Vol 6 No. 5Vol 6 No 5Vol. 7 No. 8 2018

By Marcel Dischingerquest for new space

Vol 6 No. 5Vol 6 No 5Vol. 7 No. 14 2019

“Maryanne Muriuki says Space Generation

Advisory Council is the biggest youth

space network on Earth.”

Meet Africa’s leading woman in Aerospace

February

AFRICA

The future of satellite broadband systems

SPECIAL REPORT

30 years after, StarTimes at the forefront of DTH expansion

C O N T E N T SVol. 7 No. 14

Editor in-chief Aliyu BelloExecutive Manager Tonia GerraldSA to the editor in-Chief Ngozi OkeyHead, Application Services M. YakubuEditorial/ICT Services John Daniel Usman Bello Alozie Nwankwo Juliet NnamdiClient Relations Sunday Tache Lookman Bello Safiya ThaniMarketing Offy Pat Tunde Nathaniel Wasiu OlatundeMedia Relations Favour Madu Khadijat Yakubu Zacheous FeliciaFinance Folarin Tunde

Space Watch Magazine is a publication ofCommunication Science, Inc. All correspondence should

be addressed to editor, space Watch Magazine.Abuja office: Plot 2009, Awka Street, UTC Building,

GF 11, Area 10, Garki, Abuja,Tel: 234 80336471114, 07084706167,

email: info@spacewatchafrica.com

LEGAL CONSULTANTSIdowu Oriola & Co. Garki, Abuja

DISTRIBUTION CONTACTSAde Adejo

ABIJAN INTERNATIONALSuleija, Abuja

AYO DISTRIBUTION AGENCYEmir Road, Ilorin Olumayowa Ojo

NEWSROUND INTERNATIONALArea 10, Garki, Abuja

Magazine Circulation Nigeria Limited90, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja

Magazine Subscription Nigeria LimitedIkeja, Lagos.

DELALI OTCHIRidge Church, Tudu Branch, Accra, Ghana.

AL AHRAM NEWPAPERS LIMITEDAl Galaa Street -11511 Cairo-Egypt

Ayo Olu

MAGAZINE DISTRIBUTION AGENCY

Jos, Plateau State.

1

Wipro InfotechCover source

Nigeria

The case for hosted payload in Africa

Libby Barr joins Avanti as Chief Operating Officer

Newtec provides Dialog® hub system to SATSOL

NIGCOMSAT, Thales Alenia sign agreement on Satellite Based Augmentation System

HISPASAT, Media Broadcast Satellite distribute FunBox UHD Channel in EMEA

The coming of iridium NEXT mission

Gilat launches 5G-ready Satellite Backhaul solution

After 30 years, StarTimes at the forefront of DTH Business in Africa

Intelsat joins GSMA to advance 5G development

The future of satellite broadband systems

UAE Space Agency unveils regional hub plan

Konnect Africa launches high speed internet access in Ivorian Market

SA Space Agency selected as regional spaceweather centre for the aviation sector

Hosted Payloads

Cover picture; Abimbola A;ale

5

The term hosted payload refers specifically to a government payload that is launched to orbit as a secondary payload on a commercial host spacecraft. The host spacecraft provides resources to the payload such as structure, pointing, power, and communicat ions.The customer is the government organization that is contracting to find a host spacecraft to take their payload or capability to orbit. The satellite owner is the commercial entity that owns the host spacecraft on orbit. Generally, the owner is also the same entity as the satellite operator, who is responsible for onorbit and ground operations throughout the satellite's lifetime. The spacecraft provider is the contractor that is responsible for manufacturing the satellite bus and the primary commercial payloads. The payload provider is the contractor that is responsible for developing and building the hosted payload itself. In some cases, the spacecraft and payload providers are the same contractor. The system integrator is responsible for integrating the hosted payload and spacecraft and is often the same as either the spacecraft provider or the payload provider. In some cases the system integrator is also responsible for subcontracting the hosting opportunity.

With the number of conflicts hotspots and flashpoints rising across Africa, hosted payload provide the readily platform for the military to deploy assets and expand communications footprints across areas of i ts operations, especially for counterinsurgency and peacekeeping.One recent arrangement was the announcements by the Nigeria's Defence Space Administration, DSA, to place a communications package on the NigComSat-2 satellite being designed and manufactured by China Great Wall Industry Corporation. In addition to launching with the NigComSat-2 satellite, the hosted payload will use available resources from the satellite, such as power and communication systems. There are clear financial benefits from hosted payloads for both government and the commercial companies involved. When procuring a new commercial satellite, the satellite owner invests a large amount of money up front to fund the build and launch of the spacecraft. Since they do not make any of this money back until the spacecraft is on orbit and

operational, there is a strong incentive to keep the schedule short. Hosting a payload offers an opportunity for the owner to offset some of those initial costs by providing accommodation for a secondary payload on their spacecraft. There is an associated reduction in total spacecraft lifetime, because the payload mass offsets station keeping propellant. However, the small loss of revenue 10-15 years in the future is more than offset by the present value of the payments that are received for the hosted payload accommodations prior to launch.

One of the largest challenges facing hosted payloads lies in aligning the way government and commercial industry operate. This alignment includes agreeing to a schedule that satisfies the needs of all parties and, just as importantly, keeping to the agreed-upon schedule. There are also procurement and legal matters that must be addressed to allow easier use of hosted payloads as a means for government and industry to work together.

“The low-cost access to space is a

primary benefit, compared to the

cost of developing a dedicated

spacecraft and paying for its

launch”.One of the earliest examples of hosted payload was the South Korea's communications satellite, Koreasat 5 launched in 2006 that offers secure military communications for the Korean defense forces. The satellite carries 12 military relay terminals and 24 commercial terminals, with military coverage from the Malacca Strait to the central Pacific Ocean areas.

In addition, the Australian Defence Force also launched its first hosted payload, a UHF communications payload, on the Optus C1 satellite. In

2012, the ADF followed up with a second UHF communications payload on the Intelsat 22 satellite. As the Optus C1 satellite nears the end of its lifetime, further investments in hosted payloads from the Australian Defence Force can be expected.

Notably, the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Department of Defense (DoD) to the effect that, the U S D o D w o u l d s u p p l y U H F communications capabilities over the Indian Ocean region in exchange for the CoA's supply of UHF capabilities over the Pacific Ocean region.

According to a latest report, some sectors within the US Government have also been historically active in the hosted payload field, albeit for less time than the Australian Government. In 2011, the US Air Force launched its experimental Commercially Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP) on SES-2 to test a new type of sensor from geostationary orbit. The test period was initially designated for one year, but was followed by optional six-month renewal contracts. After 27 months in orbit and three renewal contracts, the project was t e rm ina ted due t o budge ta r y constraints.The CHIRP project collected more than 300Tb of data, enabling the analysis of 70 missile and rocket launch events and 150 other infrared events while active. “CHIRP proved the viabil i ty of commercially hosted OPIR (Overhead Persistent Infrared) payloads, and gave us tremendous insights into the applicability of wide field-of-view staring technology to our missile warning, missile defense, technical intelligence, and battlespace awareness missions,” said Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, Commander of the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles. “The sensor's ability to provide continuous coverage within the field-of-view proved to be particularly valuable in understanding short duration infrared events. The knowledge gained from its successful operation will continue tocontribute to the Air Force's space modernisation initiatives for years to come.”

Editorial

The case for hosted payload in Africa

Speedcast announces appointment of Chief Operating Officer

Speedcast International Limited has announced that Sebastien Lehnherr is joining the company as Chief Operating Officer. Lehnherr previously held numerous operational leadership roles at Schlumberger, the world's leading oilfield services company. At Schlumberger, Lehnherr was responsible for delivering global communications and information technology infrastructure and services including to some of the most remote and harsh places on earth, supporting critical business workflows and software applications for the company. Most recently Lehnherr oversaw cybersecurity for Schlumberger worldwide as Chief Information Security Officer. As Speedcast COO, Aberdeen-based Lehnherr will assume global responsibility over the organization delivering customer support, network operations, field engineering, capacity management, service implementation, as well as programs and projects management. Lehnherr is taking over from Keith Johnson in this role, as Johnson previously held a dual role as EVP of the Energy Division and COO. Johnson will now focus 100% on the Energy sector as we see the sector recovering and are expecting healthy revenue growth in 2019. “The Operations function is critical to our ability to deliver the experience our customers demand,” said Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO, Speedcast. “We are very excited to see such a strong leader now part of the Speedcast team and Sebastien will also play a significant role in enabling Speedcast's growth into applications and IT solutions. I would also like to thank Keith for the amazing work he has done running both our Operations and our Energy groups over the last year.”

“I am very excited to join Speedcast during this time of rapid growth in a context where global communications and services are at the core of any enterprise digital journey. Speedcast is changing the way enterpr ises look at remote communications providers and, given my leadership experience and background in digital capabilities such as cloud, IoT, and cybersecurity, I am looking forward to helping deliver the company's vision and growth including in new service areas,” said Lehnherr.

Lehnherr has built his career on information technology operations, services, engineering, as well as strategic and transformational initiatives. His work has taken him from Paris to Milan, Dubai, London, Houston and now Aberdeen.

Libby Barr joins Avanti as Chief Operating Officer

Avanti Communications Group plc has announces the appointment of leading sales and customer services executive, Libby Barr, as Chief Operating Officer – Customer. Barr will also sit on Avanti's Execu t i ve Commi t tee , e f fec t i ve immediately. In a newly created role, Barr will report to Group CEO, Kyle Whitehill, and will be responsible for managing the execution of A v a n t i ' s e n d - t o - e n d c u s t o m e r relationship. She will oversee global Sales, Wholesale, Product Management, Marketing and Commercial. “Libby is a dynamic leader who inspires and cultivates change. Her extensive experience in transforming the customer journey at both BT and Vodafone will serve our teams well as Avanti continues to expand its international footprint,” said Whitehill. “After signing a seven-year wholesale capacity lease agreement, worth USD108 million in 2018, the team is now positioned to capitalise on this momentum under Libby's leadership.” Barr joins Avanti from BT. At the company for nine years, she was most recently Managing Director of Customer Care and a member of the BT Consumer leadership team who grew revenues by more than £1.2bn in five years. On her appointment, Barr said; “I am joining Avanti at a pivotal time of transformation and growth; the demand for connectivity has never been greater. My top priority is not only to increase our customer base, but to ensure we offer the best service to our current customers as we continue to grow.”

Maxar Technologies announces CEO Transition Maxar Technologies announced the appointment of Daniel Jablonsky as President and Chief Executive Officer of Maxar, effective immediately. Mr.

Jablonsky, who most recently served as President of DigitalGlobe, a Maxar Technologies company, will also join the Maxar Board of Directors. He succeeds Howard Lance, who has resigned from his roles as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of Maxar. General Howell M. Estes III, Chairman of the Maxar Board, said, "Dan has been a key member o f the management team since his arrival to DigitalGlobe in 2012 and has taken on increased responsibilities following the closing of the Company's merger. Dan's experience as President of DigitalGlobe, after previously serving as both General Counsel and General Manager of the U.S. and International Defense and Intelligence businesses, and participation in Maxar's executive leadership, provides him with a deep understanding of Maxar's businesses, operations and strategy. He has worked closely with many of our largest customers, including the U.S. Government, and has a unique appreciation for the value of our mission-critical services as a former Surface Warfare Officer and Nuclear Engineer in the U.S. Navy. Dan is the right leader for Maxar and now is the right time for this transition as we work to unlock the value of our operations for all stakeholders and maximize returns for our shareholders.”Mr. Jablonsky said, "I am honored that the Board has appointed me to lead Maxar at this important time. Our top priority is to serve our government and commercial partners and strengthen our operat ional and f inancial performance, including delivering sustainable revenue and cash flows, determining a definitive resolution for the GEO communications satellite line of business, and clarifying longer-term g r o w t h p r o s p e c t s , r e q u i r e d investments and the optimal capital structure. Maxar has a strong foundation and delivers compelling solutions to serve as a mission-critical partner to our customers. Along with our management team and dedicated team members, I am committed to the future of Maxar and meeting the needs and expectations of all of our stakeholders. We are already working on action plans and will address these plans in the near future.”General Estes continued, "On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Howard for his service over the last three years. One of Howard's most important accomplishments was the U.S. Domestication and development of a strong and highly-experienced management team, and the Board is confident that this team, under Dan's leadership, will continue serving customers and enhance value for shareholders."

APOINTMENTS

Source: Airbus Defence and Space

Adewale Adeyipo

Libby Barr

.Launched on December 10, 2017, Algeria's first communication satellite, Alcomsat-1 has made major technolog ica l progresses. The country is gaining its hold in the f i e l d o f s p a c e telecommunication with t h e s u c c e s s f u l broadcasting of public television and radio channels from Alcomsat-1.Just after a few months of Alcomsat-1's launch, it s u c c e s s f u l l y accomplished some of its m i s s i o n s l i k e t h e broadcasting of five p u b l i c t e l e v i s i o n

channe ls (Nat iona l p rog ramme, Cana l Algerie, TVA3, TV4 and TV5) and 57 radio channels, previously broadcasted by foreign satell ites. With this operation, Algeria has marked its entry to the broadcasting via satellite of television and radio channels.

African Daily Voice noted that Alcomsat-1 satellite successfully completed a part of its missions with the official broadcasting of five HD TV channels, a process which started with the

signing on 21 May 2018 o f a f r a m e w o r k agreement between TDA and the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) on the optimal exploitation of this satellite's capacities, n o t a b l y i n t h e broadcasting part.

Now the North African country is contemplating over making a second t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n satellitesupposedly titled Alcomsat-2. This is said to be built by the Algerian scientists and specialists. T h e f i r s t s a t e l l i t e a t t r a c t e d h u g e contribution from China.

IN THE NEWS

Optus has taken another significant step towards its commercial launch of 5G today by making a 5G data call on 60 MHz using 3.5 GHz spectrum. The call, made as part of pre-launch testing, was made from an Optus 5G site in Dickson, Canber ra u t i l i s ing a commercial grade 5G R a d i o N e t w o r k a n d c u s t o m e r p r e m i s e s e q u i p m e n t ( C P E ) developed in partnership with Nokia.

The indoor Nokia 5G CPE has a high gain antenna which will deliver a 5G connection in residential areas. Importantly this call was made using the 3GPP Release 15 September specif icat ion using a s tandard commerc ia l chipset. “We are on the cusp of d e l i v e r i n g t h i s n e x t generation technology into the hands of our customers and hitting this milestone is an important step towards our commercial 5G launch planned for the first half of this year,” said Dennis

Wong, Optus Managing Director Networks. “Using the 5G 3.5 GHz 60 MHz band means that we will be able to deliver greater capacity compared to 4G, enabling the use of multiple devices as well ultra-high definition video s t r e a m i n g w h i c h i s expected to be key for our customers when 5G begins rolling out this year. This is the first time in Australia that a data call has been made using 60 MHz channel bandwidth on an Optus live network and a 5G device.” When Optus begins switching on i ts 5G network across a number of capital cities in the first half of this year, the CPE will facilitate a 5G fixed w i r e l e s s a c c e s s experience

for Australian consumers. “For Optus, 5G is a fundamenta l par t o f building a smart network that keeps our customers connected. It's important t h a t c u s t o m e r s experience the benefit of

th is nex t genera t ion network from the outset.” “Our fixed wireless access product, combined with our ambitious roll out plan, means customers will be able to experience 5G soon.” Mr Wong said 5G is a game-changer and that O p t u s w a s w o r k i n g t i r e l e s s l y t o d e l i v e r customers a meaningful 5G experience at launch. “This is an incredibly exciting time for us as we gear up to put next-generation fixed wireless technology into the hands o f c o n s u m e r s a n d businesses that will change how they live, work and play,” added Mr Wong.

Optus' mult i -year 5G network build plan includes upgrading and adding new m o b i l e s i t e s w h i l e densifying the network with innovat ive smal l cel l so lu t i ons wh i ch w i l l increase capacity and speed in highly populated inner-city locations.

Newtec provides Dialog® hub system to SATSOL

Newtec has provided a Dialog® hub system to SATSOL, a teleport and Internet Service Provider (ISP) on the Solomon Islands. The Newtec Dialog platform will deliver IP connectivity for the Solomon Islands government, with a single hop service from remote islands to the capital, Honiara. SATSOL is currently rolling out the remote sites, initially in ten provincial hub locations. The education system will also benefit as the improved provincial network will be extended to secondary schools.

As one of Solomon Islands' three Internet Service Providers (ISPs), SATSOL currently provides approximately 20% of the country's Internet bandwidth. The company owns and operates the highest teleport in Guadalcanal, overlooking the capital city of Honiara, and has built the largest wireless ISP (WISP) network in the country.“SATSOL is a locally owned company and we know just how important it is to stay connected to the rest of the world and the impact that this can have on quality of life and the economy,” said Antony Ferris, CEO at SATSOL. “The installation of Newtec Dialog has enabled us to replace a double hop link with just a single hop. Newtec's Mx-DMA® technology has enabled us to optimize our bandwidth usage and to transform the overall user experience in a cost-effective way.”

The Solomon Islands comprises six major islands and more than 900 smaller islands in Oceania. This can present challenges in the provision of Internet connectivity as terrestrial technologies cannot reach remote islands and are cost-prohibitive to install. The government has acknowledged the need to improve Internet and overall ICT provision to the population of the Islands. Its National Development Strategy, which covers a twenty year period from 2016 to 2035, places great emphasis on the ways in which Internet access can contribute to socio-economic development.

“As SATSOL looks to increase Internet penetration across the country, the Newtec Dialog platform can ensure efficient use of bandwidth, cost-effectiveness and scalability, so that the number of remote sites can expand as required,” said Richard Walshe, Newtec Regional Sales Director for the Pacific. “We look forward to helping facilitate the spread of Internet connectivity across the Solomon Islands in order to enable the government to meet its development goals.” The system was supplied by Newtec's certified business partner Lumina Broadcast Systems. Peter Warren MD of Lumina said: “We were very pleased that SATSOL chose Newtec Dialog. The Newtec team did a great job and had the system installed, configured and on-air in a few days.”

Algeria's Alcomsat-1 satellite records multiple successes

Optus makes 5G data call on 60 MHz using 3.5 GHz Spectrum

SA Space Agency selected as regional space weather centre for the aviation sector

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has been selected by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as one of two regional centres to provide space weather services, including solar storm forecasts and warnings, to the global aviation sector. “South Africa's designation as a regional space weather information provider will grow the science, engineering, technology and innovation sector, offering opportunities to develop scarce skills and increase national research output, while ensuring that usable products and services are generated for the safety of the nation,” said Minister of Science and Technology, MmamolokoKubayi-Ngubane.

Space weather describes events that happen in space, which can disrupt modern technologies such as satellites, GPS, power grids, navigation and communication systems. Owing to the increased interconnectedness and interdependence of technological systems in the world today – which will expand as the Fourth Industrial Revolution gathers momentum – space weather events can have a negative impact on multiple systems. These can lead to serious operational failures in the communication, navigation, energy and aviation sectors, among others, with potentially disastrous effects.

“With aviation, we consider four key risk areas – communication, navigation, avionics and radiation exposure,” said SANSA MD, Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell. “High frequency radio communication, as well as ground and air-based navigation systems, can be affected or knocked out entirely by space weather storms. Delicate electronics can also be damaged, and radiation exposure poses a hazard for crew and passengers especially for long haul flights.” The impact doesn't end there as space weather can have a major knock-on effect on airline companies and airports. ICAO has recognised the need for the adoption of procedures related to mitigating space weather impacts for flight safety. ICAO recommended that all aviation providers and users become familiar with the impacts of space weather on the aviation sector and requested that pertinent space weather information be filed with all flight plans in the near future.“The international community has supported South Africa's ICAO designation, and has demonstrated confidence in SANSA's ability to provide the services required. The process that SANSA underwent to achieve this designation has already enhanced South Africa's reputation in the space science and technology field,” said Minister Kubayi-Ngubane.SANSA, an entity of the Department of Science and Technology, underwent an extensive assessment to earn the accreditation to become one of two ICAO-designated regional space weather centres.

NIGCOMSAT has signed a C o l l a b o r a t i v e Agreement with Thales Alenia Space in Toulouse, France to collaborate on t h e T e s t b e d Experimentation of the Nigeria Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS). This collaboration is a i m e d a t b o o s t i n g business opportunities w i t h t h e v i e w o f addressing navigation and maritime safety in Africa in collaboration with other institutional stakeholders in Africa.

Under the agreement, N I G C O M S AT w o u l d acquire critical SBAS equipment worth about €400,000.00 Free of

Charge from Thales A l e n i a , i n c l u d i n g u t i l i z a t i o n o f NIGCOMSAT services and knowledge transfer.The Executive Director, Engineering Services, Kazeem Kolawolw Raji, who led the NIGCOMSAT delegation, stated that the agreement is a platform that will kick-start the collaboration

between the two agencies g e a r e d t o w a r d s establishing the capacity o f N I G C O M S A T n a v i g a t i o n p a y l o a d towards the utilization of N i g C o m S a t - 1 R t o improve navigation and maritime safety across Africa and beyond.

HISPASAT has announced p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s services provider Media Broadcast Satellite with an initial duration of five years to d is t r ibu te one o f Europe's most important Ultra-HighDefinition (UHD) channels, FunBox UHD, in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EMEA).

HISPASAT is a world leader in the distribution and b roadcas t ing o f Spanish and Portuguese content, and its satellite fleet is used by important direct-to-home television (DTH), high-definit ion television (HDTV) and Ultra High Definition digital platforms. HISPASAT also provides s a t e l l i t e b r o a d b a n d services and other added v a l u e s o l u t i o n s t o governments, corporations and telecommunication operators in America, Europe and North Africa.T h e c h a n n e l , w h i c h belongs to the content provider SPI International, is a thematic channel about

n a t u r e , t r a v e l a n d adventure, art music, culture and lifestyle. Its content allows viewers to e x p l o r e b r e a t h t a k i n g places, witness important cultural events and watch ultra-high-resolution films thanks to the 4K technology, which reveals al l the images' nuances and details. The broadcast combines Media Broadcast Satellite's te leport capaci t ies in Usingen Germany with HISPASAT's high-power 30W-5 satellite (H30W-5), with extensive coverage throughout the region specifically designed to d i s t r i b u t e t o p - t i e r multimedia contents.

This broadcast platform aims to become the most e f f i c ien t and f lex ib le medium for 4K channels to be distributed in Europe and North Africa thanks to HISPASAT's satellites in this region. Furthermore, th i s channe l can be received in several cable-TV operator platforms in

Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, among others.

HISPASAT has supported the deve lopment and implementation of Ultra-High-Definition technology in order to make it available as soon as possible for cinema and television viewers. The company was the first satellite operator to m a k e a n U l t r a - H i g h -Definition broadcast in Latin A m e r i c a t h r o u g h t h e HISPASAT 30W-3 satellite.

Since September 2013, the company has provided open-access broadcast of the HISPASAT 4K channel in Europe, made available to the industry to encourage the use of this technology. Ultra-High-Definition TV quadruples the number of pixels compared with the traditional highdefinition screen. The resolution is thus four times greater than conventional HD and it provides a much clearer image.

IN THE NEWS

NIGCOMSAT, Thales Alenia sign agreement on Satellite Based Augmentation System

HISPASAT, Media Broadcast Satellite distribute FunBox UHD Channel in EMEA

In 1991, the forecasts for the U.S. terrestrial cellular telephone market were optimistic and up to 40 million subscribers were expected by the year 2000. Similar projections were made for the potential size of the mobile satellite services (MSS) market. The absence of common terrestrial standards such as GSM in Europe and the modest development of cellular networks at that time encouraged the development of “big” Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations of communications satellites such as Iridium and Globalstar with initial l icense applications in December 1990 and June 1991, respectively.

The original target market for those systems was the global business traveler, out of range of terrestrial cellular networks. However, by the time these constellations were deployed in 1998 and 2000, the marketplace had been transformed. Accordingly, people living and working far from the reach of cellular wireless networks, for instance, roaming construction engineers, exploration workers, medical staff, journalists, rangers, farmers, fishing boat or yacht crew members and small planes or helicopters, can also have access to the mobile satellite services network. Namely, every customer can choose to use satellite and/or a convenient cellular network when they are in urban roaming areas, because mobile phones will be dual-mode and triple-mode handsets.

