Stories about the broadband industry.
Microsoft is scaling up its presence in space, in a figurative rather than literal sense. Azure, the company’s cloud computing arm, is focused on building out software tools and partnerships within the industry, rather than launching its own hardware into space. Azure Space launched in Oct. 2020. It’s apparently been quite busy since then. The […]
If you thought that T-Mobile and SpaceX’s Thursday announcement would scare the H-E-🏒🏒 out of other players working on direct-to-phone connectivity from space, think again. AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) execs welcomed the extra attention on their business brought by the T-Mobile/SpaceX technology partnership. So too did Lynk Global, a Virginia startup putting “cell towers in space” […]
Atlas Space Operations has raised a $26M Series B led by Mitsui. The ground-software-as-a-service provider is turning its attention to growth. Atlas 101: Though the Michigan-based startup provides service from a network of 13 ground stations across the globe, its key value lies in its software, CEO Sean McDaniel told Payload. “We solve the hard […]
Gone are the days of switching off your phone and laptop before takeoff and living a lonely, analog life until landing. The in-flight connectivity (IFC) industry has seen rapid growth over the past year, and the number of connected airplanes is expected to double within the next decade, per a new Euroconsult report on the […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rejected SpaceX’s bid for $866M in subsidies to roll out Starlink in the rural US, according to a press release issued yesterday. “Consumers deserve reliable and affordable high-speed broadband,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “We must put scarce universal service dollars to their best possible use […]
Viasat ($VSAT) kicked off another busy week of space earnings after the bell Monday. The satellite operator reported Q1 FY23 revenues of $678M (+2% YoY), with a GAAP net loss of $22M (vs. $17M of net income last year). Viasat reported total consolidated awards of $783M (+32%YoY) for the quarter, good for a book-to-bill ratio […]
Consolidation is the order of the day in the legacy satellite world. The latest: Luxembourg-based SES and American satellite operator Intelsat are in talks to tie the knot, the FT reports. The GEO operators are long-standing competitors, and in recent memory, duked it out in bankruptcy court. Is it time to let bygones be bygones? […]
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and fights over spectrum rights. Certainty No. 3 continued to deliver earlier this week, with a SpaceX regulatory filing to launch a new mobile service. Specifically, SpaceX petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to provide mobile satellite service (MSS) in the 2 GHz band. MSS […]
Iridium ($IRDM) was doing 2020s-era space stuff before it was cool. The McLean, VA company deployed a constellation in low-Earth orbit and used those satellites to provide connectivity to devices in hard-to-reach areas around the world. It went bankrupt once upon a time, and in 2009 it went public via SPAC. Now, Iridium appears to […]
Yesterday, Eutelsat confirmed Bloomberg reporting that it is officially in talks to merge with OneWeb. Refresher: OneWeb is building a LEO broadband megaconstellation to rival the likes of Starlink and Kuiper. The UK company has launched 428 satellites (~66% of its planned constellation). France’s Eutelsat, founded in 1977, operates a fleet of 36 GEO satellites […]
SpaceX has debuted Starlink Maritime for merchant vessels, oil rigs, and yachts. The service promises to connect large boats with high-speed, low-latency satellite internet, all “from the most remote waters across the world.” Starlink Maritime touts download speeds of up to 350Mbps at sea. Mileage may vary, though, as Starlink legal documents say users can […]
SpaceX launched its 51st set of Starlink satellites this evening, with the workhorse Falcon 9 lifting out of a thick layer of fog enveloping Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Sunday evening marks the 50th dedicated Starlink launch. The mission’s first-stage booster previously launched Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, NASA’s DART planetary defense mission, and three Starlink […]
