Vol 6 No. 5Vol 6 No 5Vol. 7 No. 2018Vol 6 No. 5Vol 6 No 5Vol. 8 No. 1 2020February

Nigeria

A new leader and player in the aerospace industry

AFRICA

Africa Magic Channels and the rise of Nollywood

SPECIAL FEATURE

The Big Picture: UHDTV and Ultra High-Resolution Systems

C O N T E N T SVol. 8 No. 1

Editor in-chief Aliyu BelloExecutive Manager Tonia GerraldSA to the editor in-Chief Ngozi OkeyHead, Application Services M. YakubuEditorial/ICT Services John Daniel

Usman BelloAlozie NwankwoJuliet Nnamdi

Client Relations Sunday TacheLookman BelloSafiya Thani

Marketing Offy PatTunde NathanielWasiu Olatunde

Media Relations Favour MaduKhadijat YakubuZacheous Felicia

Finance Folarin Tunde

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Wipro InfotechCover source

Nigeria

Still on rural connectivity

BBC launches Arabic news channel in HD exclusively on Arabsat

IoT connectivity via satellite

A leading women entrepreneurs in the ICT sector

Euroconsult forecasts a four-fold increase in satellite demand over the next ten years

What will 2020 bring for the satellite Industry?

Iridium latest launch and the future of the mobile satellite phone industry

Earth Observation innovator, Satellite Vu opens office in UK

Elon Musk’s turning moments

UAE Space Agency launches NewSpace Innovation Programme

NCC releases list of authorised space stations in Nigeria

NIGCOMSAT chair, Arc. Kazaure visits ground station

Africa Magic Channels and the rise of Nollywood

The Big Picture: UHDTV and Ultra High-Resolution Systems

5

Editorial

At the end of 2018, there were about 3.9 billion unconnected people, out of 4.4 billion that were unconnected in 2014, although the subject of providing connectivity to rural and remote areas has been on the agenda of the ITU for decades.In fact, the debate to cover rural areas has been active in the late nineteenth century ub the days of telegraph and the early twentieth century when telephony emerged.

Still, many people in rural areas are not aware of the potential of the internet in changing their daily lives, and some have even not heard of it. The lack of digital literacy is indeed a barrier to internet adoption. Internet has become a commodity that users should access to on the basis of need. In order to provide this access regardless of costs and business aspects, Government intervention might be necessary in several places, especially in rural areas. Although the technology is different, this scenario was similar to what happened historically for railroads, postal mail, and the fixed telephone networks. Therefore, Africa can learn from history to develop a policy for the future.So far, policies for providing broadband access need to be reached and implemented through collaboration between various stakeholders, including Government, policy makers, especially the regulatory authority, business players such as equipment manufacturers and telecom operators, service and content providers, and citizens.In order to increase internet adoption in rural areas, users need to see the benefits provided for their daily lives, which will increase adoption, and eventually make the business case viable for operators. T h i s c a n b e d e m o n s t r a t e d througheEducation, eCommerce, and eGovernment.In Cameroon, a Multipurpose Community Telecenters (MCTs) project was launched by the government in Cameroon. The project was aimed at providing internet and telecommunications access to the local community. The telecentres are connected via VSAT technology. A survey revealed that most people use the Multipurpose Community Telecenters for educat ion, eEducat ion, eHealth, eGovernment , and eCommerce purposes.. Internet connectivity to the Dwesa-Cwebe rural area in South Africa was via VSAT

technology, with WiMAX used to distribute the signal to the subscribers. This allowed citizens to be more informed about announcements posted on government websites that were related to their daily lives, providing access to several secondary schools.In order to expand rural c o n n e c t i v i t y , a s y s t e m f o r eProcurement was designed over low end smartphones for small scale retailers in the Kgautswane rural area of South Africa, allowing dwellers to perform stock replenishment without having to be displaced to an urban center 70 km away. It also allowed the providers to schedule bulk delivery to specific delivery points closer to the retailers, where the payments can be made in cash upon delivery.For Botswana, a cattle farming country, RFID technology is used to identify cattle animals and herders. The device data is stored on a mobile extension officer personal computer, and then transferred to a central database containing all the information on cattle and their owners. Internet connectivity permits the online transferred to the database. In Zambia, Sunflower farming was initiated in the Macha rural area after the introduction of internet to the village and its surroundings. The network was based on WiFi mesh for local access, with two VSAT terminals providing backhaul connectivity. The network was also used for eLearning, enhancing the procedures of the local health system, and for other personal uses such as email, chatting by the inhabitants. In the rural area of Maseru, Lesotho, “eKiosks” were deployed to provide basic internet connectivity, with the WiBACK system, based on WiFi mesh networking relaying the traffic to reach the backhaul network.

Sate l l i te communica t ions a re overcoming the traditional challenges that prevented them previously from being a competitive backhaul solution. Indeed, there are several reasons that allow satellite to compete for backhaul connectivity. Mainly, the satellite operator can act as a service provider for the Mobile Network Operator, and thus the satel l i te launch and management costs do not affect their directly, as long as the costs of bandwidth leasing and/or of SLA

between the Network Operator and satellite operator allow satellite to c o m p e t e w i t h o t h e r b a c k h a u l technologies.Typical services needed in rural areas and that can be fac i l i ta ted by telecommunications networks include eHealth, eCommernce, eGovernment, in addition to environment monitoring and farming. In rural areas, patients lack qual i ty healthcare. As a result , telemedicine represents a suitable solution to address this problem. In rural areas, primary health centers can be overburdened with daily visits while the referral to secondary and tertiary health centers does not use technology to accurately transfer patent information.In some scenarios, social workers helps patients in a rural area communicate with doctors remotely using multimedia technology relying wired broadband supported by wireless connectivity in hard to reach areas, supporting telemedicine applications in rural areas. In some instance, ultrasound imaging was performed in rural areas by trained non-physician personnel, and the results were transferred to a cloud system where the physicians could perform diagnosis in an urban hospital.With the advent of the IoT, sensor measurements can be performed by Body Area Networks in rural areas; they are transmitted to smart mobile phones, using Bluetooth low energy, where they can be stored and transmitted to the cloud whenever network connectivity is available. Cloud storage can allow remote diagnosis and patient monitoring, possibly with the help of “health ontology”.

Farming is another application area for rural zones that can benefit from internet connectivity, or even from local network connectivity. For instance, IoT devices can be used to perform precision irrigation in areas with limited availability of irrigation water. RFID sensors can also be used to track and monitor livestock.

In addition, the deployment of automated teller machines (ATMs) and the use of point of sale (POS) devices often poses numerous challenges in rural areas. One of the most important challenges is the lack of reliable connectivity so that the transactions with the users' cards can be performed in real-time.

Still on rural connectivity

Facebook appoints Regional Director for Middle East, Africa and Turkey

Derya Matraº has been appointed as Regional Director of Facebook in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey. In this role, Derya will lead Facebook to serve businesses and communities and to grow the company's economic and social impact across the region.“The fast-growing Middle East, Africa and Turkey region is an important market for Facebook. Derya's wealth of experience in emerging markets and her pioneering spirit will help us further drive impact and value in this uniquely diverse region, while maintaining our mission of bringing p e o p l e t o g e t h e r a n d b u i l d i n g communities,” said Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook's Europe, Middle East Africa Vice President.

Derya spent most of her career in emerging markets and was previously the Facebook Country Director for Turkey. Prior to joining Facebook, she was Vice President of Dogan Media Group, the largest media conglomerate in Turkey. She has also held leadership roles in Management Consulting at McKinsey & Company, advising private sector and governments around the world, especially on the digital economy.Derya has a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from Bogazici University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Derya, who is one of the permanent members of the Women in Tech Foundation (Wtech), has also been ranked 6th in Ekonomist's 2019 “The 50 Most Powerful Women CEOs in Turkey '' and was on Fortune's “40 Under 40” list in 2016. Derya is also the California President of the Turkish American Business Council ( TA I K ) a n d a m e m b e r o f t h e Entrepreneurship Board Executive Committee of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchange (TOBB) in Turkey.

SSTL appoints Phil Brownnett as Managing Director

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) announces the appointment of Phil Brownnett as Managing Director, succeeding Sarah Parker who is stepping down from the role to pursue new challenges. Phil Brownnett, who is currently Managing Director of Geo Intelligence (UK), Airbus Defence and Space, will take up his new position on 1st February 2020, after a period of handover dur ing January. Phi l jo ined the Intelligence division of Airbus Defence and Space in September 2003 as a senior manager and in October 2012, he was

appointed the Managing Director of the Intelligence (UK) division of Airbus Defence and Space with responsibilities for reshaping and developing the UK Earth Observation business in line with changing markets and technologies. Under his leadership, the business has evolved and achieved stability, growth and profitability.

Gregory Gabroy joins Arianespace as Senior Vice President - Brand and Communications

Arianespace appointed Gregory Gavroy as its Senior Vice President – Brand and Communications, effective January 13, 2020. He wil l be responsible for Arianespace's internal and external communications and brand strategy. He succeeds Isabelle Veillon, who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. Gavroy will be joining Arianespace's executive committee and reporting to CEO Stéphane Israël. As Senior Vice President - Brand and Communications, Gavroy's main mission will be to define and execute Arianespace's internal and external communications strategy and coordinate all actions in support of the company's brand image.

Prior to his appointment, Gavroy was the Head of Content and Media at aircraft manufacturer ATR, in charge of media relations and social media, as well as corporate transformation and internal communications. From 2016 to 2019, he was Director of Corporate Communications at OneWeb, where he implemented a 360° communications strategy for this startup specialized in delivering Internet services to users around the world through its low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation.

Enrico Palermo appointed Virgin Galactic's Chief Operating Officer

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc., a vertically integrated aerospace company, has announced the appointment of Enrico Palermo as Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. In this newly created role, Enrico will be responsible for helping maintain efficiency and peak performance across the enterprise as it develops as a public company, and will lead the execution of specific company strategies and initiatives.

Enrico currently serves as President of The Spaceship Company (TSC), the wholly-owned aerospace manufacturing and development subsidiary of VG. In this role, Enrico leads over 500 employees at the company's facilities in Mojave, California. He joined Virgin Galactic in 2006 as one of

its first employees. Enrico will maintain his capacity of TSC President. Enrico brings a wealth of experience including operations leadership, engineering and technology knowledge, financial analysis and business planning proficiency.

Andrew Browne Joins Telesat as Chief Financial Officer

Telesat announced that Andrew Browne, one of the industry's most experienced executives, has been appointed the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Reporting to President and CEO, Dan Goldberg, Andrew will serve on Telesat's Executive Management Team and be based in the company's headquarters in Ottawa. Browne has had a long and distinguished career in the satellite industry. He was most recently the CFO of SES, a position he held since February 12, 2018. Prior to that, he was CFO of O3b Networks where he was involved in introducing the first Medium Earth Orbit satellite constellation to users in the global Marit ime, Energy, Enterprise and Government service verticals. Prior to joining O3b, Browne was CFO and member of the management board at SES from 2010. He served as CFO of New Skies Satellites between 1998 and 2008, where he worked alongside Dan Goldberg, then CEO of New Skies, overseeing IPOs on the NYSE and Euronext before the sale of New Skies to the Blackstone Group and ultimately to SES.

Intellian Names Cheng-Yu Tang as Vice President, and Head of APAC

Intellian, the world's leading provider of satellite communications systems, has appointed Mr. Cheng-Yu Tang as Vice President and Head of Asia-Pacific region, based in Hong Kong SAR, China. He reports to CEO, Eric Sung; and his appointment is in-line with Intellian's plan to maximize business efficiency and to achieve its strategic objectives in the APAC region.

Cheng-Yu Tang, who has more than 20 years of solid experience in driving sus ta in ing bus iness g rowth and management leadership especially in satellite communications, maritime and aeronautical industry, will oversee Intellian's entire APAC business including sales, technical support, business development and operations. He is also part of the Global Executives Team of Intellian in shaping global business strategies and eco-system partnerships to cope with the fast-growing satellite industry.

APPOINTMENTS

IN THE NEWS

Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom is taking full advantage of being one of the only companies in South Africa to have access to the 3.5 GHz spectrum, launching their 5G network before many competitors can get their hands on a licence.The South African regulator, t h e I n d e p e n d e n t Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), has yet to announce a spectrum auction for 5G, creating an interesting dynamic for telcos in Africa's southernmost nation. Liquid Telecom has 56 MHz worth of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, which it is using for its 5G network rollout.The only other players currently with a licence for this spectrum are state-owned Telkom, which has so far revealed nothing of its 5G ambitions, and rain South Africa, who launched a 5G network in Johannesburg and

Tshwane but is only offering wireless access services so far.As for other competitors, like MTN and Vodacom, they will have to wait for the allocation of the remaining 116 MHz of spectrum – presumably some time next year – g iv ing Liquid Telecom a substantial advantage in the nation's mobile 5G race.

“Our wholesale operating partners can exploit our new ultra-fast 5G roaming network to build the next g e n e r a t i o n o f communications and make i n n o v a t i o n p o s s i b l e , anytime, anywhere,” said Liquid Telecom CEO Nic Rudnick. “5G will facilitate r e a l - t i m e r e m o t e collaboration, improved business efficiency and lower costs – ultimately driving growth in the South African economy.” Liquid

Telecom's 5G network means the company is poised to take advantage of a host of 5G-ready handsets which will hit the South African market next year, while its key competitors remain stalled by the regulator.

Liquid Telecom is a leading communications solutions provider across 13 countries – primarily in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa – that serves mobile operators, carriers, enterprise, media and content companies and retail customers with high-speed, reliable connectivity, hosting and co-location and digital services. It has built Africa's largest independent fibre network ( a p p r o a c h i n g 7 0 , 0 0 0 kilometres), and operates data centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Nairobi, with a combined potential 19,000 square metres of rack space and 80 MW of power.

The Government of Tunisia is co l l abo ra t i ng w i t h t he country's mobile operators to develop an SMS-based early warning system to alert citizens at risk of major natural disasters. The new service forms part of the launch of the GSMA's 'We Care' initiative in Tunisia by local operators Ooredoo, Orange and Tunisie Telecom, marking the first launch of We Care in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.The initiative is a collaboration with the Tunisian Ministry of Interior and the Tunisian Ministry of Technologies of Communication and Digital Economy. “The GSMA is delighted to be working in collaboration with the Tunisian government and t h e c o u n t r y ' s m o b i l e ecosystem on the successful launch of 'We Care' in Tunisia. The new SMS alert system is a great demonstration of how industry players can work together to enable mobile technology to play a vital role in protecting citizens,” said Jawad Abbassi, Head of MENA region, GSMA.

Tunisia regularly suffers from flooding disasters, often following torrential rains, which in some cases causes loss of life, as well as serious material damage. In September 2018, severe weather in Tunisia's Cap Bon peninsula caused human casualt ies and property damage.In response to such events, the new service will use an SMS alert mechanism to provide instant targeted information before and du r i ng ma jo r na tu ra l d i s a s t e r s , i m p r o v i n g disaster preparedness and response. When a major risk is identified, the Ministry of I n t e r i o r w i l l s e n d notifications to the mobile o p e r a t o r s b a s e d o n recommendations from the National or Regional Natural D isas te r Commi t tees . These notifications will include the content of the alert to be broadcast and the l oca t i on o f t he a rea concerned. The operators will then send an appropriate SMS alert to citizens in the affected

areas. The service is expected to be in place before the next rainy season of 2020, likely to begin in September.“Our citizens are increasingly demanding reliable, accurate and timely information during the floods. This is why it is essential for us to have a public alert system based on digital solutions that will be accessible to everyone,” said His Excellency Mohamed Anouar Maarouf, Minister of Communication Technologies and the Digital Economy.

“The health and safety of our customers and all Tunisian citizens is one of the top pr ior i t ies for a social ly responsible operator such as Ooredoo. This is why we have put at their disposal all our direct and targeted means of communication, and why we have joined forces with the Ministry of Technologies, Communication and Digital Economy, the Ministry of the Interior and all the various stakeholders to support this We Care project,” Mansoor Rashid Al Khater, CEO, Ooredoo Tunisia said.

BBC launches Arabic news channel in HD exclusively on Arabsat

BBC News Arabic television has inked another long-term agreement with Arabsat to launch exclusively their first Arabic news channel in high resolution to the region, onboard of Arabsat BADR-4 which covers the entire MENA region and most of Western Europe. Starting January 1st, 2020, the HDTV FTA channel will join the same video neighborhood with her sister channel BBC News Arabic SD, and among other leading international and regional news channels, which can be received across the region with the minimum receive dish size.Sam Farah, Head of BBC News Arabic said: “I am very pleased BBC audiences can now watch BBC News Arabic TV in high resolution across the Middle East, and elsewhere in Europe. It's never been more important for people to be able to turn to trusted, independent news providers, and it is very exciting that our audience can now tune into BBC News Arabic's award-winning journalism in HD quality.”Khalid Balkheyour, Arabsat President and CEO said: “This new agreement with BBC News Arabic will enrich the audiences experience in MENA region, and matches Arabsat strategy to continue being the leading HD neighborhood for Middle East & North Africa. BBC News Arabic is one of the pioneer channels to broadcast in Arabic language and we are delighted to be the first choice every time the channel wants to increase its presence across the region. Exclusively broadcasting in HD format, is something unique and significant to this strategic partnership”.

Arabsat's BBC News Arabic HD frequency:- Satellite: Arabsat BADR-4 @ 26° East- Coverage: MENA & Europe- Frequency: 11996 MHz- Polarity: Horizontal- Symbol Rate: 27500- FEC: 3/4- Transmission: DVB-S- Modulation: QPSK

The BBC represents a set of democratic ideals that matter greatly to the country: giving a voice to the voiceless, pursuing the truth without fear or favour, and ensuring that the joys of learning, culture and beauty are available to everybody – irrespective of income or background. As we move towards our second century, we believe that a strong BBC can be a powerful champion for the UK – at home and abroad.