The mobile satell ite handsets are lightweight, easy to carry, simple to use and, similarly to current mobile phones, are able to provide service with both satellite and cellular network access. These phones can offer voice, Fax, data, SMS and voice mail. However, the accelerated development and standardization of terrestrial cellular networks resulted in over 110 million terrestrial cellular subscribers in 2000 in the U.S. alone. This exceeded the 1991 pro ject ions by more than 100%. Consequently, the original market predictions for satellite services, on the other hand, proved to be overly optimistic.

Unfortunately, the coverage advantage of satellite telephony was not able to offset the higher handset costs, service charges and usage limitations relative to the terrestrial competition. As a result of lacking demand, both, Iridium and Globalstar had to file for bankruptcy in August 1999.. Nevertheless, a steady demand for satellite based voice and

data communications exists to this day, albeit at a significantly lower subscriber level than originally expected.

Iridium NEXTIridium is a Mobile Satellite Services provider - the only network provider offering 100% worldwide coverage. The network is a very unique, resilient Low-Earth Orbiting satellite constellation of 66 satellites plus in-orbit spares. A comprehensive plan to replenish the Iridium constellation, known as Iridium NEXT has launched 66 new satellites to replace the current constellation, with launches expected to begin in 2015. Also planned are 6 in-orbit spare satellites and 9 ground spares. Iridium NEXT features increased subscriber capacity, higher data speeds, and capacity for hosting payloads.

In June 2010, Tales Alenia Space of France was awarded a contract from Iridium Communications Inc. for the design and construction of 81 satellites — 66 operational satellites, six in-orbit spares, and an additional nine ground spares. In turn, TAS has selected Orbital Sciences Corporation as a subcontractor for the integration of Iridium NEXT satellites and the hosted payloads in a facility located in Gilbert, AZ. Iridium has also signed the largest single commercial launch deal ever with Space Exploration Technologies Corporation to be the primary launch services provider for Iridium NEXT.

In addition, Iridium entered into two comprehensive, long-term agreements w i th The Boe ing Company fo r maintenance, operations, and support of Iridium's satellite network. Under the first agreement, Boeing will continue operating Iridium's current satellite constellation and will provide support for Iridium's satellite control system. The second agreement is a new support services contract under which Boeing will become the exclusive operations and maintenance provider for Iridium NEXT. The combination of these agreements allows Iridium to benefit from having a single operator during the transition from the current constellation to Iridium NEXT.

In Feb 2011, Iridium Communications announced that Orbital Sciences signed an agreement with Iridium that reserves

hosted payload capacity on Iridium's next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. Orbital, as the satellite integrator and test sub-contractor for Iridium NEXT, was responsible for the integration of hosted payload platforms with the Iridium NEXT satellites. Orbital's role as the satellite integrator is critical to ensuring that multiple hosted payloads, including Orbital's capac i ty, can be accommodated simultaneously on the Iridium NEXT constellation.

In 2007, Iridium Satellite LLC announced its plans to develop its Iridium NEXT constellation and start deployment in the t ime f rame 2015 -2017 . W i th t he announcement came the offer of hosted payloads for government and scientific organizations. Iridium NEXT, in continuity to the current Iridium system of 66 satellites, will provide 24/7 real-time visibility over the entire Earth's surface and its atmosphere.

Hosted payloads on Iridium NEXT provided an unmatched opportunity to meet Earth observation and government mission requirements in the near term at a fraction of the cost of designing, building, launching and maintaining dedicated platforms in space. The Iridium NEXT system maintain Iridium's current unique architecture that provides truly global coverage, with expanded capacity, higher data speeds, new services, flexible payload architecture capable of supporting future product enhancements, cost effectiveness in maintaining and operating the network, and a design to host secondary payloads.\Each Iridium NEXT satellite has a total hosted payload allocation of 50 kg in mass, 30 cm x 40 cm x 70 cm in volume, and 50 W of average power.

The Iridium NEXT LEO constellation is the world's largest with 66 operational satellites, plus six on orbit and nine ground spares, providing a level of redundancy and system availability that is unprecedented. Satellite operator Iridium, through its new joint venture Aireon LLC, placed the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast receivers on its next-generation satellite constellation as hosted payloads, aimed at bringing global, real-time aircraft surveillance for Air Navigation Service Providers.

Austin Okere,Founder, CWG Plc

John UgbeCEO, MultiChoice Nigeria

The coming of iridium NEXT mission

Today, Iridium NEXT is transforming the space industry with high-quality, real-time services through small mobile terminals, ushering in new era in real-time aircraft and maritime surveillance, enabling applications that provide global tracking data to vessel owners and the civil navigation systems for safe passage in air and at sea, according to this report.

Global Space

STC Solut ions Saudi Telecom Company (STCS), the leader of Information C o m m u n i c a t i o n s Technologies (ICT) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), will launch the first iDirect DVB-S2X network in the Middle East. Utilizing VT iDirect'siQ Series of remotes,

its next-generation DVB-S2X technology will enable STCS to offer high-speed connectivity and expand its service offerings to meet t h e n e e d s o f h i g h -bandwidth applications c o s t - e f f e c t i v e l y a n d e f f i c i e n t l y . T h e technological move is in alignment with the digital transformation strategy that the KSA plans to realize by 2030.

The iQ Desktop remotes are designed to serve a wide range of performance scenarios and service providers can add new features on demand, based on a future-proof software-upgradeable design. This

will benefit STCS's clients across the KSA, such as users from the Government ICT and enterprises, and enhance cellular backhaul.

“Launching the first iDirect DVB-S2X network in the Middle East gives us a clear sa les advantage and enables STCS to meet escalating demands for bandwidth from customers,” said Yasser Z. Alotaibi, Vice President of Connectivity Services, STCS. “We chose VT iDirect's next-generation DVB-S2X platform for its

ability to allow us to scale as we grow and offer our customers the best technology in the market today.”

“We are pleased to be a preferred technology partner to service providers like STCS, empowering them to offer their customers the best possible network experience,” said John Arnold, Vice President, Global Sales, VT iDirect. “Our DVB-S2X platform is built to deliver now and well into the future, and will enable STCS to keep pace with customer demand.

L o c a l i n f o r m a t i o n technology value-added distributor, Axiz is inviting undergraduate students between 18 years of age or older who are currently studying engineering, science, or technology at an accredited college or university to take part in t h e R o c k e t A P T Challenge. H o s t e d b y R o c k e t S o f t w a r e a n d A P T Solutions, this annual challenge provides a forum for participants to develop applications on Rocket 's Mul t iValue platform. Colleen Becker, Axiz pre-sales engineer, says that the response to t h e c h a l l e n g e w a s exceptional and the company is excited to be par t o f th is g loba l initiative: “This is a fantastic innovation challenge that provides students with an

opportunity to hone their coding skills on a leading software platform. South Africa is by far the bigger pool of entrants and we are excited to see who is selected for the global R o c k e t . B u i l d 2 0 1 9 Hackathon.”Participants are required to design an app on Rocket's MultiValue application platform in support of the challenge theme: 'Improve y o u r C o m m u n i t y ' . C o n s i s t i n g o f t h r e e regions: EMEA, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. , three winners from each region will be selected and awarded a cash prize of $1 ,000 , th i rd p lace , $2,500, second place and $ 5 , 0 0 0 , f i r s t p l a c e respectively.The nine developers will also be given an all-expenses-paid trip to Massachusetts, USA in June 2019 to participate in

Rocket.Build 2019, where they will compete in teams of three to decide the global winner of the Rocket APT Challenge. The winning team will share a grand prize of $24,000 (USD). Becker says that this is the f i r s t y e a r A x i z i s part ic ipat ing and the company will definitely register for the 2020 challenge, recruiting of which starts in September 2019: “We are committed to growing the number of young coders on the Rocket platform.

T h e r e i s a g l o b a l opportunity for students to graduate into a developing industry and support the g row ing shor tage o f MultiValue-certified coders. Participants also stand the chance of receiving an i n t e r n s h i p f r o m part ic ipat ing partners across all industry sectors.”

IN THE NEWS

STCS launches first iDirect DVB-S2X network in Middle East

New rocket challenge targets digital skills gaps

Gilat launches 5G-ready Satellite Backhaul solution

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. has announced the launch of a new powerful backhaul solution designed to deliver the high-performance required for next-generation services.The global trend of demand for higher throughputs and greater efficiencies will be further accelerated with 5G, generating exponential growth in network capacity as well as in the number and types of connected devices and services. As the leaders in LTE satellite backhaul, Gilat is now further enhancing and optimizing its SkyEdge II-c multi-service platform for 5G capacity, service and network availability targets, to deliver new levels of satellite connectivity in multiple dimensions from cellular nodes and to the most demanding applications. The enhanced SkyEdge II-c solution enables 2.5 Gbps throughput from a single forward carrier and 1 Gbps throughput from associated return channels, enabled by highly eff icient DVB-S2X wideband transmission in the forward direction and Gilat's innovative LDPC fast adaptive return access scheme.The SkyEdge II-c solution supports the full suite of current modems and capabilities, including GTP acceleration, Mobile-Edge Computing (MEC) and carrier grade Layer-2 and Layer-3 with GTP acceleration.In addition, the SkyEdge II-c satellite modem product family is now being extended with its newest addition, Capricorn-PLUS. This new modem is equipped with a powerful processing engine that supports new levels of users and services density with up to 100,000 PPS as well as higher throughputs and efficiencies with up to 100 Mbps throughput on the MF-TDMA return channel.Moreover, the SkyEdge II-c scalable, cloud-based architecture offers a migration path to Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) with software upgrade, making it a future proof solution. “As networks evolve to 5G, Gilat is excited to be at the forefront with a next generation satellite backhaul solution to support the coming transition and enable the delivery of new services,” said MotiGoldshtein, Head of Products at Gilat. “SkyEdge II-c has become the satellite solution of choice for the world's leading LTE networks, and with the launch of a new set of capabilities we're now paving the road to 5G connectivity everywhere.”Gilat is a global company operating in ninety countries to provide satellite based broadband communication since 1987. Gilat delivers the ground segment equipment, comprehensive solutions and end to end services for both mobility and fixed applications, with a special focus and achievements for in-flight connectivity, consumer broadband and celluar backhaul.

Newtec has announced that its Newtec Dialog® V S AT m u l t i s e r v i c e p l a t f o r m h a s b e e n selected by broadband satellite operator, Kacific, f o r i t s n e w H i g h Throughput Satel l i te, Kacific1, to significantly expand its broadband s e r v i c e d e l i v e r y i n underserved areas of South East Asia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The initial contract is for $10million of Newtec Dialog hubs and this is expected to result in f u r t h e r t e r m i n a l procurements totaling several million in the first years of service. Kacific1 will deliver affordable, high-speed internet broadband to t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s compan ies , i n t e rne t service providers and governments throughout the region, with Newtec's M x - D M A ® r e t u r n technology providing the h i g h e s t p o s s i b l e bandwidth efficiency. The Kacific1 satellite features 56 high power subscriber spot beams, each with the capabi l i ty to provide targeted capacity at high

speeds. Kacific services enable access to high demand applications, such as community internet access and mobile backhaul, that will h e l p s t i m u l a t e s o c i o -economic activity throughout the region. Public institutions will benefit from dedicated services i n c l u d i n g h e a l t h c a r e , education and civil defense, in areas that are beyond the e c o n o m i c a l r e a c h o f terrestrial infrastructures in most of Kacific's coverage areas. Kacific was recently presented with the Better Satellite World award for its f o c u s o n c o n n e c t i n g underserved populations. “The Kacific HUB, based on t h e N e w t e c D i a l o g multiservice platform is a pivotal part of the satellite network and we selected N e w t e c b e c a u s e i t demonstrates the highest performance and ability to offer the very high link efficiencies and availabilities required for our Ka-band spot beam system,” said Christian P a t o u r a u x , C E O a n d Founder of Kacific. “We have also been very impressed with other unique features offered by Newtec

such as the Satellite Network Calculator, which enables us to tailor new services in a very efficient and fast-to-market manner, which will only help ensure the reliability and enhance the quality of our services to our customers.” Chosen for its excellence in innovation, Newtec's next-generation Mx-DMA return technology incorporates the best features of MF-TDMA and SCPC technologies to provide dynamic bandwidth allocation with the highest level of efficiency.

Mx-DMA return technology on the Newtec Dialog platform u n i q u e l y a d j u s t s t h e frequency plan, the symbol rate, the modulation, coding and power in real-time for every terminal in the satellite network in response to traffic demand and Quality of Service (QoS) changes. “Its use in a multi-beam satellite network such as this will allow Kacific to harness these insights to o p t i m i z e f u t u r e deployments and add value for its regional partners and customers.”

Small-satellites are at the spotlight of the evolution of space industry. Small-satellite ecosystem is expanding at an increasing pace, with new entrants o f f e r i n g n e w s p a c e solutions and existing players expanding their portfolio by investments in the small-satellite value chain. It becomes very important to investigate the past and current state of the small satellite market and forecast the future scenarios.Many smal l sa te l l i te constellation operators have advanced in their development processes a n d w i l l g e n e r a t e continuous and recurring launch demand for their

constellation installation a n d r e p l a c e m e n t missions. At present, nearly all small satellites use the rideshare capacity as a secondary payload on the existing launch vehicles. This makes their project schedule and mission requirements dependent on the primary payload.Moreover, the existing rideshare capacity will not be sufficient to address all the small satellite launch demand in future. Many incumbent and new players have sensed the upcoming small satellite demand and have started planning for providing dedicated services and launch flexibility to the

small satellite operators, in order to capture the future small satellite launch market. What makes this report unique?The report tracks the changing dynamics every quarter and updates the forecast based on the latest events. The report exposes the readers to t h e l a t e s t f o r e c a s t numbers and the major changes, empowering them to the most informed decision making. A bottom up and detailed approach is applied to forecast the small satellite launch demand. The s tudy defines multiple forecast scenarios based on the matur i ty of sate l l i te operators.

IN THE NEWS

Liquid Telecom receives US$180 million investment for underserved communities in Africa

Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom has reached an agreement with CDC Group Plc, the UK's development finance institution for US$180 million in investment. This investment will enable Liquid to expand its high-speed broadband connectivity to some of the most underserved communities across mainland Africa, including supporting Africa's thriving tech start-up ecosystem with high-speed internet and cloud-based services.

Owned and managed by the UK government, CDC Group supports companies that help poor countries grow. Being aligned to a common purpose, the US$180 million investment will enable Liquid to increase its network expansion, particularly in building on its award-winning Cape to Cairo terrestrial fibre link (often referred to as “the One Africa” broadband network, and which took 10 years to complete and stretches, as the name suggests, from Cape Town in South Africa to Cairo in Egypt).Liquid Telecom is a leading communications solutions provider across 13 countries – primarily in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa – that serves mobile operators, carriers, enterprise, media and content companies and retail customers with high-speed, reliable connectivity. “Our vision is to give every individual on the African continent the right to be connected by bringing reliable, high-speed broadband connectivity and cloud services to all,” said Nic Rudnick, Liquid Telecom's group CEO. “This includes businesses and communities in some of the most remote parts of the continent.”He said more. “We welcome CDC Group's investment of US$180 million with Liquid Telecom since it will enable us to accelerate expansion along our award-winning Cape-to-Cairo route and further into Central and Western Africa. Once completed, it will bring significant economic and social benefits – from providing access to online educational resources to supporting national economies, creating more jobs and driving the adoption of new technologies.”Nick O'Donohoe, CDC Group Plc CEO, said: “Digital infrastructure is still a major problem for Africa's governments, people and its businesses, so improving access to affordable and quality internet is central to Africa's development and economic growth. Our investment in Liquid Telecom – which is one of CDC's biggest ever investments – plays an important part in addressing infrastructure bottlenecks and helps bring about the innovation and efficiency gains that result from better internet access.”He added: “CDC's capital will enable Liquid Telecom to reach more countries in the continent, helping to connect millions more people and businesses.

Newtec boosts affordable broadband services across Asia-Pacific

Small-satellite launch services market forecast to 2030

Thirty years ago, StarTimes was born in Qinhuangdao City, and has since then experienced tremendous changes and grown from small to large companies.At the early stage of business, StarTimes had no resources, no connections, no experience, says President of StarTimes Group, Pang Xinxing.

According to Pang Xinxing, President of Star Times Media, his company's ambition is for every African household to be able to afford to watch a good quality digital TV service.” Though, originally a part of the Audio Visual Department of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in the development zone of Qinhuangdao, Star Times has grown from a basic technology company into a provider of digital TV and Internet service in almost ten years. Today, it has a large presence in every sub Saharan African countries.

In Africa, Startimes' DTT services is today the fastest-growing pay-TV services in the continent. Launched ahead of its closest rival, GoTV (Multichoice) with content contribution from across the world. , StarTimes TV currently had over 3.6 million active subscribers. This figure is even higher when including StarTimes TV's 1.5 million inactive set-top-boxes. So far, DTT services introduced by StarTimes have benefitted from lower prices than satellite and cable TV competition to rapidly increase its market share in Africa. The company has been part of the digital migration in Africa that has seen Africa introducing digital TV to over 2m homes.

In 2013, StarTimes, signed a 10-year contract on SES' SES 5 satellite at 5 degrees east to expand its media footprint in Africa and deliver direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast services across the continent. The contract allowed StarTimes use four transponders from October 2013 and a fifth transponder from February 2014 to grow its DTH subscribers in Africa. Gowever, two out of the five SES transponders contracted by StarTimes is being used to complement DTT offering in remote and non-urban areas and grow pay-TV business across Africa.

Before Star Times arrived in the African

market, South African company DSTV had always been the leading provider in the market. “DSTV has a huge competitive advantage in that it monopolizes many of the best TV shows,” Li Weizhong explained. He said the only strategy they could adopt in order to break this monopoly was to offer cheaper services. “Star Times' aim is for every African household to be able to afford to watch a good quality digital TV service.”

Zhang Weiying, former vice-president of the Guanghua Business School at Beijing's prestigious Peking University, has previously said that China's image may be an obstacle for these private entrepreneurs when they attempt overseas mergers, acquisitions and investments. This is obviously true.

In 2002, StarTimes went abroad to Africa and began to expand overseas markets. In 2007, the company obtained the first operating license in Rwanda, officially opening a new journey for the investment, construction and operation of digital TV network in Africa. In the past twenty years, Startimes have built the world's largest heterogeneous network platform across continents, countries and networks, and created a content generation mechanism integrating program, as weell as program translation and program production. We have set up an international, localized and professional team, with business in 37 countries in Africa and more than 20 million users, according to President of StarTimes Group, Pang Xinxing.

Even in 2011, when Star Times finally made a breakthrough in Kenya, they still had many problems to overcome. Kenya is one of the most influential countries in Africa and as such, gaining a licence to provide digital TV was identified by the company as being a key to their future development. Kenya has an extremely complicated political structure with competition and conflict between over 40 political parties and 47 local tribes. As such, gaining a broadcasting licence in such a volatile political environment is extremely difficult.

Even in 2009, Star Times had already waited for a painfully long time but could still not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Li Weizhong said, “Strategic decisions in many African

countries can be long and complicated. At times they bow to public pressure, often giving complete preferential treatment to local enterprises.”

At that time, Kenya's government declared that all of the country's digital TV should be provided by the state television channel. As they had no experience of providing Internet service, this was clearly an unreasonable decision. Within two years, the process of building the country's digital television infrastructure had not even begun. Given that the government had promised to complete their digital turnover by 2012, something clearly had to change.

“As a foreign enterprise, even when it seems like there is no hope and no opportunities, all we can do is keep searching and waiting for our chance,” said Li Weizhong. “At the beginning, television transmission was limited to the state broadcasters, so we adopted a strategy of cooperation with them. After signing many agreements, the state broadcasters had still not done anything, so all we could do was continue and push on. Even then, we didn't know whether or not there would be an opportunity for us.”

Financial challenges

However, for a privately run company like Star Times, finding sufficient funding is a never-ending worry. In their most desperate times in Africa, the chairman of the board, Pang Xinxing, once even had to mortgage his own house. His only concern at the time was to ensure the survival of the company.

Even after many years, the prospect of a shortage of funds weighs heavily on Pang Xinxing. Due to this, Star Times has never dared to expand their business too quickly. In some countries where they have a licence to broadcast, they have not been able to start putting together the infrastructure due to a lack of funds.

Potential problems do not end there though. Li Weizhong tells us, “There are some countries where the customs duties are extremely debilitating. Once you add in VAT, the tax can come to 41%, meaning that the taxes on a $140 million project can come to

6

VSAT at Isiolo Girls High School

StarTimes founded in Qinhuangdao City in 1988, experienced tremendous changes and has grown from small to large corporation. During the last 15 years in Africa, we have grown from nobody to become the fastest-growing and most influential digital TV operator, forming a strategic situation of tripartite confrontation with the Naspers and Vivendi Group, according to Pang Xinxing. President of StarTimes Group

BROADCASTING REPORT

After 30 years, StarTimes at the forefront of DTH Business in Africa

$50-60 million.

One of the main investment characteristics of digital TV is that the initial investment is very large and the returns are generated over a long period. If you don't factor these special circumstances into your planning then you are destined to hit big problems further down the line.” Since the beginning of 2009, several international companies involved in African digital TV transmission such as GTV and NGB have been declared bankrupt. Li continues, “These companies had all developed over many years, with business in many different countries. In the case of Sweden's NGB, they even had social insurance funds to support them. Still, in this industry, all can be lost with one careless move.”

Having seen Pang Xinxing's efforts and the progress he has made in Africa, many potential investors have paid him a visit. Yet, Pang has looked each of them in the eye and politely turned them down. His reasoning is that companies should aim for long-term development and that Star Times is still hoping for a more strategic investment partner.

Pang's plan for Star Times in the next three to five years is for them to provide coverage for 70% of Africa's population, as well as expanding their digital TV customers by 10 million and their mobile media subscribers by 16 million, in the process becoming Africa's strongest and most influential media group.

Such a grand aim is not so easily achievable. As such, Star Times has had to develop many forms of income from their one business. First they receive the installation fee, and then they sell the set-top boxes, TV aerials and smart cards to their customers. These products are all produced in China and then exported to Africa. They can earn money from the sale of these products and from the installation fees, but it is the monthly subscriptions that will bring them more long-term income.

Since 2011, the China Development Bank

and the China-Africa Development Fund have been in partnership with Star Times, both offering the company loans and through direct investment. Yet, Pang still believes, “The funding gap is still too large.”

Broadcast standards

As a Chinese company doing business abroad, Star Times still has yet another problem to worry them: the spread of Chinese standards abroad. In 2010, Star Times began building Africa's first multimedia system based on the China Mobile Mu l t imed ia Broadcas t ing (CMMB) intellectual property standard. In fact, since the standard was published in 2009, the development of a clear and defined supply chain has suffered from the infighting between various departments as to who gains the benefits. Due to the constant problems that have arisen in getting CMMB accepted as the general standard even in China, the expected increase in customers has yet to appear.

Under these circumstances, Star Times are taking many risks by pushing CMMB abroad. If the frail production line at home crumbles, then all of their investment will have been in vain. For a company with finances as stretched as Star Times', this is undoubtedly a huge gamble.

This situation with the legal standards has been a real struggle. “Because of the small purchasing power of African consumers and the difference in standard practice in the different countries, it is difficult for companies to produce products on a large scale. Therefore if you can get your country's standards accepted first, it will undoubtedly drive exports of your company's products as well as those of other domestic companies. For example, Star Times has developed a set-top box which meets the standards of 8 countries. The research and development costs of this product can now be shared across the users from eight different countries. Now that a larger, more uniform market is beginning to emerge, costs will begin to reduce dramatically,” says Li

Weizhong. “In the same vein, when foreign companies want to enter this market, they will have to follow Chinese standards, giving Chinese enterprises a natural advantage.”

The thinking behind Pang's gamble is based upon his previous experience in digital TV intellectual property rights. American, European, Japanese and Chinese transmission standards have all been accepted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). However, only China's standards have not been internationalised, meaning they can only be implemented in China and Hong Kong, harming their exports.

Digital Migration still on courseIn light of ITU's resolution on June 2006, the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA in 2009 initiated a joint Venture between NTA and Beijing StarTimes group. This gave birth to what is today known as NTA-Star TV Network, StarTimes. So the digital switch over was kick-started in Nigeria. Then, other operators steps in with Digital Terrestrial Transmission broadcasting.

Most countries including Nigeria missed the ITU's analog switch-off deadline of June, 2015, but DTT, especially pay DTT, made huge gains. However, two-thirds of TV homes (36.2 million) took digital signals by end-2015, up from 18.7% (7.9 million) in 2010. DTT will challenge satellite as the top pay TV platform by 2021. In fact, satellite TV will only grow from 19.3% of TV households in 2015 to 21.2% by 2021, whereas pay DTT will rocket from 10.2% to 19.9% over the same period.

