Industry Latest

Chemring Technology Solution’s SmartLink “cellular network in a box.” Photo: Chemring Technology Solution [Via Satellite 02-23-2015] Avanti Government Services, in collaboration with Chemring Technology Solutions and Spectra Group, conducted a series of secure cellular communications over satellite trials for defense and security applications in remote areas. The tests used both Spectra Group’s Spectra Hostile Area…

DirecTV Headquarters in El Segundo, Calif. Photo: Wikimedia Commons [Via Satellite 02-20-2015] Last year DirecTV’s Latin American subscriber base crested 19 million, growing to nearly match the number of subscribers in the United States. The company added 903,000 net new subscribers in Latin America during its 2014 fourth quarter, coming close to the stated goal…

A Gilat Teleport. Photo: Gilat. [Via Satellite 02-20-2015] Gilat Satellite Networks reported $235.1 million in revenue for 2014, almost exactly where revenues stood in 2013, at $234.9 million. Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA), however, increased year over year by 43 percent. Gilat’s goal for 2015 is to reach annual revenues between $250…

A cashier at Coney Island. Photo: David Tan [Via Satellite 02-20-2015] Signalhorn has increased the availability of Xtend, a fully managed, high-speed business-grade service solution used to connect corporate networks to global business locations, to retail chains such as restaurants, petroleum/gas stations and grocery stores. Xtend employs a combination of terrestrial circuits, 3G/4G wireless, and…

One of Boeing’s corporate offices. Photo: Boeing. [Via Satellite 02-20-2015] Boeing has shifted an initial six programs to its new Boeing Defense and Space (BDS) development program in order to improve the efficiency of pre-production development activities. Of the six programs, three are aircraft-related, and three are space-related. The space projects include NASA’s Space Launch…

Norsat SigmaLink satellite terminal. Photo: Norsat [Via Satellite 02-202-2015] Norsat has received an order for $3.5 million worth of satellite terminals from a defense contractor for a Eurasian Ministry of Defense (MOD). The customer is purchasing products such as the 1.2 meter Rover, an ultra-lightweight fly-away satellite terminal, the 1.8 meter SigmaLink transportable satellite terminal…

Orbital Sciences President and CEO David Thompson on the left, and ATK President and CEO Mark DeYoung on the right. Photos: ATK and Orbital Sciences [Via Satellite 02-19-2015] In the first conference call following their merger, David Thompson, CEO of Orbital ATK, unveiled the recently integrated company to investors and analysts alongside post-merger outlooks and…

Hispasat control center. Photo: Hispasat [Via Satellite 02-19-2015] In 2014, Spanish satellite telecommunications operator Hispasat saw flat revenues, reporting a total of $230 million — roughly equal to the $229 million made in the previous fiscal year. The operator sees the steady revenues as a positive development in light of a harsh Spanish economy alongside…

Inside view of an Air Traffic Control tower. Photo: Aireon [Via Satellite 02-19-2015] Aireon has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Agency for the Security of Aviation Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) to provide Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) capabilities to the West and Central African regions. ASECNA, the Air Navigation Service Provider…

[Via Satellite 02-19-2015] Airbus Defense and Space has started work on the Mustang project for machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, in partnership with the SMEs Sigfox and Sysmeca, and the CEA-Leti research center. The project focuses on low-cost exchange of short messages in the fast-growing M2M market, with the aim to develop a global, hybrid terrestrial/satellite access…