Liquid Telecom plans South Africa's first wholesale 5G network launch

Tunisia to launch SMS disaster alert system

In a world where customer expectations are increasingly demanding, and technologies constantly push the art of the possible, enterprises are fast harnessing the power of the Internet of Things (IoT). Nowadays, Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a powerful platform for solving everyday problems. In order to make our life easier and more efficient, the physical objects which surround us have to become smarter. Across all industries, billions of remote assets will soon be connected to increase productivity, reduce costs, and create new revenue streams, in ways previously unthinkable. From industrial applications to Smart Cities, farming, Point-of-Sales, and the latest security solutions; from highly valuable industrial assets to the smallest devices - data will power the world of tomorrow. However today, many enterprises don't have access to a global, reliable IoT connectivity service. They are unable to reach remote assets due to erratic or insufficient coverage, as existing connectivity solutions are too complex or prohibitively expensive. Connectivity has not always been within reach for every enterprise – until now. Eutelsat will be at the core of the Internet of Things revolution, connecting businesses to assets in ways not possible before. Whether fixed or on the move, across land and ocean,While the advantages of satellite coverage are well known -- ubiquity, quality of service, always on/always there -- technological advances make satellite an enabler of IoT. Advances such as High Throughput Satellites, compression, and cost reductions today enable delivery of broadband to millions. Billions of dollars currently being invested by leading companies and entrepreneurs in New Space promise to bring high capacity, low latency, satellite-delivered communications services to billions around the world. This presentation will discuss these advances and trends that are facilitating new horizons for IoT applications.There have been predictions of more than 50 billion sensors and devices in our connected world. The interesting aspect of this is that 70% of the data requirements are very small packets that measure repetitive states or values based on performance or time series. Oil companies want to know if, a pump is running, a tank is empty or close to overflow and if the drill bit is moving. Farmers and ranchers want to understand simple things like soil PH, moisture content, NPK nutrient levels, water run-off, or the location and health of their livestock. Manufactures want to see of a station is manned or a line is moving. Small towns want info on trash, lights, buildings and

parking. The use cases are really endless. The sensors that do this are simple and require little bandwidth for the packet. Conversely, there are lots of protocols that will do the job. We will discuss how, why, and where communication stacks like Wi-Fi, ZigBee, ZWave, LoRaWAN, UMG, RPMA, Weightless, 2G, 3G, LTE, CatM1, NB IoT and 5G all play their roles and how their design intents impact what you need to deploy where. Lastly and notably of high importance, we will discuss ROI, TCO and Compliance gains for end user.

In addition, wearable manufacturers and consumers want the same thing: smart, powerful, easy-to-use devices that are comfortable and safe to wear. But in reality, there's a huge gap between what manufacturers can deliver and what users demand and actually find usable. The components fueling these products are the crux of the user acceptance problem. The smarter and more IoT-connected wearables are, the more p o w e r t h e y n e e d . B e c a u s e manufacturers have had to design around batteries that are rigid and clunky, their products are often awkward, inconvenient or uncomfortable for users. However, advances in power sources are unlocking wearable potential. Attendees will learn how, instead of being a barrier for designers, batteries can power a whole new level of innovation. They will hear about best practices for battery safety, flexibility, and charging, and see examples of wearables l e v e r a g i n g t h e l a t e s t b a t t e r y advancements.Eutelsat will revolutionise the way businesses access and use data from assets, no matter where they are deployed, in a simple and affordable way. IoT FIRST is Eutelsat's inaugural IoT service. This simple, innovative satellite based IP connectivity solution is designed to connect businesses to remote assets, anywhere, inexpensively. Whether you need to monitor industrial pipelines, or connect rural ATMs, Eutelsat IoT FIRST enables enterprises to transmit data between remote assets and the cloud, ensuring faster, more e f f i c i e n t a n d m o r e r e l i a b l e communications than any other method. IoT devices communicate, share, and exchange information with each other in a secure way while following the

message queue telemetry transport (MQTT) and constrained application protocols (CoAP). Therefore, IoT can be used in nearly every sector, such as industry, agriculture and health care. IoT devices have very low data rate, hence the bandwidth required for data transmission between the devices and the IoT network server is minimal.Also, unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs - also called "Drones") represent a huge economic opportunity. Rapid advances are being made in airframes, payloads and applications. However, advanced in the ground support infrastructures that can support large fleets of UAVs deployed over large areas are lagging. To implement a UAV use case like autonomous package delivery, continuous city-wide aerial surveillance, or full-coverage environmental monitoring, many ground in f rast ructure capabi l i t ies must be constructed. These include networks of systems to shelter, secure, recharge, test, load / unload, and transfer data for UAVs.

How It WorksThrough Eute lsat 's g lobal f leet o f geostationary satellites, and ground-breaking technologies in hubs and terminals, Eutelsat is redefining the rules of IoT connectivity. Eutelsat IoT FIRST is a simple and integrated solution includes a compact, low-power, easy to install satellite terminal, Ku-band satellite capacity, and an IoT-dedicated hub, operated and managed by Eutelsat. Terminals are easily and rapidly installed and configured thanks to an interactive Smartphone app that helps to point the antenna and commission the terminal. IoT FIRST is proposed at the lowest price-point of alternative satellite based solutions, in the range of cellular IoT connect iv i ty serv ices. The monthly subscription service starts as low as single-digit Euros per month, and includes access to a web-based portal and API for customers to manage their connectivity service or build customised applications.According to the global economy experts, IoT will create a new trillion dollar market within 2020 Cisco predicted in their white paper that IoT will have a strong impact on global economy in the near future. It will help to reduce the cost for industrial production, city infrastructure management and agricultural production by its state-of-the-art technology. In the same way, IoT will enhance employee productivity, supply-chain and logistics efficiency and company asset management system. All of this will lead to a big economic impact in global economy.

Additional report from Eutelsat

In the world of IoT, the advantages of satellite coverage including ubiquity, quality of service, always on/always there, High Throughput, compression, and cost reductions today enhances delivery of broadband to millions advances making satellite an enabler of IoT, according to this report.

IoT connectivity via satellite

ANALYSIS

was not divorced from people's everyday lives. Valintine strongly believes that students need to be equipped with the right skills to face an increasingly digital world. Flexibility and adaptability are soft skills needed to navigate the changing environments they will encounter. It is this flexibility that is at the core of a contemporary teaching and learning approach, as it encourages students to explore from their own perspectives, bringing in their own experiences.

Valintine also identified the need for teachers to become equipped with skills to address future classrooms. It was at this time that a partnership between The Mind Lab and Unitec Institute of Technology was formed, and a post-graduate programme was launched with the aim of providing teachers and educators at all levels with professional development opportunities in digital and collaborative learning approaches. The Mind Lab's expertise in training for 21st century education, coupled with Unitec's history as a class-leading provider of applied vocational education ensured that the programme provides teachers with the knowledge and skills to implement contemporary practice in their own classrooms, and “navigate the new landscape of learning.

Early successesSince 2014, The Mind Lab has rapidly grown as more teachers and education providers realised the necessity of what the programme offered. The organisation currently has three other centres in Gisborne, Wellington and Christchurch, in addition to the Auckland centre. There are also currently 16 satellite centres in cities and towns around New Zealand.

A c c o r d i n g t o Va l i n t i n e , m a n y entrepreneurs have a “sixth sense” about what's going to happen next. Being able to envision the right time to act is paramount to a startup's success. When she launched The Mind Lab, her whole focus was trying to get young children, teachers, and education in general across the line with digital technologies, knowing that it would shortly become mainstream. She felt that there was enough global evidence, and knew that enough people at the time could see the need for what she was undertaking.

Trust is central The strongest cultural aspect at both The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab is trust. According to Valintine, this is their number one ingredient. “When a team member

says they will do something, or believes someone else can do something, they won't let the other down. Being able to remain confident in each other is of paramount importance.” This, Valintine says, means they don't have secrets; they don't have hierarchy. Instead, there is full transparency. “Team members should be able to ask a straight question and get a straight answer in response.” This has allowed Valintine to bring her team's skills forward, and in this environment of trust someone can come forward and ask to undertake a certain project, or attempt a certain task. This is a core part of her leadership style.

Challenges One of the greatest challenges in startups is having to leave what is likely to be a stable career with financial security, and devote a significantly greater amount of time and effort to developing and sustaining a new business towards success. Unfortunately, walking away from a stable, secure career or job is something almost all serious entrepreneurs must face if they are to succeed. There is no easy way out, however the most logical and advisable strategy is to ensure that everything is considered carefully before one-way bridges are crossed. This is even harder when children or family are factors in the equation. All decisions carry some weight of risk, but at certain stages of life the risk is greater. Probably the biggest challenge for women in entrepreneurship is children, and family responsibilities. When Frances Valintine started The Mind Lab, her children were already teenagers. “There is a big advantage in having older children. For one, risk-taking becomes easier. Many of the women I am mentoring are in their early 30's, and have young children. This can place them in a situation where they feel very vulnerable, and feel unable or even guilty for taking risks.”

Frances Valintine is an education futurist, technology enthusiast, and founder and chair of The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab, specialist education labs focused on advancing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. For the past twenty years, Valintine has been passionate about improving education in the ICT space, and in embracing and shaping the future of education delivery for the next generation. \In 1998, Valintine co-founded the Media Design School in Auckland, New Zealand. In 2003 she sold to Laureate International Universities, however stayed on as CEO until 2003. Prior to founding The Mind Lab, Valintine founded an ICT company developing interactive projections using c o m p u t e r v i s i o n , w h i c h s h e commercialised with advertising and marketing applications. In 2013, Valintine founded The Mind Lab, a specialist education provider focusing on digital and collaborative learning techniques. The Mind Lab has gone from success to success, and Valintine has won numerous awards for her novel approaches to education, technology and pedagogy.

Valintine founded Tech Futures Lab in January 2016. Tech Futures Lab is an innovative incubation lab which tackles the issue of skills shortages as a result of the continuous and vast advances in connectivity, cloud computing, cognitive computing and automation, and internet of things, to name only a few. Though still in early stages, Valintine's work with Tech Futures Lab has also seen significant success. The Mind Lab was the answer to several educational and societal issues identified by Valintine. She recognised the rapid changes in technology – access to digital devices, human communication and interaction, and future opportunities in a digital world – and that the only certainty was that change was happening, and would continue to happen. Valintine realised that every industry and every sector was going to change as a result of the “digital wave”, and that education needed to adapt to reflect the digital age people were quickly being immersed in. Valintine realised that 21st century education cannot be modelled on historical pedagogical approaches best fit for a non-digital world. As an individual ever passionate about technology, she embraced the tremendous potential that technology brings, and identified areas where it could be used to enhance teaching and learning in a classroom so that the learning experience

REPORT

A leading women entrepreneur in the ICT sector

Frances Valintine

IoT will be the most prevailing trend in the satcom industry in 2020, predicts the satellite communications waveform and test tool specialist, G a t e H o u s e Te l e c o m . Significant advancements within satellite enabled data r e l a y , e n v i r o n m e n t a l monitoring, and flight safety will also influence satcom in the year to come. The satcom industry has taken quantum leaps the past year in terms of IoT. Looking at 2020, with the impending rollout of the 5G network and scheduled launches of hundreds of LEO and MEO satellites, satcom is expected to keep its pace in the year to come. Expanding further into the connectivity market, the satcom industry will increase focus on standardization to secure speed of deployment of IoT on a global scale, says S v e n d H o l m e S ø r e n s e n , P r o d u c t M a n a g e r a t G a t e H o u s e Te l e c o m . “Standardization will open for

higher volumes of both equipment and services resulting in better quality at a lower price on both the equipment and the service side in the long run,” he explains. “We also expect to see a convergence between terrestrial IoT and satellite based IoT where the same equipment can operate on both terrestrial a n d s a t e l l i t e - b a s e d s y s t e m s a n d o n e s u b s c r i p t i o n w i l l a c c o m m o d a t e b o t h services – driven most likely by existing telecom operators,” he continues.

Because of the growing demand for data, tele and satellite communication operators are charged with delivering growing data quantities without significant delays. That is why several satellite data relay systems are coming to light, and still more will most likely emerge in

2020. “With a persisting demand for knowing what happens everywhere when it happens, data relay services will become more important. This is because da ta re l ay s e r v i c e s o f f e r t h e opportunity to get fast or even real-time access to critical data collected by a satellite reusing existing infrastructure. Efficient use of existing satellite c o m m u n i c a t i o n s infrastructure will be a b e n e f i t t o b o t h environment, users and networks,” he says. The increasing focus on c l ima te changes by companies, governments and populations will also influence the satcom industry in 2020. Satellites are already being used to observe and actively mitigate climate changes and threats, and new ways will be explored in the years to come:

With a vision of ending the education gap in Uganda, telecommunications company Roke Telkom has announced a partnership with Hello World to build fourteen solar-powered, outdoor, internet-connected hubs across Uganda. “With sustainable, affordable, world-class education technology we can end the education deficit in Uganda once and for all,” said KatrinMcMilliam, Hello World Hubs CEO, in a press release. “We believe at Hello World that w e h a v e t h e p e r f e c t partnership with Ugandan-owned Roke Telkom to reach every child who currently goes without an education in Uganda.” In a YouTube video announcing the partnership, McMilliam explained how the nonprofit fully shifts ownership of the Hello Hub to the community by empowering them during the installation process.“We don't build Hello Hubs,” she says. “We partner with the community, and we teach them how to build their Hello Hub, all of it. From the solar paneling, to the server; they put the cement in; they learn how to do

wi r ing and put in a grounding rod. In this way, the community makes an investment with Hello World and Roke Telekom in their Hello Hub.”According to Hello World, every Hello Hub is WiFi-enabled, and its usage is free. Ugandan-based Roke Telekom expressed its enthusiasm for the effort. “Hello World is doing exciting things with kids in Uganda and Roke Telecom is happy to be their partner in extending the internet to communit ies that are u n d e r s e r v e d b y t h e internet,” said Roger Sekaziga, CEO of Roke Telkom. “Roke Telecom is one of the local ISPs in Uganda and we are happy to be associated with Hello World in the their work to help close the digital divide." The effects of the Hello Hubs are already being felt by the people of Uganda, including Manzi David.“What I think will be good from the hub is that I will be

a b l e t o a p p l y f o r scholarships,” David said. Willis Krinna was abducted by the DRC in 2014. He escaped to Uganda, and recently learned that one of his sisters is in the U.S. He credited the Hello Hubs project with helping him keep in touch with his family overseas.“Communication brings new hope,” Krinna said, “so I am thankful to Hel lo World for their initiative.”For McMilliam, the initial 14 hubs that are in place a r o u n d U g a n d a n o w r e p r e s e n t j u s t t h e beginning. “For the internet experience to be a success we need it to be truly world-wide (only 56% of the global population have internet access) and Democratic,” McMilliam wrote in an email. “Through community-built Hello Hubs we can start to provide a bulwark against corporate and political forces that corrupt the Internet for their own gain, and at the expense of its newest and least-powerful users.”

IN THE NEWS

Euroconsult forecasts a four-fold increase in satellite demand over the next ten years

In its latest analysis of satellite manufacturing and launch services, Satellites to be Built and Launched by 2028, Euroconsult projects that the satellite market will experience a radical transformation in the quantity, value and mass of the satellites to be built and launched with a four-fold increase in the number of satellites at a yearly average of 990 satellites to be launched, compared to a yearly average of 230 satellites in the previous decade. The market will reach $292 billion over the next decade. This reflects a 28 percent increase over the previous decade which totalled $228 billion in revenues. “Newcomers like Oneweb, SpaceX's Starlink or Amazon's Project Kuiper are becoming the largest owners of assets in orbit, challenging the satellite industry in many ways” said Maxime Puteaux, a Senior Consultant at Euroconsult. Accordingly, LEO and MEO constellations are expected to account for 77 percent of the projected demand in the next decade driven by broadband projects like SpaceX's Starlink, Oneweb, Amazon's Project Kuiper, Telesat LEO and SES's O3b mPOWER.According to report, Civil government agencies are projected to be the top drivers of satellite demand, accounting for 40 percent of the entire market value, ahead of both defense and commercial demand. This is a result of increasing interest in space science, exploration, and Earth observation. On the defense side, a new cycle of orders is beginning with new strategies and replacement satellites needed by the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, India and Europe.

In its analysis, Euroconsult reviews strategic issues and trends for four categories of satellite operators, six types of orbit, six regions of the world, and seven distinct satellite application categories. It provides quantitative analysis of satellite numbers, mass, and cost with forecasts based on qualitative top-down and bottom-up assessments. With separate sections for both the manufacturing and launch industries, the research covers strategic issues, industry structure, financial performance, innovation and more for each and includes detailed profiles of ten manufacturers and four launch service providers.“While accurate projections can be challenging in an era of uncertainty, Euroconsult stands behind its numbers as the most realistic and reliable in the industry” said Maxime Puteaux. “This is the 22nd edition of our research on satellites to be built and launched and, in preparation, we compared past forecasts to the actual numbers. We confirmed that our depth of experience and comprehensive insight into the industry resulted in highly credible estimates.” Euroconsult compared the number of GEO and non-GEO satellites launched from 2009 to 2018 to its forecast for that period. It showed that, in 2009, the company predicted 11 percent more non-GEO satellites than actually launched, and it underestimated the number of GEOs by only three percent. The 2010 edition was the first report since 2000 to underestimate the non-GEO segment and subsequent editions corrected earlier over-estimates.

WiFi enabled 'Hello Hubs' brings internet to underserved communities in Uganda

What will 2020 bring for the satellite Industry?

During the Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, satellite phone services enabled round-the-clock television coverage of the battlefield. Lacking conventional wireless or cable te lecommun ica t ion in f ras t ruc tu res , embedded journalists used videophones equipped with small satellite antenna to deliver live reports from the frontline. Through satellite transmissions, viewers watched live broadcasts of troops in combat and missiles striking Baghdad. News coverage of the war illustrated satellite phone services' potential to transform how the news is communicated across national boundaries and from conflict torn regions. Despite their potential to transform communication, satellite phone companies have struggled to achieve profitability.

Many well-known companies such as Motorola, Sprint, and, Kyocera, have provided financial and/or technical support to help develop satellite phone networks. Due to their resource rich environment, satellite phone companies developed mature technologies that allowed customers to transmit voice and data messages from anywhere on the globe.

Earliest mobile phone servicesThough cellular and PCS phones eased communication, consumers mobile phone companies as providing unreliable services through the mid-1990s. Due to their rapid expansion, mobile phone companies lacked

the infrastructure to support customers' needs. For example, cell phone companies frequently lacked enough cell sites to provide the bandwidth necessary for providing customers with basic services. As a result, mobile phone users were frequently unable to make calls or had their connections were dropped mid-sentence. Also, mobile phone companies used different communication technologies within and across countries.

When traveling within a country, cell phone users would frequently find they were either unable to make or had to pay roaming fees for a connection. When traveling abroad, cell phone users had to lease or purchase new equipment to access mobile services. Due to the limitations of existing mobile phone technologies, satellite phones became an attractive alternative wireless phone technology. By using satellites to transmit messages, investors believed they could address the signal quality, roaming and infrastructure problems that plagued conventional mobile phone services. When compared to cell phones, satellite phones had access to more bandwidth that could enable stable voice and faster data transmission. Because of their globe spanning infrastructure, satellite phones would not

require roaming fees or present compatibility problems across networks. Analysts envisioned a world in whichusers could use the same handset to communicate data whether they were climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or laying on a beach in the South Pacific.Seeking a first mover advantage, investors sank billions o f do l l a rs i n to deve lop ing and implementing satellite phone systems. Established in 1991, Iridium was the first active satellite phone network. Many well known companies such as Lockheed, Sprint and Sony, provided financial or technical support to the new firm.

During May of 1997, Iridium launched the first satellites of its network. When complete, the Iridium system provided robust voice and data solutions across the g lobe. Without roaming fees or compatibility problems, Iridium users placed calls from any location including oceans, airways, and mountainous regions. Even though Iridium offered superior services, consumers did not flock to purchase satellite phones. When compared to traditional services, consumers found that Iridium's costs (i.e., expensive proprietary equipment and high service fees) outweighed satellite phones' benefits (i.e., reliability and access). Also, by the late 1990s, consumers perceived existing mobile phone companies as

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Sadeeq Omeiza

Iridium latest launch and the future of the mobile satellite phone industry

providing adequate access to their networks. For example, companies such as Verizon or AT&T offered phone packages that included unlimited minutes and no roaming fees.

