May 2015

A Foxtel bundling offer. Photo: Foxtel [Via Satellite 05-20-2015] Foxtel, a leading media company in Australia jointly owned by Telstra and The News Corporation is looking to keep pace with new trends in the video industry. The company provides content using the Optus C1 and D3 satellites, as well as cable and broadband. With consumer…

Digital rendering of the Amazonas 2 satellite. Photo: Hispasat [Via Satellite 05-20-2015] Mexican telecommunications company Globalsat has entered an agreement with Hispasat for capacity from multiple transponders on the Amazonas 2 and Amazonas 3 satellites. The capacity is for broadband services in the México Conectado program’s10K Networks initiative, which seeks to provide Internet access to…

Marlink VSAT for new ultra-large containerships. Photo: Marlink [Via Satellite 05-20-2015] The Airbus Defence and Space company Marlink won a contract to provide satellite connectivity for United Arab Shipping Company’s (UASC’s) 17 ultra-large containerships. Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the ships will have 24/7 connectivity with unlimited traffic volume on Marlink Very Small Aperture Terminal…

Swiftbroadband coverage chart. Photo: Satcom Direct [Via Satellite 05-20-2015] Inmarsat announced flight and lab tests of High Data Rate (HDR) capabilities for SwiftBroadband have been successfully completed. The new service, developed by Inmarsat, Honeywell Aerospace and Eclipse, will double the in-flight Wi-Fi speeds for commercial, government and helicopter SwiftBroadband users through a software upgrade, according…

An Iridium 9555 satellite phone being used in Haiti. Photo: Iridium [Via Satellite 05-20-2015] Iridium Communications has donated 25 satellite phones along with batteries to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to support the agency’s disaster response capabilities. The ITU recently deployed 35 satellite phones as well as 10 Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) terminals, which…

A Kymeta laboratory. Photo: Kymeta [Via Satellite 05-19-2015] Kymeta is enhancing the ecosystem for its unique metamaterials-based mTenna series ahead of the commercial release of the company’s 70-centimeter Ku-band apertures in 2016. The company has signed partnerships with Airbus Defence and Space on maritime connectivity, Intellian on maritime, Intelsat on next generation capabilities, and Honeywell…

From left: Kent Ho, group CEO of TSGN; T. Dhrmarajah Dhashna, group managing director of TSGN; Cheng Guangren, director and president of APT; Lo Kin Hang, VP and company secretary of APT.Photo: APT [Via Satellite 05-19-2015] TS Global Network (TSGN), a top Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) connectivity provider in Malaysia, has entered an agreement…

HMAS Harman communications facility. Photo: Wikipedia [Via Satellite 05-19-2015] BAE Systems Australia, the largest defense contractor in the country, has selected customized amplifier units from ETL Systems for use in a Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) ground station. The amplifiers have been designed for X- and Ka-band antennas to receive military signals. BAE Systems Australia is…

X2nSat staff. Photo: X2nSat [Via Satellite 05-19-2015] X2nSat has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the long-term lease of land and access to infrastructure for Spaceport America‘s new satellite gateway ground station development. The MOA lays the foundation for a long-term lease agreement with an anticipated finalization this summer. The station’s groundbreaking is planned…

DigitalGlobe’s IKONOS satellite prior to launch. Photo: Lockheed Martin [Via Satellite 05-19-2015] DigitalGlobe retired its IKONOS commercial imaging satellite on March 31 after a service life that exceeded 15 years. The satellite launched on September 24, 1999 and performed for more than double its original design life. Built by Lockheed Martin, IKONOS captured more than…