November 2015

A Gogo 2Ku dual link antenna. Photo: Gogo [Via Satellite 11-06-2015] An elated Gogo CEO Michael Small told analysts, investors and journalists during the company’s third quarter conference call Thursday that the In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) giant’s next generation 2KU broadband service is producing connection speeds of more than 12 Mbps during tests on its flying…

[Via Satellite 11-06-2015] Honeywell and Com Dev International have reached a definitive agreement for Com Dev to become part of Honeywell and for its exactEarth subsidiary to spin off as a separate company. Honeywell is acquiring Com Dev’s electrical and optical components and subsystems equipment businesses for $345 million. Com Dev’s estimated 2015 revenue is…

[Via Satellite 11-06-2015] Telkom SA has selected Avanti Communications to provide national high-speed broadband coverage across South Africa. Service will be supplied using Avanti’s Hylas 2 Ka-band satellite, which has 100 percent coverage of South Africa across five beams. This multi-year commitment is expected to make a significant contribution to filling Hylas 2 and Hylas…

Save the Children program in Malawi. Photo: Save the Children. [Via Satellite 11-06-2015] SpeedCast France (formerly Geolink Satellite Services), has successfully deployed a 35-site network for Save the Children International (SCI). The new satellite service provides connectivity to a network of 35 C-band VSAT systems across 35 sites in Africa. The new service was set…

The U.S. Navy’s fourth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS 4) secure communications satellite. Photo: United Launch Alliance (ULA) [Via Satellite 11-06-2015] Harris Corporation announced Nov. 4 that the two unfurlable mesh antenna reflectors have successfully deployed onboard the U.S. Navy’s fourth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite. Lockheed Martin built the satellite and Harris fabricated…

Heads of delegation meeting at WRC-15. Photo: ITU/D. Woldu [Via Satellite 11-04-2015] Released coinciding with the long-awaited 2015 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-15), the GSM Association (GSMA) shared a study on the use of C-band spectrum, 3400MHz to 4200MHz, that says the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) industry needs access to this spectrum soon or it could…

Pacific Spaceport Complex. Photo: AAC [Via Satellite 11-05-2015] Rocket Lab has reached a new agreement with Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) for range safety support of the company’s upcoming Electron launches in 2016. AAC is a state-owned corporation that owns and operates the Pacific Spaceport Complex, formerly known as the Kodiak Launch Complex. “AAC brings a…

[Via Satellite 11-05-2015] RigNet has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Orgtec S.A.P.I. de C.V., d.b.a. Tecnor, a Monterrey, Mexico-based telecommunications solutions provider for remote sites on land, sea and air. Both companies have approved the transaction, which is expected to close in early 2016, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. “The opening…

The Hughes Airborne Satcom System featuring the new HM200 Modem installed on a NorthStar Aviation Bell 407 Multi-role Helicopter. Photo: Hughes [Via Satellite 11-05-2015] Hughes Networks Systems has unveiled its new HM System, engineered around its Software-Definable Modem (SDM) technology and Scrambled Code Multiple Access (SCMA) waveform. Hughes is launching with three Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products…

Photo: Eutelsat [Via Satellite 11-05-2015] Beninese private news channel Golfe TV Africa has selected Eutelsat Communications to support its transition to High Definition (HD) broadcasting. Golfe TV Africa has taken a three-year capacity lease on the Eutelsat 16A satellite to broadcast Sub-Saharan Africa’s first Free-to-Air (FTA) HD channel starting October 1. Golfe TV Africa has…