London-based Inmarsat, itself in the process of being acquired by Viasat of California, turned a 2020 loss of $182.9 million (€166.4m) into a profit for last year of $17.7 million. The profit might seem modest but coming out of the Covid pandemic with many of its core client connectivity services being badly hit, it is […]

SpaceX, just days after launching 60 Starlink satellites from California, has scheduled the launch of about 50 satellites on March 3rd from Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX has a third Starlink flight planned for next week on March 8th, also from Florida. These two flights, plus two previous launches earlier in February (3rd and 21st), will […]

Back in November 2021, California-based Viasat, a major broadband satellite operator, announced it had reached an agreement to acquire London-based Inmarsat. The deal was worth some $7.3 billion (£6.3bn) in a mix of cash, shares and assumption of Inmarsat’s debt. Now the acquisition is under threat according to reports. The problem is that small print […]

California-based Viasat saw double digit organic revenue growth in Q3, reported Virgin Atlantic as a new in-flight connectivity (IFC) customer, and continued to expand its fixed broadband presence internationally. The operator is also in the midst of acquiring London-based Inmarsat. For Q3 FY2022 Viasat earned record revenue of $720 million (€627.9m), a 25 per cent […]

SatLease Capital (SLC) has joined the Inmarsat Application and Solution Provider (ASP) Programme, an ecosystem for providers of software, hardware and solutions, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in commercial land markets. As an ASP member, SatLease Capital will gain access to Inmarsat’s global L-band satellite connectivity network, ELERA, and worldwide reach to scale its solutions into […]

London-based Inmarsat has successfully tested a demonstration payload for its Orchestra low Earth orbiting (LEO) concept. Orchestra calls for a constellation of LEO satellites which, says the company, will create a global, multi-dimensional, dynamic mesh network that will redefine connectivity at scale with the highest capacity for mobility worldwide and at hot spots across the […]

Inmarsat-3 F5, launched back in 1998, is being reconfigured in orbit from its 54 degrees West location to serve the UK’s global positioning system. The UK, because of Brexit, is officially unable to access the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) system. The modification will have the result of focusing the satellite’s beams to provide […]

Inmarsat-6, built by Airbus (and the first Inmarsat to be built by Airbus) has been shipped from the Airbus facility in Toulouse to Tanegashima in Japan ready for launch. The satellite will operate in both multibeam Ka-band and L-band and will use a huge 9 metre antenna for its L-band services. It also houses an […]

The planned $7.3 billion (€6.3bn) acquisition by Viasat of Inmarsat confirms Viasat’s position as the satellite industry’s largest player in terms of revenues. But the deal could also herald a further suite of consolidations. In the words of analyst Sami Kassab, from investment bank Exane/BNPP, this transaction will help diversify Viasat’s geographic and vertical exposure, […]

The long-expected consolidation amongst major satellite players is happening. California-based Viasat is set to buy London-based Inmarsat for $7.3 billion (€6.3bn) in a cash and shares deal. Inmarsat was taken private in 2019 at $6 billion. Today, Viasat is paying an extra $1.3 billion as management have valued the Net Present Value of synergies at […]