Though complete digital transition was achieved in Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda by end-2015, Nigeria have taken a number of steps, including preparation toward Digital Switch Over to SD, Analog Switch Off, Digital Switch Over to HD and SD Digital Switch Off that is expected to conclude the migration.

Over 80% of households had a TV set exceeding that of radio, showing that TV has become the most popular source of information. The service coverage of one of the state-run broadcasting station, the Nigerian Television Authority NTA, is 95 percent of the population, according to the broadcaster. The eight channels of NTA are as follows NTA News 24, NTA Sports 24, NTA Knowledge, NTA Entertainment, NTA Parliament, NTA Hausa, NTA Igbo, and NTA Yoruba. Today, StarTimes account for more than 50% of pay TV subscribers in Africa

BROADCASTING REPORT

Intelsat has joined GSMA, the organization representing mobile operators worldwide, to further strengthen the integration of satellite and terrestrial technologies and advance 5G deployments. Intelsat is now a full member of the London-based GSMA. The association unites more than 750 operators with over 350 handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers, and internet companies as well as organizations in adjacent industry sectors.Satellites have a long-es tab l i shed reco rd o f complementing terrestrial m o b i l e n e t w o r k s t o ubiquitously, seamlessly, and cost -e ffec t ive ly de l iver connectivity in and around cities as well as to more remote and rural regions. With demand for broadband growing exponentially, driven by consumers as well as by machine-to-machine and I n t e r n e t - o f - T h i n g s a p p l i c a t i o n s , t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f f u l l y integrated, hybrid satellite

and terrestrial networks will be essential to meeting that demand and in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Incorporating the strengths of different technologies under one seamless network will accelerate the development o f t h e 5 G n e t w o r k architecture. This will deliver enhanced connectivity to a world in constant motion and expand opportunities for the entire MNO ecosystem, a shared goal of Intelsat and the GSMA. “As 5G comes to market, we

must capital ize on the strengths of multiple delivery technologies to satiate the connectivity demands of businesses and communities around the world,” said Jean-Philippe Gillet, Intelsat's vice p res ident and genera l manager of Networks. “By joining the GSMA, we will continue to forge new working relationships and develop b u s i n e s s m o d e l s t h a t accelerate the expansion of more power fu l mob i l e networks.

We will collaborate even more

A g loba l ne twork o f organisations working to p r o v i d e s h a r e d communications services i n h u m a n i t a r i a n emergencies are currently seeking the sum of US$2,4 million to provide lifesaving t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s s e r v i c e s t o t h e humanitarian agencies in Libya.T h e E m e r g e n c y Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s Cluster requires the funds to cover the provision of i n te rne t connec t i v i t y services, an information and commun i ca t i ons technology helpdesk and f ac i l i t a t e emergency communications systems that are minimum operating s e c u r i t y s t a n d a r d s (MOSS)-compliant.ETC has so far received $550 000 from the United N a t i o n s C e n t r a l Emergency Response

Fund (CERF) to establish some services in the new hub in the nor thern Benghazi, Libya's second-most populous city after the capital Tripoli.Teams are explor ing options to implement Services for Communities (S4C) projects. ETC S4C Adviser conducted a miss ion to Tun is in November to explore ways to implement a complaint feedback mechanism, such as a call centre.Libya is in crisis eight years after civil unrest erupted d u r i n g t h e s o -c a l l e d A r a b Spring.Provision o f lifesaving t e l ecommunication s

services to the response community in operational areas is set to enhance the overal l response and ensure assistance is efficiently provided to people most in need.The humanitarian footprint in Libya is expanding, with a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l humanitarian presence in many locations throughout the country. Most agencies are in the process of establishing a presence in Tripoli and elsewhere.

IN THE NEWS

7

Ethio Telecom to launch communication satellite

The Ethiopian state owned Telecom Company, Ethio Telecom has announced plans to acquire communication satellite. According to a senior official, the telecom company is planning to use communication satellite to serve the education, health and agriculture sectors where there is no telecom infrastructure. “Satell ite is used for commercial and military purposes. For civilian purposes it can be used for broadcasting and telecom services. We are anticipating to use satellite to cater telecom services for the health, education and agriculture sectors where we do not have telecom infrastructure,” the official said.

Previously, efforts by former management of Ethio Telecom to acquire a communication satellite were aborted when another governmental organization, Information Network Security Agency proposed to acquire communication satellite. “There was a similar plan launched by INSA. The same proposal w a s m a d e b y t w o g o v e r n m e n t a l organizations. So it was a waste of resource. The former management of Ethio Telecom suspended the plan,” the official said.However, the official said, the new management of Ethio Telecom is now considering to acquire a communication satellite. “We are working on the plan. We will work on the strategy and present it to the government for approval,” the official said.

Ethio Telecom spends 12 million dollars on annual fees for satellite services and the expense soars when satellite services are utilized by media, aviation, and national security institutions. Experts said that the fact t h a t n a t i o n a l a c c e s s t o s a t e l l i t e communication and information through satellite depends on the goodwill of service providers, makes it essential for the country to launch its own satellite.South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Nigeria are the African countries that have l a u n c h e d t h e i r o w n s a t e l l i t e s . A communication satellite could cost more than USD 100 million.

The application of satellite system for providing data for commercial farmers increase yields and reduce waste. It can also be used by mining and construction firms. A telecom expert told The Reporter that Ethio Telecom has shown progress in utilizing satellite service to complement the fiber optics system and is expected to continue increasing its satellite capacity to better support the existing fiber cable system. The expert said Ethio Telecom has been looking for satellite se rv i ce p rov ide rs to back up i t s telecommunication infrastructure. “By having its own communication satellite the telecom company could reduce its operation cost,” he added.

Intelsat joins GSMA to advance 5G development

NGOs seek support to implement emergency services in Libya

Geostationary satellite communications have attracted interest as a potential mean to provide internet access since the arrival of World Wide Web. Satellites present unique characterist ics to provide broadband service to large extensions of earth surface, without the need to deploy expens i ve and l a rge t e r res t r i a l infrastructure.

In the last couple of years, the first and second generation of Broadband HTS systems have already proven great total throughput improvements, reaching up to 150 Gbps of total capacity, therefore opening a real chance for satellite industry in the broadband access arena. Notwithstanding those accomplishments, the challenge still remains for next generation HTS systems which need to follow the trend of terrestrial networks in terms of peak data rates and service cost to remain competitive and up-to-date.

Thaicom changed the world when it launched the first HTS, IPSTAR 1, in 2005. The SSL-built satellite has 45Gbps of capacity and was designed to provide Internet services over the Asia-Pacific region, with speeds of 6Mbps down and4Mbps up.

In Africa, NIGCOMSAT Ltd, is the first satellite operator to provide Ka-band resources and has continue to drive the national ICT revolution through the provision of cost effective and affordable solutions such as broadcasting, seamless in tegrat ion of te lecommunicat ion connectivity and backbone and IP trunking, by exploiting its Ka-band resource and the future fleet of HTS satellites over the African continent and the globe at large ,

In Africa, satellite data communications was previously dominated by Ku-band or C-band technology which had limited capacity. However, the latest generation of Ka-band technology, opens up new opportunities to service the massive

demand for high-speed connectivity flexibly and importantly, affordably. In addition, NigComSat Ltd was the first to launch one of the most modern teleport services in the Sub-Sahara region, using the iDX 3.0 on DVB-S2 technology and the 2D-16state MODCOD technique on the iDirect hub system through a 7.6 m Ku Band Antenna system with a fully redundant 100W BUC solution supporting multi-carriers.

“In general, the consumer tends to

be rather technology agnostic and the

benchmark is expected to remain

the terrestrial services”.

Aside from the iDirect Hub, a dedicated NEWTEC Sat3Play Broadband Gateway system is specifically dedicated for the Ka-band Systemw was developed to

further the delivery of high speed broadband solution with a differentiated class of services. Ka-band provides increased spectrum compared to C-band and Ku-band, enabling larger volumes of traffic to be transmitted. Satellite technology has the ability to overcome the geographical challenge. It is the only ubiquitous technology that can provide high-speed data and broadband services to any location in South Africa.Currently all of Africa's international internet bandwidth is provided by satellite, submarine cables or terrestrial networks connected to submarine cables. Although fibre optic cables have improved connectivity in cities, they are not a viable option to roll-out everywhere. Large swathes of the country as well as the continent remain disconnected from the digital world.According to Gustav Engelbrecht,latest article, , “Some 25-million people in South Africa lived at least 10 km from a terrestrial fibre network. This has vast significance and consequences on the development of the reg ions f rom an economic perspective.” As a big industry player, Eutelsat was one of the first to adopt HTS technology. In fact, the company launched Europe's first HTS,

8

In last few years, nations across the world are paying more and more attention to broadband access capabilities as they have become a cornerstone element to stimulate prosperity. The satellite industry is fully aware of its key role and its privileged position to provide suitable solutions to achieve the universalization of broadband services networks in terms of peak bit rates, data volume and cost/bit, according to this report

SPECIAL REPORT

The future of satellite broadband systems

Abimbola Alale,Managing Director, NigComSat

KA-SAT, in 2012. The 90Gbps satellite uses 82 Ka-band spot beams to deliver high speed Internet. Eutelsat launched its most recent HTS, EUTELSAT 172B, on 2 June 2017. The satellite is the first high-power all-electric telecommunications satellite to be constructed in Europe, by Airbus Defence and Space. With C, Ku and high throughput Ka-band payloads, Eutelsat's coverage includes China and the Pacific Islands. The EUTELSAT 172B also provide coverage over the North Pacific Rim to serve aircraft travelling between the USA and Asia; Panasonic Avionics has already signed a long-term agreement for this capacity.

G loba l broadband serv ices and technology company ViaSat also launched its first HTS, ViaSat-1, in 2012. This capacity has been used to provide Ka-band services over North America and Hawaii, delivering Exceed Internet in the US, and Xplornet in Canada. ‘Following on from the success of Ka-band HTS Yahsat 1B, Yahsat launched its Al Yah 3, an all Ka-band HTS with 60 spot beams based on Orbital ATK's GEOStar-3 platform. With the new satellite, Al Yah 3 expanded Yahsat's coverage to Brazil and 19 new markets in Africa. Around 10Gbps, or 18 spot beams, of Al Yah 3's capacity are currently used for Connect Africa, Eutelsat's strategy to deliver commercial broadband service to Sub-Saharan African nations relying on 16 spot beams on Yahsat satellites. A typical HTS can supply hundreds of spot beams; the corresponding throughput of the satellite increases in direct proportion to the frequency re-use. This gives an HTS a capacity to deliver hundreds of gigabits per second (Gbps) of data; however, new HTSs typically deliver download speeds of more than 10 Mbps to individual customers. A single third-generation Ka-band HTS can support 2-3 million subscribers. The increase in capacity has brought with it a corresponding decrease in the cost of bandwidth, making possible provision of telecommunication services that would not have been profitable with a conventional satellite.Israel's Spacecom, operator of the AMOS fleet of satellites that has long been delivering services to Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has become the latest companies to announce a new HTS project. The company famously lost its first HTS, the AMOS-6 satellite, in a SpaceX launchpad explosion which also destroyed the Falcon 9 rocket it was due to launch on. In December 2016,

Recently, SpaceX announced that it had entered into a US$161 million satellite procurement agreement with Boeing Satellite Systems International. AMOS-17 will deliver Ka, Ku and C-band services with a combination of broad regional

beams and high throughput spot beams to maximize spectral efficiency. Design to operate from 17 degrees E a s t , A M O S - 1 7 w i l l e x p a n d Spacecom's coverage over Africa, the Middle East and Europe for an expected in-orbit lifetime of 15 years. The satellite is scheduled for launch this year. “AMOS-17 will be a multi-band high-throughput, state-ofthe- art satellite that will provide reliable solutions and offer a significant competitive advantage for our customers,” said David Pollack, President and CEO of Spacecom

Why Ka satellite broadband matters

With the arrival of internet and the World Wide Web, geostationary satellites attracted global attention as a potential means of providing Internet a c c e s s . I n d e e d , t h e r e a r e approximately one half dozen satellites in-orbit today, entirely dedicated at providing broadband services to customers and enterprises.

The evolution from the single beamed traditional satellites with rather modest performances to the first HTS systems was possible thanks to the introduction of multi-beam and frequency reuse concepts. This allowed a remarkable increase of system spectral resources, pushing single-beamed Ku band satellites to a whole new level of satellite capabilities.

More recently, the second generation of HTS has pushed forward first generation performances thanks to higher Frequency Re-use factor allowed by narrow satellite antenna beams and higher spectral efficiency modulation and coding schemes reaching total capacities from 70 Gbps to 150 Gbps. As a consequence, a significant reduction of cost/Mbps has been achieved, delivering services akin to those provided by the terrestrial ADSL2+.

In general, the consumer tends to be rather technology agnostic and the benchmark is expected to remain the terrestrial services. This implies that as Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) becomes more prolific, it will turn into the reference for the next generation HTS systems. This is not an easy target for the satellite communication system architect since FTTH represents a bit rate approximately an order of magnitude higher than that of ADSL2+ for about the same cost. Therefore, in order to follow the evolution of terrestrial networks in terms of peak data rates and service cost and to cope with the economic and technical

demands of the market, it is necessary to further improve broadband satellite systems capacity and to reach or go beyond the Terabit/s satellite.

In order to remain competitive, the cost of satellite services shall drastically decrease (cos t /Mbps) p rov id ing a qua l i t y comparable to FTTH. To achieve this goal, the logical way is to increase satellite capacity by both increasing the usable bandwidth and further improving system spectral efficiency.

One of the key issues which triggered the evolution from traditional FSS to HTS systems is the multi-beam architecture concept. Looking back at first broadband satellites, besides being technologically simple, they were based on a single user beam covering the entire service area. This allowed the satellite to cover large and extended coverage within the whole region of earth visible from the satellite, connecting users from one continent to another.The new HTSs typically have a download speed for the individual customer of more than 10 Mbps; they have also been called third generation broadband VSAT systems. These include the ViaSat-1 and KA-SAT platforms. However, the second generation broadband VSAT systems typically have a download speed to the individual customer up to 3 – 5 Mbps. The throughput achievable with third generation Ka-band HTSs allows one satellite to support 2 –3 million subscribers.Meanwhile, “The use of advanced spot beams and transponders combined with state of the art very small aperture terminal (VSat) transmission technology allows for up 100 times throughput compared traditional Ku-band satellites”.

Ka-band also uses multiple high power “spot beams” to cover a region, which enables higher data transfer rates and increases the overall efficiency of the satellite as frequencies can be reused to cover other geographies. In addition to the large amounts of data capacity and higher speeds Ka-band requires smaller VSat terminals to enable more cost-effective deployment.

Finally, a VSat antenna diameter of 1,8 m in the Ku-band and a 2,4 – 3,0 m antenna diameter equivalent in the C-band is now satisfied by a 1 m diameter equivalent in the Ka-band. The resultant smaller terminal bodes well for equipment suppliers, network operators as well as VSAT installers. The logistics and cost saving involved with installing a smaller antenna compared to a 1,8 m or 3 m antenna is very obvious in bringing network deployment down costs.

SPECIAL REPORT

NSR's VSAT and Broadband Satel l i te Markets 17th Edition report, released r e c e n t l y , f o r e c a s t s cumulative revenues of $159 billion in the next decade, with 13.4% annual growth in the installed base of consumer sites alone. Enterprise VSAT is also a solid contributor with $12.3 billion in capacity revenues by 2027, driven by key verticals worldwide“ S a t e l l i t e C o n s u m e r Broadband is just scratching t h e s u r f a c e o f t h e opportunity, capturing less than 1% of the potential addressable market,” states Lluc Palerm, NSR Senior Analyst and report co-author. “Subscribers are very sensitive to more generous data caps and cost. C o n s e q u e n t l y, l o w e r capacity pricing will trigger strong demand elasticities. Additionally, the ecosystem is still underdeveloped in many regions. A stronger focus on retail, and newly

available capacity, will see a c c e l e r a t e d g r o w t h . Furthermore, new business models like Wi-Fi Hotspots are proliferating, which would open the lowest segments of the market. Smallcells will drive 43% of Service Revenues by 2027.”Video is, by a significant margin, the primary driver of data traffic. Multiple offers a r e n o w p u b l i c i z i n g unmetered services for web browsing, email, and other cr i t ical funct ions, but “streaming time allowance” is the main influencer on subscribers' quality of experience. Limiting video quality to 720p is now standard among platforms so that users can enjoy faster streaming time, albeit sacrificing video quality. Even with these measures, data caps are still very restrictive with the current balance between ARPUs and capaci ty pr ic ing. However, once prices d e c l i n e b e l o w 1 0 0 USD/Mbps/Month, data

al lowances can grow generously, activating demand elasticities. On the Enterprise VSAT side, Gagan Agrawal, NSR Senior Analyst and report co-author, comments, “Growth returns in the e n t e r p r i s e s e g m e n t . Backhaul remains the key vertical and will generate 5 5 % o f c u m u l a t i v e revenues in the next 10 y e a r s . H T S i s a l s o r e v i t a l i z i n g S o c i a l Inclusion, as multiple governments adopted a 'wait-and-see' attitude before the architecture matures. While some regions continue under turbulent times, Asia has g e n e r a t e d e x c e l l e n t growth with numerous big deployments.”Business models need to a d a p t t o t h e n e w ecosystem. Operators are getting closer to end-customers, deveolping closer partnerships with equipment vendors and distributors.

IN THE NEWS

Measat-3b

11

As t rocas t has announced the launch of 3 new pilots of its Low E a r t h O r b i t N a n o s a t e l l i t e N e t w o r k . T h e pilots with Actia, M a r i n e Instruments, and S w i s s F r e s h Water highlight the power of satellite networks to de l iver a f fo rdab le communications to the world's most remote areas. Designed specifically for IoT, Astrocast's two-way system allows companies to monitor and control their remote assets, including over-the-air upgrades at lower latency and cost than e x i s t i n g s a t e l l i t e communications networks. “Our onboard telematic equipment is designed to support some of the toughest work, in the most remote areas of the world. Agriculture, construction a n d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n

companies are among the many companies relying on us to keep connected vehicles,” said Philippe Cabon, CTO of Actia. “Astrocast will help us to c o n n e c t v e h i c l e s everywhere.”Currently only 10% of the world is covered by cellular networks and less than 1% of the world is covered by I o T n e t w o r k s l i k e LoRaWAN or Sigfox. With the launch of its first L-B a n d , t w o - w a y c o m m u n i c a t i o n nanosatellite in December, Astrocast plans to deliver global accessibility at an

affordable price. U n t i l t o d a y, s a t e l l i t e communications were cost prohibitive for m o s t c o m p a n i e s . Now, even small companies with a big “ W h e n w e

started this project, we knew we had the right tools and technology to bring clean water to the world. Our water stations are at the center of some very remote villages and are a l i f e l i n e t o t h o s e communities,” said Mr. J e a n - L u c M o s s i e r , Executive Chairman of Swiss Fresh Water. “With Astrocast we can make sure these treatment machines are producing clean drinking water and r e m o t e l y p e r f o r m maintenance to ensure their operations.”

Astrocast launches IoT into Space

UAE Space Agency unveils regional hub plan

The UAE Space Agency (UAESA) has launched a National Plan for the Promotion of Space Investment aiming to increase domestic and foreign investment in the UAE space sector. The initiative promises to transform the nation into a regional hub for commercial space activities and advanced research and development. It also aims to encourage local investment vehicles to consider funding opportunities in the space sector, both domestically and globally.

The announcement of the plan follows the decision of the UAESA's board of directors to adopt its articles in tandem, and in support of the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021 and the UAE Centennial 2071— which aim to establish the UAE as one of the world's best nations across various economic, social, and environmental fields.The strategy also contributes to the UAE's Science, Technology & Innovation Policy, as well as the UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It envisions a competitive national economy based on knowledge, innovation, and future technological applications that integrate the latest physical and digital technologies, while also encouraging small and medium enterprises.The investment plan is based on the National Space Policy issued in 2016, which called for a comprehensive approach to attracting and promoting investment in the space industry, encouraging and facilitating commercial space activity, and establishing the UAE as a major regional and global hub for space activities and advanced research and development.Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, UAE Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills and Chairman of the UAESA, said: "The agency's adoption of the National Plan for the Promotion of Space Investment comes within the framework of its strategy and the objectives of the sector in general. These objectives seek to contribute towards diversifying the national economy and developing advanced science, technology, and applications in the UAE, along with supporting scientific research, building Emirati capabilities and instilling a culture of innovation, especially among the younger generations.“Space offers active and creative applications and solutions for growing vital local, regional, and global needs and challenges. These solutions include - but are not limited to - navigation tools, management of transport and shipping, management of natural resources, sustainability, monitoring of pollution and climate change, surveillance, crisis management and many more,” said Al Falasi.“The plan contributes to transforming the UAE economy into one based on knowledge, advanced skills, and innovation. It also encourages cooperation and partnerships with relevant parties in the government, private, research, and academic sectors, as well as further serves to encourage local and foreign investment in the space industry and attract leading space firms to establish regional and global headquarters in the UAE,” added Al Falasi.

Satellite Broadband and Enterprise VSAT to generate $159 billion in next decade

P a n a s o n i c A v i o n i c s Corporation Subsidiary, AeroMobile, a leading provider of inflight mobile connectivity, has partnered with Ooredoo, one of the leading telecoms operators in the Middle East, to make roaming in the skies of Kuwait more accessible and affordable for their local customers.In a first for a Kuwaiti mobile operator, Ooredoo Kuwait have expanded the i r m a i n s t r e a m r o a m i n g bundle, Ooredoo Passport, to now include AeroMobile's in f l ight mobi le phone service as an additional

one of the Middle East's lead ing Opera tors . I t underlines the continued growth and importance of inflight mobile connectivity to both airlines and mobile o p e r a t o r s . " O o r e d o o Spokesperson Mijbil Al-A y o u b , C o r p o r a t e Communications Senior D i r e c t o r, s a i d : “ T h i s innovative partnership with AeroMobile means we are the first mobile operator in Kuwait to offer customers unlimited data roaming while inflight, as part of our Passport roaming package.”

destination. As a result, Ooredoo customers will now be able to surf the internet, check emails and stay social at the same cost as all other Passport destinations when flying on any airline and a i rcraf t connected by AeroMobile's network. AeroMobile inflight mobile services are available on 22 airlines worldwide including Kuwait Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways in the Middle East.Kevin Rogers, CEO of AeroMobile, says: “I am extremely excited to sign this new roaming deal with

IN THE NEWS

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd has completed the build of the platform for EUTELSAT QUANTUM, the world's first g e o s t a t i o n a r y telecommunications satellite that will be fully reconfigurable in orbit. The EUTELSAT QUANTUM satellite is being built under a public–private partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the satellite operator Eutelsat with A i r b u s a s t h e p r i m e contractor. The EUTELSAT QUANTUM platform consists of a precision-engineered composite central thrust tube standing at 2.5 metres tall which houses a bipropellant chemical propulsion system that will enable the satellite to stay on station throughout its 15 year lifetime, and SSTL's newly deve loped GEO momentum wheels and gyro which will maintain the satellite in a stable attitude and enable adjustments in the satellite's orbital position. Sarah Parker, Managing Director of SSTL said “The completion of our work on the E U T E L S AT Q U A N T U M satel l i te platform is an important milestone for SSTL as it represents our first venture into the global commercial telecoms satellite market. The design and assembly of this innovative spacecraft has enabled us to advance the knowledge and

skills required to develop highly capable satellite products for the evolving telecoms market, where we are actively engaged in seeking new opportunities.”Colin Paynter, Managing Director, Airbus Defence and Space UK, said: "Combining the payload expertise from Airbus in Portsmouth, and SSTL's new geostationary platform provides a very sophisticated package for Eutelsat. The satellite is a w o r l d f i r s t , f u l l y reprogrammable in orbit, and we're looking forward to seeing it fly.”The EUTELSAT QUANTUM satellite will be able to adapt to new demands in coverage, bandwidth, power and frequency, enabling it to operate effectively from any orbital slot. EUTELSAT QUANTUM will be the first generation of universal satellites able to serve any region of the world and adjust to new business without the user needing to procure and launch an entirely new satellite. Featuring phased array antennas and flexible connectivity, which is fully reconfigurable in orbit, EUTELSAT QUANTUM will be able to adjust its coverage a n d c a p a c i t y t o s u i t customers' needs as and when they change. Yohann Leroy, Deputy CEO and CTO at Eutelsat said

“EUTELSAT QUANTUM is a world first and the culmination of many years of research by Eu te l sa t . I t s p remium capacity will enable us to offer game-changing optionality a n d f l e x i b i l i t y t o o u r customers in the government, mobility and data markets, who will be able to operate and optimize capacity to adjust coverages in real time, and to do so autonomously. We are delighted to co-operate with our long-standing partners, the ESA, the UK Space Agency and Airbus, and to be able to rely o n t h e w o r l d - l e a d i n g expertise within the UK space industry.”EUTELSAT QUANTUM uses technology developed by Airbus and SSTL in the UK under the ESA Advanced R e s e a r c h i n Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s S y s t e m s p r o g r a m m e (ARTES) and supported by the UK Space Agency. Magal i Vaiss iere, ESA D i r e c t o r o f Telecommunications and Integrated Applications, said: “Eutelsat Quantum is an important programme for both the UK and ESA and a typical example of the success of the ARTES public–private partnership model. Above all, our priority is our industry's health and readiness for future market challenges.

