In response to continued strong growth in the maritime communications market, GVF-EMP are staging the latest in their conference series with ‘Maritime Insights Europe 2013: GVF Broadband Maritime Offshore & Oceanic ~ Networking towards a high throughput space’, to take place on 25th & 26th June at the Strand Palace Hotel, London, United Kingdom.

Turkey’s satellite television provider Digitürk is up for sale following  a Turkish state fund’s seizure of 12 companies owned by the pay TV operator’s majority owner, Çukurova Group.

Bloomberg has reported that Sakir Ercan Gül, chairman of the Turkish Saving Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), has revealed that the TMSF is entering into talks with Providence Equity Partners, which holds the 47 percent of Digitürk not owned by Çukurova, with a view to selling either Çukurova’s stake or organizing a joint sale of the company.

SES announced today that it has further increased its household reach in the Benelux countries in 2012 to over 1.2 million homes. With a 19 percent increase compared to the previous year, Belgium topped the Benelux growth in ASTRA satellite homes. In Luxemburg, the number of household receiving programmes directly from the SES fleet increased by 16 percent. These – and other new details – are the result of the annual market research SES Satellite Monitor.

Under the royal patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society, the 10th Convergence Summit, will take place in Amman on the 3rd and 4th of June 2013 at the Four Seasons Hotel. Her Royal highness will be addressing the summit at the opening ceremony.

SES S.A. has posted revenues of US$568.12 million (€440.8 million) for its latest quarterly results, down 2.1 percent year-on-year. EBITDA for the three months ended March 31 reached US$414.00 million (€321.2 million), down 4.8 percent.

SpaceTech Expo (www.spacetechexpo.com ) the West Coast’s premier space industry event, has increased the free seminars and sessions available to its attendees by expanding its free-to-attend Satellite & Space Summit and Open Tech Forum.  “Against the backdrop of tough travel budgets for industry and government, we want to offer unrivalled value to the spacecraft and launch industry,” says Guy Harris, Event Director for Space Tech Expo 2013. “That is why on top of our premium Space Tech Conference for C-level business people, we have expanded the free-to-attend Satellite & Space Summit, and free Open Tech Forum.”

KVH Industries, Inc. announced that it has acquired Headland Media Limited, a UK-based media and entertainment services company. Headland Media is a provider of commercially licensed news, sports, movies, and music content that they sell in the maritime, hotel, and retail markets.

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat has acquired TC Communications Pty Ltd. based in Australia. Inmarsat will integrate the company into its existing operations with a particular focus on supporting its expanding Global Government and Enterprise Business Units, according to a company statement.

Intelsat S.A. reported revenues of US$ 655.1 million and a net loss of US$ 7.8 million, or $0.09 per share, during the first quarter of 2013.  Intelsat also reported an EBITDA or earnings before net interest, taxes and depreciation and amortization, of US$ 496.8 million, and Adjusted EBITDA1 of US$ 505.8 million, or 77 percent of revenue, for the first quarter. The company said it has contracted backlog amounting to $10.4 billion at the end of the quarter.

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. said revenues rose 8 percent to US$ 82.8 million while EBITDA increased to US$ 5.1 million, up 74 percent, during the first quarter of 2013.

On a non-GAAP basis, Gilat said its operating income for the first quarter of 2013 was $1.0 million compared to an operating loss of $0.3 million in the first quarter of 2012. Net loss for the period on a non-GAAP basis was $0.3 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to net loss of $0.8 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, in the comparable period in 2012.