Satellite phone systemWhen the user initiates a call on a satellite capable handset, the nearest satellite picks up the call and authenticates the users through the nearest gateway on the earth. If the destination phone is part of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), the call is routed to the nearest gateway and consecutive PSTN. If the destination phone is another satellite handset, the call routing occurs through satellites only, which increases transmission efficiency and quality.

There are three types of satellite communication systems which differ in terms of orbit and signal strength Low earth orbit (LEO) satellites orbit below about 1,800 miles from the earth's surface. Medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites peak at 9,000 miles and geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite at 22,300 miles. The distance of orbit from the earth has an inverse relationship with signal strength and positive one with a satellites lifespan. Because of their proximity to the Earth, LEO satellites provide strong signals; however, they have a relatively short 5 to 7.5 year lifetime. Due to their distance from the Earth, a MEO satellite transmits a weaker signal; however, they may orbit the earth for 10 to15 years. GEO satellites have the greatest lifespan and transmit the weakest signals.

LEO and MEO satellites are used most frequently by satellite phone services. Because of signal strength, LEO and MEO enabled systems require phones that use small omni-directional antenna. Despite this advantage, low orbit satellite systems present firms with technical and financial challenges. Technically, firms had to design LEO and MEO systems that could constantly switch users' signals from one satellite to another. This is because LEO and MEO satellites move more rapidly than the Earth's orbit and a handheld device Because of their shorter distance from the earth, LEO and MEO satellites orbits degrade relatively quickly. Financially, this meant that firms had to pay for launching new satellites more frequently than if they had built GEO satellite networks.

Iridium's Network The Iridium satellite system uses 66 LEO satellites that orbit 780 km, about 485 miles above the earth's surface, to transmit signals. Each satellite cost $62 million, weighs about 1500 pounds, and revolves around the earth every 100 minutes. The satellites cast 48 beams onto the surface of the earth, covering a circular area with a diameter of 2700 miles. Iridium transmits

data between phones, satellites, and traditional communication networks. Calls are routed from one beam to the next or one satellite to another when the satellite moves out of the range of the user. The service link between phone and satellites operates in L-band frequency at1-2 GHz. Iridium relies on circuit and packet switching to manage voice and data transmissions between phones and satellites. Circuit switching sets up a dedicated connection for the duration of each voice transmission i.e., a phone call. By using circuit switching for phone calls, Iridium ensures that users will not experience transmission interruptions due to dropped or degraded signals. Packet switching breaks down data into smaller units called packets and sends them over a shared connection. By using packet switching, the Iridium system efficiently uses bandwidth to allow more concurrent users to transmit data.

Iridium uses gateways to manage communication between its satellite network and more convent ional telecommunications systems. Gateways are points that a signal may enter or leave a network. Iridium currently maintains 12 gateways, 2 in North America, 7 in Asia, and 1 each in Europe, Africa, and South America. Communication among satellites and gateways uses Ka band frequency at a rate of 19.4 – 29.3 Ghz

Lessons from iridium's failureFirst, many consumers may not value quality as much as cost when purchasing communication services. In order to win market share, Iridium focused advertising on d i f f e ren t i a t i ng sa te l l i t e and conventional mobile phone services. Advertisements suggested that satellite phone services quality and reach distinguished Iridium's service from less sophisticated mobile phone services. Even though I r id ium effec t ive ly differentiated its services, consumers were not willing to incur the high start-up and ongoing costs of satellite phone service. Original US retail prices were $3295 for a satellite phone, $695 for apager, and airtime fees of up to $7 per minute. Given the high price for Iridium's service, consumers could not justify the additional expense over using other phone services. To address the service versus price dichotomy,

Iridium need to consider using a price discrimination strategy that varied prices with level of service and type of customer. However, due to its billions of dollars in debt, Iridium could not offer consumers lower rates for voice and data communication services. Second, network effects of existing technologies placed Iridium at a disadvantage when compared to existing mobile phone services. Network effects refers to a service or technology becoming more valuable as

more people use it, which may allow firms to lower costs and eventually acquire more customers. By the mid-1990s, mobile phone companies had acquired a substantial customer base in many countries. In countries such as Hong Kong or the United States, mobile phones had become part of daily life for many citizens. Because adding additional customers required relatively little additional investment, mobile phone companies had resources to invest in developing more reliable technologies and expanding their infrastructure. During the 1990s, mobile phone service expanded the size of their calling areas through strategic alliances. By the time Iridium initiated services, mobile cell phone companies had achieved a critical mass of customers necessary to dominate the marketplace.

Third, Iridium underestimated “the threat of substitute services” By the time Iridium initiated services, cell phone companies had addressed many of consumers' complaints linked to signal quality and roaming fees as well as lowered the costs of services. Consumers felt that mobile phone services' low airtime fees and start-up costs compensated for satellite phone services worldwide coverage and higher reliability. In essence, consumers substituted technically inferior services for Iridium's satellite phone service.

Fourth, Iridium's management failed to target many potential market niches. Iridium's advertising strategy focused on large, corporate customers such as oil or aviation companies, however, it did not focus attention on other niche markets such as small businesses orresidents of remote regions. A more effective marketing strategy might have targeted small businesses such asimporters that require ubiquitous or high quality access to maintain relationships with their global network of suppliers and clients. Iridium also failed to market services to residents of lightly populated, inaccessible areas that lack terrestrial phone service. If Iridium had engaged in a size or geographically based marketing strategy, it might have won customers as well as generated good “word of mouth” advertising.

Fifth, Iridium failed to acquire the critical mass needed to surpass entry barriers presented by existing services. The expected break-even point for Iridium was estimated to be 600,000 customers around the world. By the time it filed for bankruptcy, Iridium had acquired 55,000 customers. Due to its pricing, changes in themobile phone market, and focused marketing strategy, Iridium never gathered the critical mass to support basic operating costs or to lower prices as a means to attract customers.

By Richard Klein

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

A new government-backed virtual satellite data centre that will help analyse the impact climate change jas been launched in the UK, to help shape policies on reducing carbon emissions, and contribute to reaching net zero targets.The new £5 million satellite data centre will involve the Universities of Edinburgh and Leeds to use cutting-edge satellite technology to help combat climate change, including helping lower the risk of people being affected by flooding. The data centre will bring together 50 of the UK's brightest and best PhD researchers to help solve climate change.UK Ministers announced the backing for ground-breaking research analysing satellite images that will better predict the future impact of climate change in towns and cities a n d i n f o r m f u t u r e government action.According to the document. m e a s u r e m e n t s f r o m satellites on rising sea levels, greenhouse gases and shrinking glaciers and forests will help provide

policy makers, government and industry with the data and knowledge they need to better understand the impact of climate change and make future predictions.This knowledge and data could lead to the adaptation of preventative measures for vulnerable areas such as installing flood defences to pro tec t coasta l towns, identifying areas increasingly at risk of flooding and monitoring pollution levels in towns and cities.Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: The UK is leading the world in tackling climate change and we have set the bar high, as the first country to legis late to eliminate our contribution to climate change by 2050, and the fastest in the G20 to cut emissions.This new satellite data centre will give us instant images showing us the true impact of climate change and in doing so, help us develop innovative new ways of tackling it.Dr Anna Hogg, co-director of the centre in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, said:

Earth observation satellites collect hundreds of terabytes of data per day, del ivering important information about how fast glaciers flow, the size of forest fires in the Amazon, and the quality of the air that we breathe.We have a fantastic opportunity to grow the community of researchers with the skills and knowledge to measure the how our environment is changing.

The Centre for Satellite Data in E n v i r o n m e n t a l S c i e n c e (SENSE), is a virtual academic collaboration and is being established with funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the UK Space Agency (UKSA). It will work with 18 businesses and partners, including Airbus and Unilever, who will co-fund, co-design and co-supervise 42 of the PhD research projects.Professor Duncan Wingham, Executive Chair of NERC, said: The researchers will support c u t t i n g - e d g e s c i e n t i f i c discovery, new data-based products and new Earth observation technologies that will provide benefits to society.

IN THE NEWS

Global education technology provider, Promethean, has been appointed by the E g y p t i a n M i n i s t r y o f Education to digitally enhance teach ing and lea rn ing throughout the country. It will s e e t h e P r o m e t h e a n ActivPanel upgrade 26,000 existing school classrooms a n d i n s t a l l e d i n n e w 'Intell igent Classrooms', which will be constructed over the next three years to bolster the country's education provision.Presented to His Excellency, A b d e l F a t t a h e l - S i s i , President of Egypt, the Intelligent Classroom is a pioneering new modular solution that enables the efficient construction of fully equ ipped and modern learn ing env i ronments . Developed by Promethean's p a r e n t c o m p a n y , NetDragonWebsoft Holdings, the Intelligent Classroom is a rapidly deployed solution that helps to reduce classroom

density, increases the number of school buildings and uses technology to enhance the education process.Disseminating information a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n technology-based science education among young students would help them in acquiring knowledge easily for building a developed digital world.Following the 'Education for All 2015 Nat ional Review', commissioned and supported by UNESCO, the Egyptian M i n i s t r y o f E d u c a t i o n prioritised the improvement of the quality of education, leading to the upgrade strategy for its existing e d u c a t i o n e s t a t e a n d consultation on how it could address a shortfall in the number of classrooms needed to meet the needs of the population.H.E Dr TarekShawki, Minister of Education and Technical E d u c a t i o n , s a i d : “ O u r objective is to rapidly and

significantly improve the quality of education provision, which in the modern world demands a highly digital approach. We are now in a very strong position to achieve our objectives and deliver world-class education.”The African Union has just approved Egypt as the new headquarters of an African Space Agency, after adopting a space strategy in 2017. The African Space Agency will then start working with those count r ies whose space programs are most advanced, South Africa and Nigeria," said Islam Abou El-Magd. "The ultimate goal is how we use this technology to solve our challenges, for example in infrastructure, agriculture, environment and disaster management.”"On the other hand, it can be said that this technology is making a fortune for Africa and empowering the c o n t i n e n t t o s o l v e i t s problems," says Islam Abou El-Magd.

Earth Observation innovator, Satellite Vu opens office in UKSatellite Vu, a pioneering satellite Earth Observation (EO) company dedicated to addressing economic activity monitoring and climate challenges with an innovative high resolution infrared satellite sensor, has opened a new office at Geovation, an Ordnance Survey initiative in association with HM Land Registry, dedicated to suppor t ing open innovat ion and collaboration using location and property data.Located in the heart of London, the new office space will place Satellite Vu within the UK hub for development of technology specifically for location purposes and a focus for l ike-minded network of customers, partners and investors. “Backed by industry and government, Geovation offers the ideal place for Satellite Vu to flourish, in the heart of a community renowned to be a centre of innovation by customers and investors for location based services,” said Anthony Baker, CEO, Satellite Vu. “Our satellites will provide users with unprecedented data that will help business make better decisions based on our new infrared satellite imagery insights and to tackle our most pressing environmental challenges. I can't think of a better place in which to drive our business forward.” To begin the year, the company will also be participating in two key upcoming events: The World Future Energy Summit will take place in Abu Dhabi from 13-16 January. Satellite Vu is a finalist at the Climate Innovations Exchange event and Simon Tucker, VP Business Development, will present a pitch on Sustainability in Space. The event, launched in 2018, supports the UAE's Ministry of Climate Change and Environment strategy to enable the sourcing and funding of climate change solutions and technologies. Satellite Vu technology will be directly applicable to problems of energy efficiency, productivity monitoring, pollution control and energy security. Satellite Vu will also be represented at the GeoBuiz event in Monterey, California on 13-14 January by Anthony Baker, who will present on the Miniaturization and Innovation in Sensors panel from 11-11.45am on 14 January, during the NewSpace track. He will relay his experience of how Satellite Vu's use of commercial-off-the-shelf technology has driven down costs, whilst providing greater spatial resolution, higher temporal cadence and richer spectral coverage.“We are looking forward to a great start to 2020,” said Simon Tucker. “The opening of our new office in an environment where we can really innovate and push the business forward, combined with our participation in these global events gives us great momentum as we move into a new year. We look forward to the continued development of a business that has the power to help transform our world through better business decisions.”

Intelligent classrooms boost education in Egypt

UK satellites leads fight against climate change

“Fresh out of college, Elon Musk founded a company called Zip2, a primitive Google Maps meets Yelp. That first venture ended up a big, quick hit. Compaq bought Zip2 in 1999 for $307 million. Musk made $22 million from the deal and poured almost all of it into his next venture, a startup that would morph into PayPal. As the largest shareholder in PayPal, Musk became fantastically well-to-do when eBay acquired the company for $1.5 billion in 2002.”Musk founded SpaceX with US$100m of his own money from the acquisition of PayPal by eBay in 2002. Launching, growing, and exiting two previous companies provided credibility, and investing his own money provided autonomy. “With such a massive up-front investment, no one would be able to wrestle control of SpaceX away from Musk as they had done at Zip2 and PayPal”. In a 2013 email to staff, Musk wrote: “Creating the technology needed to establish life on Mars is and always has been the fundamental goal of SpaceX.Musk moved to Los Angeles in 2001: “While Musk didn't know exactly what he wanted to do in space, he realized that just by being in Los Angeles he would be surrounded by the world's top aeronautics thinkers. They

could help him refine any ideas, and there would be plenty of recruits to join his next venture”. One of those people was Robert Zubrin, an aerospace engineer, advocate of human exploration of Mars, and co-founder of The Mars Society. Like Musk, Zubrin was frustrated by the priorities and slow progress at NASA, saying, “America's human spaceflight program is now adrift”; “There is, however, a bright spot on the horizon in the form of a wave of entrepreneurial activity, most particularly that of the SpaceX company” describes his impressions of Musk:People “had grown cynical about anything novel happening in space again”. “Musk would inspire people to think about exploring space again by making it cheaper”..“He wanted to inspire the masses and reinvigorate their passion for science, conquest, and the promise of technology”. Musk writes: “I want to make Mars seem possible–make it seem as though it is something that we can do in our lifetime. By all close accounts, Musk's ultimate ambition, even before founding SpaceX in 2002, was sustainable human settlement on Mars, thus making humans a multi-planetary species.Prior to 2001, Musk was an outsider to the

space industry. Musk's 2001 move from Silicon Valley to Los Angeles gave him access to the space industry. Musk joined social networks: he donated to the Mars Society and Mars research, joined the Mars Society board of directors, announced founding the Life to Mars Foundation, discussed investing $20m to $30m in a Mars project, and built connections with ambitious engineers.

Though, space launches required specialized launch vehicles such as Russian Soyuz rockets. So, in 2002, “Musk intended to buy a refurbished intercontinental ballistic missile, from the Russians and use that as his launch vehicle”. Musk met with Russians twice in Moscow and once in California. He was wi l l ing to pay $20m for three intercontinental ballistic missile, but did not reach a deal. After failing to secure a Russian missile in 2002, Musk declared: “I think we can build this rocket ourselves”. The SpaceX website boldly stated: “SpaceX is privately developing the entire Falcon rocket from the ground up, including both engines, the turbo-pump, the cryogenic tank structure and the guidance system”. Initial reactions were tepid: “As word

INDUSTRY REPORT

Elon Musk’s turning moments

travelled around the space community about Musk's plans, there was a collective ho-hum from people who had seen this situation before, The techies usually ended up spending the rich guy's money for two years, and then the rich guy gets bored and shuts the thing down”. Musk nonetheless persisted, spending his own money.

His new projectionsMusk felt that the space industry had not really evolved in about fifty years. The aerospace companies had little competition and tended to make supremely expensive products that achieved maximum performance. They were building a Ferrari for every launch”. When he founded SpaceX in 2002 with US$100m of his own money, he brought with him a Silicon Valley way of thinking.

Musk had taken much of the Silicon Valley ethic behind moving quickly and running organizat ions f ree of bureaucratic hierarchies and applied it to improving big, fantastic machines and chasing things that had the potential to be the real breakthroughs we'd been missing”. Musk set “insanely ambitious timelines”, used open-concept offices where scientists and engineers worked alongside welders and mach in is ts , h i red young overachievers fresh from college for rank-and-file engineers and poached top engineers from Boeing, Lockheed Mart in, and Orbi tal Sciences, contracted with suppliers outside of the aerospace sector, and “never relented in asking his employees to do more and be better”.

Musk took ownership by defining new arrangements in place of the established status quo of the traditional space industry. He first became embedded in the social communities of people in the space industry through action and investment, then sought to privately obtain unconventional launch vehicles, then launched SpaceX with his own personal funds as a Silicon Valley space company, utilizing unconventional launch facilities, developing a modular platform of re-usable components, and securing commercial contracts, with an ultimate g o a l o f m a k i n g h u m a n s a n interplanetary species. Musk's SpaceX status quo operated under different rules and arrangements than the traditional space industry status quo that it displaced, and preserved emancipatory potential for continued change.

Again, Musk created the SpaceX system as an end-to-end modular engineering platform of launch vehicles, capsules, and engines that were all designed, manufactured, assembled, and tested at SpaceX facilities. Components included the Falcon 1, Falcon 5, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and ITS Launch Vehicle, the Dragon and Dragon 2 capsules, and the Merlin, Kestrel, Draco, and SuperDraco eng ines. As o f 2019, severa l components have been renamed, new components have been added, and some components are no longer used. However, the principle of a modular platform architecture remains deeply entrenched.

SpaceX sourced key capabilities in-house and “increased its internal welding capabilities so that it could make the fuel tanks in a SpaceX facility and ditch Spincraft, a suppler”. “Musk doesn't want to handle a few launches per year or to rely on government contracts for survival. Musk's goal is to use manufacturing breakthroughs and launch pad advances to create a drastic drop in the cost of getting things to space”. Musk's ambitions about Mars shaped even the earliest design decisions about system architecture and components intended for low Earth orbit: “NASA researchers studying the Dragon design have noticed several features of the capsule that appear to have been purpose built from the get-go to accommodate a landing on Mars. It could be feasible for NASA to fund a mission to Mars in which a Dragon capsule picks up samples and returns them to Earth”.

Partnership with NASAPrior to SpaceX, NASA contracted only with traditional aerospace and military suppliers. In 2006, SpaceX contracted with NASA and the U.S. Military to develop technology, and in 2008, to operate missions. In 2012, a Dragon capsule became the first private spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station. In 2019, a Crew Dragon capsule became the first private s p a c e c r a f t r a t e d f o r h u m a n transportation to dock with the ISS; it returned successfully to earth a few days later for an ocean landing. SpaceX expects to transport a human crew to the ISS later in 2019.Musk vowed to continue despite three failed test launches and severe time and cost overruns, declaring. He made confident statements to employees and the public after each setback. “It took six years about four and a half more than

Musk had once planned and five hundred people to make this miracle of modern science and business happen”. The fourth test launch finally succeeded in 2008, when “SpaceX simply did not have enough money to try a fifth flight”. “When the launch was successful, everyone burst into tears”.