18

AeroMobile partners Ooredoo in Kuwait for inflight roaming services

Konnect Africa launches high speed internet access in Ivorian Market

Konnect Africa, an initiative of the satellite operator Eutelsat dedicated to satellite broadband on the African continent, announced the launch of its Internet access offers in Côte d'Ivoire. The initiatives offers numerous advantages for professionals and individuals According to the Telecommunications S e c t o r O b s e r v a t o r y o f t h e Telecommunications Regulator/ICT of Côte d'Ivoire (ARTCI), the number of fixed Internet subscribers (Ethernet cable, wifi and fibre) in Côte d'Ivoire stood at 155,541 in the second quarter of 2018, representing 0.6% of the total population. At the same time, according to Deloitte's TMT 2017 report, the country has 9 million mobile Internet subscriptions, notably thanks to the 4G network. Some areas of Ivorian territory, however, are not properly served by mobile technology. Thanks to the latest satellite technologies, Konnect Africa is now helping to bridge the digital divide in Côte d'Ivoire by offering its broadband Internet offers to individuals and professionals, particularly outside major cities, where no reliable broadband solution is available. The Konnect range includes eight Internet access offers, ranging from 5GB to 30GB of data for Konnect Home residential offers, costing from 9,000 to 35,000 CFAF and adapting to all needs. Konnect Pro offers which provide superior performance corresponding to the expectations of professionals, offer between 50 and 500GB of data and are marketed from 58,000 CFAF. These offers will be made available on a prepaid basis in order to meet the needs of the Ivorian market. The speeds offered will be up to 20 Mbit/s downstream and up to 3 Mbit/s upstream. For the launch, Konnect Africa is also setting up a promotion on this new range. In order to make its services accessible to as many people as possible, Konnect Africa has joined forces with local partners in several major cities in Côte d'Ivoire, but also in remote areas: Lifi-Led, Watec, Open Services, HubLive and Ecosat. Specialized in the telecom and technology sector, education, money transfers or audiovisual, these companies with various professions will enable Konnect Africa to address its future customers as closely as possible to their consumer habits. Konnect Africa is targeting rural areas in particular by offering an adapted and lightweight solution called Konnect wifi, which provides shared Internet access through a single point of reception. Konnect wifi will provide Internet access at points of traffic such as shops, villages, schools, farms, hospitals, etc. in rural areas. Access to the service will be through the purchasing of recharge vouchers, valid from a few hours up to 1 month. Currently undergoing the final testing phases, Konnect wifi will be available soon.

SSTL announces completion of small geostationary platform build for EUTELSAT QUANTUM

(Services Sound and Vision Corporation), a not-for-profit charity, under a ten-year contract with the UK Ministry of Defence to supply welfare by radio and TV worldwide.

“Bringing the best of British TV and Radio to our armed services around the world has an incredibly positive impact on their morale and welfare, especially when they are separated from loved ones and home life for months on end,” said Ryan Lambert, Chief Technical Officer, BFBS. “It's great that we can now deliver more

content and more channels than ever before to our forces posted around the globe via SES.” “Our partnership with SSVC spans many years,” said Ferdinand Kayser, CEO of SES Video. “This newest agreement extends our ability to improve the lives of British Forces by bringing them more of the creature comforts of home – wherever they are stationed, including ships in the South China Sea and Eastern Pacific.

We feel privileged that we can

Greater numbers of British forces and their families stationed abroad, including Royal Navy ships at sea, will now receive a range of popular British TV and radio programming from the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) via SES satellites in a new multi-year agreement announced today by SES. The increased capacity will enable BFBS to continue to deliver more popular British entertainment and sporting content across the globe, from Canada in the north-west and Falkland Islands in the south, across Europe and Africa and all the way to Brunei in the Far East. The service is an important part of making British forces and their families feel a little closer to home during deployments.BFBS's mix of popular news, sport and entertainment p r o g r a m m i n g w i l l b e delivered via SES's NSS-12 and SES-6 satellites. BFBS operates as part of SSVC

Farhad Khan, Chief Commercial Officer, Yahsat

12

IN THE NEWS

Marlink expands VSAT services to Transpetrol tanker fleet

Marlink has been awarded a contract renewal to expand its Sealink VSAT service to international ship owner Transpetrol. The renewal secures access to Marlink's global network and specially-chosen business critical VSAT solutions for the entire tanker fleet and two planned new buildings due for delivery within 18 months.Operating a sophisticated and diverse fleet from medium range tankers to Aframax and Very Large Gas Carriers on global routes, Transpetrol's need for always available data and voice communication for operations and crew welfare is addressed by a standardised and cost-effective solution integrating Global Ku-band VSAT, with L-band back-up.Transpetrol will extract more value from Marlink VSAT through an increased Committed Information Rate (CIR) and Maximum Information Rate (MIR), enabling it to use new digital applications and provide more access for crew. Its business and operations will be further protected from cyber-attack through Marlink's highly resilient network and the deployment of SkyFile Anti-Virus, now part of Marlink's extensive Cyber Guard portfolio, on board each ship.“With more digital applications becoming essential to the efficiency of our business, reliable connectivity at sea is more important now than it ever was. It's vital that we partner with a provider that can guarantee always available service levels regardless of where our ships are. Based on our experience as a customer since 2011, we're very confident that Marlink is that partner,” said Eirik Sanderlien, Fleet Manager, Transpetrol.Essential to running Transpetrol's feature-rich solution is the XChange centralised communications management platform, which offers a streamlined and integrated system enabling crew communications management, seamless switching between satellites, VSAT or L-band carriers, as well as hosting Transpetrol's chosen value added services. These include XChange Cloud, a new secure and scalable platform for the optimised transfer and synchronisation of files between ship and shore, and vice versa. Alongside SkyFile Mail and access to Portal 360, XChange Universal Remote Access (URA), which allows shore staff to access on board networks for IT maintenance and troubleshooting, is included for Transpetrol. Additionally, the Data Manager solution provides powerful features including web compression and filtering, data consumption monitoring and an enhanced firewall, all contributing to a more secure and efficient use of connectivity on Transpetrol vessels.“Transpetrol is a great example of how our services have evolved over time to follow customer needs. By providing a future-proof solution at the start of our relationship, we have been able to increase their vessel's connectivity bandwidth and speed, as well as add new digital solutions without any major hardware change or price increase.

SES delivers British Programming to UK troops overseas

Inmarsa t par tner Co l l ins Aerospace is helping Norwegian airline passengers experience free and premium onboard Wi-Fi with its CabinConnect™ high-speed broadband connectivity solut ion, powered by GX Aviation. Available on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and 737 MAX long-haul flights, the new service, which will debut on the m a j o r i t y o f N o r w e g i a n ' s transatlantic flights, enables passengers to stream video and music content, browse the web, access social media, voice and messaging services over our award-winning, high-speed broadband network.

Voted Skytrax 2018 World's Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline, Norwegian received its first connec ted Boe ing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring American author Mark Twain on the tailfin, on 18 December 2018. The new aircraft has entered service and this milestone marks the first time Norwegian passengers can

experience free inflight Wi-Fi for the full duration of long-haul flights. “Providing our passengers with the most reliable and robus t i n - f l i gh t Wi -F i c o n n e c t i v i t y i s v e r y important to us,” said Boris Bubresko, Vice President, Business Development for Norwegian. “We're delighted to work with Collins, which will support our long-haul connectivity needs as we continue to enhance the Norweg ian passenger experience globally.”

Norwegian economy and Premium customers on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and 737 MAX will have the choice of two inflight Wi-Fi packages:Basic option: A free service that allows customers to browse the web, stay-up-to-date on social media, send and receive emails and instant messages with

f r i e n d s , f a m i l y a n d colleagues by using their personal mobile phones, tablets and laptops on board for the full length of the flight.Premium op t ion : Fas t enough to stream music, movies and television shows on Netflix, YouTube and Hulu among others, Norwegian will offer passengers a Premium high-speed Wi-Fi option. Premium high-speed Wi-Fi will be available at an introductory price of $14.95 USD / €12.95 EUR for a three-hour package.

Customers can select their preferred currency when choosing the Wi-Fi package. “Inmarsat's GX satellite constellation allows airlines to offer inflight connectivity that is fast, reliable and consistent with coverage across the world,” said Philip Ba laam, pres ident fo r Inmarsat Aviation.

Inmarsat GX Aviation connects Norwegian passengers

SES’s Operations room at its headquarters in Luxembourg

In Saudi Arabia, people were still eagerly looking for a new means of recreation and entertainment which did not conflict with the Muslim faith especially women and children, were willing to see what was going on m the world away from social isolation, according to an expert in Saudi matters.One of the most difficult problems that Saudi Arabia faces, in terms of expanding television transmission, is that Saudi Arabia encompasses a large area of about one million square miles throughout while the population is thinly and sparsely distributed And in order to expand the television signal coverage, the Saudi government initially installed numerous micro-wave relay stations at different locations throughout the country.

\For a long time Saudi TV depended heavily on an unalterable programming format consisting of imports; mostly re-runs of children's animations, and adult entertainment in the form of family sagas and love stones. Confronted with recent strong competition from Digital Broadcast Service broadcasters, the need has arisen for Saudi TV to produce a more appealing format in order to draw and increase local viewership.

In 1972, two satellite ground stations were completed in Jeddah and Riyadh and linked to the INTELSAT system receiving the signal from satellites in orbit over the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions, respectively. These stations have helped meet the telecommunication needs of the country and have been used to receive and transmit television signals internationally Additionally, Saudi Arabia has been an active participant m the ARABSAT project - headquartered m Riyadh, which was launched to improve all forms of communication among Arab states, including the distribution of broadcast signals.In the early days of television, the two television stations at Riyadh and Jeddah broadcast s imi lar two-hour long

programme schedules. Programmes started at sunset with fifteen minutes of readings from the Holy Quran and sayings of the Prophet Mohammad, followed by readings from the daily newspaper for ten minutes

The rest of the time was divided between children's programmes, cartoons, slides, music, documentary films, and songs When television was first introduced to Saudi Arabia there were no theatres or performing arts institutions, and therefore no available professional television performers, artists or producers Televis ion schedules therefore had to rely on imports

Gradually, the programme schedule was extended, but with more air time to fill and a dearth of home produced matenal, there was an increased reliance on imported programmes from different sources. Programmes purchased from other neighbouring Arab countnes, programmes purchased or leased from Western countries and a very small percentage of amateunsh local efforts still compnse the mightly schedule At present, the Saudi television daily schedule consists of 16 to 18 hours on the 1St channel and 10 hours on the 2nd, most of which is imported. Egypt is the main country from which Saudi Arabian television purchases its entertainment programmes,with Syna and Lebanon not far behind Western programmes, on the other hand, are supplied primarily by American and British companies.

Arab Satellite Communications Organisation

In 1967, the Ministers of Information and Culture resolved to set up a system by which the cultural and social activities of the member states could be integrated by satellite. This was one of the reasons

why, in 1969, the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) was established.

In its early recommendations, the Union stressed the need for the Arab League to join other leading nations in the field of space communication technology; an issue later supported in a UNESCO recommendat ion fo r commun i ty te levis ion. Af ter some years of deliberation, the League of Arab States decided to create the Arab Satellite Communications Organisation, which would own and operate a joint satellite service. A Constitutive agreement was subsequently drawn up and signed and on April 14th, 1976, ARABSAT was founded with the necessary capital provided by all the League member states.

After a number of successive and successful tenders, AEROSPATIALE of France constructed a series of satellites and by 1985, ARABSAT became an operative service. Its first transmission was a broadcast from Makkah during the Islamic pilgrimage (Hajj) in August, 1985. Since then, satellites 1A and lB have completed their operational lives, while satellite lC is expected to stay in operation until 2002.

According to a report, the first two satellites were not economically viable as they were not exploited to their full capacity. The Ku-Band, for instance, was not used until 1993, when it was leased by the Egypt ian Sate l l i te Channel . Furthermore, the absence of an agreed policy among the Arab nations regarding the use of community television meant that satellite television potential was not realised until much later. Still its capacity is n o t f u l l y c a p i t a l i s e d o n a s telecommunication relations are dictated by political, social and economic factors. The upshot is that those states with good diplomatic relations are more likely to reach a reciprocal agreement regarding

Picture source ADB

Courtesy- SpaceX

SPECIAL FEATURE

19

After the launch of Arabsat, the absence of an agreed policy among Arab nations regarding the use of satellite capacity meant that industry’s potential was not realised until much later. Up till today, business relations are dictated by political, social and economic factors. The upshot is that those states with good diplomatic relations are more likely to reach a reciprocal agreement, leading to dedicated country missions. Therefore, the proposed launch of Saudi Communication Satellite from Kourou is set to enable Saudi Arabia target its pressing needs, based on this report

Analysts forecast fierce TV market as Saudi unveils new comsat

the exchange o f p rogrammes. Meanwhile, in May 1990, during the thirteenth session of the General Assembly of ARABSAT, which took place in Algiers, a major development occurred: amendments to the agreement were introduced, effectively permitting ARABSAT to have greater flexibility and enabling it to offer its services to the commercial market. It currently attracts users from both members and non-members of the League as well as from the private sector. The combined service of the remaining first generation satellites now covers North Africa and the Middle East, and extends to the Indian sub-continent.

In order to meet the rapidly growing demand for new satellite services, ARABSAT decided to improve on the capacity, power, coverage and lifetime of the first generation. These second generation satellites have enabled ARABSAT to meet the demand for new telecommunications services and at the same time support the existing service. The next stage, that is, the launch of the third generation of satellites, were also dedicated primarily to direct-to-home digital television and special discounts have been granted for multiple transponder and long-term leasing.

The services provided by ARABSAT are employed by a wide range of parties, both Arab and international. The users of the first generation satellites currently inc lude a l l te lecommunicat ions administrations of every ARABSAT member state; space television channels of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Sudan, M a u r i t a n i a , t h e A r a b S t a t e s Broadcasting Union (ASBU), and MBC, ART, ORBIT, CNN, Radio of the Orient, and the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC). Second generation satellite users include those of the first generation, as well as Libya, Yemen, Qatar, along with CFI, TNIBC, Future Vision and FEN.

Since 16th July, 1998, ARABSAT has broadcast for free a number of Arabic channels to Europe through Hot Bird 4 on 13 °E on digital compression. The channels offered are: Saudi TV Channel 1, Ashariqa TV, Libyan TV, Kuwait TV, and Bahrain TV. ARABSAT has stated that there will be more channels in the future.

Digital Broadcasting Satellite MarketIn Saudi Arabia, the value and potential of Digital Broadcasting Satellite was not fully realised until the l970s. Up to this point, television signals had been transmitted via microwave towers; a system that proved costly due to

atmospheric conditions and the vast geographical area that the towers had to serve. With the adoption of satellite system, many Arab nations became members of INTELSAT, and INTELSAT transponders were even leased out to Saudi Arabia and Sudan to provide a link with their own television transmitters. The early 1990s saw a number of broadcasters using ARABSAT transponders.

Thus Digital Broadcasting Satellite television signals were finally delivered directly to homes in a number of Arab countries.

In the early years, ownership of satellite dishes was restricted to members of the Royal family and prominent businessmen, but as the popularity of satellite television grew, mainly out of an urgent need for news on the Gulf crisis of 1990, more dishes were purchased and installed. However, after this period, several wealthy families in most Arab countries started to acquire large satellite dishes to receive unencrypted signals such as CNN. However, it was Arabic language news and entertainment that the audiences wanted. Soon, every Arab country would have a satellite service, if only broadcasting domestic prograniming.

Recent statistics show that there is currently a huge potential for DBS in the Arab states as two leading Arab nations, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, currently have around 4 million and 8.5 million TV households respectively. The high uptake of digital broadcasting satellite in these market are due to improved economic conditions which entail a higher income per capita, and increased availability of domes t i ca l l y manu fac tu red and assembled receiving equipment in the Arab world.

The digital channels on offer at present are 11 American channels, 12 British, 14 French, 10 Turkish and 15 from Hong Kong, besides a multitude of encrypted, subscription based networks such as Orbit and Showtime.

Currently, the most popular DBS channel is IIBC, while ESC, DSC, and CNN International trail closely behind but with the continuing establishment of new satellite channels and with new products being made available, competition to attract and poach viewers is fierce.

The availability and accessibility of satellite broadcast offer a wider variety and an alternative discourse with a better quality of production than previously obtainable from the local, national television system. These dramatic changes will inevitable exert a profound effect on both the popularity of local transmissions and on the performance potential of local production companies in Saudi Arabia.

So far, entertainment in the form of drama, songs and music, and game shows, for instance, dominates most of DBS output, exceeding more than 90% on some channels.

channels in Saudi Arabia. Its news operations rely on correspondents in Arab and European capitals and in various parts of the world where events are unfolding. Aljazirah provides a line-up of news bulletins every half hour as well as a number of dynamic current affairs, discussion and commentary p rog rammes . I n asse r t i ng i t s independence it does not succumb to pressures from Arab governments and it has adopted a high-risk approach in opening closed files and in tackling sensitive issues.

Aljazirah's perceived credibi l i ty, objectivity and independence have made it one of the most popular news services in the Arab world. This author has learned recently that a number of conservative Saudi viewers, who were strictly opposed to DBS, have begun to install receiving equipment just to tune m to Aljazirah programmes.

Challenge of Foreign NewsThere is a long tradition of Arabs listening to radio broadcasts from the West and numerous surveys have documented that Saudis are avid listeners to Arabic broadcasts of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Voice of America (VOA), and Radio Monte Carlo Middle East. Arabic is second only to English as the most used international radio broadcasting language. This tradition however, assumed another form with the advent of satellite as the new mode of delivery to television signals. Cable News Network has gained important prominence in the region since its extensive coverage of the 2nd Gulf war in 1991.

It subsequently became one of the main sources of news among Saudi viewers in general and among the elite in particular

The Gulf region takes third place after Europe and South Africa in the BBC's World Service television coverage. The BBC broadcasts via satellite and is available on cable systems in Dubai and Qatar, and on terrestrial Babrain transmission, which can be received in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Euronews started to broadcast in Arabic to the Middle East and North Africa on EUTELSAT II in 1997, and today, Euronews is now watched by 86 million viewers throughout Europe and in the Mediterranean area.

Courtesy- SpaceX

SPECIAL FEATURE

20

Combat troops during an operation

Courtesy- SpaceX

22

N T A i s b r o a d c a s t i n g t o U S A , C a n a d a a n d E u r o p e . V i e w e r s i nWashington DC, USA, can receive NTA signals on MHz TV and COMCAST Cable and in addition via Satellite on INTELSAT America- 5 (1. A-5). Viewer in other parts of USA and Canada can receive NTA via satellite on INTELSAT America - 5 (1.A-5). In Europe NTA can be received via

Satellite INTELSAT 95.

24

Governments with a diverse portfolio of space requirements communications, remote sensing, surveillance, technical development are increasingly recognizing the potential role of the commercial satellite industry as a means to improve their ability to fulfill space missions in a timely and economical fashion. The commercial satellite industry represents an enormous space in f rast ructure. A lmost 300 commercial communications satellites currently operate in geosynchronous orbit, compared to about 20 U.S. Department of Defense geosynchronous communications assets. The “orbital real estate” utilized by commercial satellite operators is a strategic asset for government space planners. As these planners consider the cost and time required to fulfill their government and mi l i ta ry space requ i rements , the commercial satellite industry has emerged as a potential solution for select missions.

Every year, commercial satellite operators launch new spacecraft to replenish their on-orbit assets and to respond to new market opportunities. These spacecraft can be designed to include dedicated government capabilities. Those capabilities may include specialized communications systems, sensors to monitor the earth, on-orbit demonstrators of new technology, sensors to maintain situational awareness or systems to augment the capabilities of dedicated government spacecraft.The term of art for these dedicated government systems on commercial satellites is “hosted payloads.”Hosted payloads share the commercial spacecraft bus power and, of course, station keeping. From an economic point of view, the shared cost of pre-launch integration and test, launch and operations can represent a significant savings over dedicated satellite systems.A par t icu lar ly promis ing area o f development for hosted payloads is in earth-observation missions. There are countless environmental monitoring missions, both heritage and new, which will need to be launched in the coming years. Whether observing the earth's oceans, its atmosphere, or worldwide weather patterns, government earth-observation satellites have increasing requirements to incorporate a variety of payloads in

affordable and timely programs. Individual sensors, flown as hosted payloads, represent an opportunity to off-load missions from increasingly challenged government satelliteprograms.The advantages of hosted payloads are balanced against the desire of government space planners to “own” and control the entire platforms which fulfill their missions in space. More and more nations have announced their desire for national space programs, intensifying the competition for orbital slots with desirable frequency allocations. As the demand for earth observation and space-based broadband explodes, there are some government requirements which can be fulfilled by shared orbital assets, rather than d e d i c a t e d , o f t e n h a r d - t o - a f f o r d government owned and -operated space systems.An example of a hosted payload providing a critical government application on a shared geosynchronous asset are the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) L-band payloads launched in 2005 on the Galaxy 15 and Telesat Anik spacecraft currently operating over North America. The L-Band Payloads aboard Galaxy 15

and Anik are an element of the Geostationary Communications and Control Segment (GCCS) of the FAA's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). GCCS and WAAS provide improved GPS accuracy, enabling aircraft to navigate in the National Airspace System during all phases of flight, including precision approaches to most airports. The FAA payload added 60 kg to Galaxy 15, and uses approximately 300 watts of spacecraft power. FAA chose to use a hosted approach for the GCCS space segment, with significant cost savings, and rapid on-orbit insertion, rather than a dedicated satellite. The cost of launch is a key component in the cost savings of hosted payloads. Launch reliability is the keystone of successful space missions. Although we are 50 years into the space age, the means of accessing space are still limited, and the high cost of launch drives the economics of all space enterprise. System reliability is a function of flight heritage, and the geosynchronous launch systems with long heritage and reliability are few: Ariane, Atlas, Delta, Proton, Sea Launch (which uses rocket engines with long flight heritage), Long March, and Soyuz. And scarcity, combined with the complexity of launch systems,

NigeriaSat-1

VIEW FROM THE TOP

D

As the commercial satellite industry continues to evolve, hosted payloads are becoming an increasing part of the solutions offered by the industry to government customers. Economy, speed, and diversity are powerful incentives for a hosted payload solution over dedicated satellites for government customers. The role of commercial satellite operators in the fulfillment of government space missions is a promising element for the future of the industry, according to Don Brown

Hosted Payloads

By Don Brown, Intelsat General Corporation

Intelsat-33e

SPECIAL REPORT

25

drives demand and cost.For commercial communications satellites, the cost of launch and insurance can be more than half of the entire cost of the satellite mission. For government and commercial satel l i te operators, the ability to share launch costs via hosted payloads is a powerful factor.

The expense of access to orbit has resulted in the central fact of life for geosynchronous space operations today: both commercial and military geosynchronous satellites are launched with the same hardware configuration which they will have at the end of their operating life, with no possibility of servicing or hardware upgrade. Unlike low-earth orbiting missions, such as the Hubble Space Telescope or the International Space Station, the hardware and fuel you launch with is the hardware and fuel you live with for the entire mission of geosynchronous satellite. As a consequence, space planners emphasize high reliability components and launch with fuel sufficient to support the entire mission life.

