February 2015

Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast. Photo: SpeedCast [Via Satellite 02-23-2015] SpeedCast, a Hong Kong-based global satellite communications provider with a large presence in the Asia-Pacific is evaluating ways to leverage capacity from new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems coming online around the world. In January the company partnered with O3b Networks to provide Ka-band HTS…

Photo: Exelis [Via Satellite 02-23-2015] ADS on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Tailored Logistics Support (TLS) program has ordered $7.6 million of Exelis satellite products for the U.S. Army. Exelis is delivering antennas and ground station satellite hubs, as well as providing training and installation services for…

An O3b satellite prior to launch. Photo: O3b Networks. [Via Satellite 02-23-2015] The United States General Services Administration (GSA) has approved the addition of products and services from O3b Networks to Telecommunications Systems’ (TCS) IT Schedule 70 contract. The approval enables TCS to offer O3b satellite services and products including modems, antennas, routers and Block…

A cargo ship in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: Louis Vest (Flickr) [Via Satellite 02-23-2015] SatLink Communications has purchased what it described as a “sizeable quantity” of NovelSat’s NS3000 satellite modems. The equipment is targeted for maritime communications customers. SatLink plans to replace existing Ku-band based systems with the NS3000 equipped with NovelSat’s software based…

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…