Beyond NASA Musk declared that SpaceX would do things differently, and insisted that massive cost reduction was both necessary and possible. Tom Mueller explained: “People thought we were crazy. At TRW, I had an army of people and government funding. Now we were going to make a low-cost rocket from scratch with a small team”. “The whole situation was ludicrous. A start-up rocket company had ended up in the middle of nowhere trying to pull off one of the most difficult feats known to man. Musk persevered and succeeded. By 2015, “SpaceX spent $2.5 billion to get four Dragon capsules to the ISS, nine flights with the Falcon 9, and five flights with the Falcon 1. It's a price-per-launch total that the rest of the players in the industry cannot comprehend let alone aspire to”.

In2013, Musk wrote a letter to SpaceX employees about the timing of going public, and made consistent statements about staying private: “For those who are under the impression that they are so clever that they can outsmart public market investors and would sell SpaceX stock at the 'right time,' let me relieve you of any such notion.” In 2013, Zubrin writes: “At SpaceX, initially all–and still a significant fraction today–of the funds spent have been Musk's. In short, SpaceX spends money as l ike i t is i ts own–because much of it is”.

Musk was frustrated that humans had no way to travel to Mars, and even more so, that there were no credible projects to get humans to Mars at any point in the future. Musk states: “At first I thought NASA just had a badly designed website. Why else couldn't you find this critical piece of information that would obviously be the first thing you'd want to know when you go to NASA.gov? But, it turned out, NASA had no plans for Mars.Musk also dreamed bigger, not only to travel to Mars, but to live there: “The thing that's important in the long run is establishing a self-sustaining base on Mars. In order for that to work in order to have a self-sustaining city on Mars there would need to be millions of tons of equipment and probably millions of people”.

INDUSTRY REPORT

Angola’s implementation of satellite sharing system w o u l d b o o s t t h e sustainable development of the African continent, according to the Angolan Secretary of State for Te lecommun ica t i ons , according toMario Oliveira. He said the system would enable African people to have quicker access to information, Oliveira said, adding that it would mark an important step for SADC members to enter the space industry.

SADC is a reg iona l economic community of 15 Member States: Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi , Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychel les, South Africa, Swaziland, U n i t e d R e p u b l i c o f Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SADC's vision

i s t h a t o f a r e g i o n a l community that ensures the e c o n o m i c w e l l - b e i n g , improvement in the standards of living and quality of life, freedom, social justice, peace and security for the people of Southern Africa. Consistent with its vision, SADC's Mission Statement commits it: “To promote sustainable and equitable economic growth a n d s o c i o - e c o n o m i c development through efficient productive systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance, and durable peace and security, so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective p layer in in ternat iona l relations and the world economy”.Oliveira also said Angola plans to resend a national satellite into orbit in the future, despite the failed launch of its first geostationary satellite the

Angosat-1 in 2017. George Ah-Thew, SADC senior coordinator for science, technology and information, said SADC countries are drafting the policies for the satellite sharing system. SADC is a regional economic group established in 1992 made up of 16 member states, whose goal is to reduce poverty in and develop the economy of the southern Africa region.

At least, close to 50 satellites covering at least part of Africa with C-band capacity in 2014, out of around 72 satellites covering the region. Overall, satellite operators supply a total capacity of ~14 GHz in C-band in 2014 in Africa usually 50% of “regular” capacity supply in the region, excluding HTS proprietary military satellites.

Brigadier Michael Ogbonna Agu, rtd

IN THE NEWS

The Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, has disclosed that it witnessed impressive growth in the e f f ec t i ve regu la t i on o f telecommunication under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman, Professor Umar Danbatta.According to the statement released by the commission, “telecoms contribution to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased from 8.50 percent in August 2015 to 11.39 percent as at October, 2019.”The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has joined the league of ITU member states in recognizing broadband potential for contributions and improvements of socio-economic development of the n a t i o n a n d t h e r e f o r e articulated a policy document, - The Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NBP).Currently in Nigeria, more than 1 0 t e r a b y t e s o f telecommunications capacity exists at the landing point, but t h e c h a l l e n g e i s t h e d e p l o y m e n t o f f i b e r infrastructure across the country that will effectively

distribute this capacity to the distribution nodes at the metropolitan areas of all regions in the country that will supply sufficient fiber capacity to the backbone.It explained that the feat was achieved due to effectieeeeve regu la tory env i ronment created by the commissions' helmsman, Umar Dambatta,NCC also revealed that telecommunications' from August 2015 till date recorded high growth statistics.According to data released by the commission, “Active mobile voice subscribers increased from 151,018,624 to 2015 to 180,386,316 during the same per iod whi le teledensity increased to 94.50 percent following its rebasing in early 2019.“ I n t e r n e t s u b s c r i b e r s increased from 90 million in 2015 to 123.5 million by O c t o b e r , 2 0 1 9 w h i l e b roadband pene t ra t i on jumped from 8 percent to its cur rent 37 .87 percent , i n d i c a t i n g a t o t a l o f 72,289,389 Nigerian access data services on 3G and 4G networks.“ A l s o , t h e n u m b e r o f

subscriptions to Mobile Number Portabil i ty (MNP) service increased from 385, 617 in August 2015 to 1, 206,874 by October, 2019.“Similarly, the total number of telecoms subscribers that have subscribed either partially or fully to the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) service introduced by the Commission – to curb cases of unsolicited text messages – increased from level zero to 22,356, 919 currently.”The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC in its press statement attributed the feat to a n i n c r e a s e d p u b l i c e n l i g h t e n m e n t b y t h e Commission's head office and its zonal offices across geo-political zones, especially on the availability and usage of Mobile Number Portability.N i g e r i a ' s A c t i v e M o b i l e Broadband Penetration has reached 20.95 % relative to less than 10 % a year ago. Furthermore, Percentage of Broadband Internet Penetration has reached a milestone of 47.44 % second to South Africa in Africa. This is strongly attributed to the robuste regulatory framework of the Commission.

UAE Space Agency launches NewSpace Innovation Programme

The UAE Space Agency has announced its collaboration with the Abu Dhabi-based global innovation hub, Krypto Labs, to launch the UAE NewSpace Innovation Programme. The programme aims to maximise the growth of space technology start-ups in NewSpace, the rising private spaceflight industry. The programme comes as part of the UAE Space Agency's efforts to accelerate the growth of technology start-ups in the field of space sciences.The programme falls under the National Space Investment Promotion Plan which aims to heighten the role of the space industry in contributing to the economy of the UAE, while encouraging a culture of interest in the space sector, in efforts to establish a knowledge-based competitive national economy built on innovation and the latest technologies. The NewSpace Innovation Programme is one of the main and most important initiatives launched by the National Space Investment Promotion Plan, initiated by the UAE Space Agency in the first quarter of 2019. The programme also falls under a MoU signed between the UAE Space Agency and Krypto Labs, which aims to increase innovation and investment in the space sector, drive a diversified UAE economy, and promote awareness through specialised initiatives that support space technology entrepreneurship.Selected applicants will take part in a 3-month incubation programme at Krypto Labs' headquarters in Abu Dhabi with access to the hub's facilities. They will also have access to the innovation hub's local and global network of investors, receive mentorship from global space experts, and develop their skills in business creation, marketing, and sales, among others. Applicants will have a chance to secure funds to ensure their start-up investment is ready to enter the market.Eligible applicants must present an innovative and original idea with a clear technical approach, which generates a feasible and scalable product. Applying teams must have at least one Emirati team member.Dr Eng Mohammed Nasser Al Ahbabi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, said: “We are pleased to be collaborating with Krypto Labs to inspire young entrepreneurs to present their ground-breaking start-up ideas and contribute to the growth of the space industry in the UAE, along with promoting a diverse economy in the country. The UAE NewSpace Innovation P r o g r a m m e i n v i t e s s t u d e n t s , entrepreneurs, and start-ups to share their ground-breaking ideas and transform them into viable commercial products. This supports developing space technology as part of the UAE's private spaceflight NewSpace sector, which aims to make space more accessible, affordable and commercial.”

SADC countries to implement satellite sharing system

Telecoms contribution to Nigeria's GDP surges

IN THE NEWS

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SpaceX has announced plans to launch Egyptian operator NileSat's next communications satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2022. Nilesat, having launched all three of its past satellites with Arianespace, is a first-time customer for SpaceX.The Egypt ian Sate l l i te Company, Nilesat, is a joint-stock company operating under the Free Zone Law in 6th of October City, and the name of a series of Egyptian communications satellites. It was established in 1996 to operate Egyptian satellites, associated ground control s ta t ions and up l ink ing facilities. It has launched two satellites to the 7° West orbital neighbourhood (Nilesat 101 and Ni lesat 102), and l a u n c h e d i t s s e c o n d generation satellite, Nilesat 201 in August 2010.SpaceX and Nilesat signed a contract in Cairo for the launch of Nilesat-301, an a p p r o x i m a t e l y 4 , 0 0 0 -kilogram satellite that Franco-Italian manufacturer Thales Alenia Space is building.Nilesat-301, according to a statement SpaceX sent to reporters announcing the

launch deal, will carry Ku-band transponders for television broadcasting, and Ka-band capacity for internet connectivity. Thales Alenia Space is building the satellite based on its Spacebus 4000-B2 platform.

Nilesat-301 has an expected design life of 15 years and will cover the Middle East and Northern Africa. Thales Alenia Space received a manufacturing contract for the satellite in December.Nilesat broadcasts around 700 TV channels, and over 100 digital radio channels uplinked either from Cairo, Dubai , Amman, Doha, Riyadh and Beirut and covering North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf Region. Nearly 76 percent of the TV channels are free to air, the remaining channels are encrypted.

Nilesat viewership in the MENA region has shown steady growth, from 11 million households in 2003 to more than 43 mi l l ion households.SpaceX has shaken up the launch industry, undercutting the competition with Falcon 9

rockets starting at just $60 million, tens of millions less than other rockets in its class, and perfecting technology to recover the first stage boosters so they can be refurbished and flown again.S p a c e X d e s i g n s , manufactures, and launches the world's most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets. Today, SpaceX is advancing the boundaries of space technology through its Falcon launch vehicles and Dragon spacecraftSpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. SpaceX is the wo r l d ' s f as tes t - g row ing provider of launch services. Profitable and cash-flow positive, the company has nearly 50 launches on its manifest, representing nearly $5 billion in contracts. These include commercial satellite launches as well as NASA missions

Eutelsat successfully launches Konnect satellite

The Eutelsat KONNECT satellite has been successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit by Arianespace using an Ariane 5 rocket that lifted off from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. “For the first Ariane 5 launch of the year, our heavyweight vehicle has once more performed flawlessly,” said Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël, who provided his post-flight comments from the Spaceport's mission control center. “Congratulations to all!” The separation of the all-electric satellite occurred after a 27-minute flight and the spacecraft systems checkout was successfully completed over a period of 3 hours.Built by Thales Alenia Space, the EUTELSAT KONNECT communications satellite, features all-electric propulsion and operates in Ka-band. It is the first satellite to use Thales Alenia Space's all-electric Spacebus NEO platform, developed under the Neosat Partnership Project conducted by the European and French space agencies. EUTELSAT KONNECT was produced by Thales Alenia Space as a new-generation high-throughput satellite that will help bridge the digital divide by bringing broadband Internet across 40 countries in Africa and 15 countries across Europe. In Africa, EUTELSAT KONNECT also will – through the establishment of public Wi-Fi terminals – share internet access between several users, marketed in the form of coupons that can be paid via mobile phone.

EUTELSAT KONNECT will assure full or partial coverage for up to 40 countries across Africa and 15 over Europe. Offering total capacity of 75 Gbps, by next autumn this high throughput satellite will allow the operator to provide Internet access services for both companies and individuals at up to 100 Mbps.Featuring all-electric propulsion and configured for operation in Ka-band, EUTELSAT KONNECT is the first satellite to use Thales Alenia Space's Spacebus NEO platform, developed under the Neosat Partnership Project conducted by the European and French space agencies (ESA and CNES). It weighed an estimated 3,619 kg. at liftoff.EUTELSAT KONNECT is the 34th Eutelsat satellite launched by Arianespace since its first mission for this operator. It also is the 163rd Thales Alenia Space-produced satellite orbited by the company to date.

Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat: "Our congratulations to Arianespace and the Guiana Space Center teams for successfully launching our EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite towards geostationary orbit. The collaboration between Eutelsat, Thales Alenia Space and Arianespace on this ambitious satellite programme has resulted in a world-first broadband satellite for the African and European continents that demonstrates the suitability of satellite infrastructure as a means to deliver high quality broadband services, contributing to bridging the digital divide within rural areas."

SpaceX to launch Nilesat-301 in 2022

Nigerian Communications Commission has developed the Commercial Satellite Communications Guidelines for the telecommunications industry in Nigeria. According to Henry Nkemadu, NCC Director, Public Affairs, the policy came into effect in November 2018.“In line with the provisions of Section 13 of the Commercial Satellite Communications Guidelines, the Commission to date, has issued Landing Permits to 55 Space Stations providing coverage over Nigeria's territory”, he said.

This list of authorised Space Stations with permit to provide coverage over Nigeria is a v a i l a b l e o n t h e Commission's website. NCC u r g e d a l l r e l e v a n t stakeholders and operators in Nigerian telecommunications market to take note of the information.Nigerian Communications

C o m m i s s i o n r e c e n t l y granted its first landing right p e r m i t t o A V A N T I Communications Group Plc, a UK- based satel l i te operator, for hosting of its HYLAS 4 Satellite space segment over Nigerian territory.

Speaking during the formal presentation of the permit to AVANTI at the Commission's headquarters yesterday in Abuja, the executive vice chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, explained landing permit impl ies authorisation that allows operators to beam its signal over the territorial integrity of a country, saying the landing permit, the first of its kind in satellite communications in Niger ia , was a d i rec t consequence of one of its operators employing the services of the satellite operator.“AVANTI has a fleet of

satellites and one of them which is called HYLAS-4 is used to extend coverage to West, Central and Sub-Saharan Africa, and it is one of these satellites (called HYLAS-4) that has been deployed to extend coverage over Nigerian territory. This satellite uses the latest Ka-band satellite technology and has additional capacity to the tune of 2GHz.

“This high capacity service has come to Nigeria through an international gateway that has been deployed by one of our local operators. With such high capacity facility in place and easily accessible, our local operators can now be more encouraged to deploy services via satellite to serve the underserved/unserved areas hence bridging the dig i ta l d iv ide current ly experienced by the nation,” he said.

NCC releases list of authorised space stations in Nigeria

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The Chai rman, House Committee on Information a n d C o m m u n i c a t i o n Technology (ICT), Hon. Abubakar Lado Suleija, has given his unreserved support to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim ( P a n t a m i ) , o n t h e commercialization of the NIGCOMSAT Ltd activities towards the realization of its set objectives as well as meeting its contributions toward the actualization of a sustainable digital economy in Nigeria. Expressing his views shortly a f te r an on the spo t fami l ia r iza t ion v is i t to NIGCOMSAT Ltd along airport road, Abuja, the Hon Member believed that with the full commercialization of the company, the country stands to gain more in revenue generation and m o r e e m p l o y m e n t opportunity for the teaming m a s s e s t h a n f r o m

privatization. Hon, Lado regretted that while other countries are optimizing the satellite commun ica t i on space resources to advance their economy, MDAs and the private sector in the country have not gainfully taken this opportunity to grow their businesses here at home instead they rely more on foreign satellite services.'It is a common knowledge that portfolio businessmen prefer to patronize foreign satellite resources which to me is not only expensive but a disservice to the nation', He said.Expressing his intention to champion the deepening of the use of ICT for the growth of the economy in the country through adequate legislation, Hon. Lado further a d v i s e d N I G C O M S AT Management to urgently open more regional offices to ensure that ICT industry

s u s t a i n s t h e c u r r e n t economic direction of the country.On her part, the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, NIGCOMSAT Ltd, Dr. Abimbola Alale described the O v e r s i g h t f u n c t i o n o f Members of the House of Representative Committee on ICT as timely as their support would enable the company positioned itself towards bet ter serv ice delivery to Nigerian people.'We are encouraged by your visit and mindful of advises given, we want to assure you that we shall work very hard to meet the expectations of Nigerians and the KPIs set by the HM MoCDE to put the company on the pact of better service delivery and greater visibility. It is my belief that with good legislative support, NIGCOMSATshall reposition itself as a key revenue earner for the government ', the MD/CEO affirmed.

The second satellite in the European Data Relay System has reached its i n t e n d e d o r b i t a n d completed its in-orbit tests. Dubbed the “Space Data Highway” by its commercial operator Airbus, EDRS uses innovative laser technology to enable Earth-observation satellites to deliver their information to users on the ground in near real-time, accelerating responses to emergency situations and spurring the development of new services and products.EDRS-C is the second satellite in the system and was launched last August. After being delivered into its initial orbit by an Ariane 5 launcher, EDRS-C made its way to its final geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometres

above Earth through five liquid apogee engine burns and a few re locat ion manoeuvres. It has been thoroughly tested to ensure that all its components are operating as expected.Control of the satellite has now been handed over to Airbus. In the coming months, the performance of its laser communication terminal will be fine-tuned as part of the nominal test sequence. To do so, several links are scheduled with the Copernicus programme's f o u r S e n t i n e l E a r t h observation satellites.The satellite also hosts a c o m m e r c i a l p a y l o a d operated by British satellite operator Avanti that is about t o s t a r t d e l i v e r i n g communications services.

EDRS is a public–private partnership between ESA and Airbus as part of ESA's efforts to federate industry around large-scale programmes, s t i m u l a t i n g t e c h n o l o g y developments to achieve economic benefits. The first satellite in the EDRS network, EDRS-A, was launched in January 2016.Since then it has transmitted 1.7 petabytes of data, equivalent to binge watching almost 20 000 ultra high definition 4k films 24 hours a day for nearly four-and-a-half y e a r s . T h e d a t a w a s transmitted via 30 000 optical inter-satellite links established w i t h t h e C o p e r n i c u s programme's four Sentinel Earth observation satellites.