Hence the conundrum of all geosynchronous space operators: the vast majority of the costs of each space mission must be borne before the mission is launched. Most of the total life-cycle cost of a geosynchronous satellite is expended by the time the satellite arrives on orbit. The recurring cost of space operations (Telemetry, Tracking and Control) is a fraction of the non-recurring funds expended on spacecraft design, build, integration, launch and launch insurance. Imagine if, in contrast, the upfront cost of acquiring a military aircraft today included the cost of the fuel the aircraft will consume from now until the end of its operating lifetime, plus the cost of maintenance, pilot training, or technology upgrades over its life…in such a scenario, each aircraft would have more than a billion dollar price tag.

For both government and commercial space planners, the timing of capital deployment for geosynchronous missions has a pivotal effect on mission design. For government space planners, the enormous mission cost, and resulting long mission expectation, for geosynchronous satellites has created a propensity to layer requirements onto requirements for each mission. If mission lifetime is at least a decade post-launch, then the space planner must envision requirements well beyond the spacecraft build cycle; the planner must forecast the communications or sensing requirements of the user community a generation from now.

It is a circular effect: the high cost of space access sets a high bar for the functionality of mission spacecraft, and the high functionality expectations add to the cost of the mission spacecraft themselves. The complex requirements for the mission spacecraft, of course, drive technical complexity; technical complexity adds schedule risk, and schedule risk increases cost.

The shared impact of current space economics also create shared opportunit ies for government and industry. Despite the high cost, global geosynchronous satellite operators must constantly launch satellites to replace aging satellite assets. These satellites are usually

designed and launched as close to the “end of maneuvering life” for existing satellites as possible. The replacement satellites are typically built and launched within two to three years of order. Government space operators often take 10 years to design, test, and launch new satellite systems. Commercial operators are hosting new technology demonstrators aboard their geosynchronous spacecraft, both to reduce the risk of new technologies for government spacecraft, and to provide rapid on-orbit testing for systems which may later be included in dedicated government systems. Commercial operators get additional revenue early in a satellite's mission for the hosted payload, provided that the “hosted” payloads have a limited impact on spacecraft life and resources for its core commercial mission.

The tempo of commercial operations is therefore a key advantage for hosted payloads. Over the last 40 years, the commercial satellite industry has developed the skills to design, procure and launch the typical geosynchronous communication spacecraft, on average, in 36 months or less. The discipline and skills required to maintain the tempo of spacecraft procurement and launch are the hallmark of a mature commercial satellite industry.

Hosted payloads are an extension of that discipline. Before any hosted payload can be manifested on a commercial satellite, operators and spacecraft manufacturers consider the heritage of the individual components of the payload. For a wide range o f government miss ions , whether communications or sensors, there is sufficient heritage to ensure that the payload represents a low risk to the schedule of the commercial host satellite.

As an example, star trackers long used to support satellite station keeping could be re-purposed for space situational awareness missions. For new technologies, the key is an understanding of the payload components. For technology-development payloads, the operating lifetime required of the payload may be less than that of the commercial spacecraft. Thus, in the design of spacecraft operations, every potential hosted payload must be isolated from the commercial mission of the host spacecraft. The design of the hosted payload must be such that a failure of the payload will not impact the function or operational lifetime of the host.

An example of a “technology demonstrator” hosted payload is the IP Router in Space (“IRIS”) payload expected to be launched on the Intelsat IS-14 spacecraft later this year. IRIS, developed by Cisco Systems, will investigate the utility of direct IP Routing for U.S. military operations. IRIS will allow U.S. government systems, using existing C-band and Ku-band terminals, to directly communicate via a single satellite, potentially improving the speed and efficiency of military communications in a significant way. IRIS was developed, built and integrated in less than 3 years, and will use C- and Ku-band transponders on the IS-14 spacecraft, connected to the IRIS payload, to

demonstrate d i rect IP rout ing in geosynchronous orbit. The IRIS payload adds 90 kg to the IS-14 satellite, and will draw 450 watts of power from the IS-14 spacecraft bus. IRIS is an example of the demonstration of a potentially significant government resource being rapidly built and tested in the space environment.

There are also strategic reasons for government space planners to consider h o s t e d p a y l o a d s . T h e s c a l e o f geosynchronous commercial satellite operations allows, through hosted payloads, the potential to provide a diverse and survivable network of space systems. Government space planners may choose to host payloads on multiple commercial spacecraft, thereby providing redundancy and survivability for their critical space missions.

Hosted payloads also offer the promise of greater security for all government operations in geosynchronous orbit. “Space Situational Awareness” sensors are a promising new application for hosted payloads. A variety of passive sensors imaging, infrared, radiation monitoring � could be flown as hosted payloads on the commercial satellite fleet.

These sensors could add immensely to government's ability to monitor the space environment. The economic, strategic, and operational advantages of hosted payloads are weighed against the issue of ownership and control of government space systems. Not all government space missions, of course, are suited to a hosted payload solution, for reasons of national security, scale or technical maturity. Increasingly, however, government space planners appear to be taking a pragmatic view of their space missions. Ownership and control of a hosted payload is in fact available to government planners…provided that control does not extend to an ability to de-orbit or terminate the mission of the commercial host satellite. Separate communications and control of the payload itself is very much within the suite of capabilities available to the government space operator.

In this context, many government planners consider that, in any case, ownership of a geosynchronous space asset, unlike a ship or an aircraft on earth, is less about the hardware itself, and more about control. The “ownership” of an on-orbit space asset is limited to the functional lifetime of an individual space system, or, in satellite communications, the duration and conditions of an authorization to operate space hardware at specific orbital locations and within certain frequency ranges. Control of the space asset is the key factor and hosted payloads can provide a wide measure of control in the operation of the mission.

By Don Brown, Intelsat General Corporation

26

IN THE NEWS

technology Engineering” and another Mr. HareRam Shrestha is doing Masters in Electrical Engineering at the University. As known, Kyutech is the World's No. 1 academic operator of Small Satellites.

Before now, Nepal has been using satellite link of other countries for communication and other purposes, paying huge sums of money. With the launch of own satellite, Nepal could overcome the huge cost and National security compromise.

The proposed satellite will be mainly used for taking photographs of the country on daily basis and disseminate information about its mountains, hills, Terai, Glaciers, roads as well as floods.

Till now, the development of satellite has already been completed. Engineering module completed in August, while Environment test succeeded in December. So, the Satellite is ready to launch in Baishak, 2076. At the moment, the government of Nepal is working to establish a Ground Station, required for the communication to Satellite.

PCCW Media secures the exclusive broadcast rights for Premier League from 2019/20 to 2021/22

PCCW Media has announced that it has secured the exclusive rights of Premier League for the broadcast of the 2019/20 to 2021/22 Premier League seasons in Hong Kong

Now TV continues to be the exclusive licensed broadcaster in Hong Kong delivering live coverage of all 380 matches, bringing viewers exciting live act ion throughout the season. Committing to providing viewers with the best viewing experience with the highest quality, a total of 76 matches will be delivered in 4K per season through the Now One set-top box. Now TV customers can also enjoy matches on-the-go via the Now Player app or relive their favorite matches using Now TV's Video-on-Demand service.

Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director of PCCW Media Group, said, “We are pleased to extend our long-time partnership with Premier League for the coming three seasons exclusively in Hong Kong. PCCW Media has once again acquired all rights to the live Premier League matches with pay-TV,

free TV and OTT rights. Being Hong Kong's home of sports, the continued broadcast of the Premier League and the introduction of matches live in 4K reaffirmed our commitment to bringing the world's best sports actions to our customers.”Mr. Paul Molnar, Director of Broadcasting, Premier League, said, “We know that Hong Kong has many passionate fans of the Premier League and our clubs, and that PCCW Media does an excellent job making the competition available to them. We are very pleased to continue our partnership with PCCW Media and look forward to working with them for the next three seasons.”

Together with the top European leagues and other major leagues currently available, Now TV customers can enjoy more than 1,600 of the world's top football matches in a season. Now TV continues to bring the most comprehensive football coverage with expert analysis and Cantonese commentary to audience in H o n g K o n g , o f f e r i n g v i e w e r s unprecedented enjoyment in watching the most popular football leagues on one platform.PCCW Media is pleased to announce it has secured the exclusive rights of Premier League for the broadcast of the 2019/20 to 2021/22 Premier League seasons in Hong Kong.Now TV continues to be the exclusive licensed broadcaster in Hong Kong delivering live coverage of all 380 matches, bringing viewers exciting live action throughout the season. Committing to providing viewers with the best viewing experience with the highest quality, a total of 76 matches will be delivered in 4K per season through the Now One set-top box. Now TV customers can also enjoy matches on-the-go via the Now Player app or relive their favorite matches using Now TV's Video-on-Demand service.

Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director of PCCW Media Group, said, “We are pleased to extend our long-time partnership with Premier League for the coming three seasons exclusively in Hong Kong. PCCW Media has once again acquired all rights to the live Premier League matches with pay-TV, free TV and OTT rights. Being Hong Kong's home of sports, the continued broadcast of the Premier League and the introduction of matches live in 4K reaffirmed our commitment to bringing the world's best sports actions to our customers.”

Mr. Paul Molnar, Director of Broadcasting, Premier League, said, “We know that Hong Kong has many passionate fans of the Premier League and our clubs, and that PCCW Media does an excellent job

China launches six Yunhai-2 satellites

China successfully sent six atmospheric environment research satellites and a test communication satellite into orbit. They were launched by a Long March-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The six Yunhai-2 satellites will be used to study atmospheric environment, monitor space environment, prevent and reduce disasters and conduct scient i f ic experiments.The test satellite, the first for the constellation, called Hongyan, meaning “swan goose” in Chinese, will be used to v e r i f y t h e f u n c t i o n o f m o b i l e communications in low earth orbit (LEO). The constellation, designed to comprise hundreds of LEO satellites and a global data processing center, was developed by Aerospace Dongfanghong Development Ltd. Shenzhen, a company under the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).After completion, the constellation will provide communication services for intelligent terminals across the world, Internet of Things and mobile broadcast. It can also help enhance navigation, monitor flights and sailing conditions and offer access to broadband Internet.

The constellation can help realize all-time and all-weather communications under any complex terrain conditions, according to CAST. The upper stage Yuanzheng-3, or Expedition-3, atop the rocket, also contributed to the success of the mission. Upper stages are independent spacecraft installed on the carrier rocket that are capable of restarting their engines multiple times in space to allow them to send different payloads into varying orbits. They are also referred to as space shuttles. The recent launch was the 297th mission of the Long March rocket series.

Nepal to launch its satellite

At the start of New Year 2019, Nepalese government has announced plans to launch its own satellite by Baishak 2076. The Kyutech, Kyushu Institute of Technology based in Japan is currently assisting in the launch of Nepal's own Satellite.

According to the Technology department head at NAST Mr. Rabindra Dhakal, Nepal Government has provided Rs 18 million to launch the satellite. Two Nepali engineers at Kyutech will lead the satellite launch. One of them Mr. Abhash Maskey is currently a Ph.D. student in “Space

ASIA

28

IN THE NEWS

making the competition available to them. We are very pleased to continue our partnership with PCCW Media and look forward to working with them for the next three seasons.”Together with the top European leagues and other major leagues currently available, Now TV customers can enjoy more than 1,600 of the world's top football matches in a season. Now TV c o n t i n u e s t o b r i n g t h e m o s t comprehensive football coverage with expert analysis and Cantonese commentary to audience in Hong Kong, offer ing viewers unprecedented enjoyment in watching the most popular football leagues on one platform.

China’s new Telecom data centers takes off

Chinese Internet giant Tencent will build and operate several data centers for the Guangdong branch of China Telecom.

The partnership follows a similar agreement with China Telecom's Chongqing arm, with Tencent aiming to improve energy efficiency at the data center used by the telecommunications company by 30 percent."China Telecom's Guangdong branch will be able to use Tencent's T-Nebula and related intelligent products and its advanced management experiences to further expand its IDC [Internet Data Center] operations, quality and efficiency and maximize the value of IDC, in the years ahead," Yang Xiaofeng, deputy general manager of China Telecom's Guangdong branch, told state-owned publication China Daily.It is unclear how many data centers Tencent will build, but the company said that it has identified several key locations in China for data centers designed to handle the increased workloads expected f rom the ro l l out of 5G.consumer Internet. At the same time, it will also help build a stable, intelligent and massive data center in the era of industrial Internet.

China's 5G to begin in 2019, 10,000 base stations expected by 2020

The commercial deployment of 5G technology in China will take off in 2019 with the first batch of 5G commercial data terminals and smartphones launched in the first half of 2019, according to a report of China's internet industry development released by the Internet Society of

China. The report was released at the 2019 China Internet Industry Annual Conference in Beijing. It also predicts that by 2020, the number of Chinese 5G base stations will reach 10,000.2018 witnessed a critical testing period for 5G technology in China. Three Chinese telecommunications operators - China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, have carried out large-scale testing and pre-commercial deployment in pilot cities, said Gao Xinmin, deputy director of the Internet Society of China. He added that testing areas included industrial internet, smart city construction, Internet of Vehicles with 5G and smart educat ion.

The report says all of the three telecommunications operators aim to realize pre-commercial deployment in 2019 and put 5G into commercial o p e r a t i o n i n 2 0 2 0 .It is notable that 5G will empower the networked driverless technology, in order to support different application scenarios such as easing congestion, real-time scheduling and emergency warning. Wu Hequan, president of the Internet Society of China, said at the conference that 5G, artificial intelligence and industrial internet will be the three main areas to develop in the foreseeable future.

5G to change Korea's telecom industry landscape in 2019

The Year 2019 will be another exciting y e a r f o r S o u t h K o r e a ' s telecommunications businesses as the introduction of faster fifth-generation telecom networks in March augurs upheavals in their own and other industries

The Korean mobile operators at the forefront of the 5G commercialization are widely expected to escape their traditional areas of business, mainly centering on providing high-speed internet and high-quality calls, stretching out to the media industry by providing new services enabled by the 5G network

Compared to the current 4G Long Term Evolution mobile network, the 5G network provides 20 times faster speed for data transmission, allowing users to download a 2-gigabyte high-definition movie in less than a second.Because it is crucial for the mobile operators to provide ideal content for the 5G network infrastructure in order to preoccupy the new network market with

new subscribers, the country's three mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus in order of sales -- are preparing to acquire or seek partnerships with small and mid-size broadcasters or media content startupsNo.1 player SKT is forging ties with over-the-top mobile video content provider Pooq, run by the country's three terrestrial broadcasters, in order to strengthen its own platform Oksusu that aims to rival NetflixSKT's bigger plan is to spin off the Oksusu platform as one of four major subsidiaries along with the mobile network operator, and security and commerce arms.

This is also part of SKT CEO Park Jung-ho's plan to establish an intermediary financial holding company – dubbed “ICT holding company of SK Group -- that take control of the current four business areas of SKTKT is closely monitoring archrival SKT's moves to start the new OTT business in a bid to lose out in the 5G content market.

KT's New Media Business Group will be led by Kim Hoon-bae, former CEO of Genie Music -- the mobile carrier's music streaming platform -- this year, which will focus on developing creative 5G content for its customers

“KT is making efforts internally to develop content for 5G, for example the GiGA Live VR service on its IPTV platform,” said a KT official. The company is also expanding Olleh TV subscribers' access to TV content further to their mobile devices by launching Olleh TV Mobile applicationLG Uplus is gearing up for acquisition of CJ HelloVision, a cable TV channel provider under CJ Group, in order to enhance its cable TV business.

If LG acquires the CJ channel, it would become the second-largest cable TV service provider, beating out SKT's Broadband with a total of 24.43 percent market share. KT is currently the market leader with a 30.86 percent share.

Taking a larger share of the pay TV market is becoming more important for the mobile carriers, because their internet protocol TV service subscribers are key customers for the home media business that would further develop into the future content business“Securing ideal content for the 5G network is the key to success in the new network market,” said an LG Uplus official. “We are seeking to enlarge the size of the home media business by securing more content provided by competitive third-party content providers with an ultimate goal of offering video content for 5G mobile customers, because the home media and mobile users prefer combined service

ASIA

29

plans.”In an effort to attract around 300,000 Netflix users in Korea, LG Uplus has partnered with the US OTT business to offer access to Netflix content via its IPTV platform.

According to a report by KT Economics and Management Research Institute, the media industry is predicted to gain 3.6 trillion won in socioeconomic value by 2030 with the commercial use of 5G technology

The report also mentioned the 5G technology will bring augmented reality and virtual reality content to end users, creating a new category in the media market.

Data consumption on the rise in Bangladesh

Data consumption in Bangladesh has increased markedly by 34 percent in the July-November period of the current fiscal year (2018-19) due to growing use of internet for individual and business purposes, according to a recent report. Besides, flourishing of local contents and online-centric services also helped attract more internet users and bandwidth usage accordingly, said market experts. They also said increased online activities by the users in the run-up to the December 30 national polls were another reason for the rise in data consumption in the country in the period.A c c o r d i n g t o B a n g l a d e s h Te lecommun ica t ion Regu la to ry Commission data, international internet bandwidth consumption increased by 228 gigabits per second to 900Gbps at the end of November, 2018 from 6 7 2 G b p s i n J u n e . B a n d w i d t h consumption by the country's internet users was 411Gbps in June, 2017.In June, 2016, country 's tota l international bandwidth consumption was 265Gbps while it was 186Gbps in December, 2016 and only 8Gbps in 2009. As per the BTRC's latest data, people used 9.18 crore connections through mobile and broadband internet as of November, 2018. Of the connections, 93.68 per cent or 8.6 crore were given by the mobile phone operators and the rest 6.32 per cent or 57.78 lakh were given by the broadband internet service providers. The number of internet users in the country was 7.33 crore at the end of June, 2017.Although the mobile operators have the m a x i m u m n u m b e r o f i n t e r n e t connections, they are using around 35 per cent bandwidth of the country's total

consumption, said a senior official of Internet Service Provider Association Bangladesh. International terrestrial cable (ITC) service providers, which provide bandwidth to the mobile and broadband internet service providers, have capacity to provide 960Gbps of bandwidth against the total demand for around 900Gbps in the country, an official of an ITC service provider said. Of the total data usage in Bangladesh, state-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited provides 65 per cent bandwidth, Summit Communications provides 18 per cent and Fiber @ Home Global provides 15 per cent bandwidth to the internet users.

Besides the entities, Novocom, Mango Teleservices, BD Link Communication and 1Asia Alliance Communication meet the rest 2 per cent demand. The lone state-owned submarine cable company has already got connected with the second cable which also supplies a huge quantity of bandwidth, the official said. Initially, the capacity of the cable was 200Gbps of bandwidth but it has the capacity to provide up to 1,500Gbps of bandwidth.

The country currently receives 200Gbps of bandwidth from its first connection, SEA-ME-WE 4. BSCCL got connected with the cable in 2016. It got connected with the second submarine cable in 2018. Bangladesh joined the consortium in March, 2014 at a cost of Tk 660 crore. Besides providing bandwidth to the local subscribers, BSCCL also exports 10Gbps bandwidth to seven northern states of India.

SK Telecom ventures into US broadcasting with Sinclair dealKorean mobile operator SK Telecom is getting into the U.S. broadcasting market, via a newly announced joint venture with Sinclair Broadcast Group centered around commercializing next-generation TV transmission in the U.S. market in 2019.

During the first quarter of this year, the two companies said they will jointly fund and manage a JV company that will focus on 2019 commercialization of the Advanced Television Systems Committee's ASTC 3.0 s t a n d a r d , w h i c h e n a b l e s d a t a communications in broadcasting bands and can support two-way communications with end user devices by recognizing personal IP addresses. Mobile viewing, three-dimensional television, 4K ultra-high definition, high dynamic range, high frame rate and immersive audio are among the other features of ASTC 3.0.

SK Telecom and Sinclair said in a release that the technology “will give rise to new s e r v i c e s s u c h a s p e r s o n a l i z e d

IN THE NEWS ASIA

China launched two satellite for its GPSsystem (Source: China Daily

30

advertisement and in-vehicle terrestrial TV broadcasting and map updates” and that they expect that all U.S. TV broadcast stations to adopt ASTC 3.0 within the next decade. In September, ASTC saidthat some initial deployments of the technology are underway to “explore system performance and new oppor tun i t ies fo r b roadcasters , manufacturers and viewers.” The Federal Communications Commission has already authorized the use of ASTC 3.0 on a voluntary basis, and tests have been conducted in the Cleveland, Ohio market, including during the 2016 World Series.

The JV between SK Telecom and Sinclair, announced at the Consumer Electronics Show, follows up on an agreement the two companies signed at CES last year to j o in t l y deve lopmen t ASTC 3 .0 technology.

“SK Telecom will work closely with Sinclair Broadcast Group to gain leadership in the next-generation broadcasting solutions market in the U.S.,” said Park Jung-ho, president and CEO of SK Telecom, in a statement.Chris Ripley, president and CEO of Sinclair, said that his company is partnering with SK Telecom “to explore and commercialize solutions that optimize the economic value of our spectrum, our broadcast infrastructure, our programming ventures and our emerging OTT platforms. Bringing these assets together in a converged b r o a d c a s t / b r o a d b a n d p l a t f o r m environment will be a significant value multiplier.”

Irdeto receives prestigious Value Leader Award at Airtel Confluence

Irdeto has received the Airtel Value Leader Award from Bharti Airtel, India's largest telecommunications service provider, based on the value brought to its DTH business through its deployment of Irdeto Armor for Android TV, Irdeto Cloaked CA and Middleware for Airtel's satellite service. The award was recently presented at Airtel Confluence, an annual event attended by Airtel's top partners where partnership excellence is recognized.

The award is based on Airtel's review of partner contributions and considers three key criteria. These are; value delivered through commercial structure, unique business model and strategic importance of business and value generated. The

although the number of active users is reported to be significantly lower.Late last year Netflix struck an agreement with local telco LG U+ that saw it launch on the latter's set-top boxes – a first for Netflix's presence in the Korean market.

Sri Lanka's SLT launches telehealth insurance

Sri Lanka Telecom recently announced the launch of Telehealth Insurance, a special medial insurance scheme, provided in collaboration with Ceylinco General Insurance Limited, the undisputed choice of Sri Lankans for their insurance needs.

The agreement was signed by the two parties and the product was launched recently at a special function organized at SLT Auditorium in Colombo Fort. The registration of the first Telehealth Insurance customer also took place during the launch ceremony.

Telehealth Insurance is a hospitalization support plan exclusively for SLT customers. The Telehealth insurance cover provides financial assistance for hospitalization in any government hospital, registered private hospital/nursing home or any other approved government/private Ayurveda hospital as an in-patient, as a result of sustaining accidental bodily injury, any sickness or illness or any type of surgery.

The key benefits of the insurance scheme are the affordability of the insurance premiums - where medical insurance covers are provided at monthly premiums that are as low as Rs.100 - as well as the convenience involved: the need to fill application forms are eliminated while the monthly insurance premiums can be settled along with the monthly SLT telephone bill.

Three different packages are available for customers to select from: Bronze, Silver and Gold. The insurance covers are available not only for the subscriber, but also the spouse and children of subscribers, based on their unique requirements. Under the scheme, a maximum amount of Rs.5000 will be provided per night stayed at the hospital as well as an additional dengue cover worth Rs.10,000.An added advantage is where the two companies guarantee that all eligible claims be settled within a maximum of 5 days. Customers need only inform Ceylinco Insurance of hospitalizations by calling their Customer Care Hot Line 011 2399199 at the earliest opportunity and submit the required documents. SLT customers who are 70 years or below are eligible to obtain this cover; children between the ages of 1 to 18 years are eligible to be dependents of the scheme

.Thaicom signs long-term contract with TrueVisions to strengthen the future of broadcasting

Thaicom has announced that True Visions Group Co., Ltd. one of Asia's leading pay TV providers, signed a long-term transponder capacity contract for continuing its pay TV service to audiences in Thailand. The company has retained several Ku-band transponders on the new Thaicom-8 satellite which delivers pay TV services to audiences in Thailand and across Asia including premier sports and entertainment events.

TrueVisions will start using the service on the Thaicom-8 satellite from 2019 onwards. The transfer of subscribers from Thaicom-5 to Thaicom-8 is necessary as Thaicom-5 does not serve TrueVision's long-term requirements. “This long-term transponder capacity contract will support the mission of TrueVisions to provide premium pay TV broadcasting services to all subscribers in Thailand”, said Patompob (Nile) Suwansiri, Chief Commercial Officer with Thaicom. “It proves that satellite technology remains a strong value proposition for broadcast expansion in Thailand.” The capacity agreement with TrueVisions is focused on the reliable delivery of one of the best entertainment and sports television platforms in Southeast Asia at the 78.5 degrees East orbital position.

