Space is coming to L.A. in the form of a brand-new show called Spacecraft Technology Expo. To be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center May 8-10, this free-to-attend event is dedicated to bringing together global decision makers, engineers and the supply chain involved in spacecraft, satellite, launch vehicle and space-related technologies.

Focused on the design, build and testing of spacecraft, the expo will feature over 120 space-qualified companies promoting testing and design services, software products and component manufacturing through to complete spacecraft.

This month the West Africa Cable System (WACS) that will link Southern and Western Africa with Europe will start providing 15 African countries with 5.12Tbps submarine cable bandwidth capacity. In another month or so, the US $700 million Africa Coast to Europe(ACE) 5.12 Tbs submarine cable that will connect 23 countries will also start carrying broadband Internet traffic commercially.  The two cable systems will play a key role in reducing digital divides across the region and in connecting Africa with the rest of the world.

Bright lights.  Big crowds.  Penn & Teller, Circe de Soleil and showgirls wearing costumes that would make their grandfathers blanch.  If it’s April, it must be NAB in Las Vegas.

Spanish satellite opeator Hispasat achieved record revenues of 187.5 million euros in 2011--a new high for the company.  Consolidated EBITDA was at 154.7 million euros, 7 per cent more than 2010. EBITDA margin increased 2.8 percentage points to 82.5 per cent, which shows  HISPASAT´s efficient management in 2011, a year in which the company reduced operating costs 120.9 per cent from 2010.

The reports’ findings reveal unique comparative industry statistics since 2002, showing consistent and strong growth in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, heralding a positive future for this industry in Afghanistan. It also shows exciting developments in the convergence of technology platforms and media, in step with the wave of new media applications and social media content washing across the globe.

Among the highlights of the study include:

India continues to be one of the fastest growing major telecom markets in the world. It is also one of the largest. Sweeping reforms introduced by successive Indian governments over the last decade have dramatically changed the nature of telecommunications in the country, according to a new Research and Markets report entitled "India - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts."

Over the past years, the West and Central African region has witnessed a dramatic increase in mobile broadband connections due mainly to the surge in mobile broadband connections in Nigeria. Effective regulatory environments have made Nigeria and Ghana among the most dynamic broadband markets in sub-Saharan Africa with over 150 market participants and massive terrestrial infrastructure development, according to a rcent Frost and Sullivan report.

Mobile penetration in India reached 74% 2011 with room for further growth accroding to a recent Research and Markets n Report entitled "India - Mobile Communications - Market Overview, Technologies and Forecasts."

The theme of this year’s NAB to be held this month in Las Vegas is “the great content shift.”   If you haven’t attended the NAB in the last five years, you’ll hardly recognize it now.   The focus is still on traditional broadcasting, but it has since incorporated the many changes in how content is  created, managed and distributed in the new multiplatform environment. The NAB now covers Over-the-Top (OTT), IPTV and other new and emerging technologies.  

The global space economy grew to US$ 289.77 billion in 2011, reflecting a surprisingly robust single-year expansion of 12.2 percent and five-year growth of 41 percent in a global economy that has been suppressed in many other sectors, according to the Space Report 2012 published by the Space Foundation.