IN THE NEWS

NIGCOMSAT chair, Arc. Kazaure visits ground station

The newly appointed Board Chairman of N iger ian Communicat ions Sate l l i te , NIGCOMSAT Ltd, Arc. Yusuf Kazaure recently paid an official visit to the company. On hand to receive the Board Chairman is the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Abimbola Alale and the newly appointed Executive Directors.The Board Chairman was taken round the critical sectors of the company which include the Satellite Control Center (SCC), The Network Control Center (NOC) and the Hub.Shortly after the facility tour, the Chairman and Management team went into a closed door meeting. Those present at the meeting included, Prof. Bambale Abdul Ja'afaru, ED Technical, Mr. Hadi Mohammed, Ed Admin and Finance and Dr. Najeem Salam, Executive D i r ec to r, Ma rke t i ng and Bus iness Development, Engr. Shehu Kaura, General Manager, Broadcasting, Hajiya Rakiya Suleiman, General Manager, Admin and Engr. Danjuma Ibrahim Ndhighidha, General Manger, Satellite Control.The Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd. (NIGCOMSAT, www.nigcomsat.gov.ng) was incorporated on April 4, 2006 as a company under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Communication. With a mission is “to manage and exploit the commercial viability of the Nigerian Communication Satellite, NigComSat for the social economic benefit of the nation”. It is charged with the management and operation of the first geostationary communications satellite in sub-Sahara Africa. NIGCOMSAT aims to provide its customers with unsurpassed quality of service. By combining expertise, it provides, deploys and implements turnkey solutions ranging from Internet infrastructure, Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), satellite communications, Direct-to-home (DTH) services and wireless communications. NigComSat-1R satellite beam covers Nigeria, a huge part of Africa, some parts of Asia & Europe. NIGCOMSAT also provides a wide array of products to end-users, while building and servicing networks bench-marked against internationally recognized best practice technologies.NigComSat Ltd was the first satellite company to launch one of the most modern teleport services in the Sub-Sahara region, using the iDX 3.0 on DVB-S2 technology and the 2D-16state MODCOD technique on the iDirect hub system, as depicted in figure 8, through a 7.6 m Ku Band Antenna system with a fully redundant 100W BUC solution supporting multi-carriers.NIGCOMSAT Gateways and hubs were deployed at the coastal areas of the country to gain access to to the huge communication potential of the various submarine landing cables with terrabytes of capacity. The strategic deployment and implementation of a teleport hub serves as an African convergence port, where the terrestrial fiber can connect and merge with the Communication Satellite Network.The Hub is a gateway for all satellite b a s e d n e t w o r k s i n t o t h e I n t e r n e t Superhighway with 7.6M antenna system co-located.

Nigerian legislators supports Nigcomsat commercialization plan

Second space data highway satellite set to beam

Solstad Offshore, a leading provider of specialised offshore tonnage to the international oil and gas industry, has renewed its connectivity contract with Marlink, committing 65 offshore vessels to Sealink, Marlink's high-throughput Ku-band VSAT service. Solstad's vessels will be provided with Sealink Services and L-band backup to ensure seamless g lobal connectivity.To meet the diverse demands of its OSV fleet, Solstad sought a highly flexible, customised and future-proof service. Building on more than 10 years' p a r t n e r s h i p , M a r l i n k cooperates closely with Solstad O f f sho re to mee t t he i r o p e r a t i o n a l a n d I C T (Information Communications Technology) requirements. A tailor-made setup consisting of five diverse packages will allow Solstad to choose the hardware fitted to each vessel, ranging from basic 4G connectivity to a fully managed, high-throughput single or dual antenna VSAT system.Chr is t ian Neshe im, ICT

Director, Solstad Offshore, said: “Reliable links with shore are vital in today's i n d u s t r y t o e n s u r e operational efficiency and vessel safety, as well as improving quality of life for vessel crews by keeping them in touch with families ashore. Many of our clients work in the highly demanding oil and energy sector, and by p r o v i d i n g t h e m w i t h outstanding connectivity Solstad will continue to deliver value at every level.”

Mar l ink 's serv ices for Solstad Offshore are made flexible through use of an innovative Self-Service portal, on board and on shore. Without needing to pick up the phone, users will be able up- or down-grade their bandwidth allocation, act ivate or deact ivate services such as content filters, and change their c o v e r a g e a r e a . T h i s adaptabi l i ty wi l l a l low Solstad Offshore more control, for example by

increasing the bandwidth for a vessel in alignment with current on-board requirements. To avoid unauthorised use of the portal, user accounts will be allocated with various access rights. Support tickets, changes and invoices will also be handled via a customer p o r t a l , s p e c i f i c a l l y designed to meet Solstad Offshore' needs, and providing transparency for both users and managers.

To r e M o r t e n O l s e n , P r e s i d e n t M a r i t i m e , Marlink said: “Marlink has worked together with S o l s t a d O f f s h o r e t o produce a service offering which we believe to be unmatched in the industry. By enabling our customers t o c o n f i g u r e t h e i r connectivity to their exact requirements, we increase the value and service e x p e r i e n c e f o r o u r customer.”

IN THE NEWS

Measat-3b

u

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Eutelsat Communications' EUTELSAT 7C satellite has entered full commercial service and is ready to s u p p o r t b r o a d c a s t customers across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Turkey. Manufactured by Maxar Technologies

EUTELSAT 7C is a 3.4 tonne h igh-power a l l -e lect r ic satellite carrying 49 36-Mhz e q u i v a l e n t K u - b a n d transponders. Successfully launched from Kourou, French Guiana, on 20 June 2019, the satellite is co-located with EUTELSAT 7B at 7° East, increasing capacity at this dynamic ne ighbou rhood by 19 transponders.

Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated g round in f ras t ruc tu re ,

Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data , Government, Fixed and M o b i l e B r o a d b a n d markets to communicate e f f e c t i v e l y t o t h e i r customers, irrespective of their location. Over 6,800 t e l e v i s i o n c h a n n e l s operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks.

Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1,000 men and women from 44 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service. As a core player in the most r e s i l i e n t s e g m e n t s , Eutelsat fixed satellites assets represent one of the largest and efficient in the industry.Fixed Satellite

Services (FSS) operators operate geostationary satellites (GEO) that are positioned in an orbit approximately 36,000 kilometres from the earth in the equatorial plane. These sate l l i tes are particularly well-suited to transmitting signals to an unlimited number of fixed terrestrial antennae, which are permanently directed towards the satellite.

During the night of 27-28 January 2020, the Eutelsat teams migrated a number of services from EUTELSAT 7A to EUTELSAT 7C, including Turkish Pay-TV platform Digiturk, Turkish national broadcaster TRT, and Globecast UK for coverage across Europe and the Middle East. EUTELSAT 7A will be transferred to another orbital location as part of Eutelsat's fleet optimisation strategy.

Kleos, Geollect sign channel partner agreement

Kleos Space S.A has entered into a channel partner and data integrator agreement with UK geospatial intelligence and analysis company Geollect. Geollect will procure and integrate data from Kleos' satellites as it becomes a global leader in dark vessel tracking capability whereas Kleos data will be used by Geollect to generate analytical intelligence output and may be resold to third parties. The agreement is the result of Kleos' and Kleos' UK subsidiary efforts to assist the UK Industry and Government to access commercial data from satellites to provide information as needed. Kleos' Scouting Mission satellites detect and geolocate marit ime radio frequency transmissions, and when compared with other data sources such as Automatic Identification System (AIS) the data can be used to highlight 'dark' maritime activity. Geollect provides near real-time geospatial maritime intelligence collection and analytics for the defence, security, global cruise line and insurance sectors that is used by leading maritime organisations. Comprehensive real-time vessel tracking is central to its extensive contracts with the UK's Royal Navy and within the Global P&I Maritime insurance sector, using its intelligence capabilities to support global maritime operations. Kleos Space Chairman, Air Commodore (rtd) Peter Round said, “This is a great example of implementation of a key business strategy for Kleos. We can provide defence, security and commercial users with access to cost-effective geolocation intelligence data to provide a value added tipping and cueing capability to their current capability. Kleos' independent maritime intelligence data complements and enhances Geollect's existing datasets. Using our satellites flown in clusters of four, our technology geolocates all RF transmissions without relying on them actively broadcasting their locations. Thus, Kleos can offer unprecedented situational awareness at sea with optimised revisit rates over key regions of maritime interest for the UK, including the Straits of Hormuz, the South China Sea and the coast of Africa”.This agreement with an international leader in geospatial intelligence supports Kleos' long-term strategy within the UK defence and security markets, where its commercial satellites improve and verify intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data to support maritime operations. Geollect co-founder and Chief Operating Off icer Richard Gwi l l iam, a highly experienced ex-Royal Navy intelligence officer said, “Our maritime defence and security customers, such as the Royal Navy, are increasingly requesting tracking of dark activity, facilitating improved detection and interdiction of illegal activity such as piracy and drug smuggling. Kleos' data will improve our location of dark vessels, enabling us to identify anomalous activity and corroborate reports from disparate sources in near realtime.

Eutelsat Communications announces entry into commercial service of EUTELSAT 7C

Solstad Offshore renews and expands fleet contract with Marlink

brand, and a range of other Vodafone services.Nasser al Nasser, Chief Executive of stc, said: “The potential acquisit ion of Vodafone Egypt is in line with our expansion strategy in the M E N A r e g i o n . T h e transaction, which is still subject to detailed due diligence, confirms stc's eagerness to maintain a leadership position not only in the KSA, but also in the wider region. Vodafone Egypt is the leading player in the Egyptian mobile market and we look forward to contributing further to its continuing success.”

Nick Read, Chief Executive of Vodafone, said: “I am deeply proud of our business in Egypt, being the clear number one leader in the market. Under stc, I believe

they will continue to flourish. This transaction is consistent with our efforts to simplify the Group to two differentiated, scaled geographic regions - Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, it will reduce our net debt and u n l o c k v a l u e f o r o u r shareholders . We look forward to continuing our close relationship with the business through a Partner Market agreement, and building on our significant shared service operations in Egypt, known as _VOIS ( Vo d a f o n e I n t e l l i g e n t Solutions).”Following the completion of due diligence on Vodafone Egypt by stc, any binding agreement with respect to this transaction will be subject to obtaining the approvals of stc and Vodafone boards as well as any relevant regulatory approvals.

IN THE NEWS

S T C , S a u d i Te l e c o m Company announces it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vodafone Group Plc2 in relation to the potential acquisit ion of V o d a f o n e ' s 5 5 % shareholding in Vodafone Egypt by stc.

STC and Vodafone (“the Parties”) have agreed a cash consideration of US$ 2,392m ( S A R 8 , 9 7 0 m 3 ) f o r V o d a f o n e ' s 5 5 % shareholding in Vodafone Egypt, equivalent to a total Enterprise Value of US$ 4,350m (SAR 16,312m3) for Vodafone Egypt. The final c o n s i d e r a t i o n w i l l b e determined upon signing of the definitive agreement.On comple t ion o f the transaction, the Parties intend to enter into a Partner Market Agreement, which will include use of the Vodafone

Farhad Khan, Chief Commercial Officer, Yahsat

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The World Economic Forum Centre for Cybersecurity, in cooperation with leading Internet service providers ( ISPs) and mul t i la tera l organizations around the world, have developed new Internet security principles to help protect up to one billion consumers in 180 countries. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2019, the impact of indiscriminate malicious activity on the Internet can be significant and will carry an estimated global price tag of USD 6 trillion in 2021.

The new cybersecur i ty p r i n c i p l e s h a v e b e e n endorsed by BT, Deutsche Telekom, du Telecom, Global Cybe r A l l i ance , Ko rea Telecom, Proximus, Saudi Telecom, Europol, Singtel, Telstra, Internet Society, and the ITU. It is stated that ISPs are a critical community that have the ability to protect c o n s u m e r s a g a i n s t cybersecurity threats and therefore have a significantly positive impact on their safety.Amy Jordan, Delivery Lead, Platform for Shaping the

Future of Cybersecurity and Digital Trust, World Economic Forum, said, “Cybersecurity is becoming a public safety issue. As more and more devices are connected and phys i ca l i n f ras t ruc tu re b e c o m e s i n c r e a s i n g l y connected, no one company can do i t a l one . The community needs to come together, and these principles can accelerate and scale impact.”After a year of development and testing, the partners have identi f ied four effective principles as being successful in preventing malicious activit ies from reaching c o n s u m e r s . I t i s recommended that ISPs protect consumers from widespread cyber attacks by default, and act collectively with peers to identify and respond to known threats. The providers need to take action t o i n c r e a s e t h e i r understanding of threats and to assist consumers in protecting themselves and their networks. The ISPs also need to work closely with hardware, software and infrastructure manufacturers

and vendors to increase minimum security levels, as well as take action to increase the security of signaling and routing to reinforce their defense against attacks.“By adopting these best practice principles and working with governments in a public-private partnership to create a supportive policy f r a m e w o r k , w e w i l l collectively boost trust in the d i g i t a l e c o n o m y a n d s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e d u c e cybercrime,” said Stefaan De Clerck, Chai rman, Proximus Board.

The World Economic Forum said it will now use its Platform for Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity and Digital Trust to drive the adoption of their stated principles. In addition, this organization will seek to initiate a dialogue between p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e s t a k e h o l d e r s o n h o w governments can advance the implementation of these principles, and also establish clearer policy frameworks and expectations.

Liquid Telecom rolls out 138 base stations across Kenya

Liquid Telecom Kenya has rolled out an nationwide Internet of Things(IOT) network covering 78% of the Kenyan population. With an additional 138 IoT base stations across the country, an tremendous increase from 20 base stations in 2018, the Liquid Telecom fibre network aim at delivering guaranteed reliability and speed across the country. At the 5th Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) summit held in Siaya, William Oungo, Head of Government Business, Liquid Telecom, said that the delivery of the base stations was in line with the regional bloc's resolution on improving ICT infrastructure to enhance service delivery within the LREB member counties.

He said Liquid Telecom has so far connected 41 counties and they are trying to make sure that the right environment for innovation, fields such as data science, machine learning and gaming can also be carried out in the rural counties.Liquid Telecom is a leading communications services and solutions provider across 13 countries in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa that serves carrier, enterprise and retail customers with high-speed, reliable connectivity and digital services.With a fibre network, spanning over 50,000km, Liquid Telkom operates state-of-the-art data centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Nairobi. This is in addition to leading cloud-based services, such as Microsoft Office365 and Microsoft Azure, and innovative digital content provision, including Netflix, NBA, TED and Kwese Play.Liquid Telecom Kenya recently partnered with the Nakuru County Government to launch high capacity free Wifi in Nakuru. This has seen the residents of Nakuru County enjoy a free, fast and reliable public street Wifi connection, enabling rapid access to information vital for economic and educational advancement.The project was awarded the prestigious Changing Lives award at the Africacom Awards, which recognises an inspiring initiative that has significantly impacted African communications in the community and contributed to economic and social development.Liquid Telecom is a leading communications solutions provider across 13 countries – primarily in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa – that serves mobile operators, carriers, enterprise, media and content companies and retail customers with high-speed, reliable connectivity, hosting and co-location and digital services. It has built Africa's largest independent fibre network (approaching 70,000 kilometres), and operates data centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Nairobi, with a combined potential 19,000 square metres of rack space and 80 MW of power. This is in addition to offering cloud-based services, such as Microsoft Office365, Microsoft Azure, and digital content including Netflix and Kwesé TV.

STC, Vodafone Group sign MoU in relation to 55% shareholding in Vodafone Egypt

World Economic Forum and ISPs lay out new Internet security principles

Inmarsat and ITC Global have announced a five-year strategic collaboration. The partnership enables the organizations to combine their highly complementary, market-leading services to o f f e r b r o a d b a n d connectivity, paired with high-value connectivity solutions to customers in the maritime, yachting and offshore energy sectors.ITC Global wi l l o ffer Inmarsat's market-leading Fleet Xpress service, incorporating the Ka-band solution into its existing comprehensive range of Ku -band connec t i v i t y services. Fleet Xpress for Offshore is powered by the Global Xpress Ka-band network, combined with the p r o v e n r e l i a b i l i t y o f I n m a r s a t ' s f l a g s h i p , FleetBroadband L-band service.De l i ve r i ng h igh da ta s p e e d s , c o n t i n u o u s c o n n e c t i v i t y a n d guaranteed performance,

and flexible broadband connectivity anywhere in the world to meet their rapidly g row ing d ig i ta l i sa t ion needs.”ITC Global is a subsidiary of P a n a s o n i c A v i o n i c s Corporation, delivering high-speed, high-capacity communications services to customers across the oil and gas, mining, merchant maritime and passenger vessel markets.

“Us ing our comb ined expertise of Ku-, L- and Ka-bands, we will be well-positioned to meet the individual demands of marit ime and offshore cus tomers , ” sa id Ian Dawkins, CEO at ITC Global. “The agreement will enable us to extract further value from the synergies between our organizations and leverage our mutual technology and product innovations to fully support t h e o p e r a t i o n a l requirements of customers.”

the Ka-band service – which is now installed on over 8,000 vessels – sets a new standard for maritime global communications, with crew welfare, regulatory and operational drivers at the heart.

Benefits include affordable voice calls, multiple voice opt ions for crew and operations and high-speed broadband for internet access, plus 24/7 online s u p p o r t b y c e r t i f i e d engineers. For offshore c l ien ts , F lee t Xpress provides added subscription flexibility to meet seasonal and short-term demand changes.Er ic Gr i f f in , Inmarsat Maritime, Vice President Offshore & High End Fishing, said: “We are pleased to secure the support of a key partner in ITC Global, which reflects our own commitment to providing the offshore and wider maritime community with uniquely global, reliable

IN THE NEWS

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Chinese telecom companies, in particular Huawei and ZTE, have established a niche supplying high-tech telephony suitable for rural and lesser developed regions of Africa and the rest of the world. These areas prove penetrable a s t h e d o m i n a n t t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s companies operate mostly in populated urban cities.

Nigeria, one of the strategic partners and the largest telecommunications market in Africa, makes a good case study as China has already e n t e r e d i t s telecommunications sectors. Te n y e a r s a f t e r t h e liberalisation and wholesome privatisation of the African telecommunications markets, H u a w e i a n d Z T E a r e established as important equipment suppliers in the Nigerian. It is likely that their presence in the market will

grow and they will upgrade their service offering to include networks as they have done in other African. Huawei arrived to Nigeria in 1999 in the midst of the democratisation after years of military rule and by 2004 was bringing revenues of USD $400 million. It has since replaced traditional equipment suppliers like Alcatel and Siemens in the Nigerian market, thanks to their aggressive commercial approach and low prices.

Their Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 450 MHz equipment is apt for long signal range in rural areas. Based on the principle of "invest in Africa, serve Africa", Huawei has made significant efforts towards the development of the African communications industry ever since it entered the African market. Huawei not only has been dedicated

to providing high quality and tailor-made solutions and products to its partners, but has also continuously strived to improve its service system and quality so as to better serve its customers. ‘’’

Moreover, Huawei actively p a r t i c i p a t e s i n t h e cooperat ion wi th local partners and makes efforts to f o s t e r l o c a l telecommunication talents, in order to facilitate the development of African telecommunication industry. Huawei and ZTE are China's t w o l a r g e s t t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s equipment and service suppliers. They are capable of providing end-to-end s o l u t i o n s t o telecommunications carriers, and they have built broad product portfolios. Both companies are based in China's Shenzhen region

SpaceX successfully sends 60 Starlink satellites to space

SpaceX, the rocketship company owned by Elon Musk, launched 60 more Starlink satellites into orbit, marking the second time this month it has sent satellites into space. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket took off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Flordia. The launch had been delayed twice in recent days because of strong winds and rough oceans.

The launch is part of SpaceX's efforts to blanket the world with high-speed Internet. The company now has 240 satellites in its constellation. In order to provide minimal coverage it needs about 400 satellites and for moderate Internet coverage, 800 satellites, reported Space.com. The report noted SpaceX could begin offering minimal coverage as soon as this year with areas of the U.S. and Canada the first to receive it. The idea is to provide Internet coverage to far-flung corners of the world where it's impossible to bring Internet.

