UK communications regulator Ofcom has set out proposals to unlock new and innovative wireless technologies for everyday use – as well as making services faster, more reliable, and more secure. First, it is consulting on changes to the rules that apply to Short-Range Devices (SRDs). Typically, these devices are mass-market, portable consumer-tech products and include […]
ViaSat is currently testing its next satellite – its first ViaSat-3 craft, and part of a three-satellite geostationary broadband constellation. It is due to launch later this summer and should supply 1TB/second of throughput. It will launch on a SpaceX rocket. ViaSat is also in the process of acquiring Inmarsat and ViaSat’s executive chairman, Mark […]
UK telecoms and media regulator Ofcom has a new leader for its Spectrum Group, which manages the lifeblood of the UK’s wireless industry. Dan Lloyd will join Ofcom in May 2022 as Group Director, Spectrum. Lloyd has more than 20 years of experience in the wireless and technology sectors, having worked across ten countries over […]
Black News Channel (BNC) is to cease operations two years after launch. The network president Princell Hair revealed the closure in an internal memo reported by nexttv. The channel, which launched just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit, has now filed for bankruptcy, laying off some 230 staff. The network will run recorded segments through the […]
SES’s (BBB/Stable) planned acquisition of DRS Global Enterprise Solutions (GES), provider of commercial satellite communications to the US government, will have no impact on SES’s ratings, Fitch Ratings says. SES announced March 21st that it had entered into an agreement with Leonardo DRS, a US subsidiary of Leonardo S.p.A. (BBB-/Stable), to acquire GES for $450 […]
Avid has announced the end-to-end upgrade of Arab Telemedia Group (ATG), an Emmy Award-winning independent commercial media enterprise specialising in telenovela series productions aired throughout the Arab world. This longstanding Avid customer, based in Amman, Jordan, has modernized its content workflows through a new subscription agreement that ensures its editorial teams will always have the […]
The BIPT has assessed the eligibility of the candidates for the auction of the future radio spectrum. Five mobile operators had submitted their candidacies for the upcoming auction and have been deemed admissible following an assessment by the BIPT. The auction regards the assignment of the new 5G and the existing 2G and 3G radio […]
Supporting the growing use of cutting-edge satellite technology to offer innovative services for people and businesses, is at the heart of UK comms regulator Ofcom’s new proposed space spectrum strategy. The space sector is expanding rapidly, with the number of space launches increasing by almost 60 per cent between 2017 and 2021. Companies such as […]
South Africa’s ongoing cellular spectrum auction has already raised more cash than was expected. The session on March 11th ended with bids of more than 8 billion Rand (about €484m). “ICASA is pleased to announce that the auction is proceeding very well and can confirm that we have gradually passed estimated R8-billion in proceeds. The […]
South Africa’s government has allocated an additional Rand 300 million (about €17.5 million) in its annual budget for regulator ICASA for 2022-2023. The cash means an increase in ICASA’s budget of more than 50 per cent and comes ahead of its March planned spectrum auction. “[The] additional funding of R300-million in 2022/2023 is earmarked for […]