September 2014

[Via Satellite 09-08-2014] Satellite communications service provider NSSLGlobal has announced its merger with the ESL group of companies, a satellite solution provider and system integrator specializing in custom solutions for the government, fishing, commercial shipping and offshore industries. NSSLGlobal and ESL both target similar market sectors within complementary geographies. The merger gives each company a…

Remote village near Lake Baikal in Russia. Photo: Craig Nagy [Via Satellite 9-8-2014] DTH operators across Russia are still unsure about the prospects of satellite broadband and whether it is worth getting involved in this market. Russia, with a population of close to 150 million people, seems like a ripe market for satellite broadband. However,…

[Via Satellite 09-05-2014] The United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) has selected Space Systems/Loral (SSL) to host government payloads on commercial satellites. The SMC awarded SSL an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract valued at a maximum of $494.5 million for both Geostationary (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO)/Medium Earth Orbit…

AvL’s 60cm Manual Backpack FlyAway Antenna System. Photo: AvL Technologies. [Via Satellite 09-05-2014] AvL Technologies’ new 60 cm Manual FlyAway Antenna has received Eutelsat type approval for operation on KA-SAT. The Manual FlyAway Antenna received approval using a Ka-band TRIA feed and Eutelsat’s Tooway modem. The lightweight and compact antenna can be assembled and operational…

Photo: Solaris Mobile [Via Satellite 09-05-2014] Solaris Mobile, a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar, announced plans to use the satellite-based GMR-1 3G air interface technology designed and developed by Hughes Network Systems. The pan-European S-band licensee for mobile satellite services with complimentary ground component will use Hughes’ technology to enable wireless mobile devices to communicate…

Aymeric Genty, newly appointed CEO for Alterna’TV. Photo: LinkedIn. [Via Satellite 09-05-2014] Alterna’TV, a subsidiary of Eutelsat Americas based in Miami, has appointed Aymeric Genty, former Eutelsat VP of sales for France and French-speaking markets, as its new CEO. From its base as a distributor of Hispanic TV channels to households connected to cable and…

NovelSat NS3000 Satellite Modem. Photo: NovelSat [Via Satellite 09-05-2014] NovelSat has announce a new solution that will allow Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV service providers and teleports who provide DTH communication services to maximize the use of their satellite bandwidth. From offering more channels using existing satellite bandwidth to getting free bandwidth for their Digital Satellite News…

Southwest plane equipped with in-flight connectivity. Photo: Southwest Airlines [Via Satellite 09-04-2014] In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) services provider Global Eagle Entertainment is looking heavily at opportunities for new In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) customers outside of the United States. Speaking at the Citi 2014 Global Technology Conference, Global Eagle CEO Dave Davis told investors that the IFC component…

An ILS Proton rocket. Photo: ILS [Via Satellite 09-04-2014] Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmos has announced the first Proton launch since the May 2014 failure that claimed RSCC’s Express AM4R satellite. Roscosmos said Proton manufacturer Khrunichev and several other companies completed an autonomous inspection of the launch vehicle, the upper stage and the spacecraft fairing. The…

AMC 18 North America C-band beam. Image credit: SES [Via Satellite 09-04-2014] SES and EchoStar are continuing their partnership at the 105 degrees east orbital slot through a new joint satellite. Known as both SES 11 and EchoStar 105, the spacecraft will carry 24 Ku-band transponders and 24 C-band transponders with the equivalent of 36…