near miss” exaggeration

A few days ago the press was full of stories of a near collision between two orbiting satellites, one from SpaceX’s Starlink and the other from OneWeb. There was talk of barely 60 metres between the two satellites. “Not so,” stated SpaceX in a submission to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), insisting that there was […]

April 22, 2021

Intelsat’s bankruptcy judge sets new date for SES

The bitter C-band dispute between SES and Intelsat, and where SES is arguing for a greater share of the FCC’s incentive payments, will now be heard by Intelsat’s bankruptcy judge on April 27th. The hearing, according to Judge Phillips’ decision, will be heard in camera. The full transcript of the judge’s April 20th hearing has […]

April 22, 2021By Chris Forrester

Amazon buys 9 Atlas launches for Kuiper LEOs

Jeff Bezos has contracted nine rocket launches with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch his initial Project Kuiper low Earth orbiting (LEO) broadband-by-satellite craft. The contract means that for the time being he is not depending on his own Blue Origin rocket system. “We’re determined to make affordable broadband a reality for customers and […]

April 20, 2021By Chris Forrester

C-band pay-out: Intelsat’s complex subsidiary structure

Intelsat has dozens of inter-related subsidiary and sister companies. These associated business are creating significant headaches for its bankruptcy court, Intelsat’s many debtors and arch-rival SES. SES, and some bond holders, are arguing that Intelsat is deliberately using these sister businesses to hide its current and especially future assets. Those future assets include the much-anticipated […]

April 19, 2021By Chris Forrester