Welcome to National Harbor, in-person or virtually!  In my previous column for Satellite Markets & Research I included reference to some details of the SATELLITE 2021 (https://gvf.org/event/satellite-2021/) conference program, an event comprising both digital and in-person content and featuring two panel sessions to be hosted by GVF.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is launching a new NAB

The July-August  2021 issue of  the Satellite Executive Briefing magazine focusing on the Asia-Pacific Satellite Market is now available.  Featuring:

The Asia-Pacific Satellite Market by Omkar Nikam

The Satcom Industry in China: Accelerating to 'China Speed' by Blaine Curcio

Executive Roundtable on Satellites and 5G

"I Think You are on Mute"  by Lou Zacharilla

The Road to National Harbor by Martin Jarrold

PLUS Products and Services Spotlight, Mergers and Acquisitions, Executive Moves, Market Briefs, Vital Statistics, Satellite Markets Stock Index and many more. Click here to read or download the file

The 36th edition of the Space Symposium held at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs from August 23-26, 2021 was the first major industry event to be held live since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Organizers estimated the attendance at between 7-8,000 from 25 countries who came to see a full slate of distinguished speakers in various panels and keynotes and 200 companies exhibiting on the show floor. With the exception of everyone required to wear a mask indoors, the show was much like the shows pre-pandemic with the usual receptions and networking activities.

There is absolutely no doubt that the Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly growing business.  Whether we’re consciously aware of it or not, digital transformation is impacting all aspects of daily life.  Connected devices are becoming pervasive; from refrigerators that let you know when you’re going to run out of milk, to sensors monitoring the moisture content of soil; from self-driving cars, to tags tracking the movement of containers, across oceans and continents.  A recent study from Fortune Business Insights projected that the global IoT market would reach US$ 1,854.76 Billion by 2028

Kymeta and Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL), a leading global provider of next-generation 911 emergency systems and secure wireless communications technologies, announced today a technology and business development partnership.

Vector Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: VACQ), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company backed by leading technology investor Vector Capital, today announced that Vector’s shareholders voted to approve its proposed merger with Rocket Lab USA, Inc., at its annual general meeting of shareholders held on August 20, 2021. Vector also announced that holders of less than 3% of its Class A ordinary shares have properly exercised their right to redeem their shares in connection with the proposed merger.

Leichtman Research Group (LRG) found that the largest pay-TV providers in the U.S.– representing about 95% of the market – lost about 1,230,000 net video subscribers in 2Q 2021, compared to a pro forma net loss of about 1,505,000 in 2Q 2020. 

The top pay-TV providers now account for about 77.6 million subscribers – with the top seven cable companies having 42.6 million video subscribers, other traditional pay-TV services having about 28.2 million subscribers, and the top publicly reporting Internet-delivered (vMVPD) pay-TV services having about 6.8 million subscribers.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announded today that it will be requring proof oof vaccination for all attendees of the NAB show to be held in Las vegas from October 9-13, 2021.

Spire Global, a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, today announced it has completed its previously announced business combination with NavSight Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NSH)  to take Spire public. The combined company has been renamed “Spire Global, Inc.” and its shares will commence trading on the New York Stock Exchange on August 17, 2021, under the ticker symbol “SPIR” for Spire common stock and “SPIRW” for Spire warrants.