According to TechCrunch, SpaceX COO and President Gwynne Shotwell said the company wants to launch a least six more batches of satellites into orbit by the end of 2020. It had estimated it would take a total of 24 launches to provide internet service globally. The company is now the largest private satellite company in the world.

SpaceX was able to recover the Falcon 9 booster, continuing its success in that department. After separating from the payload, the rocket landed back on its ship floating in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX has been successful in recovering the rocket's boosters in previous launches as well.A byproduct of SpaceX's satellite launches is concerns the artificial stars they create will interfere with astronomers' data calculations and pollute the night sky. To counter that SpaceX and the American Astronomical Society have come up with what they hope is a solution: a non-reflective coating on the bottom of the satellites.

SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches the world's most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets. Today, SpaceX is advancing the boundaries of space technology through its Falcon launch vehicles and Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010.

Inmarsat and ITC Global to expand connectivity options for customers

5G: China and the race ahead

On December 1, 2003, the establishment of Africa Magic channel on DSTV created additional revenue generating stream for Nigerian film-makers, opening a new windows of opportunity to vend the TV rights of their films to DSTV in tangible financial transactions. To date, it remains a very good alternative or additional revenue generating stream for film-makers at all levels.

While DSTV started the Africa Magic channel in South Africa, the company now has 8 African Movie Channels, namely Africa Movie

Since its creation, Africa Magic channels has quickly became the major platform through which Nollywood films were accessed within Africa and beyond.

Showcase – DStv channel 151, Africa Movie Epic – DStv channel 152, Africa Movie Urban – DStv channel 153, Africa Movie Family – DStv channel 154, Africa Movie World, DStv channel 155, Africa Movie Hausa – DStv channel 156, Africa Movie Yoruba – DStv channel 157, Africa Movie Igbo – DStv channel 159.It pays between US$2500 to US$5000 for most films and very few have received between US$6000 and US$10000. These acquisitions give the channel the entitlement to air the film for 12 months of which it has the exclusive rights for 6 months. Shortly after its introduction, Africa Movie Channel initiative prompted the Multichoice to create two 12/7 channels dedicated solely

to Hausa-language and Yoruba-language films on Channels 117 and 118 respectively on march 1, 2010, now on channels 156 and 157. While there was no such channel solely dedicated to Igbo-language films in the offing, the dearth of Igbo-language films became glaring.

Multichoice then set funds aside for collaborations with producers to make Igbo-language films. This gesture attracted a lot of independent film producers who began to make Igbo-language films either in partnership with DSTV or entirely on their own, with the confidence that DSTV will purchase the broadcast rights for the films. Charles Novia, an indigene of Edo state in

Picture source ADB

Courtesy- SpaceX

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Air Vice Marshall Tommy Udoh

Picture source: ITU

SPECIAL REPORT

John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria

Enriching lives” is the guiding motto of Multichoice's corporate social responsibility programme with the promise of “enriching lives” as the primary motivator for many Nollywood industry players doing business with Multichoice. According to the company, the policy states that “as Multichoice expands its business it aims to contribute to the communities in which it operates; develop its own people; contribute to general economic prosperity; and minimize its impact on the environment”. Read more in this report

Africa Magic Channels and the rise of Nollywood

Courtesy- SpaceX

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the south-south region also premiered an Igbo-language television series Nduka on DSTV in 2015. With this and many others, DSTV now has enough content in its archives and as a result, the 24/7 Igbo-language channel known as Africa Magic Igbo, channel 159, began broadcast operation on April 2, 2015.

Few years after launch, Nollywood films makes up over half of Africa Movie Channel content, primarily due to the size of Nigeria as the most populous country in Africa and Nollywood's highly impressive global audience base. One of Multichoice popular soap is Tinsel. Tinsel is an in-house production of M-Net which started in August, 2008 and has shown more than 1,500 episodes. It runs a 5-day a week schedule on the DSTV channels with a 260 episodes shown annually, as against the 52 days' serials in Nigeria.56The production of Tinsel in Nigeria is significant because it is the first studio-shoot in contemporary Nigerian entertainment history, after old generation indigenous soaps like The Village Headmaster, TheHonorable, The New Masquerades among others. Tinsel launched the career of many actors like Gideon Okeke, Linda Ejiofor, Tomi Odunsi, Damilola Adegbite, who have become entertainment industry celebrities in Africa due to Multichoice's DSTV's continental broadcasting outreach. Today, Tinsel's actors are recognized actors, presenters, and representatives of several corporate brands, and many of the actors have crossed over to Nollywood. Most significantly, Tinsel's production style provides employment to an average of 60 performing artists, who are paid on monthly basis. This is a landmark contribution to the development of the industry and Nigerian

economy. With an estimated figure of 90% against 10% cast and crew from Nigeria and Ghana respectively, the production exposes the technical crews and cast to transnational work relations. “Aside being a creative concept to entertain fun-loving Nigeria, Tinsel is creatively positioned as an economic agenda to keep hundreds of Nigerians gainfully employed while entertaining the viewer” and potentially, it is a practical model for Nol lywood producers interested in improving their businesses and the industry.

Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Award, AMVCAOne of the key industry platforms is the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Award, called AMVCA. The program is the annual African film industry award ceremony dubbed 'Africa's Oscar.' Within the four years of its existence, the AMVCA has served as an important social event not only for Nigerian stars but also for Africa's who-is-who in the film industry. The first edition was held on the 9th of March 2013 in Lagos. Usually, it is a live broadcast transmitted on both DSTV and the GOtv channels to about 50 countries in the world. Categories of awards given at the event range from best actors, actresses, supporting lead roles to best cinematographers, best editing, soundtracks, documentaries and so on. The regional director of M-Net West Africa said that AMVCA contributes to the development of Nollywood by providing a platform for celebrating and promoting Nigerian and African films. Multichoice's global impact provides the needed recognition which any African

filmmaker would desire. The event gives Nollywood artistes recognition and prestige, attracts patronage and influences favourable consumer behaviours towards the industry.

Africa Magic Original Films, AMOF The Africa Magic Original Film, AMOF is a new project which “supports and lends expertise to the creation and broadcasting of original African content produced under the AMOF umbrella”. It was established in 2013 to showcase stories from Africa for Africans. According to Multichoice, AMOF is another means of enriching the lives of industry practitioners by supporting the creation of original African films. It was estimated that a total of about 136 films will be produced under the AMOF project. So far, filmmakers like Obi Emelonye, Uzodimma Okpechi, Chris Eneji, Kabat Esosan, all popular and seasoned filmmakers have taken part in the project. In the project, independent film makers were given funds to produce films aired on Africa Magic channels, and Multichoice holds the right to these films. According to Multichoice, AMOF is a contribution to the industry and a “means of trying to balance out the content as well as an opportunity to train talents. Thus, when you find an average original film, you have an upcoming talent, given an opportunity to try their hands at acting”, the source said.

The name Nollywood provides the Nigerian film industry with a face to operate as a “globalizing force, an 'order word' that captures the filmmaking practices occurring” in Nigeria, the film industry is firmly rooted in Nigeria. Multichoice's adventure into the industry popularized the films and the actors

Understanding Nollywood-Multichoice deals

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I

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and opened Nollywood up to the world. The young emerging industry and practitioners were filled with expectations, and saw the media as worthy, without the realization that international broadcasting of Nollywood films may constitute an impediment to the patronage of the films in Nigeria.

‘”Nollywood is rooted in Nigerian culture, identified by age-long experiences and traditions which make them Nigerian. On the other hand, Multichoice is a symbol of the changing forces which br ing modernization and improvement through technology, and alters the normal interface between people and nations”.

In Nigeria today for instance, there are 48 Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) stations, national television networks, 37 state televisions and 12 private television stations outside Multichoice. Yet, the Geopoll survey reports that Multichoice is the second most popular station in Nigeria after NTA. Incidentally, at the inception of Nollywood, NTA was showing Nollywood films and using all their stations to market the films nationwide. However, with Multichoice's emergence into the industry, they stopped all forms of partnership with Nollywood filmmakers. Thus, for a long time now, NTA stations do not show Nollywood films, says a TV analyst. Multichoice, thus, has leverage above all television stations in Nigeria in terms of viewership because more than 50 per cent of the private stations which show Nollywood films have their channels all linked to Multichoice's DSTV platform, according to a Nollywood insider.

Up till today, the modalities for acceptance of a film by DSTV begin with the submission of the preview copy of the film in a hard drive. Once the film has been previewed and accepted, then the cable rights are negotiated between the owner and the representative of DSTV, during which the payment sum is agreed. The film is then submitted to DSTV in its broadcast format.

It started at Idumota, a densely populated area with clustered buildings and stores, located on Lagos Island, which served as the pivot of Nollywood right from its early days in 1992, being the financial backbone of the industry. It remains a vital part of the Nigerian film industry. It is one of the busiest markets in Lagos, which is also popular for the sale of electronics, demonstrating that media hardware and software are closely interrelated in Nollywood. While Idumota in Lagos Island became the marketing hub for Nigerian films, Iweka Road, Onitsha in eastern Nigeria later became another hub, Surulere on the mainland became like the Nigerian version of Hollywood, serving as the rallying point for film producers, actors, and directors.

While some international players argues that there is a level playing field amongst the players, a Nigerian filmmaker says that their contract documents were up to fifteen pages, while others state that their documents were about four to five pages.

Investigation, however reveals that most of the contracts are mainly uniform among the filmmakers, except for a few. On the face of it, the contract documents given to Nollywood filmmakers and South African filmmakers appear to be the same, except that while the Nollywood contract papers have the M-Net logo, the South African contract bears the logo of the consulting agencies which represent content suppliers although all the contracts acknowledge M-Net as the licensee.

According to one of the contact document, the South African contracts stipulates that the rights of the licensee to the licensed programme(s), covers pay television and on-demand rights whether delivered now or in the future, to any device and in-between any devices during the Pay Television License Period.Though the Nollywood contracts contain these clauses, it also expands the basic pay television service to include SVOD, VOD, FVOD, ADVOD and NVOD/PPV. The SVOD implies Subscription Video on Demand) covers services involving subscription agreement such as the regular Multichoice/DSTV services. VOD

”While the Nollywood contract states that

the license period is 24 months including 12 months exclusive and 12 months non-exclusive, the South

African contract places the license

period at 36 months.”

simply video on demand, is the service wherein viewers are allowed to select or watch their choice video content such as in-flight entertainment. This clause implies that by signing a contract with Multichoice, the content owner or licensor is authorizing Multichoice to sell the content to third parties such as airlines. ADVOD, which means advertising or Ad-based, VOD is an online service that includes advertising as part of the viewing experience and for which users do not pay such YouTube. FVOD, or simply Free VOD is a system of programming offered by a broadcasting operator free of charge to users. An example is the Dish channel on DSTV where some programmes and adverts are made available free of charge to subscribers. NVOD/PPV formally known as Near Video on Demand are short programmes slated at regular intervals and pre-scheduled and used for pay per view services, which involves a subscriber purchasing events to view through private telecast. Given the overly extensive and virtually exhaustive scope of rights acquired by the licensee under the contracts, a Nollywood insider, complained that Multichoice outsources their contents to other television stations and channels. Evidence however, shown that many do not seem to understand these agreements. Because of the informal nature of the industry, most of the filmmakers do not consult intellectual property lawyers for proper interpretation of the contract terms.

In terms of exclusivity, based on the document available to the media, the Nollywood contract specifies that rights are granted exclusively to M-Net, explaining further that exclusivity means that the Licensor shall not exhibit nor authorize the exhibition of the programme or any interactively altered, customized or any other version of the programme, especially Made for Mobile on any existing or future Television service/ channels such as Pay Television, Basic Television and on-Demand, however delivered now or in the

SPECIAL REPORT

future to any device receivable in the Territory, nor via the internet, targeted at the territory, in any and all languages prior to or during the license period. Within the period of exclusivity, as the document revealed, the licensor is not authorized to promote or allow the promotion of the programme in any media or the exhibition of the programme, including any interactive, altered, or customized or any other versions of the programme including made for Mobile. Depending on the area covered by Multichoice's “territory,” a filmmaker does not authorize the exhibition of his programme within such area.

The area covered by the “territory” outside the immediate locality of the industry should be streamlined, or a filmmaker will expect too much from the external broadcaster. So far, standard broadcasting agreements show that whereas the territory of “distribution contracts” may cover “universe” or the world, broadcasting contracts are streamlined to nations within a continent unlike the Multichoice agreement which covers African continent and Asia, including a worldwide internet broadcasting right.

While the Nollywood contract states that the license period is 24 months including 12 months exclusive and 12 months non-exclusive, the South African contract places the license period at 36 months. It includes a proviso that for this to be annulled, the licensee must notify the licensor of the commencement date no later than 90 days prior to that date. It also points out that the dates can only be changed based on a mutual agreement between the two parties. In addition, the Multichoice-Nollywood contract approves a total of 40 exhibitions of the programme per channel with a proviso that “any repeat exhibition within 24 hours of the original exhibition shall not be counted as a separate exhibition.” This explains why Nollywood films are often shown twice in a day perhaps to leverage on this lucrative vacuum. This raises a lot of questions. For instance, why would the Nollywood films be authorized to show twice more than South African films; and why are they poorly priced than South African films? The contract also states that “on-demand,” the exhibition is unlimited. This seems on the face of it logical

given that the licencee has no control over when on-demand patrons would order a programme.

However, the South African contract document authorizes “an average of 15 exhibitions per programme or channel but no more than 20 runs per channel. This is about 100 -150 per cent increase in the exploitation of Nollywood productions. Yet, for the most part, Nollywood contracts are not as lucrative as those of their South African counterpart. For example, while an average South African film earns R60,000 which is approximately $5,000, an average Nollywood film still earns $1,700.

According to the Nollywood contract, the content is to be shown on “all existing and future M-Net and DSTV services channels” while the South African contract is streamlined for the content to be shown on all existing or future Mzansi channels or any other successive name(s) by which Mzansi channel may be known thereafter. By broadly classifying the services channels to be all DSTV services channels, Multichoice and M-Net officially legalized decisions to show Nollywood films in other channels outside the Africa Magic channels, while they have properly limited the broadcasting of South African films to only Mzansi channels. The broad reservation of all M-Net and DSTV services channels explain why Nollywood films are also shown in their GO-Tv channels without any new contract agreement.

In the contract with South African licensors, the 'Multichoice' territory for the use of licences content covers the African continent and the adjacent Ocean Islands, like the Nollywood contract. However, there is an additional clause to Nollywood contract which states that Multichoice territory covers the continent of Africa and adjacent Ocean Island in respect of all rights, and the license also covers worldwide internet distribution of the Nollywood films. The contract covers more than two continents regardless of the worldwide internet access. When compared to the fee they pay to the property right owners, it amounts to erecting a flag and claiming a continent,

says a Nollywood player. Also, the agreements stipulate that the programme will come in original version with English and, in addition, dubbed, subtitled and/or voiced-over in other local language versions. The Nollywood copy ends with the fact that the “Licensee shall have the right to create local language version(s).” However, the South African contract document states that “if created, Licensor may access such local version(s) at 50% cost at the end of the Pay Television License Period.” A critical issue arising from the term is that it is not normal for a licensee to be authorized to exhibit an intellectual property of an original copyright owner, to have the right to create the local language version(s) of the intellectual property, according to an industry source.

Further more, the Nollywood document affirms that “for each programme 100% of the license fee is payable” once M-Net receives the agreement between M-Net and the licensor, delivery of a technically acceptable master and additional materials and documents in support of the copyright ownership of the programme. Incidentally, the South African document has a clearly defined breakdown of payment terms and stages of payment as 25%- on payment of Pay Television License Period commencement date, 25% -3 months after P a y Te l e v i s i o n L i c e n s e P e r i o d commencement date, 25%- 6 months after P a y Te l e v i s i o n L i c e n s e P e r i o d commencement date and 25% -9 months after Pay Television License Period commencement date. The Nollywood contract provides for a one-off payment, while some of the filmmakers claim to be paid in instalments. Although there are advantages and disadvantages of being paid in instalment, or in bulk, however, stipulating in the contract that it will pay in bulk, but paying in instalment demonstrates lack of trust on the part of Multichoice which Nollywood practitioners may condone due to their powerlessness, said a Nollywood source. However, if Multichoice pays the filmmakers in bulk, while some are claiming to be paid in instalments, it means that Multichoice needs to revisit the issue of having middlemen or “licenced suppliers” acting as assignees for copyright owners.

“Few years after launch, Nollywood films makes

up over half of Africa Movie Channel content,

primarily due to the size of Nigeria as the most

populous country in Africa and Nollywood's highly

impressive global audience base.”

.

SPECIAL REPORT

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SPECIAL FEATURE

UHDTV is one of several possible forms for the next generation of home video entertainment; following Black and White TV in the 1940s, color TV in the 1950s, and VCRs in the 1970s and HDTV in the 1990s and promises to deliver pictures to the home as clear as those seen in movie theaters, with sound comparable to compact disk players. Industry experts argues that UHDTVS process huge quantities of information at speeds of today's supercomputers in order to display a real-time, full-color, high-definition video signal, based on this report.

Television technology is now on the threshold of a new evolution. While the Broadcast industry itself is on the verge of combining digi ta l -based computer technology with television producing offspring that can deliver movie-quality, wide-screen programs to our homes with stereo sound equivalent to the best compact disks. Its importance goes well beyond home entertainent, however.

UHDTV is one of several possible forms for the next generation of home video entertainment; following Black and White (B&W) TV in the 1940s, color TV in the 1950s, and VCRs in the 1970s and HDTV in the 1990s. It promises to deliver pictures to the home as clear as those seen in movie theaters, with sound comparable to compact disk players. But UHDTV is far more than just a pretty picture. It is part of an ongoing evolution in home electronics toward computer-like digital technologies.

This evolution began with such things as automatic electronic tuners on stereos and TVs, compact disk players, and electronic controls on microwave ovens and many other household appliances. It continues today with the introduction of Improved Definition TV (IDTV) that uses computer memories and other digital techniques to provide a much better picture even with today's broadcasts. In the past the only video format available to view programs or movies on our television screen, was at a resolution of 720 x 576 pixels, known as Standard Definition. This was followed by High-Definition (HD) video resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which had a better picture quality and bigger size than

SD, but consumed more bandwidth. In 2 0 1 3 , t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Telecommunicat ion Union ( ITU), standardized a new digital video format known as Ultra-High Definition (UHD), having two resolutions.