The new Thaicom-8 satellite represents a total solution for broadcast and data clients in Asia with excellent Ku-band coverage. It supports the high demand for capacity of the broadcasting industry as it transitions from standard definition to high-definition and ultra-high definition.

SKT enters automotive digital broadcasting partnershipSK Telecom, connected car vendor Harman and US-based Sinclair Broadcast Group have signed an agreement to jointly develop and commercialize digital broadcasting network-based automotive electronics technology.The agreement, signed at the annual CES trade show in Las Vegas, will see the two companies collaborate to build an automotive platform based on the next-generation ATSC 3.0 broadcasting standard. The platform will allow drivers and passengers to experience in-vehicle HD TV broadcasting, secure firmware updates, HD map updates and V2X certificate management.In the US, the services will be provided via

IN THE NEWS

award is also given in recognition of the ability to develop a win-win commercial model, restructure the joint supply chain to remove waste and champion a cost-conscious culture. Irdeto became an Airtel partner in 2018 with a mission to secure all content offered on Airtel's Digital TV services. As part of the strategic partnership, Irdeto provides pre-integrated security and middleware solutions to help Airtel protect and grow its business on both zappers and hybrid Android TV platforms. “Being a trusted strategic partner to customers is core to Irdeto's business. We not only strive to provide the highest levels of security, but to understand our customers' business needs,” said Doug Lowther, CEO, Irdeto. “It is a great honor to receive an award like this from such a prestigious company. It is testament to our customer-focused culture and the expertise of our team.”

Korea's SK Telecom and broadcasters team upKorean telecom operator SK Telecom has teamed with three of the country's leading broadcasters to launch a joint OTT TV service that will enable them to better compete with the likes of Netflix.SK Telecom and broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS have signed a memorandum of understanding that will see them combine their existing OTT TV offerings Oksusu and Pooq to launch a new service by the end of the first half of this year under the aegis of a joint venture.According to local reports, SK Telecom president and CEO Park Jung-ho is seeking 200 billion in investment for the new venture.SK Telecom fixed-line unit SK Broadband launched Oksusu two years ago. Pooq is the existing joint venture operated by the country's three main broadcasters, with MBC and SBS each holding a 40% stake and KBS holding 20%.The joint venture will give the broadcasters access to SK Telecom's financial strength as well as its network. The new venture is expected to place an emphasis on investing in original content. While Okusu and Pooq have a larger user base than Netflix, the latter has been growing more rapidly on the strength of its investment in original series.The partners also plan to expand the availability of the new service to other markets in South-East Asia where Korean content is popular.Oksusu and Pooq together have around 13 million registered users,

ASIA

31

IN THE NEWS ASIA

32

terrestrial digital broadcasting facilities operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The technology will also be deployed in other markets as local broadcast facilities become available.“Mobility and media are core business areas that will undergo innovative changes in the 5G era,” SK Telecom president and CEO Park Jung-ho said. “With Harman and Sinclair Broadcast Group, SK Telecom will target the mobility and media markets in the US and expand into the global market.”

Capricorn Space to Purchase Initial S/X-Band Antennas for Australian Ground Network - West

With the civil works underway at the first Australian Ground Network site near Geraldton in Western Australia (AGN-W), Capricorn Space CEO Mark Thompson has announced that CGC Systems has been contracted to supply and install the f i r s t an tenna sys tems on s i t e .

Mark said, “I am pleased to announce that we have recently signed a contract with CGC Systems of Basingstoke, UK to supply and install two 5 meter S/X-Band antenna systems at our AGN-W site. This contract award followed an extensive industry wide engagement and formal tender process during the second half of 2018 and this contract award is in line with our program timeline of offering commercial services by mid-2019”.

“The antennas to be supplied are the CGC Model T350SX and provide outstanding performance at a cost effective price point.”

CGC Technology CEO, Dr Mark Gardner added. “We are excited to be working with Capricorn Space on this project, a first for CGC in Australia using our highly effective X/Y antennas. Capricorn Space are a really dynamic and forward looking company offering an innovative and cost effective ground station network approach, we w ish them eve ry success . ”

With implementation planning and execution now well advanced, Capricorn Space is poised to offer targeted ground segment service plans to satellite Operators who require southern hemisphere coverage. The init ial development of the AGN-W site allows for six antenna systems with the first two being owned and operated by Capricorn Space to provide on-demand access to multiple customersMark Thompson added: “The remaining antenna pads are available for third party hosting and we are in discussion with a

number of Operators to take advantage of the strategic location our site offers. Our ability to resolve the regulatory, power and communications challenges to establish this site has attracted significant interest from the global satellite industry. We have the ability to expand further on this site as demand dictates and are now forward planning for our second AGN site in eastern Australia (AGN-E), to follow before end 2019.”

Integrasys expands presence in Asia Pacific as Ronny Pramanta Joins as APAC Sales Manager

Integrasys announced it is expanding its presence in Asia Pacific. The company is establishing an office in Jakarta, Indonesia, headed up by a newly appointed APAC Sales Manager, Ronny Manurung

Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys, commented: “Satellite is increasingly important across Asia Pacific where it is enabling connections in sparsely populated rural areas and continues to be the preferred method of video delivery. Ensuring accurate setup and constant connectivity is critical to keeping these services on air and our tools can enable that. One of our recent successes is with Bank BRI providing four Satmotion Systems to deploy in ATMs”

Ronny Pramanta joins Integrasys with a strong background in the telco industry, most recently working with a number of VSAT providers, including Metrasat and Patrakom, amongst others. As well as in-depth knowledge of both the satellite and te lecommun ica t i ons i ndus t r i es , Pramanta brings a strong experience in technical sales. Ronny Pramanta: “I am really pleased to be joining a great team in one of the most innovative companies in the satellite industry. I look forward to serving my customers in the APAC region”.

“Ronny Pramanta will play a key role in helping us to expand our presence across Asia-Pacific,” added Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys. “His technical understanding coupled with unrivalled sales technique will prove a valuable addition to the Integrasys team”. Integrasys provides a range of innovative tools aimed at automating VSAT commissioning and improving monitoring of VSAT networks to ensure accuracy and efficiency, while serving significant OPEX efficiencies.

BAE Systems to Enhance Communications and Connectivity of U.S. and Joint Forces Across the Pacific

BAE Systems will assist the U.S. Navy in maintaining and operating multiple e lec t ron ic , communicat ion, and computing platforms under a five-year, $79.8 million contract. The program, which supports the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Pacific, will enable BAE Systems to continue providing 24/7 operations and maintenance support for afloat and a s h o r e c o m m a n d , c o n t r o l , communicat ions, computer, and intelligence systems.“We are maintaining ship-to-shore, shore-to-aircraft, and shore-to-shore long-range communications systems,” said Mark Keeler, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' Integrated Defense Solutions business. “Our work is enabling naval, joint, agency, and c o a l i t i o n f o r c e s t o e f f e c t i v e l y communicate and operate across the Pacific and Indian Oceans.”Through this contract, BAE Systems engineers will also continue servicing the U.S. Navy's Mobile User Objective System, a nar rowband mi l i ta ry communications satellite system that o f f e r s e n h a n c e d a n d s e c u r e communications, including voice, video, and data for all branches of the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.A majority of the contract work will take place in Oahu, Hawaii, with additional work performed in Geraldton, Australia.BAE Systems delivers a broad range of solutions and services enabling militaries and governments to successfully carry out their respective missions. The company provides large-scale systems engineering, integration, and sustainment services across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. BAE Systems takes pride in its support of national security and those who serve.

Optus and Sky agree on new 10-year deal for satellite capacity Optus and New Zealand pay TV provider Sky Television have agreed a further 10-year agreement for satellite capacity. Under the deal, Optus will provide Sky with satellite capacity to 2031, with the current contract expiring in 2021. Sky said in a securities announcement that its investment under the contract is in excess

IN THE NEWS ASIA

33

of NZ$200 million. The contract is also conditional on Optus procuring leet enhancements, including the successful launch of a new satellite at 160E to replace the existing D1 satellite. Sky is currently planning a hybrid service that uses satellite and internet deliver over its next generation Sky boxes, which are expected to be delivered later in 2019. Sky said that the hybrid delivery of content via satellite and internet was a key competitive advantage, particularly for sport. The new deal builds on a strong history between the two companies. Sky irst went digital in 1997 when it acquired capacity on the Optus B1 satellite. Optus launched the D1 satellite in 2006, and in 2007 expanded its bandwidth to allow Sky to deliver HD content to its customers. Sky also noted that the renewal allows it to continue delivering on its roadmap for 4K and HDR content across New Zealand. Geoff Long, Commsday

JAXA records launch success after sending Demonstoration-1 aboard Epsilon-4 into space

National Research and Development Agency Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has launched the Innova t i ve Sa te l l i te Techno logy Demonstration-1* aboard the fourth Epsilon Launch Vehicle (Epsilon-4) from the JAXA Uchinoura Space Center. The launch and flight of Epsilon-4 occurred nominally. All seven satellites separated from the launch vehicle successfully; the Rapid Innovative Payload Demonstration Satellite 1 (RAPIS-1) was jettisoned from the launch vehicle approximately 51 minutes 55 seconds into launch. Thereafter, other onboard satellites - M ic roDragon , R ISESAT, ALE-1 , OrigamiSat-1, Aoba VELOX-IV and NEXUS - were respectively separated from Epsilon-4.

Tongan fibre-optic cable outage re l ieved by satelliteTonga Cable has reportedly suffered an outage in the submarine cable network that connects the island nation to the outside world, plunging the island nation into digital isolation. The outage is ongoing and no timeframe is available for restoration of Tonga Cable's service. The sole international service available is currently provided via a Ku-band satellite network, operated by Kacific Broadband Satellite, and supplied in-country by ISP, EziNET. This is providing essential connectivity while Tonga Cable carries out

repairs. Kacific is a provider of high speed satellite broadband and internet into the Pacific Islands for government, business and community purposes.To n g a C a b l e D i r e c t o r , P a u l a PiveniPiukala, said that Kacific engineers are working with the company to provision additional internet and telephone capacity v ia sa te l l i te to enab le pr io r i ty communications during this period.“We appreciate Kacific's assistance, as Tonga currently has no other internet or mobile phone connectivity to the outside world,” he said. “Kacific's satellite service ensures that essential services can be maintained as we work to resolve the issue.” Tonga Cable System is an 827 kilometre submarine cable system, funded by Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. It has cable landing points at Sopu in Tonga and Suva in Fiji.Kacific was last month recognised by the Society of Satellite Professionals with a Better Satellite World Award for its work in offering affordable broadband satellite connectivity services to Pacific Island nations.

DOCOMO pacific and HAWAII pacific teleport partnership offers satellite access solutions to Pacific region

DOCOMO PACIFIC, the leading provider of telecommunications services in Guam and the CNMI, and Hawaii Pacific Teleport ('HPT'), a Hawaii-based international provider of satellite and fiber-based communications, are making a major investment in connectivity enhancements by expanding their presence in the satellite teleport business. Through an exciting new partnership with HPT, DOCOMO PACIFIC is growing its te lecommunicat ions footpr int by expanding its reach and capabilities to connect global customers through satellite teleport services. HPT will increase its existing telecommunications reach to those satellites not visible in Hawaii and benefit from DOCOMO PACIFIC's robust, dark fiber network extending throughout Guam and international fiber POPs. The partnership, created in 2018, is the first of its kind between DOCOMO and HPT. This partnership with HPT allows DOCOMO PACIFIC to improve carrier quality connectivity, enhance colocation and disaster recovery for partnering compan ies , and o f f e r ne two rk redundancy and diversity through satellite bandwidth to islands with limited subsea

cables. HPT will leverage its satellite teleport experience to establish and operate the 12,000-square-foot Guam teleport located in Pulantat, Guam, and will offer a U.S. based teleport facility in the Pacific with access to a number of countries with lower latency and multiple backhaul options. "Over the past year, it's been great to build our relationship and work together with Hawaii Pacific Teleport. As an innovator of new and emerging technology, we're excited to grow our footpr in t wh i le o f fer ing un ique communication services throughout the region. Our partnership with HPT allows DOCOMO PACIFIC to improve the communicat ion needs of many organizations while helping them connect millions around the world. We look forward to the many benefits this new venture will bring to our region while allowing us to remain a leader in innovation and telecommunications in Guam and the CNMI." Roderick Boss, President and CEO, DOCOMO PACIFIC. "DOCOMO PACIFIC is a natural partner for HPT to help complete the most robust and comprehensive fiber and satellite communications coverage throughout the Pacific area of reach," said Leeana Smith-Ryland, CEO of HPT. "Coupled with HPT's existing facilities and visible arc, the new Guam teleport will expand into new satellite footprints and fortify the existing Pacific coverage area."

Geoscience Australia calls for input into security strategy for SBAS infrastructure

Geoscience Australia has issued a request for information to identify security risks for its proposed satellite-based augmentation system. It aims to use the information in the development of an operational cybersecurity strategy.

GA said the information received would also inform government decision making for cybersecurity in relation to the SBAS program. However, it stressed that the RFI was a market research exercise and not an approach to the market.

Geoscience Australia received $160.9 million in the 2018-19 federal budget to support the development of an operational SBAS over four years. It will use space-based and ground-based infrastructure to improve the accuracy, integrity and availability of basic navigation signals such as those currently provided by GPS and Galileo.

The funding followed the establishment of an SBAS testbed that was backed by both the Australian and New Zealand

IN THE NEWS ASIA

34

governments. The trial is managed by Geoscience Australia in partnership with GMV, Inmarsat and Lockheed Martin.According to the tender documentation, the proposed SBAS architecture would include communications and uplink stations, which may be vulnerable to malicious cyber-attacks.The cyber-security strategy will provide information and implementation advice on how to secure its speciic SBAS ground infrastructure and processing facilities. The ground infrastructure for the program includes a network of ranging and integrity monitoring stations (RIMS) across the country. The stations, which will number 30 to 40, will be connected via a high-reliability communications infrastructure

Computational processing occurs at a central processing facility which generates the corrections and integrity information. Satellite uplink facilities will support navigation services and will transmit signals to geostationary satellites, which will broadcast GNSS correction data to users. The ground infrastructure must also be dual-redundant to comply with aviation safety requirements. A brief to industry is scheduled for 30 January at Geoscience Australia's ofice in Canberra. It will be conducted to introduce the SBAS program and outline the RFI process. Geoff Long

Sky and Space preparing to engage with Australian service providers

Nanosatellite startup Sky and Space Global will soon start engaging with Australian telcos and ISPs as it gears up for the first launches of its 200-strong “Pearls” constellation later this year. The constellation will provide coverage of equatorial regions around the globe, with the coverage area including the northern parts of Australia in WA, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Sky and Space operates on a wholesale model and has been gradually signing up a range of service providers in its coverage areas.In an interview with Space & Satellite AU, company founder and CEO Meir Moalem said that Australia wasn't an immediate priority, given the larger countries to the North. However, he said he envisaged working with Australian companies as the launch date gets closer.Moalem was on a regular visit to Australia – where it has had its corporate headquarters since listing on the ASX in 2016 – talking to shareholder and investors. He said he was encouraged by the upswing in activity in the local satellite and space sector in that time.

“When we came here to be listed on the ASX, we were the only listed space company in Australia. So it took some effort, time and patience to educate the market and educate the people about what space is al l about, what nanosatellites are all about, because this is a market that is much more used to gold, oil and lithium,” Moalem said.

“So the more companies join the space segment, I think it's better for everyone. Certainly Sky and Space Global will want to participate in the effort of growing and developing the space ecosystem and industry here in Australia,” he added.Meanwhile, as it moves closer to its launch date this year he believes more customers will sign on for service. Its focus in Asia Paciic will be on large markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines and India.As well as being a launch year, he said it was an important one for the company as it starts to generate signiicant revenues. However, there was still a lot of work to do ahead of the launch.

“Everyone is focussed on the satellite and we tend to forget that there is a whole lot of activity behind that. You need to develop ground stations, ground infrastructure, the software, the logistics system, the supply chain, the IT systems, the maintenance systems – so there's a huge amount of activity that is required before you launch the satellites. But it is exciting,” he said.

As well as its corporate headquarters in Perth, Sky and Space has a signiicant presences in Israel, where the three founders are from, while it also has a software operation in Poland. In London it has an operational base where the company operates the irst “3Diamonds” nanosatellites – which were launched as a precursor to the Pearls fleet. Geoff Long, Commsday.

Singapore first in SE Asia to go fully digital

A new chapter in Singapore's broadcast TV history started on January 1 as the republic successfully shut down all its analogue TV transmissions. This, according to Goh Kim Soon, head, broadcast engineering, Mediacorp, is the culmination of a journey that began in September 2014, when the Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) launched the Digital TV Assistance Scheme to help low-income households make the switch to digital TV (DTV). “To help more Singaporeans transition to DTV, the scheme was expanded in April 2018 to all Singaporean households that did not subscribe to pay-TV, through the Digital

Starter Kit,” Goh added. To further raise awareness about the digital switchover (DSO), IMDA organised weekly DTV carnivals and pop-up counters at various community centres in the republic, where residents could get their DTV-related q u e r i e s a n s w e r e d a n d b o o k appointments for free installations. Reminders about the analogue switch-off date were also displayed regularly on TV screens to urge viewers to switch over to DTV as soon as possible. Reflecting back on this journey, Goh said: “Seamless migration to DTV requires a national effort involving all stakeholders in the industry — from the government to the broadcasters, retailers, TV manufacturers and DTV equipment suppliers.

“Since the first announcement of Singapore's decision to switch to DTV in December 2013, a joint IMDA-Mediacorp taskforce has been set up to look into a tiered approach in the nationwide #Switch2DTV marketing campaign — firstly, to create awareness of the DSO date, and secondly, to educate on the benefits of DTV and the different ways to switch. This is followed by last-mile above-the-line, below-the-line and direct outreach efforts to drive conversion.”Par t icu lar ly fo r Mediacorp , the broadcaster adopted a 360-degree approach by leveraging its multiple platforms — out-of-home (OOH), print, radio, TV, digital — as well as leveraging its strengths to amplify direct-to-home (DTH) messages. These include star appeal via artistes' presence at heartland roadshows and shoutouts during drama promotions, as well as curated content, including DTV messages in Mediacorp's variety programmes, dramas and news coverage.“Direct outreach efforts via house visits by staff were also ongoing to help Singaporeans in the last lap of the nation's journey in DTV conversion,” said Goh. As to any transformational changes that Mediacorp can expect to enjoy after the switchover to DTV, Goh pointed out that Mediacorp's internal broadcast facility has been converted to digital for many years ago. “With DSO and more people receiving DTV, Mediacorp will be able to leverage the digital transmission to introduce and experiment on services like Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) and 4K/Ultra HD (UHD),” Goh added.“HbbTV uses both broadcast and broadband to al low a seamless experience for viewers to go from offline to online and vice versa.“We launched the Toggle Red Button service in 2016 and will continue to develop the service.” Singapore is the first country in South-east Asia to complete the DSO, ahead of ASEAN's mandated 2020 deadline for all its member countries in the region to complete the transition to DTV.

Marlink expands VSAT services to Transpetrol tanker fleet

Marlink has been awarded a contract renewal to expand its Sealink VSAT service to international ship owner Transpetrol. The renewal secures access to Marlink's global network and specially-chosen business critical VSAT solutions for the entire tanker fleet and two planned new buildings due for delivery within 18 months. Operating a sophisticated and diverse fleet from medium range tankers to Aframax and Very Large Gas Carriers on global routes, Transpetrol's need for always available data and voice communication for operations and crew welfare is addressed by a standardised and cost-effective solution integrating Global Ku-band VSAT, with L-band back-up. Transpetrol will extract more value from Marlink VSAT through an increased Committed Information Rate (CIR) and Maximum Information Rate (MIR), enabling it to use new digital applications and provide more access for crew. Its business and operations will be further protected from cyber-attack through Marlink's highly resilient network and the deployment of SkyFile Anti-Virus, now part of Marlink's extensive Cyber Guard portfolio, on board each ship. “With more digital applications becoming essential to the efficiency of our business, reliable connectivity at sea is more important now than it ever was. It's vital that we partner with a provider that can guarantee always available service levels regardless of where our ships are. Based on our experience as a customer since 2011, we're very confident that Marlink is that partner,” said Eirik Sanderlien, Fleet Manager, Transpetrol. Essential to running Transpetrol's feature-rich solution is the XChange centralised communications management platform, which offers a streamlined and integrated system enabling crew communications management, seamless switching between satellites, VSAT or L-band carriers, as well as hosting Transpetrol's chosen value added services.

These include XChange Cloud, a new secure and scalable platform for the optimised transfer and synchronisation of files between ship and shore, and vice versa.

Alongside SkyFile Mail and access to Portal 360, XChange Universal Remote Access (URA), which allows shore staff to

access on board networks for IT maintenance and troubleshooting, is included for Transpetrol. Additionally, the Data Manager solution provides powerful features including web compression and fi l tering, data consumption monitoring and an enhanced firewall, all contributing to a more secure and efficient use of connectivity on Transpetrol vessels. “Transpetrol is a great example of how our services have evolved over time to follow customer needs. By providing a future-proof solution at the start of our relationship, we have been able to increase their vessel's connectivity bandwidth and speed, as well as add new digital solutions without any major hardware change or price increase. We are enabling Transpetrol to run their ships more efficiently while increasing crew welfare in a controlled and very cost-effective way,” said Tore Morten Olsen, President Maritime, Marlink.

Comtech Telecommunications announces telematics and navigation contract renewal

C o m t e c h Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s announced that during its second quarter of fiscal 2019, its Enterprise Technologies group, which is part of Comtech's Commercial Solutions segment, has received a renewal contract for various navigation and telematics services worth $1.4 million from a Fortune Global 500 company. “OEM's, especially in the automotive and wireless industries, find tremendous value in our map data services that c o n t i n u e t o e x c e e d i n d u s t r y expectat ions for content whi le addressing consumer safety and security requirements,” said Fred Kornberg, President and Chief Execut ive Off icer o f Comtech Telecommunications Corp. “We look forward to continuing this valued customer relationship and expect continued business growth from our navigation and telematics product portfolio in the upcoming year.” The Enterprise Technologies group is a leading provider of precise device location, mapping and messaging solutions. Sold around the world to mobile network operators, government agencies, and Fortune 100 enterprises, our platforms locate, map, track and message. For more information, visit www.comtechenterprise.com.

