Advanced Television

lightspeed

MDA wins Telesat Lightspeed contract

Ottawa-based satellite operator Telesat has awarded the long-awaited prime contract for its Lightspeed 198 craft mega-constellation to MDA. Deployment will start in 2026. “By leveraging key technology advances, the redesigned enterprise-class network will achieve increased network efficiencies and enhanced flexibility to focus capacity – at dramatically reduced costs. Additionally, Telesat Lightspeed fully funded through global […]

August 11, 2023By Chris Forrester

Telesat still backing Lightspeed

Comments from satellite builder Thales Group’s chief Executive Patrice Caine suggests that Canada-based Telesat’s potential contract for its $5 billion (€4.5bn) order for a fleet of 198 low Earth orbiting satellites is still very much active. The comments come because Telesat has been slow to confirm any sort of order and has taken some considerable […]

July 25, 2023By Chris Forrester

Telesat orders demo Lightspeed satellite

Telesat has announced a contract award to Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) of Toronto, Canada to manufacture a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) demonstration satellite. The demonstration satellite, named LEO 3, will provide continuity for customer and ecosystem vendor testing campaigns following the decommissioning of Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO satellite. Once successfully launched and on-station, LEO 3 […]

May 31, 2023By Chris Forrester

Telesat: Zero news on Lightspeed

Canada-based satellite operator Telesat, which operates the Anik, Nimiq and Telstar satellites, failed to give investors or analysts any good news on its proposed $5 billion Lightspeed low Earth orbiting broadband fleet. In fact, the news was depressing given the frequent past promises and assurances that all was well with the project. Telesat President/CEO Dan […]

May 15, 2023

MDA boosted by Apple contract

Canada-based space technology business MDA reported “strong top-line” growth for Q3 2022, with revenues at C$172 million (€125.6m), up 55 per cent y-o-y. Profitability was solid with EBITDA of C$38.8 million (up 22 per cent y-o-y). Perhaps even more importantly, the company’s backlog is up a very healthy 70 per cent to C$1.4 billion, an […]

November 14, 2022By Chris Forrester

Ofcom licenses Starlink, Lightspeed

UK regulator Ofcom has already identified Elon Musk’s Starlink and Canadian operator Telesat for their innovative wireless and broadband services. Both Starlink and Telesat’s Lightspeed licences are being approved and extended. Additionally, Ofcom has issued its future plan to encourage and enable further innovation. Ofcom’s initiative includes a new strategy for supporting the space sector […]

November 10, 2022By Chris Forrester

Lightspeed coordinates with Kuiper

Two upcoming major would-be broadband-by-satellite operators Canada’s Telesat Lightspeed and the Jeff Bezos-backed Project Kuiper say they have successfully agreed to coordinate their planned mega-constellations. Amazon’s Kuiper says it had wrapped frequency and orbital coordination for their constellations, and this is undoubtedly good news for Telesat’s Lightspeed and removes an element of doubt over the […]

September 23, 2022

Telesat: Still no word on Lightspeed budget

Ottawa-based satellite operator Telesat, in supplying its latest results, is still not able to give any news on its planned Lightspeed low Earth orbiting super-constellation and how it is to be financed. Project delays as a result of Covid also mean that Telesat is up against some key ITU and FCC launch obligations being missed. […]

August 8, 2022By Chris Forrester

RealD wins German patent battle

A district court in Düsseldorf, Germany ruled in favour of global visual technology leader, RealD, finding infringement of both asserted patents by the LightSpeed DepthQ CineBright two-beam system, it was announced by RealD. The German court ordered a product recall and awarded injunctions, damages and costs against Lightspeed, and LightSpeed’s directors, for infringing on RealD’s […]

July 21, 2022By Chris Forrester

Telesat applies for UK earth station licence

UK comms regulator Ofcom has received an application from Canadian satellite operator Telesat for an Earth Station Network Licence for its Lightspeed satellite constellation. This application is to allow the deployment of user terminals, which is the equipment used by customers for a variety of different purposes. This can be on the ground, in the […]

June 24, 2022By Colin Mann