Satellite Networks

Submarine cable network operator and managed connectivity service provider Seacom has launched a low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite service for its enterprise clients in South Africa.

Eutelsat Group announced on Tuesday that its LEO satellite unit OneWeb is providing broadband services in Antarctica for British Antarctic Survey (BAS) on a trial basis.

Kacific Broadband Satellites Group revealed on Monday it’s collaborating with Microsoft’s Airband initiative to connect rural educational and healthcare institutions across developing countries in the Asia Pacific using satellite broadband connectivity.

SpaceX, which designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft, has applied to Indonesia's government for an internet service provider (ISP) permit for its Starlink satellite unit, according to a statement from the country’s communications ministry late this week.

Thuraya, the mobile satellite communication arm of UAE satellite player Yahsat, announced on Tuesday that it has expanded its partnership with Algérie Télécom Satellite to become the authorised distributor of Thuraya’s new direct-to-device (D2D) satellite smartphone in Algeria.

High altitude pseudo satellites (HAPS), aka high-altitude platform systems, are back in the news, this time thanks to a deal affecting India.

Eutelsat Group says it has signed a multi-year, multimillion-dollar deal with African ICT integrator NEC XON to supply connectivity capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa via Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO satellite constellation.

Is Ghana accelerating the pace of satellite internet licensing in response to the disruption caused by the widely reported subsea cable damage off the coast of West Africa?

Thuraya Telecommunications Company, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE’s satellite solutions provider Yahsat, is partnering with data compression specialist Niflink to provide customisable telemedicine and e-learning solutions across its network using Niflink’s video compression technology.

Start-up satellite manufacturer and operator Astranis said on Monday it has struck a new partnership with Latin American ISP Orbith to provide a dedicated MicroGEO communications satellite for Argentina.

UAE operator etisalat by e& has become the first telecom operator to partner with UAE-based satellite operator Yahsat for its Direct-to-Device (D2D) strategy to enable satellite connections for standard smartphones.

Echostar-owned Hughes Network Systems announced on Wednesday that Kazakhstan’s Republican Center of Space Communication (RCSC) will deploy its Jupiter System ground platform to connect remote villages in the country.

An expanded connectivity offering from two major names in satellite communications – Intelsat and CDL – is said to hold out the promise of delivering new land mobility services throughout India.

Thailand may reportedly lose at least one of its two satellite orbital slots next year if the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) can’t find any takers in its upcoming allocation plan.

MTN, the largest mobile network operator in Africa, and global communications provider Omnispace have announced a collaboration to provide voice, data, fintech, digital, enterprise, wholesale and API services to over 290 million customers in 19 countries.

The Indian government is reportedly set to classify satellite broadband as a telecoms service, which would make global satellite broadband players eligible for 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) automatically.

Satellite and space tech company Thaicom has announced the selection of Astranis, a fast-growing satellite manufacturer and operator, to supply Thaicom-9, the newest addition to the Bangkok-headquartered company's fleet of high-throughput satellites, at 119.5 degrees East.

Oil and gas production are major industries in the Middle East, Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and other regions covered by this publication. But should telecoms monitor the effect of these industries on the environment – and if so, how? Two possible answers come in the form of a recently launched satellite.

Satellite technology company Avanti Communications has been granted the authorisation required for its HYLAS 4 satellite gateway station in Diamniadio, Senegal, about 32 kilometres from Dakar.

Malaysian telco CelcomDigi on Friday said it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with satellite operator SES to find ways to use SES’s medium-earth-orbit (MEO) and geosynchronous satellites to connect businesses and communities in Malaysia.

Eutelsat Group and satellite engineering enterprise Q-KON have revealed that multiple digital banks in South Africa have now gone live on Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO satellite network.

Talks between SpaceX and Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to allow Starlink satellite broadband services in the country have reportedly been put on hold, as has a pilot project with coast guard drones using Starlink connectivity.

Colombian local connectivity service provider INRED and global satellite operator SES have kicked off a project to deliver high-throughput satellite services for the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTic) to support digital inclusion projects across the country.

A renewed and expanded deal between Openserve and Intelsat and could signal a major boost for connectivity in South Africa.

Turkcell, the largest mobile operator in Turkey, and satellite-direct-to-mobile-telecoms (Sat2Phone) provider Lynk Global have announced a contract signing signalling the start of initial Sat2Phone services utilising what Lynk calls its ‘cell-towers-in-space’.

There’s been another announcement at MWC 2024 from Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks, this time involving a project with prominent telecommunications firm and systems integrator Saudi Net Link (SNL).

Global satellite operator Intelsat announced on Tuesday it has renewed and expanded its relationship with South African telecoms infrastructure provider Openserve to include new hardware and satellite connectivity.

Direct-to-phone satellite operator Lynk Global announced on Monday it has successfully tested its Sat2Phone technology in Argentina for the first time in collaboration with Telefónica.

Among satellite operator Intelsat’s announcements for MWC 2024 is news of a communications service in Madagascar running in 65 communities, providing first-time connectivity to about 100,000 people.

Sivers Semiconductors is showcasing its mmWave portfolio of 5G mmWave, unlicensed 5G, and satellite communications products at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024.