With a wealth of benefits including four times higher resolution than HD, faster frame rate, higher dynamic range and a wider colour gamut, television and media industry is on the cusp of a revolutionary transformation in video transmission. UHD's advanced technology promises to surpass consumer's expectations. By region, its household penetration will exceed 33% in North America, 22% in Western Europe and 18% in Asia Pacific by 2021. UHDTVS process huge quantities of information at speeds of today's supercomputers in order to display a real-time, full-color, high-definition video signal. UHDTVS are able to do this at relatively low cost through the use of circuitry dedicated to specialized tasks. UHDTV is driving the state-of-the-art in a number of technologies that will be important to future g e n e r a t i o n s o f c o m p u t e r a n d communications equipment. These include digital signal processing for real-time video signals; high-performance displays; fast, high density magnetic and optical data storage; technologies for packaging and interconnecting these electronics; and, as with all high-volume consumer electronics, processes for manufacturing these sophisticated products at affordable costs.Consumer electronics has long been the

principal driver of important aspects of these and other technologies. For example, television has long pushed display technology. VCRs, compact disks, and digital audio tape have driven important data storage technologies. Products such as calculators, watches, and LCD TVs have been important in the development of packaging/intercomect technologies such as tape automated bonding and surface mount.Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in watches, calculators, and indicators; and diode lasers in CD-players are examples of important optoelectronic technologies driven by the consumer market. Finally, important manufacturing technologies, such as automatic insertion equipment to place components on printed circuit boards, were d e v e l o p e d f o r t h e h i g h - v o l u m e consumerelectronics industry.

Video entertainment systems may take a variety of forms in the future, including (in order of increasing picture quality) Intermediate Definition TV, Extended Definition TV, and High Definition TV; or perhaps various forms of interactive video either in conjunction with these Advanced TVs or as separate systems. Of all TV systems currently under advanced development, UHDTV may have particular consumer appeal because of its greater potential for providing viewers the feeling of 'being there' that one sometimes gets in watching a high quality motion picture up-close and, having the sense of moving with a stunt plane when it makes a fast turn.Video entertainment markets will be worth billions of dollars, whatever form they take in

The Big Picture: UHDTV and Ultra High-Resolution Systems

SPECIAL REPORT

the future. The economies of scale realized in producing for markets this large combined with the technological linkages noted before may aid manufacturers in penetrating other markets using similar products and technologies, particularly the computer and communications sectors. Consumer electronics is characterized by f ierce compet i t ion, large volume production, and low profit margins.

Communications Infrastructure

The communications industry is currently undergoing dramatic, technology-driven change through the increasing use of digital electronics and fiber optics. In the midterm, the continued incorporation of advanced electronics and photonics into the existing public telephone network will make many new and improved making the transition to terrestrial UHDTV broad interactive information services available. Radio casting, but digital technologies offer the pros frequency communications are also rapidly pect of more efficient use of the limited changing due to such imovations as cellular available spectrum than is possible with today's telephones and other products. Some of the UHDTV could accelerate these changes in the broadcast spectrum might thus eventually be communications infrastructure. The greater infer- freed for other uses.

For example, it has been mation content of HDTVS broadcast signal has suggested that if sufficient spectrum became raised the most significant issues for radio available, cellular telephones could become frequency spectrum allocation in d e c a d e s . U H D T V m o r e b r o a d l y competitive with today's phone bandwidth requirements present problems for system for voice communications.

At the moment, many of the technical aspects of UHD broadcasting are yet to be agreed upon at a global level. To make UHD broadcasting a reality, we need a complete ecosystem, with content being made that the public wants, transmitters, receivers, and displays that are readily available. The specification should also consider features that the system would need to make it commercially successful. However, not many consumers will buy an expensive television of 42 inches, and not every broadcaster will have enough bandwidth, to air every channel in full resolution, thereby, resulting in non-ideal standard adoption. UHD has many parameters defining its video quality and the broadcaster needs to decide, which set of parameter they need to choose for a particular program and channel.

A news channel, where the anchor is mostly sitting in one place, talking to others, is a

low bandwidth broadcasting requirement. While, a sports channel showing F1 race, where video graphics change every second, requires a higher frame rate and higher bandwidth.

4K ResolutionThe human vision is one of the most complex parts of the human body. The eye perceives movement, senses depth, and sees a range of colours greater than any current existing video technology is able to display. UHDTV has a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, which is four times the resolution of HDTV. This means that there is four times more information displayed on screen, which is one of the factors to enhance the video quality. The ideal size of a UHDTV is supposed to be around 55" to 80".

Based on the size of television, viewing distance is calculated to maintain the maximum perceived angular resolution because there are limits to what an eye can perceive. If you sit too close to the TV, you will be seeing the unwanted individual pixels and if you sit too far, you won't be able to observe all the details in the video. That means, if you sit too far away from a UHDTV, the UHD content will look like HD. As a result, the viewing distance for a UHDTV is half of what is required for HDTV.

DVB-S2It is difficult to squeeze the greater information content of an UHDTV signal into the charnel bandwidths allocated to terrestrial broadcasting, especially given the inefficiencies of conventional color TV signals. The Japanese and Europeans have therefore opted to instead develop UHDTV services through Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) systems operating at higher frequencies

not currently heavily used. In the United States, the greater importance of the existing broadcasting system, issues of localism and programming diversity, and o the r f ac to rs make the development of a terrestrial UHDTV broadcasting capability for UHDTV more important than it is in Japan or Europe.

Digital Video Broadcast-Satellite Second Generation simply DVB-S2 is an audio and video broadcast standard for DTH, HDTV and MPEG-4 related services in Fixed Satellite Services and Broadcast Satellite Services bands. It is a successor to DVB-S (first generation), and follows a QPSK modulation scheme and Forward E r r o r C o r r e c t i o n , a l o n g w i t h Reed–Solomon coding. For professional endto-end transmission of audio and video signals and Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG), DVB proposed the next generation standard for video broadcasting.

UHDTV could involve much of the current commun ica t i ons i n f ras t ruc tu re -t e r r e s t r i a l , c a b l e , a n d s a t e l l i t e broadcasting; mobile communications; and potentially even the telephone companies. The current terrestrial broadcast spectrum allocation and transmission standards have been in p l a c e f o r n e a r l y 4 0 y e a r s . Accommodating the larger information content of an UHDTV-quality picture could force changes in the frequency allocation and more efficient use of the spectrum. These changes would also have conversion costs and create competitive tensions among the media.

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communication backbone network.

Speedcast and Blue Arcus to power 4G LTE infrastructure for Australia's Norfolk Island Telecom

Speedcast has been awarded a US$3 million project to modernize the network infrastructure of Norfolk Island Telecom in Australia. Speedcast has partnered with Blue Arcus Technologies, a leading supplier of turnkey network solutions, to provide Norfolk Island Telecom with a cutting-edge 4G LTE mobile network, associated support systems, and PSTN soft-switch with fibre backhaul and multi-se rv i ce access nodes . Us ing Speedcas t ' s 4G LTE ne twork infrastructure and satellite backhaul solutions, the operator is empowered to deliver faster broadband speeds and enhanced mobile services.

"Our customers' data requirements are growing significantly, and to ensure business continuity it is critical that we del iver faster, rel iable internet connections and advanced mobile services at a competitive price," said Al is ta i r Innes-Walker, Manager Commercial Services at Norfolk Island Regional Council. "Speedcast and Blue Arcus Technologies were the Council's unanimous choice to provide us with an end-to-end turnkey, carrier-grade solution complying with all international standards. Leveraging this modernized infrastructure, the people who live on and travel to Norfolk Island can rest assured that they have access to a high-speed 4G LTE network."

As a provider of cloud-based 2G, 3G and 4G LTE mobile services and solutions, Speedcast plays a critical role in helping operators around the globe address the need for increased connectivity.

"Partnering with Speedcast, the world's largest remote communications and IT services provider, we're helping Norfolk Island Telecom deliver world-class internet connectivity and mobile service to the entire island, including remote and l o w l y p o p u l a t e d a r e a s , " s a i d NarenYanamadala, President and CEO at Blue Arcus Technologies. "We're proud to offer a full turnkey solution, making the switch from 2G to 3G+4G LTE affordable and seamless for our customers."

Blue Arcus Tec! hnologies is a world leader in 4G LTE deployments and has developed an EPC (Evolved Packed Core) and IMS (IP Mult imedia Subsystem), with services and features that are second to none globally.

"The number of global mobile devices is accelerating rapidly, and Norfolk Island Telecom is smart to stay ahead of this trend by offering leading-edge broadband and mobile services," said ErwanEmilian, EVP Enterprise & Emerging Markets at Speedcast. "Thanks to the partnership between Blue Arcus Technologies and Speedcast, two companies with extensive 4G LTE network deployment experience, we are confident we will complete this project in record time and deliver an industry-leading service to Norfolk Island Telecom customers.”

SK Telecom forms a U.S. broadcasting venture

SK Telecom established a joint venture with the Sinclair Broadcast Group to target the U.S. market. The mobile operator on Sunday said Cast.era, the new joint venture, will broadcast over the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) 3.0 digital television system in the United States in the first half of the year.ATSC 3.0 is a version of ATSC standards for television broadcasting. Used in Korea since 2017, it is said to be able to deliver high-quality video at a faster speed. ATSC 2.0 is commonly used in the United States. Kevin Gage from Hunt Valley, Maryland-based Sinclair has been named chief operating officer of the venture. SK Telecom's Park Kyung-mo has been appointed chief technology officer.

S inc la i r Broadcas t Group i s a telecommunications conglomerate that acquired the Fox regional sports networks. Fox Sports Networks has the relay rights for 42 teams, including those in the MLB, NBA and NHL. SK Telecom plans to merge its telecommunications technologies with Sinclair's broadcasting infrastructure to offer broadcasting cloud infrastructure, over-the-top services and personalized ads that could be featured on in ternet pro toco l te lev is ion.SK Telecom will build ATSC 3.0 broadcasting cloud infrastructure by ut i l iz ing i ts c loud infrastructure management technologies and virtual network technologies on Sinclair's broadcast ing system. Once the infrastructure is in place, broadcasting stations in the United States can be centrally operated, instead of each regional broadcasting station operating independently.

Grameenphone first to cross 10 million 4G customers

Grameenphone Ltd. becomes the first operator in the country to cross the 1 crore 4G customer mark within fourteen months

China launches new communication technology experiment satellite

China has sent a new communication technology experiment satellite into space from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province.The satellite has entered its preset orbit. It will be used in communication, radio, television and data transmission, as well as other technology testing.The satellite was launched on a Long March-3B carrier rocket. It was the 324th mission for the Long March series carrier rockets. The new satellite and the carrier rocket were developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

China's quantum satellite links with world's first mobile ground station

China's quantum satellite, Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) has successfully linked up with the world's first mobile quantum ground station and c o n d u c t e d a n e n c r y p t e d d a t a transmission in Jinan, Shandong Province.

According to a source of the Jinan city government, the mobile ground station linked with QUESS at around 23:31 Monday when the satel l i te was approximately 500 km from the ground. The test successfully wrapped up after the ground station received encrypted data from the satellite for nearly eight minutes, said the source.

The mobile quantum ground station, the world's first of the kind, weighs slightly over 80 kg. It was jointly developed by the University of Science and Technology of China, QuantumCTek Co., Ltd. and the Jinan Institute of Quantum Technology. China launched QUESS, nicknamed "Micius" after a 5th Century B.C. Chinese philosopher and scientist, on Aug. 16, 2016. The ground station used at the launch of QUESS weighed more than 10 tonnes. Researchers have been trying to reduce its size.

The latest mobile version can be installed on a vehicle and the manufacturing cost has been significantly reduced. An experimental quantum communication network in Jinan has been connected to the Beijing-Shanghai backbone network, the world's first secure quantum

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of introducing 4G. Since the launch of 4G in February 2018, Grameenphone crossed the threshold of 50 lac 4G customers in November 2018 and the latter 50 lac joined within only the next five months.The introduction of 4G last year ushered the nation to a new era of digitalisation with a promise to put high-speed internet in people's reach. Grameenphone was granted an operating license for 4G services after it acquired 5 MHz spectrum in the 1800 MHz frequency band, making it the highest holder of the 1800 MHz frequency, the most suitable spectrum for 4G/LTE rollout.

The intensity of the internet customer base growth is in direct correlation with the growing role of internet in everyday life. 4G growth, which was primarily in the urban areas, found its way to the semi-urban and rural landscape as faster internet began shaping the lifestyle of the people of Bangladesh. Starting from seeking knowledge to developing agricultural ecosystem, from grocery shopping to managing transportation, the internet is shifting the thought paradigm and consumer behaviour in the country.

Grameenphone is the first operator in Bangladesh to introduce mobile internet and take it across the country, giving people access to the world of information. The company also invested in building a digital ecosystem in the country in support of a digital lifestyle.Grameenphone partnered with different stakeholders to reduce the price of internet-enabled devices, introducing digital services and supporting startups to come up with new services. Currently, over 3.7 crore customers use the internet on Grameenphone's network.

Speedcast and Blue Arcus to power 4G LTE infrastructure for Australia's Norfolk Island Telecom

Speedcast, the world's most trusted provider of remote communication and IT solutions, announced that it has been awarded a U.S. $3 million project to modernize the network infrastructure of Norfolk Island Telecom in Australia. Speedcast has partnered with Blue Arcus Technologies, a leading supplier of turnkey network solutions, to provide Norfolk Island Telecom with a cutting-edge 4G LTE mobi le network, associated support systems and PSTN soft-switch with fibre backhaul and multi-s e r v i c e a c c e s s n o d e s . U s i n g S p e e d c a s t ' s 4 G LT E n e t w o r k infrastructure and satellite backhaul

solutions, the operator is empowered to deliver faster broadband speeds and e n h a n c e d m o b i l e s e r v i c e s .

As a provider of cloud-based 2G, 3G and 4G LTE mobile services and solutions, Speedcast plays a critical role in helping operators around the globe address the need for increased connectivity.

Blue Arcus Technologies is a world leader in 4G LTE deployments and has developed an Evolved Packed Core (EPC) and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), with services and features that a re second to none g loba l l y.

"The number of global mobile devices is accelerating rapidly, and Norfolk Island Telecom is smart to stay ahead of this trend by offer ing leading-edge broadband and mobile services," said Erwan Emilian, EVP, Enterprise and Emerging Markets at Speedcast. "Thanks to the partnership between B lue Arcus Techno log ies and Speedcast, two companies with extensive 4G LTE network deployment experience, we are confident we will complete this project in record time and deliver an industry-leading service to Norfolk Island Telecom customers.

Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa declares his desire to travel to space

The eccentric Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa, has declared that he is looking for a life partner to join him on his trip to the moon with American enterprise, SpaceX, in a mission planned for 2023. This comes as devotees of space travel, such as Professor Ketty Maisonrouge and some other 600 intrepid explorers have committed some $250,000 to book their seat on Virgin Galactic's inaugural space flights, due to commence this year.

One noticeable trend however for the those looking to explore space is that this is very much an endeavour for the most wealthy in society. Whether it may be Virgin Galactic, SpaceX or Blue Origin, the customer base for fo r thcoming space exp lora t ion endeavours is still the folly of the uber-rich, making space an exclusive club for those who can afford it. But research would indicate that this is not representative of those who wish to travel.

National research conducted by Asgardia, the first space nation has unveiled that 29% of Britons - 14.4 million - would pay to go to space if it

were easily accessible to the general public, with a further 18% of the UK- 9 million - willing to invest their savings in visiting space if the opportunity arose. With such a vast desire to travel space felt by the British public, Asgardia believe that these sentiments would be shared internationally and therefore believe that their offering of democratising space for the masses is a viable solution.

"Asgardia already has more than 1 million people from 200 countries signed up as citizens. We clearly have a broad appeal. Our research from the UK is of course hugely encouraging, and it inspires me to know that there are so many like-minded people who share Asgardia's vision. I have no doubt that these sentiments are shared across the globe. Each and every Asgardian is important to us. No matter your background, being part of the Asgardian community is about unity and equality. Residents and citizens of Asgardians have their role in growing our community and taking part in democratic processes, delivering our vision of a democratised and accessible space." “

Thailand approves merger of state-owned telecoms firms

Thailand has approved the merger of two state-run telecommunication companies, CAT Telecom and TOT, into the National Telecom company (NT), which will compete with private operators in the upcoming spectrum auctions, a senior government official said. The National Telecom company w i l l he lp p romote the government's policy in digital infrastructure and provide services to the public, g o v e r n m e n t s p o k e s w o m a n , NarumonPinyosinwat told reporters, adding that the merger should be completed in six months.

The Digital Economy and Society Ministry will oversee the newly formed company, she added. The merged entity will participate in the upcoming 5G spectrum auctions on the 700 megahertz (MHz), 800 Mhz, 2600 Mhz and the 26 gigahertz frequency bands on Feb. 16, held by the National Broadcasting Telecommunication Commission (NBTC), she said.

The high-band spectrums allow high data speeds that support applications such as virtual and augmented reality, self-driving cars, the remote control of industrial robots, and super-fast downloads of movies in high definition. Thailand's top three mobile operators, Advanced Info Service Pcl (ADVANC.BK), True Corporation Pcl ( T R U E . B K ) a n d To t a l A c c e s s Communication Pcl (DTAC.BK) have picked up bidding documents from the NBTC.

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CAT Telecom and TOT have also picked up the bid documents. The spectrum licences all together worth at least 160 billion baht ($5.28 billion) based on their reserve price.

146 educational institutions get Wi-Fi in Bangladesh

Bangladesh launched Wi-Fi service at 146 public educational institutions in 23 districts, to be availed free of cost for the first two years. This is the first such government project involving such as large number of colleges, universities and polytechnic and vocational training institutes.Undertaken in 2018, the Tk 45 crore project aims to set up WiFi hotspots in 587 educational institutions by June. Of the institutions, 143 are in Dhaka division, 107 in Chattogram, 85 Rajshahi, 83 Khulna, 56 Rangpur, 45 Barishal, 35 Mymensingh and 33 in Sylhet.

Students will get unique passwords, allowing one device to connect at a time. After the first two years, the institutions will have to pay nominal bandwidth charges. Initially every institution will get 1 0 M b p s o f b a n d w i d t h , s a i d RafiqulMotin, managing director of s t a t e - o w n e d B a n g l a d e s h Telecommunication Company Limited (BTCL), which is running the project.However, SajeebWazed Joy, ICT affairs adviser of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, asked to increase it within a short time, he said. Inaugurating the service at the Posts and Telecommunications Division in Bangladesh Secretariat, Joy said, “We have taken the project for the betterment of the students as they have demanded it to create a Digital Bangladesh.”

Only 1.3 percent of the population had internet access when the Awami League government came to office in 2009 and now the figure stands at about 60 percent, he said. “My dream is to ensure internet for all, the 16-crore people of the country, and we are also working to achieve that vision,” he added.

Portal launched in Pakistan to accelerate the growth of IT Industry

Federal Secretary in the Pakistan's ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shoaib Ahmad Siddique has inaugurated a new portal to enhance the growth of the ICT industry. The newly developed, state of the art

portal would enhance collaboration and coope ra t i on be tween Pak i s tan ' s information technology industry, local universities and IT graduates.The portal will help enable Pakistani IT companies to work directly with academia to solve problems through utilizing the intellect and knowledge available at Pakistani universities which is a major milestone in efforts to boost the growth of IT Industry in Pakistan. The IT companies would post problems on the Digital Pakistan Portal.The university professors and graduate students would be able to study the postings and attempt to solve the problems by working directly with the relevant companies thereby improving scope and breathe of Pakistan's IT ecosystem in the process. The portal would also automate the hiring of interns by IT companies.Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui speaking on the occasion that Digital Pakistan Internship portal is a step in the right direction to recognize talent and eliminate bottlenecks that potentially slow the growth of Pakistan's IT industry.He said that the present government is committed for the uplift of IT industry and youth of the country. Youth are the resourceful segment of the society and has great talent to play constructive role in the development of country.