Successful launch of formation-flying microsatellite constellation built by Space Flight Laboratory

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) has announced the successful launch of three formation-flying microsatellites built by SFL under contract to Deep Space Industries for HawkEye 360 Inc. The microsatellites were launched last year into low Earth orbit on December 3, 2018, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The HawkEye 360 Pa th f inder microsatellites will detect and geolocate radio frequency (RF) signals from VHF radios, maritime radar systems, automatic identification system (AIS) beacons, VSAT termina ls and emergency beacons. HawkEye 360 will apply advanced RF analytics to this data to help customers assess suspicious vessel activity, survey communication frequency interference, and search for people in distress. “This is the first time a commercial company has utilized formation-flying satellites for RF detection,” said John Serafini, CEO of HawkEye 360, based in Herndon, Virginia. SFL was selected for the mission by Deep Space Industries, the HawkEye 360 Pathfinder prime contractor, due to the importance of formation flying by multiple satellites for successful RF signal geolocation and analysis. SFL first demonstrated on-orbit formation control with smaller satellites in the 2014 Canadian CanX-4/CanX-5 mission. “We have developed compact, low-cost formation flying technology that no other small satellite developer can credibly offer,” said SFL Director Dr. Robert E. Zee. Precise formation flying is critical to the HawkEye 360 RF system because the relative positions of each satellite in the constellation must be known to accurately geolocate the transmission sources of the radio frequency signals. For the triangulation to be calculated correctly, each satellite must be located with sufficient precision in space and relative to one another. “The core of our business is RF analytics, which is dependent upon high-quality, geolocated RF data,” said Chris DeMay, HawkEye 360 CTO and

36

IN THE NEWS A ER CASM I

IN THE NEWS A ER CASM I

New satellite will provide internet and broadband service throughout Alaska

An Anchorage-based company plans to l a u n c h a n e w - t e c h n o l o g y telecommunications satellite that will give coverage for internet and broadband service across the state for the first time, and could also cut costs in rural Alaska to as low as one third to one fourth of what is now being paid. Pacific Dataport, an affiliate of Microcom, a long-established Alaska company, has signed a contract with California-based Astranis to build and launch the satellite, to be called Aurora 4A, in mid-2020, said Chuck Schumann, COO of Pacific Dataport. Astranis is a new company that is developing new technologies for satellites, particularly for those to be placed in high orbits. The satellite will be in a geostationary orbit 22,000 miles high over the North Pacific, meaning that its location will be constant relative to the earth's surface below.Aurora 4A will be put into a location that will enable it to serve all parts of the state and into the Arctic 600 miles north of the state's Arctic coast. “We chose the Aurora name to continue the tradition of satellites serving Alaska to have that name. Aurora 1, now out of service, was launched in the 1980s and was the first satellite dedicated to Alaska.Aurora 2 and 3 followed, but Aurora 3 is not solely dedicated and actually consists of leased capacity in another satellite. “Aurora 3 is 'aging out' and also uses older technology, and the combination of those were what motivated Microcom to form Pacific Dataport two years ago to develop a dedicated satellite for Alaska.There are actually two satellites in the company's plan so there is backup capability. Pacific Dataport expects an announcement of a contract to build a second satellite within a few months. Schumann said the geostationary location planned for Aurora 4A is best accomplished with a launch from an equatorial latitude rather than Kodiak, which is in a high latitude. The Pacific Spaceport at Kodiak, which owned by the state's Alaska Aerospace Corp., is better suited for launches into polar orbits with satellites using lower orbits.The launch provider for Aurora 4A has not yet been selected, Schumann said, but the rocket carrying the satellite will likely be launched either from Cape Canaveral, in Florida, or French Guiana. Until recently there has not been satellite telecommunications coverage across the entire state. The high cost and limited capacity of satellites serving Alaska resulted in development of surface-based microwave systems like one operated by

GCI serving western and northwest Alaska and a fiber-optic system serving n o r t h e r n a n d w e s t e r n c o a s t a l communities built by Quintillion.Pacific Dataport sees its new satellite as basically complementing, rather than head-on competing, with terrestrial telecom providers like GCI and Quintillion. Pacific Dataport can offer backup for those systems, as well as coverage in areas those systems cannot reach. Aurora 4A will support services like streaming that are not available in many parts of the state and will also provide for faster internet.Alaska's disadvantages seem ironic in many ways. “I was surprised to learn that there is better access in many parts of Africa than in Alaska, Schumann said. There are areas near population centers that have sub-optimal service, too. From the commercial standpoint, once broadband service is established and at lower costs the demand for service will grow sharply, creating more business for all telecom providers, Schumann said. “We know there are thousands of unserved and underserved people in the state because the service is so limited. When service is improved and costs are lowered we expect people to find all sorts of new uses,” he said.

Viasat Community Wi-Fi Service now available to over one million people across Mexico

Viasat Inc. has announced that the Viasat Community Wi-Fi hotspot service is now available within walking distance to more than one million Mexicans living and working in thousands of rural Mexican communities. The Community Wi-Fi service is marketed locally in Mexico under the Conectaless brand.

Establishing successful local distribution and fulfillment partnerships

In 2017, Viasat set up a commercial agreement with GrupoProsperist, a Mexican telecommunications and technology service provider serving rural Mexico for nearly a decade. Through the arrangement,

Viasat and GrupoProsperist have successfully deployed the Community Wi-Fi service across Mexico, making affordable internet available to many of country's most remote locations. Viasat and GrupoProsperist have continued to offer additional value-added services beyond connectivity, most recently including a pay-by-the-minute voice phone service and convenient online bill payment services.

The Community Wi-Fi service uses a

centralized Wi-Fi hotspot to connect to a Viasat satellite to deliver internet service to remote communities that previously had little or no internet connectivity. The service can be d e p l o y e d w i t h m i n i m a l l o c a l infrastructure investment, and can quickly bring cost-effective internet services to emerging markets where large gaps exist between demand and the affordability and availability of internet services.

“In Mexico, there are millions of citizens that have been left unconnected due to h igh te r res t r i a l and w i re less infrastructure deployment costs associated with geographically-dispersed and remote communities,” said Kevin Cohen, managing director, Global Community Wi-Fi at Viasat. “Viasat is changing that. Our cost-effective satellite infrastructure and attractive bandwidth economics coupled with our innovative Community Wi-Fi business model, enables us to bring digital inclusion to the region through the availability of affordable, high-quality, high-speed internet serv ices . Today, th rough our relationship with GrupoProsperist, we are in reach of over one million Mexican citizens—delivering up to 50 Megabit per second speeds—and we fully expect our opportunity to grow over the next few years as we continue to connect unconnected communities.”

Javier Ramirez Navarro, co-founder and CEO at GrupoProsperist added, “GrupoProsperist is dedicated to investing in innovative technology and services that will enhance the lives of people throughout rural Mexico. We believe connectivity is a strong medium for economic and social development. By working with Viasat we can bring the internet to millions of Mexicans and help generate a positive socio-economic impact in regions where traditional terrestrial and wireless internet services were either non-existent or cost prohibitive. The demand for Viasat's Community Wi-Fi service has been high, which has led to job creation and local hiring to support the deployment of Viasat's services across the county.”

Scaling to meet the Community Wi-Fi service demand in Mexico

Since signing the strategic agreement with Viasat, GrupoProsperist has hired more than 40 people in Mexico, growing to more than 100 employees between their headquarters in Tijuana and logistics center in Mexico City. Viasat is also evaluating a number of strategic partnerships to provide additional value-added services such as microfinance, mobile banking, education and telemedicine.

Viasat Community Wi-Fi Service now available to over one million people across Mexico

Viasat Inc. has announced that the Viasat Community Wi-Fi hotspot service is now available within walking distance to more than one million Mexicans living and working in t h o u s a n d s o f r u r a l M e x i c a n communities. The Community Wi-Fi service is marketed locally in Mexico under the Conectaless brand. Establishing successful local distribution and fulfillment partnershipsIn 2017, Viasat set up a commercial agreement with GrupoProsperist, a Mexican telecommunications and technology service provider serving rural Mexico for nearly a decade. Through the arrangement, Viasat and GrupoProsperist have successfully deployed the Community Wi-Fi service across Mexico, making affordable internet available to many of country's most remote locations. Viasat and GrupoProsperist have continued to offer additional value-added services beyond connectivity, most recently including a pay-by-the-minute voice phone service and convenient online bill payment services. The Community Wi-Fi service uses a centralized Wi-Fi hotspot to connect to a Viasat satellite to deliver internet service to remote communities that previously had little or no internet connectivity. The service can be d e p l o y e d w i t h m i n i m a l l o c a l infrastructure investment, and can quickly bring cost-effective internet services to emerging markets where large gaps exist between demand and the affordability and availability of internet services. “In Mexico, there are millions of citizens that have been left unconnected due to h igh te r res t r i a l and w i re less infrastructure deployment costs associated with geographically-dispersed and remote communities,” said Kevin Cohen, managing director, Global Community Wi-Fi at Viasat. “Viasat is changing that. Our cost-effective satellite infrastructure and attractive bandwidth economics coupled with our innovative Community Wi-Fi business model, enables us to bring digital inclusion to the region through the availability of affordable, high-quality, high-speed internet serv ices . Today, th rough our relationship with GrupoProsperist, we

are in reach of over one million Mexican citizens—delivering up to 50 Megabit per second speeds—and we fully expect our opportunity to grow over the next few years as we continue to connect unconnected communities.” Scaling to meet the Community Wi-Fi service demand in MexicoSince signing the strategic agreement with Viasat, GrupoProsperist has hired more than 40 people in Mexico, growing to more than 100 employees between their headquarters in Tijuana and logistics center in Mexico City. Viasat is also evaluating a number of strategic partnerships to provide additional value-added services such as microfinance, mobi le banking, educat ion and telemedicine.

SSPI partners SES and SimbaCom to develop the next generation of space and satellite leaders

SSPI's Mid-Atlantic Chapter has teamed up with SES Government Solutions (SES GS) and SimbaCom to fund two SSPI-MA Chapter scholarships for 2019. SSPI-MA funds scholarships at three local universities to help students pursuing careers- in space or satellite-related fields with their undergraduate or graduate studies. Since 2010, the Chapter has provided scholarship donations directly to George Mason Univers i ty, George Washington University and The University of Maryland as well as supporting monetary prizes for a student competition each spring where students from these respective schools present their engineering projects to a panel of industry executives. Since these programs began nine years ago, SSPI-MA has provided more than $88,000 of scholarship and prize money. The donations from two satellite industry leaders and SSPI members, SES GS and SimbaCom, augment the Chapter's fundraising efforts which are largely driven by the annual Winter Fundraiser and Golf Tournament.

NSSL Global's Iridium Certus service goes liveAward-winning global satcom and IT solutions provider NSSLGlobal is service ready for Iridium Certus, the new L-Band service from Iridium Communications Inc, as part of the Service Provider agreement signed in August 2018. Maritime customers can get immediate

access to the enterprise-grade global broadband functionality and high-quality voice capabilities offered by Iridium Certus — either as a standalone service or in conjunction with NSSLGlobal's VSAT IP@SEA service.

Enabled by Iridium NEXT, the company's next-generation $3 billion low orbit satellite constellation of 66 satellites, Iridium Certus ensures that crews at sea are safely connected and maintaining consistent communication, regardless of location. It also offers a variety of speed classes with the initial service debuting at 352 Kbps and later upgradable via firmware to 704 Kbps in early 2019.

Working in tandem with NSSLGlobal's VSAT IP@Sea, the Cobham SAILOR 4300 Iridium Certus terminal enables NSSLGlobal to provide customers continuous connectivity while also offering its unique Cruise Control+ solution. This will enable users to fully manage their operational and crew communications, via NSSLGlobal's suite of value-added services, covering everything from crew entertainment, onboard IT management, cyber security to an integrated IP PBX.

Scott McBride, the Group Sales Director at NSSLGlobal, commented: “The demand for robust connectivity at sea is mission critical. Maritime companies are hungry for this next generation of satellite connectivity that will guarantee the speeds, consistency, and security they need to operate. Whether used as a standalone service or as a VSAT companion solution, Iridium Certus provides just that. We are service ready from all of the NSSLGlobal offices and able to provide SAILOR 4300 terminals for immediate shipment and service instal lation. To ensure optimum performance levels, our customers can quickly access the highest throughput at the best cost on the latest global network. It's vital that we continue to add unique value to our customer offering providing quality of service, versatility and compet i t i ve cho ice in sate l l i te communications."

Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President at Iridium: “The adoption of the Iridium Certus service by world-class specialist partners NSSLGlobal is a major milestone for the programme. Not only does it allow us to reach a wider pool of potential users who will benefit from the service, NSSLGlobal's customer base of land-mobile users, maritime and governments will benefit from the secure solution Iridium Certus provides connecting 'on-the-move' vehicles and assets anywhere on the planet along with a dual mode cost-efficiency capability that allows users to alternate between cellular and satellite connectivity.”

IN THE NEWS A ER CASM I

Founder. SFL built the three Pathfinder satellites using its space-tested 15-kg NEMO microsatellite bus and incorporated several technologies that make on-orbit formation flying possible. Most prominent of these is the high-performance attitude control system developed by SFL to keep micro- and nanosatellites stable in orbit. Included in the formation flying system are a GPS receiver and a high efficiency Comet-1 propulsion unit developed by Deep Space Industries. “By leveraging SFL's highly successful formation flying technology demonstrated on orbit, along with DSI's pioneering innovat ions and next-generat ion propulsion systems, the mission will deliver unparalleled performance in smaller, affordable satellites,” said SFL's Dr. Zee. Established in 1998 as a self-sustaining specialty lab at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), SFL has built more than 20 nano- and microsatellites with over 90 cumulative years of successful operation in orbit. SFL's attitude control technologies have also been applied successfully in several other microspace programs as well, i n c l u d i n g t h e 2 0 1 6 G H G S a t - D greenhouse gas emissions monitoring satellite and the 2013-2014 BRITE space astronomy constellation.

GetSAT and Honeywell sign multi-million dollar deal with U.S. Government

GetSAT has been awarded, in partnership with a division of Honeywell, a multi-million dollar contract by a U.S. Government agency fo r Command, Con t ro l , Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, a n d R e c o n n a i s s a n c e ( C 4 I S R ) applications in support of missions during dire and emergent situations in the continental United States. The agency selected GetSAT's MilliSAT L/M (land and maritime) KA and KU-band versions to provide maritime and ground-based high-data rate, secure communications-on-the-move (COTM).

GetSAT's portable MilliSAT L/M terminals will be deployed to support satellite on the move (SOTM) for both land-based vehicles and maritime platforms in remote areas for emergency support. Based on the company's patented fully-interlaced In terFLAT pane l techno logy for transmitting and receiving signals on the same panel, MilliSAT provides fully autonomous transmission and reception of high bandwidth data rates of more than 20 Mbps. The ruggedized, medium

lightweight, KA and KU-band terminals meet the demanding requirements of full-time usage in harsh environments.GetSAT CEO, Kfir Benjamin reported, "The U.S. Government has once again entrusted delicate and secure satcom missions, this time in remote areas, to GetSAT terminals. Together with Honeywell, we have delivered our leading-edge communications platforms that enable the government agency to meet its critical operational needs. GetSAT is committed to providing on-the-move satcom platforms reaching the highest specifications and standards and we are proud that our solutions are already operating in the field and maritime environments.”

GetSat's micronized L/M terminals are easy to deploy and integrate and can be outfitted in various antenna sizes in accordance with bandwidth requirements of ground, air and maritime applications. Its unique all-in-one design and super-light compact installation offer significant savings in size, weight, and power usage (SWaP) and include an integrated BUC and modem

Maxar Technologies reports failure of its WorldView-4 imaging satellite

Maxar Technologies Inc. reported that its WorldView-4 satellite experienced a failure in its control moment gyros, preventing the satellite from collecting imagery due to the loss of an axis of stability. Efforts are ongoing in conjunction with its suppliers in an attempt to restore satellite functionality, but thus far these efforts have been unsuccessful. At this time, Maxar believes that WorldView-4 will likely not be recoverable and will no longer produce usable imagery. Maxar operations has put the WorldView-4 satellite in a safe configuration and will continue to monitor the satellite's location and health. The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin and the CMGs were provided by Honeywell.

WorldView-4 was acquired by GeoEye prior to its merger with DigitalGlobe in 2013. It was launched in November 2016 and generated revenues of approximately $85 million in fiscal year 2018.

The satellite had a net book value of approximately $155 million, including related assets, as of December 31, 2018. If the satellite is not recoverable, then the net book value will be written off in Q4-2018. Contingency planning and mitigation efforts are underway to assess the use of the Company's other satellites and outside resources to replace imagery collected by WorldView-4 and meet as

much of the exist ing customer commitments and obligations as possible. The Company currently believes it will be able to offset $10 to 15 million of the annual revenue from WorldView-4 and will work to minimize the potential impact on Maxar's financial results in future years.

The WorldView-4 satellite is insured for $183 million, and Maxar intends to seek full recovery for the loss of WorldView-4 under its insurance policies. The Company will provide further updates on this matter as new information becomes available.

Hughes provides BGAN Satellite terminals for Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center

Hughes Network Systems, LLC announced that U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic ordered over 200 of the Hughes 9211 Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) satellite terminals. Placed through H u g h e s p a r t n e r M a r s h a l l Communications Corporation, the order outfits SSC Atlantic with the world's smallest and lightest High Data Rate (HDR) terminal, enabling mission-critical military communications that are mobile and easy to deploy.“For mobile military communications, portability is as essential as reliable connectivity," said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of defense and intelligence systems at Hughes. "Our Hughes 9211 BGAN comes in a compact, tablet-sized package, providing warfighters a high-speed and reliable communications link in an easy-to-use, low-SWaP system that works in the most demanding situations. We look forward to working with Marshall Communications Corporation and SSC Atlantic to supply this world-class terminal for their global operations.”

Filling a vital requirement for the military, the Hughes 9211 BGAN terminal offers high-speed satellite connectivity in a light-weight and ruggedized device that can deploy quickly and easily in the harshest env i ronments . De l i ve r ing h igh -throughput speeds over 650 kbps with built-in, multi-user Wi-Fi access, the 9211 BGAN supports multiple team members simultaneously and overcomes Line-of-Sight (LoS) limitations.

With low power consumption, the terminal also includes a built-in compass and audio tone for signal acquisition. To date, Hughes has delivered these terminals to serve military, media correspondence, public safety and mobile health care needs.

IN THE NEWS A ER CASM I A ER CASM I

37

A ER CASM IIN THE NEWS

TDK announces high performance software for autonomous vehicles

TDK Corporation announces the launch of InvenSense Coursa Drive software, the world's first inertial-aided positioning solution for AV platform developers. A high-performance extension of the InvenSense Positioning Library (IPL) that has provided sensor-aided positioning to over 50 million devices worldwide, Coursa Drive enhances inertial-only vehicle positioning to <0.2% of distance traveled. These precise levels of accuracy are critical to maintaining decimeter lane-level vehicle positioning in challenging GNSS/perception system environments.

Coursa Drive's inertial navigation system (INS) calibrates using absolute position inputs from either high accuracy GNSS receivers or from perception-based systems (camera, radar, lidar) with HD maps. In real time, Coursa Drive provides high-rate, 100 Hz delta positions and o r i e n t a t i o n t o t h e AV s y s t e m , complementing the lower-rate position references from GNSS and perception systems. For improved system fault-tolerance, Coursa Drive can provide decimeter position precision for short periods when the GNSS or perception systems are uncertain or unavailable.

For non-real-time applications such as HD map creation and maintenance, Coursa Drive's offline mode reprocesses INS data at two to three times higher accuracy than real-time mode, providing HD map companies alternative position references to verify HD map accuracy, even without GNSS, for up to 60 seconds.“Coursa Drive delivers vehicle dead reckoning accuracy equivalent to high-end systems costing thousands of dollars,” said Mike Housholder, Senior Director of the TDK InvenSense Location Software and Services Business. “Our cost-effective software solution will help AV platform and Tier 1 vehicle manufacturers scale beyond prototype vehicles to high-volume mass production.”Coursa Drive provides AV platform developers with maximum flexibility for system integration. The solution is platform agnostic and can operate on Cortex-M4F-class microcontrollers, or higher, and supports most dual-frequency GNSS receivers. The Coursa Drive API specifications are available upon request.

Ericsson and Panasonic Avionics bringing connectivity to the skies with 5G ready platformEricsson and Panasonic Avionics

C o r p o r a t i o n ( P a n a s o n i c ) h a v e announced that Ericsson's Core Network as a Service solution is now live, supporting connectivity services across multiple markets served by Panasonic. Ericsson's Core Network as a Service solution will help Panasonic and its subsidiary AeroMobile, a global GSMA telecoms operator, provide data, voice and messaging services to the millions of airline passengers that use these services in flight. The collaboration between Ericsson, Panasonic and AeroMobile started in 2016 and is now fully operational and delivers services to Panasonic customers worldwide. As part of Panasonic's initiative to bring a superior connected experience onboard commercial aircraft, Panasonic and Ericsson have seamlessly migrated the existing service operating across a global fleet of aircraft onto the Core Network, delivered as a Service, while maintaining network performance and customer experience. Every passenger whose mobile service provider has a roaming agreement with AeroMobile can use the service, which is supported by mobile operators across the globe and delivered inflight on board more than 20 of Panasonic's global commercial airline customers. The geo-redundant solution is delivered through Ericsson's ground-breaking Core Network as a Service and includes virtualized network applications such as packet core, unified data management, mediation, and mobile switching del ivered on the Ericsson NFV Infrastructure. The Core Network solution is part of Ericsson's as a Service offering to service providers globally, and is able to support 5G services to the passenger and airline. Kevin Rogers, CEO of AeroMobile, says: “Our partnership with Ericsson, and the technology provided, will allow us to better serve the communications needs of our passenger and airline customers. Furthermore, the solution enables us to grow our footprint and expand into other services offering a richer experience for the passenger and operat ional efficiencies for our airline customers. We are looking forward to continuing our exciting collaboration with Ericsson." Marielle Lindgren, Head of Customer Unit UK and Ireland at Ericsson, says: “Panasonic Avionics is the first customer on Ericsson's newly introduced Core Network as a Service solution, which aims to bring Ericsson's leadership and expertise to a wide range of service providers. We're proud to have initially been chosen as Panasonic Avionics'

supplier for a 5G ready core network, and pleased that the project is now live.” The two companies will explore other services to address further market segments and opportunities, while ensuring service continuity and the constant evolution of the live network, including exploring new 5G use cases.

Comtech EF Data Corp. enables Gbps throughput for LTE and 5G backhaul

Comtech EF Data Corp. a subsidiary withinComtech Telecommunications Corp.'s Commercial Solutions segment, announced that it set a new industry performance record for General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP) acceleration, enabling faster downloads and enhanced Quality of Experience (QoE) in LTE and 5G networks. As the mobile industry is preparing for the introduction of 5G, Comtech EF Data has enhanced its award-winning satellite modem and optimization portfolio to support the most demanding mobile appl icat ions and services. The November 2018 Ericsson Mobility Report highlights that there are now 25 LTE-Advanced networks in the world supporting Gigabit download speeds. The report also states that with the introduction of 5G, user demand for mobile data services are expected to increase at a 31% CAGR until 2024. “Comtech is recognized as the performance leader in satellite backhaul infrastructure equipment,” commented Richard Swardh, Senior Vice President, Mobile Network Operators for Comtech EF Data. “With the latest additions to our portfolio, we are again demonstrating our commitment to supporting the most demanding mobile applications and services. Customers can be assured that by investing in our technology today, they have a solution that will grow and scale in line with ever-increasing demands for higher speeds as 5G is being deployed worldwide.”

Argentina launches 'Connected Summer' plan to improve coastal 4G coverage

Argentina's communications regulator a n d t h e s t a t e s e c r e t a r y f o r modernization announced with the three mobile operators Claro, Movistar and Personal the 'Connected Summer' plan, aimed at bringing improved mobile

38

IN THE NEWS A ER CASM I

39

coverage along the Atlantic coast for the summer season. In Mar del Plata, they announced that 80 new base stations have been installed, adding to the 1,000 already providing 4G coverage in the main resorts.The improved coverage is expected to support growing demand for internet services and tourism in the local economy. Additional 4G base stations were added around Mar del Plata as well as the coastal areas San Clemente del Tuyu, Santa Teresita, San Bernardo, Mar de Ajo, Villa Party Gesell and Partido de Pinamar.The expansion is part of the coverage requirements in 4G licences. In the past two years, the number of 4G base stations deployed across the country increased more than 150 percent, going from 7,600 to over 20,000, for coverage of 58 percent. The National Communicat ions P lan targets coverage of 93 percent of the population by the end of this year, including deployment in 1,713 cities of more than 10,000 inhabitants, 9,961 km of roads and 200 small localities that do yet have quality mobile internet.The expansion has helped reduce the call drop rate by 50 percent in the past year, Enacom said. At the same, mobile data traffic rose 250 percent year-on-year on 31 December.

Bradford Space Group acquires control of Deep Space Industries

Bradford Space, a US-owned space systems manufacturer with locations in the Netherlands and Sweden, has acquired control over Deep Space Industries, Inc., often known as DSI. In becoming part of the Bradford group, DSI will become Bradford's first substantial US presence, providing an outlet and location for activities in the US space market. Founded in 2012 as an ambitious venture to mine the resources of the asteroids, DSI has more recently become known for its production of the Comet™ water-based electrothermal propulsion systems. Four Comet systems are currently on orbit on spacecraft operated by Capella Space and HawkEye 360. Other customers of DSI include LeoStella, a joint venture of Spaceflight and Thales Alenia Space, and the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL), a satellite development group inside the University of Toronto. S a i d B r a d f o r d D i r e c t o r I a n Fichtenbaum, “We appreciate the strong support shown by DSI's customers for the Comet product. Their

ongoing interest gave us the confidence in continuing to develop the product line.”The addition of the Comet product line is seen as critical to Bradford's development as a world-leading supplier of non-toxic space propulsion systems and will be a complement to the Bradford ECAPS 'green'propulsion systems. ECAPS propulsion systems are already found on fifteen orbiting spacecraft with more planned for launch in 2019, said Bradford & ECAPS Managing director Patrick van Put. ECAPS propulsion systems were found on three spacecraft on the recently launched Spaceflight SSO-A mission, alongside four spacecraft equipped with DSI Comet systems. In acquiring control of DSI, Bradford has also assumed ownership and continued development of the Xplorer mission bus, a project by DSI to provide a lower-cost basis for deep space missions. Said Ian, “The DSI team provided very innovative solutions to the problem of exploring the solar system at a reasonable cost, and we are eager to see if that can be developed with the help of Bradford technologies. We believe in developing and exploring the riches of the solar system and we want to be among the ones to make it happen.” Going forward, DSI will be rebranded as Bradford Space, Inc., or colloquially as 'BSI', in reference to the former name. DSI operations will also continue in San Jose, California in the heart of Silicon Valley, but now under the Bradford name and leadership.

