April 2015

Digital graphic of TruNet. Photo: Rockwell Collins [Via Satellite 04-03-2015] Rockwell Collins is launching a new military communications ground-air network that provides advanced interoperable communications for warfighters. Dubbed TruNet, the system uses Rockwell Collins’ Airborne Radio (AR) and Ground Radio (GR) series, coupled with handheld technology from Thales. The Software Defined Radios (SDRs) support narrow…

The MDA-built Canadarm2 and Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 04-03-2015] The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) signed a contract amendment for on-going support of the International Space Station’s (ISS) mobile servicing system. The amendment provides approximately $9.6 million and expands on a December 2014 amendment for…

A VSAT in Tanzania. Photo: Chris Gansen (Flickr) [Via Satellite 04-03-2015] The transition to digital television, increasing growth of mobile services, and the burgeoning connectivity needs of sectors such as energy, banking and mining, are fueling demand for satellite services in Sub-Saharan Africa, which Euroconsult expects will remain healthy for many years to come. The…

StartDTV’s Hybrid STB. Photo: SmartDTV [Via Satellite 04-03-2015] EchoStar Corporation has taken a stake in Kudelski subsidiary SmarDTV, which specializes in advanced Set-Top Boxes (STBs) and conditional access modules. The two companies will conduct joint commercial activities, leveraging SmartDTV’s Nagra, Conax and OpenTV background and EchoStar’s technical expertise to serve the broadcasting and broadband markets.…

Keith Hall, CEO of Globecomm. Photo: Globecomm [Via Satellite 04-02-2015] Following Globecomm’s $340 million acquisition by Wasserstein & Co. in December 2013, the satellite communications company has looked to adjust its offerings and operations in its return to the private sector. Now, with a fresh CEO at the helm and a new private identity, the…

Inmarsat and Beijing Marine Communication Navigation Company executives sign VAR agreement. Photo: Inmarsat [Via Satellite 04-02-2015] Inmarsat has signed four Value Added Reseller (VAR) agreements with long-term partner Beijing Marine Communication Navigation Company (MCN), a division of China Transport Telecommunication & Information Center (CTTIC), to bring Global Xpress (GX) High Throughput Satellite (HTS) services to…

Photo: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company [Via Satellite 04-02-2015] Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) renewed its master services agreement with network operator and service provider Mobil Satellite Technologies. The new agreement for the company’s support of marine satellite communications infrastructure and service stretches to 2018. Mobil Satellite Technologies equipped 23 dredge vessels…

The Large Hadron Collider. Photo: Maximilien Brice/CERN [Via Satellite 04-02-2015] Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) has supplied equipment to Russia’s first Tier-1 center for experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The company worked with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) to support the research project. The recently inaugurated center enables processing and storage…

The Hylas 2 satellite. Photo: Avanti [Via Satellite 04-02-2015] Avanti Communications has signed a follow-on contract with Balkan Telekom, located in Turkey, for new capacity. The deal provides Ka-band capacity from the Hylas 2 High Throughput Satellite (HTS). Launched in 2012, Hylas 2 covers Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “The flexibility of Avanti’s network…

Photo: VideoFlow [Via Satellite 04-02-2015] French cruise line Ponant is using VideoFlow technology to broadcast live events to passengers around the world. The cruise line gathers live content at its headquarters in Marseille, France, encodes it with a Sumavision encoder, and then uses satellite to send content to each ship using Very Small Aperture Terminals…