News Analysis

Intelsat 2013 Results Reflect Challenges in the Government and African Markets

Washington, D.C., February 20, 2014-- Intelsat S.A. today reported total revenue of US$ 642.8 million and net income attributable to Intelsat S.A. of US$ 72.6 million, or $0.62 per share on a diluted basis, for the three months ended  December 31, 2013. The company reported adjusted diluted net income per  common share of $0.84 for the three months ended December 31, 2013. 

Gilat Doubles Backlog in 2013 to US$ 228 million

Petah Tikva, Israel - February 18, 2014 - Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. today reported its results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2013. Revenue for 2013 was US$ 234.9 million with EBITDA of US$ 16.3 million. Gilat reported strong backlog of US$ 228 million at the end of 2013 more than doubled as compared to US$98.9 million at the end of 2012.

Global Spending on Space Decreases for First Time in 20 Years

Paris, France, February 13, 2014--According to Euroconsult's newly released research report entitled "Profiles of Government Space Programs," global budgets for space programs dropped to US$ 72.1 billion in 2013 following peak spending at US$ 72.9 billion in 2012. This is the first time since 1995 that public space programs worldwide have entered a downward trend, a direct result of the cyclical nature of countries' investment in space-based infrastructures combined with governments' belt-tightening efforts during tough economic times.   

Arabsat and MICT sign capacity contract on Arabsat-5

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 11, 2014- Arabsat and Morgan for Information and Communications Technology (MICT) signed a contract where Arabsat will provide Morgan with Satellite capacities on Arabsat-5C at the orbital position 20° East, with full coverage to the African continent, in addition to Arabsat usual coverage to the Middle East and large parts of Asia and Europe.

ABS-2 Satellite Successfully Launched by Arianespace

Kourou, French Guiana, February 6, 2014--The ABS-2 satellite was successfully launched  at 6:30  p.m. Kourou time today. The satellite was launched on an Ariane ECA launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center.

Ericsson Purchases Azuki Systems

Stockholm, Sweden, February 6, 2014--Ericsson today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Massachusetts-based Azuki Systems, Inc., a provider of TV Anywhere delivery platforms for service providers, content owners and broadcasters.

First Global Xpress® Satellite Achieves Key Milestone

London, UK, February 4, 2014--Inmarsat today announced that Inmarsat-5 F1, the first in its fleet of three Global Xpress (GX) satellites, has successfully completed its orbital deployment stages on schedule.  Inmarsat and Boeing engineers, working from Inmarsat’s GX teleport in Nemea, Greece, are now beginning a month of comprehensive payload testing, in preparation for commencing live end-to-end testing of the high-speed, mobile broadband GX connectivity services, scheduled to start in March.

THAICOM Launches Fast Internet Connectivity Service

Bangkok, Thailand, February 3, 2014--THAICOM Public Company Limited announced today the launch of the IPSTAR service to enhance broadband connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region. This service launch represents the next stage of the cooperation agreement signed several months ago with Gilat Satellite Networks to provide customers across the Asia-Pacific region with an integrated solution comprising Gilat's SkyEdge II-c VSAT satellite ground equipment and Thaicom4's (IPSTAR) high throughput satellite (HTS).

The February 2014 issue of the Satellite Executive Briefing magazine

 

The February  2014 issue of  the  Satellite Executive Briefing magazine  sponsored by The Spaceconnection  is now available.  Featuring:

CES 2014: What it Means for the Satellite Industry  by Elisabeth Tweedie

The "Death" of Fiber by Lou Zacharilla

The Launch Industry Heats Up  by Virgil Labrador

The Satellite Industry Agenda 2014 by Martin Jarrold

plus Market Briefs, Executive Moves, Vital Statistics and Satellite Markets and Research 25TM Stock Index  and many more.   Click here to read or download the file

One billion TV-Centric Connected Devices Now in Homes

Bedfordshire, UK, January 28, 2014The global installed base of TV-centric connected devices surpassed one billion units in 2013 and will exceed two billion by 2017, driven by smart TV, IP-enabled set top boxes, game consoles, Blu-ray players and low cost digital media adapters, according to the latest research from Futuresource Consulting.