Satellite Networks

It now seems that the Democratic Republic of Congo has granted a licence to satellite communications company Starlink – despite an earlier ban, which finally appears to have been rescinded.

Global satellite operator Intelsat announced on Thursday it is expanding its partnership with Hispasat’s teleport operator and satellite services provider Axess Networks to provide satellite communications services throughout the Americas.

Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband internet constellation is up and running – at last. The first 27 satellites were finally launched into space from Florida on Monday after bad weather meant an initial launch attempt on 9 April was abandoned.

Aspiring LEO satellite player Rivada Space Networks announced on Monday it has signed new deals enabling it to launch its "Outernet" services in Costa Rica and the Czech Republic.

SpaceX’s LEO satellite unit Starlink is one step closer to launching services in Bangladesh after the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) reportedly approved its application for a satellite internet licence.

4iG Group, a leading ICT company in Hungary and the Western Balkans, has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Azerbaijan's state space agency Azercosmos.

Satellite operator Viasat says it has completed another demo of its direct-to-device (D2D) technology in Brazil – this one using consumer smartphones – following last month’s D2D demo for connected cars.

Globalsat Brasil, a Brazilian affiliate of satellite telecommunications company Globalsat Group, says it is leading the modernisation of communications for the locomotives of logistics company VLI Logística, in partnership with Viasat.

Malaysia’s Altel Group and Chinese LEO satellite firm Zhejiang Geespace Technology reportedly formed a joint venture on Friday to create regional industrial communications solitions leveraging satellite and 4G. 

LEO satellite operator Starlink appears to have had a pretty good week or two in Africa, with licence awards in Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau and Somalia making headlines. But it isn’t quite as simple as that.

Zimbabwe mobile operator NetOne has reportedly struck a deal with direct-to-device (D2D) LEO satellite operator AST SpaceMobile to expand the reach of its 5G services once the satellite network is available in Africa. 

Oman’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) says that Sultan Haitham bin Tarik has issued a decree approving a Category 1 telecoms license to Omani Space Communications Technologies (OmanSat) to provide fixed communications services.

Orange Jordan announced on Wednesday it has become the first telco in the country to offer satellite broadband services for consumers and enterprises via the Eutelsat Konnect satellite.

Brazil’s telecoms regulator, Anatel, has granted approval for SpaceX to operate an additional 7,500 Starlink satellites in the country’s airspace.

Global satellite operator SES announced on Tuesday it has landed a deal to provide inflight connectivity (IFC) services to Uzbekistan Airways, whilst also expanding an existing IFC deal with Thai Airways, which in turn launched a separate IFC service with Intelsat.

Amazon’s Project Kuiper has announced it will finally launch its first batch of LEO satellites next week, almost one year behind schedule, with more launches already booked and commercial services expected to kick off later this year.

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's new premium international airline, has selected satellite communications company Viasat to provide full, fast, free in-flight connectivity for all Riyadh Air loyalty members on initial Boeing 787 Dreamliner factory-installed deliveries.

Satellite services provider Q-KON has reportedly brought South African telecoms player Vox onboard as a reseller of its Twoobii Super Smart Satellite Solutions for enterprise customers powered by Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO satellite network.

Vietnam has reportedly given SpaceX regulatory clearance to establish at least one ground station in the country for its upcoming Starlink pilot offering, which would not only optimise traffic but also enable the government to police it.

Oman’s telecoms regulator has approved Starlink to provide broadband internet services across the country using its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation.

Satellite-direct-to-device (D2D) provider, Lynk Global has had a busy week with the announcement of successful tests of its service in Turkey followed by further positive news – this time in South Africa.

Vietnam's government said on Wednesday it will allow SpaceX to launch its Starlink LEO satellite broadband service in the country on a trial basis for the next five years.

Visiosoft, a South African technology company, says it is working with French firm Kinéis, a space company, satellite operator and global connectivity provider for IoT and automatic identification systems, to bridge the connectivity gap using a satellite Internet of Things (IoT) solution.

Satellite operator SES said on Wednesday that it has signed a financial package worth almost EUR60 million (US$65.4 million) with European Investment Bank’s global arm EIB Global and the European Commission for a project to provide satellite internet connectivity to remote rural areas in Central Asia.

Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL), the country’s sole satellite company, reportedly met with Starlink officials on Sunday to discuss partnership options for fast-tracking the LEO satellite operator’s entry into the market in the next couple of months.

SpaceX’s LEO satellite operator Starlink has officially launched services in Niger, while also obtaining its operator licence for Chad some four months after the licence was approved.

SpaceX announced its second Starlink operator partnership in India on Wednesday – this one with Jio Platforms – just a day after establishing a partnership with Bharti Airtel in anticipation of Starlink getting regulatory approvals to operate in the country.

Global satellite operator SES says it has signed a partnership agreement with direct-to-device (D2D) satellite startup Lynk Global to target the D2D segment with integrated services – with SES also providing Series B funding for Lynk as part of the deal.

Satellite operators Space42 and Viasat said on Tuesday they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore ways to develop a 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) ecosystem for direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services.

Indian telco Bharti Airtel announced on Tuesday it has signed an agreement with SpaceX to offer its Starlink service in India once the LEO satellite operator gets regulatory clearance to operate in the country.

Aspiring direct-to-device (D2D) satellite player Astrum Mobile said on Monday it has contracted Switzerland-based satellite manufacturer SWISSto12 to build its NEASTAR-1 satellite that will provide 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) broadcast services across Asia-Pacific.

Kacific Broadband Satellites Group announced on Tuesday it is partnering with satellite operator Paksat International and Pakistan’s national space agency, the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), to expand high-speed, affordable satellite internet across the country.

Botswana  is the latest African country to successfully send a satellite into space with the recent launch of BOTSAT-1.