First GPS III satellite successfully launched

GPS III Satellite, the newest generation of GPS satellites, brings new capabilities to users, including three times greater accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities.The Air Force and its mission partners successfully launched the first Global Positioning Systems III satellite Dec. 23 from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The Lockheed Martin-built satellite was carried to orbit aboard a Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, Falcon 9 Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. The satellite is known as “Vespucci,” in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer for whom the Americas were named.

“Launch is always a monumental event, and especially so since this is the first GPS satellite of its generation launched on SpaceX's first National Security Space mission. As more GPS III satellites join the constellation, it will bring better service at a lower cost to a technology that is now fully woven into the fabric of any modern

civilization,” said Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson, Space and Missi le Systems Center commander and Air Force program executive officer for space. “It keeps GPS the gold standard for positioning, navigation, and timing information, giving assured access when and where it matters. This event was a capstone, but it doesn't mean we're done. We're going to run a series of procedures for checkout and test to ensure everything on Vespucci functions as it was designed.”

GPS III's “Vespucci” separated from its upper stage approximately two hours after launch. Engineers and operators at Lockheed Martin's Waterton facility will now begin on-orbit checkout and tests which are estimated to complete in six months. Operational use is expected to begin in about a year.

“Today's launch could not have succeeded without the teamwork of dedicated professionals. I'm extremely proud of their accomplishment.” stated Col. Steve Whitney, GPS Directorate director. “Today's launch is the beginning of the GPS III era, bringing greater capabilities for our military and civilian users worldwide.”

Vespucci will be vectored to augment the current GPS constellation comprised of 31 operational spacecraft. GPS satellites operate in medium earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 12,550 miles in six planes. Each satellite circles the earth twice per day. GPS provides the “gold standard” of position, navigation and timing services for billions of users worldwide. GPS III, the newest generation of GPS satellites, brings new capabilities to users, including three times greater accuracy, and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities.

“The first GPS III launch marks a significant milestone for the GPS constellation as well as our partnership with SpaceX,” said Col. Robert Bongiovi, SMC Launch Enterprise director. “This launch demonstrated the successful teamwork and cooperation amongst all mission partners to deliver the capabilities our warfighter demands. I'm proud of my team and look forward to our additional National Security Space missions with SpaceX.”

The GPS III Vespucci team is led by the SMC's Global Positioning Systems Directorate, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Corporation is the prime satellite vehicle contractor. The launch was led by Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise Directorate, and was on the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle at Cape Canaveral AFS. Air Force Space Command's 50th Space Wing and 2nd Space Operations Squadron operate the GPS constellation from Schriever AFB, Colorado.

SMC is the Air Force's center of acquisition excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. Its portfolio includes

t h e G P S , m i l i t a r y s a t e l l i t e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s , d e f e n s e meteorological satellites, space launch and range systems, satellite control networks, space based infrared systems and space situational awareness capabilities.

As the U.S. enters a new era with the declaration of space as a warfighting domain, SMC is undergoing re-architecting as part of “SMC 2.0” efforts which will manage other significant U.S. acquisition agility initiatives that seek to build new partnerships with industry, all ies, and Defense Department partners, in order to drive innovation within the space enterprise and speed the delivery of new capabilities to warfighters.

US Air Force contracts Lockheed Martin to continue GPS ground control system sustainment

The US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin the GPS Control Segment Sustainment II (GCS II) contract to continue to sustain and further modernize the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation's ground control system through 2025. This is the follow-on contract to Lockheed Martin's current GCS contract awarded in 2013. Under the GCS II contract, the continued upgrade of the GPS Architecture Evolution Plan Operational Control Segment (AEP OCS) will allow GPS' legacy ground control system to support GPS III satellite on-orbit operations, deve loped under the GPS I I I Contingency Operations (COps) program. COps will enable the AEP OCS to support the positioning, navigation and timing missions of the Air Force's new GPS III satellites, which began launching in 2018. In addition, GCS II will sustain the operational M-code capability being deployed in 2020 that is in development under the M-code Early Use (MCEU) contract. Operational M-code is a critical warfighter capability to suppor t miss ions in contested environments.

Under the GCS contract, Lockheed Martin executed numerous engineering modifications to the OCS, including the COTS Upgrade 3(CUP3)/Ground Antenna Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) Interface Technology Refresh (GAITR) upgrade, the Remote Site COTS Network (RSCN) project, the G P S I n f o r m a t i o n P r o t e c t i o n Reinforcement (GIPR) project, the COTS Upgrade #2 (CUP2) project, and

Red Dragon Cybersecurity Suite (RDCSS). These projects modernized the infrastructure, improved the cyber posture and added mission capability. The GCS II contract continues that commitment to evolving the OCS to address today's mission needs.

Under GCS II, LM will continue to manage the technical baselines for the OCS and GPS Information Network (GIN) and regularly procure, develop, fabricate, integrate, test, and install software and hardware modifications into the GPS operational baseline. Focus areas will be performing a technical refresh of the GIN and increasing the resiliency of the OCS.

“Lockheed Martin's experience integrating GCS projects as well as the system engineering and software integration performed on GPS III Contingency Operations (COps) and M-Code Early Use (MCEU) position us well to deliver GCS II,” says Maria Demaree, VP/GM Mission Solutions for Lockheed Martin Space. “We look forward to supporting the Air Force as it deploys the next generation GPS III satellites and the i r new capabi l i t ies for our warfighters.”

UltiSat to provide managed network services to support U.S. Government customer

UltiSat, Inc., was awarded a 5-year, $23M contract in support of a significant defense contractor to provide reliable and secure meshed/managed network services for the U.S. Government. The $23M contract value is for the core services and does not include pre-priced incremental services with significant upside potential. During the term of the contract, UltiSat will provide fully managed Internet, VoIP, and business application services at Forward Operating Base (FOB) locations across the Middle East and Southwest Asia. In acco rdance w i t h common US Government procurement practice, the contract is subject to an annual review and approval process.

“UltiSat is proud to be part of an incredible team providing satellite, microwave and terrestr ial f iber communications services to support our military,” said Garr Stephenson, Senior Vice President of ISR and Mobility Solutions. “UltiSat's world class network and 24/7 Secure Network Operations Center form the critical components to ensure the success of the program. Our expert and proactive staff alerts our

customers of problems with their network often times even before they are aware. Problems are escalated to engineers in real-time and are sorted out and resolved to get connectivity up and restored with the utmost urgency. Our customer is very appreciative of our rapid response to this program's dynamic, emerging and evolving needs.”

SSL selected to define small satellite requirements for environmental defense fund

SSL, a Maxar Technologies company announced that it is leveraging Maxar's combined capabilities for a contract to define requirements for a small form-factor satellite that will monitor and measure methane emissions from oil and gas facilities around the world. The satellite, named MethaneSAT, will enable Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to change the way we detect and analyze methane emissions and understand and combat climate change.

Following design development, EDF anticipates awarding a contract in 2019 for the final design and manufacturing of the satellite.

MethaneSAT will provide global, high-resolution detection of methane emissions from regions that account for over 80 percent of global oil and gas production on a weekly basis. The satellite's high precision will enable it to detect and quantify both high- and low-emission sources and accurately attribute them to relevant oil and gas infrastructure.

To enhance its solution, SSL is working together with Maxar's DigitalGlobe, which is the global leader in commercial high-resolution satell ite imagery. DigitalGlobe will provide technical input on the satellite payload design and guidance on the overall mission plan.

"SSL's decades of experience in developing reliable spacecraft systems, combined with the full suite of space capab i l i t i e s o f f e red by Maxa r Technologies, uniquely positions us to provide solutions for advanced missions, such as MethaneSAT," said Richard White, president of SSL Government Systems. "We're honored to lead the charge in accelerating innovation for missions that reveal critical insights about our changing planet and help to build a better world.”

Comtech EF Data

IN THE NEWS A ER CASM I

awarded deal for satellite modems to support United States Air Force Program

Comtech EF Data has received a $1.0 million equipment order from a defense contractor. The equipment will be deployed to support a United States Air Force program. “We are honored to support the US Air Force's program with our latest generation satellite modem board which is ideally suited for at-the-pause, on-the-move, flyaway and integrated satellite terminal

The order specified the DMD1050TS L-Band Satellite Modem Board. The DMD1050TS is Comtech EF Data's latest generation modem board set targeted at cri t ical government and mil i tary applications. The product complies with the widest possible range of U.S. Government and commercial standards and is compatible with the largest number of satellite modems in the industry.

It is fully compliant with MIL-STD-188-165A, STANAG 4486 Edition 3 (EBEM), and the IESS–315 commercial standards at data rates up to 37 Mbps. Additionally, the DMD1050TS has successfully completed Phase I of Army Forces Strategic Command (ARSTRAT) WGS certification and is scheduled for final Joint SATCOM Engineering Center (JSEC) evaluation.

The DMD1050TS L-Band Satellite Modem board offers a complete modem with FIPS certified TRANSEC on a compact PCB daughter board. The embedded TRANSEC capability is fully compat ib le w i th the TRANSEC capabilities in Comtech EF Data's DMD2050E and SLM-5650A Satellite Modems. The extensive list of integrated hardware and software options allows the user to integrate the modem on many platforms and provide an upgrade path for future networks. Options may be purchased with the product or easily upgraded in the field through the web browser or terminal port. “We are honored to support the US Air Force's program with our latest generation satellite modem board which is ideally suited for at-the-pause, on-the-move, flyaway and integrated satellite terminal applications,” commented Fred Kornberg, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Comtech EF Data Corp. is a leading supplier of communications equipment with a focus on satellite b a n d w i d t h e f f i c i e n c y a n d l i n k optimization. The high-performance satel l i te communications ground

equipment is deployed globally to support miss ion-cr i t i ca l and demanding applications for government, mobile backhaul, premium enterprise and mobility. Service providers, satellite operators, governments and commercial u s e r s w a n t i n g t o o p t i m i z e communications, increase throughput and delight customers, are leveraging the performance and flexibility of the Comtech brand. The solutions are facilitating fixed and mobile networks in 160+ countries and across every ocean.

Iridium completes historic satellite launch campaign

Iridium Communications Inc. announced that a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base has delivered the final 10 Iridium® NEXT satellites to low earth orbit. All 10 satellites have successfully communicated with the Iridium Satellite Network Operations Center and are preparing to undergo initial on-orbit testing. This was the eighth and final launch for Iridium's historic launch campaign with SpaceX, seeing a total of 75 new satellites deployed over less than two years.

Iridium has invested approximately $3 billion to replace its original satellite system with a new, state-of-the-art network, ushering in an era of financial and technological transformation for the company.

At the core of this transformation is the dramatic change in cash flows as construction capital expenses end and a decade or longer "capex holiday" allows significant cash generation from existing and new services. These include Iridium CertusSM, which will provide the world's fastest and only truly global specialty L-band broadband connectivity, enabling highly mobile internet access using smaller and more cost-effective terminals, and the AireonSM aircraft surveillance system, extending real-time visibility of aircraft for air traffic controllers and airlines to the entire planet for the first time.

"It has been an honor to deliver 75 new Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit. Matt and the entire Iridium NEXT team have been incredible to work with," said Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer at SpaceX. "On behalf of all of our employees, congratulations to Iridium on achieving this incredible milestone.”

The Iridium satellite constellation is unlike any other in orbit and is the only

communications network with pole-to-pole coverage of the entire planet. It is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 crosslinked satellites totaling 66 in the operational constellation, creating a web of coverage around the Earth. The 10 Iridium NEXT satellites launched as part of this final mission were deployed to orbital plane three. Since the launches began, the constellation has been undergo ing a one- for -one replacement, new satellite for old, achieved through a highly choreographed in-space maneuver known as a "slot swap.”

"There are few words to describe what it feels like to complete a vision started many years ago when I joined the company and what it means for Iridium and our future," said Iridium CEO Matt Desch. "Our gratitude to SpaceX for helping bring this new generation of satellites to orbit, so flawlessly every time is beyond words. However, for Iridium, we're not quite across the finish line yet, as there is still some work to do to put these satellites into operation. Once that's complete, our future will be in place. I'm just incredibly proud of our team right now.”

To date, new satellites make up 60 of the 66 satellites in operation, with the final six scheduled for activation in the coming weeks from today's launch. Iridium NEXT satellites were designed by Thales Alenia Space, which serves as system prime contractor, and are being integrated by Tha les ' subcont rac tor, Nor throp Grumman. The production process features an 18-station, state-of-the-art assembly line system for all 81 Iridium NEXT satellites being built.

"Totally deployed, Iridium NEXT is now arguably the world's highest performance and most sophisticated constellation which represents today's state of the art in terms of technology and flexibility and Thales Alenia Space is so proud for having risen to this huge challenge. I would like to thank Iridium for having placed its trust in us, and thank everybody at my company, at Iridium and at our partners for having worked as "One Team," all with the sole objective of delivering the constellation to orbit as quickly as possible, while guaranteeing top-flight quality," declared Jean Loïc Galle, CEO of Thales Alenia Space.

In total, 81 satellites are being built with 75 successfully launched. Nine of the satellites launched will serve as on-orbit spares, and the remaining six will be ground spares.

A ER CASM IIN THE NEWS

A ER CASM I

Orbital Data Network provides emergency telecoms Service using UHP VSAT Technology

Orbital Data Network has announced an enhancement of their solutions and services for restoring communication infrastructure to public safety networks, based on the latest VSAT technology from Canadian manufacturer UHP Networks Inc. ODN Inc. has decades of experience as a leading satellite network integrator and emergency services solutions provider. The company designs and integrates a robust set of communication products and services that meets the needs of its agencies. Some examples of the ODN customized solutions and services include automatic tower site backhaul failover to satellite and/or LTE, an award winning transparently meshed Ku-band satellite network specifically designed for radio and telephone backhauls, emergency backup and tactical telephone networks, communication trailers and command vehicles, and hand-held push-to-talk (PTT) satellite phones. ODN has selected the UHP technology for the 2nd generation of its meshed VSAT network. Greg Heifner, the company founder and CEO, stated “We look forward to delivering even more enhanced services to our client base. Our engineers have reviewed VSAT technologies on the market, and we are convinced that the UHP technology has the edge in high-availability Mesh and Star networking. We have installed one UHP Hub and will soon add another for geographical redundancy. The installation process was surprisingly simple, and the technology performed as advertised”. Vagan Shakhgildian, CEO of UHP Networks commented. “We are pleased to partner with Orbital Data Network, a well-established and successful system integrator and managed service provider. The ODN engineers are known for their expertise, thoroughness and customer focus. The UHP team extends our full support to ODN for projects in the US and Canada”.

Speedcast International Ltd extends mobile services to remote locations in Central America Speedcast In ternat iona l L imi ted announced it has won a new contract with a subsidiary of one of the largest mobile operators in the Americas to increase

mobile coverage in Central America.

Speedcast will use an extensive satellite network to provide cellular backhaul and VPN services for consumers and enterprises in Nicaragua and other countries in Central America. The Speedcast technology will provide the region access to best-in-class services that will enable mobile carriers to expand their 3G and 4G services throughout the region. Carriers will also be able to provide high-speed VPN services for enterprises that want to increase the speed and security of their critical communications and expand into areas that don't have connectivity today

In regions with very dense vegetation, satellite transport solutions are the best way to reach remote populations to enable people to communicate and break down the digital divide. Speedcast's cellular backhaul solution will also help deliver a premium enterprise service that will spur economic growth in remote areas of Central America

"We continue to see strong demand for connectivity in emerging markets, and with our satellite services, local carriers in Central America will be able to greatly expand their mobile networks in order to provide services to people and business that aren't connected today or that are not s a t i s f i e d w i t h t h e i r c u r r e n t communications options," said Erwan Emilian, EVP, Enterprise & Emerging Markets at Speedcast. "We look forward to working with this new customer as they shift from a competitor's network to Speedcast. We are proud that they trust Speedcast to provide best-in-class critical communication services that will enable them to grow their business in the region."

ETL Systems acquires Atlantic Microwave to strengthen global RF product range

ETL Systems has acquired Atlantic Microwave, a leading provider of microwave components and satellite communication test equipment. ETL Systems operates globally with manufacturing and R&D sites based in the UK. The UK facilities combined with offices in Washington DC and Dubai support the firm in serving customers in 112 countries. ETL's key international clients include CNN, BBC, Airbus, Thales, General

Dynamics, ESPN, DirectTV, Associated Press, Inmarsat, BAE Systems and SES Astra. Ian Hi ldi tch, CEO, ETL Systems, commented: “Atlantic Microwave offers a wide range of complementary RF products and a different customer base. We will be able to use our experience as a global manufacturer to support Atlantic around the world.” He added: “Atlantic is also very focused on customisation of its RF range and so it was a well aligned company to acquire.” Based in Braintree, UK, Atlantic has specialist design, manufacture and test facilities and employs over 15 staff. Currently, the company distributes 14 different satellite communications product lines covering 10MHz to 110GHz, which includes test loop translators and satellite simulators. With this shared focus on custom design and providing customer service that's second to none, the acquisition will see Atlantic expanding its range of RF based products. Atlantic's clients will also benefit from ETL's engineering expertise covering RF, PCB and CAD design. Geoff Burling, CEO of Atlantic Microwave, said: “We are delighted to welcome the support of ETL Systems, especially as they have a similar reputation for specialist RF design. We look forward to continuing to grow our RF testing markets around the world.” It is business as usual as the two companies collaborate together to offer a wider product offering to both ETL and Atlantic customers.

Airbus wins DARPA contract to develop small constellation satellite bus for Blackjack programAirbus Defense and Space Inc. has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a satellite bus in support of the Blackjack program. DARPA describes the Blackjack program as an architecture demonstration intending to show the military utility of global low-earth orbit constellations and mesh networks of lower size, weight and cost. DARPA wants to buy commercial satellite buses and pair them with military sensors and payloads. The bus drives each satellite by generating power, controlling attitude, providing propulsion, transmitt ing spacecraft telemetry, and providing general payload accommodation including mounting locations for the military sensors. “Airbus has previously co-invested hundreds of millions of dollars in high-rate manufacturing technology and supply chain logistics to build large constellations of small satellites,” said Tim Deaver, Director of US Space Programs at Airbus Defense and Space, Inc. “Airbus is committed to growing manufacturing capability in the US and our government customers can leverage this

IN THE NEWS

commercial capability to develop low-earth orbit constellations to complement large existing systems.” This contract positions Airbus Defense and Space, Inc., of Herndon, Va., and its strategic joint venture partner, OneWeb Satellites, of Exploration Park, Fl., as the ideal service providers for Blackjack. High production rates and design-to-cost management techniques enable OneWeb Satellites to offer low cost constellation solutions for the U.S. government and current customers. Constellations of inexpensive satellites permit wide scale disaggregated architectures enhancing survivability across many different mission areas. OneWeb Satellites is pioneering new value propositions in space. They are leading the design and manufacturing of ultra-high performing satellites at high-volumes. “We have created a game changer with our overall design, supply chain and production system,” said Tony Gingiss, CEO, OneWeb Satellites. “Our team is transforming the space industry and we are in the midst of demonstrating we can deliver on our promises.” OneWeb Satellites brings to bear capabilities which dramatically lower the cost and shorten acquisition timelines for customers thanks to a modular design and agile serial production of satellites. The OneWeb Satellites satellite manufacturing facility in Florida is the latest step in Airbus' continued and long-standing commitment to growth in U.S. manufacturing, job creation and investment. This facility, which will ultimately support thousands of jobs and follows the opening of our U.S. Manufacturing Facility for A320 aircraft in Mobile, Alabama, from which we delivered our first aircraft in 2016. An A220 assembly line on the same site in Alabama will break ground in January of 2019. With our extensive network of U.S. suppliers, Airbus is the largest consumer of U.S. aerospace and defense goods in the world – buying more than any other company or even country. Airbus invested $16.5 billion with U.S. companies in 2017, supporting 275,000 American jobs.

90 Argentine satellites to be launched by China China will send 90 satellites on its Long March-6 carrier rocket into orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center for an Argentine company, according to the China Great Wall Industry Corporation. The corporation has signed a multiple launch services agreement with Satellogic, a private Argentine company specializing in Earth-observation

satellites. The first 13 satellites will be delivered later this year. It will be the first time for the Long March-6 to provide launch services for an international user.After the 90 satellites are in orbit, an E a r t h o b s e r v a t i o n s a t e l l i t e constellation will be formed, imaging the entire world with a 1-meter resolution every week. So far, the China Great Wall Industry Corporation has successfully launched six satellites for Satellogic. Satellogic provides solutions in the fields of agriculture, forestry, oil and gas, finance, and insurance, using satellite imaging.

Aireon Announces US$200 Million Credit Facility with Deutsche Bank Aireon LLC has signed a credit facility agreement for US$200 million with a group of several independent investor funds, led by Deutsche Bank. This credit facility provides Aireon with the resources to fund various company initiatives and to continue to pay Iridium for the costs related to the integration, launch and hosting of the AireonSM payload on each of the 81 Iridium® NEXT satellites. The agreement was signed on December 21st, 2018. This announcement comes just days after the final launch of Iridium NEXT satellites and their Aireon hosted-payloads."This credit facility is a vote of confidence in Aireon's business model and a testament to the team, technology, investors and our role in the future of the aviation industry," said Rich Nyren, CFO, Aireon. "Iridium, as one of the founding partners with NAV CANADA, enabled the Aireon opportunity through its US$3 billion investment in the incredible Iridium NEXT satellite constellation. Aireon has benefited by this relationship, and this facility now provides a vehicle by which Aireon can more quickly pay Iridium for access to this prime real estate in orbit."Sunil Sharma of Deutsche Bank commented, "Deutsche Bank is delighted to have worked with Aireon and its key shareholders on this landmark financing in the Air Traffic Control and Satellite sectors. We look forward to work ing wi th the management team towards the commencement of the Company's full scale commercial operations in 2019."The eleven long-term contracts signed with its launch Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) customers have provided Aireon with a strong financial

foundation. Aireon has already started paying the US$200 million hosting fee owed to Iridium, and this new credit facility has enabled the company to pay another US$35 million in 2018 for a total of US$43 million to date.

Astranis and Pacific Dataport sign exclusive agreement to bridge Alaska's Digital Divide

Astranis Space Technologies Corp., building the next generation of telecommunications satellites to bring the world online, and Pacific Dataport Inc., a company created for Alaskans by Alaskans to bridge the state's digital divide, today announced a signed agreement and commercial partnership to construct and launch the first-ever commercial Astranis satell i te to dramatically increase bandwidth in Alaska and lower the price of internet access statewide. Under the new agreement, Astranis will design, build, launch, and operate one of its proprietary high-throughput telecommunications microsatellites in geostationary orbit to accelerate the availability of cheaper, faster, and more reliable broadband internet service to the entire state of Alaska.The satellite will launch in 2020 and provide 7.5 Gbps of capacity to roughly triple the currently available satellite capacity in in Alaska while also bringing costs down by an average of three times less than current pricing for both residential and wholesale customers."We really couldn't have asked for a better first customer and a better partner," said John Gedmark, co-founder and CEO of Astranis. "Not just because of PDI's vision and dedication to bridging Alaska's digital divide, but also because this is a perfect opportunity to showcase our phased approach to bringing online the more than four billion people in the world without reliable internet access."Astranis and PDI will work closely alongside PDI founding partners Space Partnership International (SPI) and Microcom to accelerate the vision for a fully connected Alaska."PDI was created specifically to address this connectivity problem in Alaska," said Chuck Schumann, founder of Pacific Dataport. "Through our work together, we ultimately hope to provide 40 Gbps - 50 Gbps of dedicated bandwidth to bring the entire state of Alaska online with broadband internet— including many in the state who have no access at all. The new agreement with Astranis is the first step toward making that dream a reality much faster than we could with one of the traditional big satellite manufacturers."

A ER CASM IIN THE NEWS