News & Events

Nepal after the April 25, 2015 earthquake. Photo: Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi/UNDP Nepal [Via Satellite 04-30-2015] In response to the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, Thaicom has joined the list of satellite industry companies aiding in the aftermath of the natural disaster. The Thai operator has sent satellite equipment and engineers to…

Thuraya XT-PRO. Photo: Thuraya [Via Satellite 04-30-2015] Thuraya announced today the availability of the Thuraya XT-PRO satellite phone, which builds off the Thuraya XT phone with new features and functionality. The new satellite phone leverages the GPS, Glonass, and BeiDou Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for improved location accuracy. The Thuraya XT-PRO has a talk-time…

GEE and QEST executives unveil the Global Ku antenna at Airport Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. Photo: GEE [Via Satellite 04-29-2015] Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE) and German antenna developer Quantenelektronische Systeme GmbH (QEST) are teaming up to bring aviation a mechanically steered antenna that will enable global Ku-band connectivity and high speed broadband in-flight. As air…

Tuvalu. Photo: Lily-Anne Homasi DFAT. [Via Satellite 04-29-2015] Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) has signed an agreement with Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TTC), the state-owned telecommunications provider for the island nation of Tuvalu, for capacity on the ABS 6 satellite. The five-year agreement provides C-band capacity from the satellite’s A beam for high speed broadband to schools,…

MTN Headquarters. Photo: MTN Communications [Via Satellite 04-29-2015] Emerging Markets Communications has entered a definitive merger agreement with MTN Communications. Together, the combined company would have a customer base of 1,600 vessels and more than 8,000 land-based customer sites in remote locations. The transaction is expected to close by the second quarter of 2015, subject…

MTN Headquarters. Photo: MTN Communications [Via Satellite 04-29-2015] Emerging Markets Communications has entered a definitive merger agreement with MTN Communications. Together, the combined company would have a customer base of 1,600 vessels and more than 8,000 land-based customer sites in remote locations. The transaction is expected to close by the second quarter of 2015, subject…

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Photo: Peretz Partensky [Via Satellite 04-29-2015] Human Rights Watch is calling on Turkmenistan to cease from forcing residents to remove privately owned satellite dishes. The independent Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) reports that around the end of March 2015, local housing authorities in the capital city of Ashgabat and its suburbs began ordering residents of…

[Via Satellite 04-29-2015] Inmarsat has appointed IEC Telecom Group as a global distribution partner for its L-band portfolio of satellite offerings. The fixed and mobile satellite distribution provider, which is also a Global Xpress Value Added Reseller (VAR), will sell products such as Inmarsat’s BGAN, IsatHub and IsatPhone. IEC Telecom Group has a presence in…

Earthquake damage in Kathmandu valley, Nepal. Photo: Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi / UNDP Nepal. [Via Satellite 04-28-2015] Following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the nation of Nepal on April 25, satellite companies and organizations have stepped in to provide emergency telecommunications services. As of April 27, the United Nations (UN) reported more than 3,000 deaths…

Artist’s rendition of Arabsat 6A and Hellas-Sat 4/SaudiGeoSat 1. Photo: Lockheed Martin [Via Satellite 04-28-2015] Lockheed Martin has won a contract for two satellites, Arabsat 6 and Hellas-Sat 4/SaudiGeoSat 1 from Arabsat and the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). Both satellites will use the A2100 platform, which Lockheed Martin has been aggressively…