He further said that it is vital to engage youth with healthy activities, enabling them to come forward and play role in nation building. He said that Pakistan's IT sector has a promising future.On this occasion, PSEB also signed Memorandum of Understanding with HEC and E-commerce Gateway for promotion of Digital Pakistan internship portal in the academia and the industry.

5G turns heads at Dhaka tech fair

Thousands of enthusiastic visitors experienced different digital services using fifth generation (5G) mobile technology in the country's first public demonstration of the superfast wireless internet.The first day of Digital Bangladesh Mela 2020 saw the gathering of mostly students at Bangabandhu International Conference Center centring the 5G demonstrations organised by global technology giant Huawei.People used hand gestures to make a robot play football, played a virtual reality skiing game and downloaded content at speeds of up to 1.6 Gbps using 5G technology.Earlier in the morning Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy inaugurated the three-day exposition.

Nirab Mahmood, a second-year computer science and engineering student at Shaikh Burhanuddin Post Graduate College, was in wonder with the experience.

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China launched two satellite for its GPSsystem (Source: China Daily

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“The speed is really unimaginable. This was so fast and I did not feel any glitches in the VR game,” he added.Zahidul Islam, a student of Daffodil International University, came from Mohammadpur with his 11-year-old nephew. “My nephew is very fond of robots. I brought him here as it is the first time we are seeing such kind of experience with robots in the country,” he said.The demonstration was to make people aware about the latest technology and its possible use in productive and manufacturing sectors, said SM Nazmul Hasan, marketing director of Huawei Technologies Bangladesh.“We are showcasing a humanoid robot playing a soccer game, but we don't need 5G for that. But imagine in a factory warehouse if hundreds of robots are working, we will need 5G for smooth operations. The VR technology is not new also, but with 5G experience we can ensure cloud-based real-time storage,” he said.

The government is scheduled to launch 5G internet by early 2021. Bangladesh Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n R e g u l a t o r y Commission is planning to hold the 5G spectrum auction at the end of 2020.Visitors at the fair also queued up in front of the stall of state-run mobile phone operator Teletalk to avail free SIMs.At the fair, Bangladeshi broadband internet service provider (ISP) BDCOM Online offered broadband internet connectivity with a community-based concept at Tk 300 per month.A total of 82 firms, including ISPs, are showcasing broadband internet, triple play technology (land phone, internet and cable TV connection in a single cable), mobile apps, parental control and other technologies.

Joy said the ICT export earnings would “within a short time” exceed that of readymade garments (RMG), currently the highest foreign currency earner.“Today on record officially, Bangladesh's IT export exceeded $1 billion…I believe within a very short time we will cross our garments export through technology export,” new agency BSS quoted him as saying. Joy, however, said it was difficult to assess the actual volume of ICT exports.

AssetLink Global enhances real-time visibility and safety of vessels in congested South East Asia waters

AssetLink Global LLC announced that it is deepening ties with Kemilinks, a Singapore based telecommunications

buoys -- and is engineered to withstand perpetual maintenance-free operation in unforgiving marine environments.

Volvo to test 5G automotive applications with China Unicom

Connectivity is central to the future of transportation, and if self-driving vehicles are going to enter the mainstream market, they're going to need 5G. Volvo announced it has partnered with state-owned telecom giant China Unicom to explore vehicle-to-infrastructure and other automotive applications using next-generation 5G mobile network technology.

The two companies will research, develop and test ways that 5G connectivity speeds can be used to help improve safety, sustainability, customer convenience and autonomous driving. The upcoming 5G technology is many times faster than current 4G speeds, and its low-latency is critical for vehicles using the network to communicate real-time information with infrastructure, vehicles, and to cloud-based services. Volvo, which is owned by the Chinese Geely Auto Group, will explore how best to leverage the high-speed network to improve the driving experience.

“Volvo has been a leader in realising the potential of connecting our cars to enable new features and services such as detecting and sharing locations of slippery roads between vehicles,” said Henrik Green, chief technology officer at Volvo Cars. “With 5G, the network performance is improving to allow for many more real-time critical services that can help the driver be safer and get a smoother and more enjoyable ride.”

Applications could help the country improve traffic flow by optimizing speed limits to coordinate with timed lights, or help drivers find open parking spaces. It could also be used to help support Volvo's “Drive Me” self-driving vehicle pilot program. The auto maker originally planned to put 100 self-driving vehicles on the road in Sweden and China in 2017, but paused testing until 2021. The new 5G connectivity technology will be in the next generation of vehicles built on the SPA2 modular vehicle architecture, which will begin production in 2021.

However, the deployment of v2x t e c h n o l o g y u s i n g s t a t e - o w n e d infrastructure could raise privacy concerns. China operates a vast domestic survei l lance network that t racks individuals, and is rolling out a nation-wide “social credit” system based on data collected from public and private sources. This credit system can be used to reward citizens with high credit scores, and it can

be used to punish those with low scores by limiting their ability to purchase luxury goods or barring them from buying tickets for travel. Volvo notes that China is “widely expected to implement its own regional standards for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies.” This means that vehicle-to-everything applications developed hand-in-hand with the state-owned telecom without individual privacy protections built in could be the same as handing over the keys to the car to the government.

Broadband satellite put into orbit

A broadband communication satellite, developed by a Beijing-based company, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The satellite, the first of many from Beijing-based GalaxySpace, was sent into its planned orbit by a Kuaizhou-1A carrier rocket.Deployed in low-Earth orbit, the satellite has a communication capacity of up to 10Gbps. Relative technological tests will be conducted on the satellite.GalaxySpace aims to build a LEO broadband satellite constellation and create a global 5G communication network.KZ-1A is a low-cost solid-fuel carrier rocket with high reliability and a short preparation period. The rocket, developed by a company under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, is mainly used to launch LEO small satellites.

Thaicom migrates Thaicom 5 satellite customers

Thaicom Public Company Limited would like to update progress on the incident regarding a technical anomaly on the Thaicom 5 satellite resulting in technical limitations to monitoring the status of the satellite, as reported earlier by the company.

Thaicom together with the satellite's manufacturer and a team of specialists have performed three attempts to recover the satellite system since the anomaly occurred. However, the system has not successfully been restored. Thaicom continues to work with the satellite's manufacturer to recover the satellite system by using various alternatives for a certain period of time. In order to ensure the continuity of services for customers, it is necessary for Thaicom to migrate the customers from Thaicom 5 to other satellites.

Anant Kaewruamvongs, Chief Executive Officer Thaicom, commented: “During the attempts to restore the satellite, the Company has cooperated with all relevant

IN THE NEWS

Service Based Operator (SBO) licensed by the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), by supplying marine grade distributed computing IoT hardware and ubiquitous connectivity services in support of regional commercial shipping and f ishing markets. Kemilinks has authorized a large order of AssetLink's AssetPack™ family of IoT solutions for use in its Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), for tracking, emergency alerts, situational awareness in relation to critical maritime borders, and other fishery-r e l a t e d d a t a a n d s e n s o r communications.AssetLink IoT solutions are purpose built offering real-time track & trace and edge intelligence required by Kemilinks to precisely monitor location and activities of fishing vessels operating in territorial waters across South East Asia. Kemilinks' VMS bolsters the efforts of regional governments and oceanic agencies to counteract forced labor practices and obviate illegal, unreported, and unauthorized fishing, through a series of commercial fishing laws and the issuance of vessel operating licenses regulated and enforced by individual member countries. The AssetPack™, a key component of the Kemilinks VMS, provides critical GPS geofencing and panic button capabilities, and is currently in use by fishing vessel owners registered with Myanmar's Fisheries Department (DOF) and other regional agencies.

"Keeping our crew safe and productive remains top of mind as we head into the new year, and AssetL ink IoT technologies are an integral and cost-effective component of our enterprise VMS strategy," said Frankie Neo, CEO of Kemilinks. "AssetPack Hybrid provides the visibility and situational awareness required for complex, real-time monitoring of our fleet vessels at sea.”

AssetPack™ is a next-generation, solar-battery powered IoT device c a p a b l e o f b i - d i r e c t i o n a l communications over high-availability cellular and satellite data networks in unforgiving marine environments, anywhere on the open seas. AssetPack™ is composed of precision GPS and sensor-agnostic interfaces designed to track the movement of fleet assets, gather data on local marine ecologies, and allow for emergency communications and geographic awareness of vessels in relation to sensi t ive borders and f ishery boundaries. The solution may be easily and cost effectively installed on a wide range of marine assets -- including fishing vessels, drift trackers, and

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customers in order to migrate to other satellites so that we will be able to continue providing telecom and b r o a d c a s t s e r v i c e s w i t h o u t interruption.” Anant added: “We would like to thank the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission for their prudent decision to support and approve of the relevant process.”

Thaicom would like to emphasize that all key customers and television broadcast networks on Thaicom 8 and Thaicom 6, i.e., True Visions, Distance Learning Television (DLTV) and Must Carry Channels of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), have not been impacted by this incident.

Arianespace orbits GSAT-30 for India telecommunications

Arianespace has announced the launch o f G S AT- 3 0 , d e s i g n e d a n d manufactured by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) using an I-3K platform to provide high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services. It had an estimated mass of 3,357 kg. at liftoff and will ensure continuity of service for India's INSAT 4A, positioned at 83 deg. East longitude.“This was an excellent start of 2020 with an excellent launch using Ariane 5 – the most reliable launcher,” stated P. Kunhikrishnan, the Director of ISRO's U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, during his speech at the Spaceport. “On behalf of the ISRO Chairman, I want to thank Arianespace for a wonderful and professional job – both in the preflight preparations and during the launch.”

By operating GSAT-30, ISRO will – once again – use space to help bridge the digital divide in the Indian subcontinent as part of its ambitious space program. These objectives are to develop India by focusing on all types of space app l i ca t ions , i nc lud ing navigat ion, Earth observat ion, telecommunications and broadcasts of educational programs, while pursuing science research and planetary exploration.GSAT-30 was the 24th ISRO satellite orbited by Ariane-series launchers, tracing the relationship back to India's A P P L E s m a l l e x p e r i m e n t a l communications spacecraft, lofted in 1981 by an Ariane 1 version.

To d a y ' s s u c c e s s k i c k s o f f Arianespace's busy launch schedule in 2020, which targets a record mission

count – with up to 12 opportunities identified from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana using Ariane 5, Soyuz or Vega; along with the maiden flights of Ariane 6 and Vega C; plus eight more from the cosmodromes at Baikonur and Vostochny.

Australia: partial cost recovery for launch and return applications

The government has been reviewing cost recovery arrangements for assessment of applications made under the Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018 (the Act); consistent with the government's Cost Recovery Guidelines. It has agreed to in t roduce par t ia l cos t recovery arrangements.This updates arrangements for fees as set out in the Space Activities Act 1998 (the 1998 Act), and detailed in the Space Activities Regulations 2001.

Work within the Agency is not expected to be cost recovered, while work performed outside of the Agency is expected to be cost recovered. This means that the most f requent ly assessed appl icat ions (Overseas Payload Permits) are not expected to attract a fee. Assessments likely to be cost recovered would involve comp lex app l i ca t ions , requ i r i ng consideration by a technical expert contractor, ensuring activities are as safe as reasonably practicable. To support these assessments, the Agency is working towards lifting in-house capability, including recruitment of staff with specific expertise.

The Act also includes a mechanism for the Minister to waive fees. Arrangements for waivers will be considered during the development of the rules for fees, which could include consideration of support for innovation in the sector.

When partial cost recovery will likely be applied the amount of a fee and/or a way of working out the fee timing for payment circumstances in which a fee may be wholly or partly waived Consultation is expected to be undertaken in March and April of this year.The charging of fees for space activities is not new, and was set out in arrangements under the Space Activities Act 1998 and Space Activities Regulations 2001. As Austral ia develops a world-class regulatory system, the Agency remains focused on enabling entrepreneurship while ensuring national safety and security. The above arrangements represent a balance of encouraging innovation in the sector, while ensuring relevant costs are cost recovered from industry consistent with the Government's Cost Recovery Guidelines.

The implementation of a partial cost recovery model comes at a time when the government has invested $629 million since 2018-19 to grow the industry, including: the Space Infrastructure Fund, to fill gaps to help businesses and researchers to participate in the global space economy the International Space Investment initiative, providing grants for projects to enable Australia's participation in international space agency activities Moon to Mars investment, unlocking opportunities across the supply chain that will deliver positive outcomes for industry, local and regional economies and boost national GDP.

Bangladesh to export bandwidth to Nepal

Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company (BSCCL) is looking for new markets to export its huge unused bandwidth and the new destination is Nepal, said officials of the state-owned listed firm. The lone submarine cable company of Bangladesh is now in talks with Nepal Telecom to export about 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) of bandwidth. A memorandum of understanding will be signed within a short time, Mashiur Rahman, managing director of the BSCCL, told The Daily Star recently.“Discussions have been ongoing for a long time and now we are ready to ink the deal,” said Rahman. As Bangladesh has access to the landlocked Himalayan nation only via India, BSCCL and Nepal Telecom have approached an Indian company, which has expressed willingness to establish the connection, he said. “So, before finalising the deal we will also have to sign a tripartite agreement.”

Nepal now buys bandwidth from Chennai in India and China to meet its daily demand for about 250 Gbps, but due to its remote location high-speed internet cannot be ensured, Rahman said. The BSCCL's second undersea cable lands in Kuakata of Patuakhali, which is closer to Nepal. “This is why Nepal has come to us,” he added. Bangladesh has 2,600 Gbps bandwidth capacity from two submarine cables, but only 900 Gbps is consumed locally. BSCCL is working to get its third undersea cable by 2023, which alone will add another 7,200 Gbps. BSCCL is currently exporting 10 Gbps of bandwidth to India's northeastern state of Tripura though their state-run telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL).But BSNL does not afford internet bandwidth from Bangladesh anymore and will suspend its deal next month.

Bandwidth export to Tripura had begun on February 8, 2016. Initially, the price was $10 per Mbps and BSCCL earned Tk 9.6 crore in the first year. Later, the price was

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revised down twice to bring it to $6 per Mbps. Still, BSNL has been unable to pay dues since September 2018. The Indian company owes Tk 6.39 crore to BSCCL, which is no closer to recouping the dues. Rahman, however, said some other remote Indian states are eager to buy bandwidth from them.

Bangladesh earlier had taken an initiative to export bandwidth to Bhutan, another landlocked neighbour, but the plan did not come to fruition as India did not join in. BSCCL's shares closed at Tk 100 on the Dhaka Stock Exchange , up 7.53 per cent from the previous day.

JAXA: Agreement on Data Utilization of Earth Observation Satellite with FAO

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has agreed to collaborate with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on data utilization of Earth observation satellites, and Imai Ryoichi, JAXA Vice President and Daniel Gustafson, FAO's Deputy Director-General for Programmes have signed the Memorandum of Understanding at JAXA Tsukuba Space Center on January 23, 2020.Leveraging this cooperation, JAXA and FAO will be monitoring forests and mangroves around the world by JAXA's satellites with L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).Only JAXA has observed forest using L-band radar (SAR) technology from 1992. Observation data of global forests that JAXA has been accumulating for over 25 years will be provided to the System for Earth Observat ion Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL) that is FAO's toolkit for monitoring forest and land-use. Additionally, this cooperation supports JAXA to improve the accuracy of its satellite data.

SEPAL offers anyone easy-to use access to satellite data and supercomputing power, allowing them to create critical forest and land cover information in their efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and now is used in 160 countries.Thanks to this cooperation, available data on SEPAL will be expanded, and users will be able to access JAXA's forest observation information and satellite data. Since satellite radar have the capability to provide information on forest and mangroves in the areas where optical satellites are impeded by weather (rain and clouds) or lack of sunlight, the improvement of capability for forest and land-use management in these areas is expected.

JAXA w i l l con t inue the fo res t observations using our satellites in cooperation with various users around the world, and will provide satellite data widely as a scientific evidence to support decision-making on forest management which is a sink for greenhouse gases. With these efforts, JAXA hopes to contribute to the achievement of the Paris A g r e e m e n t a n d S u s t a i n a b l e Development Goals (SDGs).Daniel Gustafson, FAO's Deputy Director-General for Programmes: "As deforestation and land-use changes are one of the leading sources of global carbon emissions, coordinated satellite-based information has a critical role to play in supporting countries implement and achieve their pledges in the Paris Agreement on climate change".

A1 to launch 5G in 129 municipalities

Telekom Austria's subsidiary A1 is set to roll out 5G on January 25 in 350 locations across 129 municipalities in Austria.T h e c o m p a n y c l a i m s i t s ' A 1 5Giganetwork' will be the largest 5G network in Austria, spanning 54,000 km in length. Sales of 5G-enabled devices alongside 5G tariffs will begin on January 27. The launch follows Austria's frequency auction in March last year, in which A1 acquired spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band for €64.3 million.

A1 Telekom Austria Group CEO, Thomas Arnoldner, said, "5G is the basis of Austria's future digitalisation and will open up unimagined opportunities for new services and applications. As A1, we were able to ensure that we purchased the best frequency equipment at the first 5G auction in 2019.”“In combination with our fibre network, this now results in the largest 5Giganetwork. We see ourselves as drivers and companions of digitalisation, we set the pace and thus support industry, business and private individuals alike,” he added.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz commented, "Our goal is to make Austria one of the leading digital nations in Europe. This requires nationwide broadband coverage across Austria. We want rural areas in particular to benefit from this development.”

T-Mobile Austria spent €57 million at the Austrian spectrum auction and launched 5G later that month, activating the first 25 5G base stations, primarily in rural regions. The company said it planned to use the experience gained through the first 5G sites before progressing to nationwide deployment.

Optus supports regrowth of regional Australia after the bushfires with new grants program

As Australia continues to recover from the recent devasting bushfires, Optus is proud to announce a grants program to help re-establish connectivity within regional Australia particularly through supporting small businesses affected by bushfires. Optus Chief Executive Allen Lew said Optus is supporting impacted businesses to get back on their feet through a small business grant program which will be called 'Green Shoots'. “Many regional towns have been affected by the bushfires and it will take significant time and resources for the affected small businesses and communities to rebuild and bounce back.

“We are focused on rebuilding and reconnecting the engine room of the Australian economy – small business – in bushfire affected regions.” Mr Lew said throughout the bushfires Optus had been working tirelessly to maintain service and quickly restore tower outages, working collaboratively with local governments and agencies, and supplementing services with satellite and mobile small cells where sites were damaged by fires. Optus CEO Designate, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said that green shoots were the first sign of regrowth and Optus would p r o v i d e s m a l l b u s i n e s s e s a n d communities a boost by re-establishing and supporting their ability to get back onl ine and reconnect wi th their communities.

“All of us at Optus want to inspire optimism in regional Australia and give the impacted communities hope and belief for the future. That's why we will be supporting small businesses, the driving forces of growth within the rebuilding regional economies.”In addition, given the spike in internet usage, Optus has also provided unmetered access to a range of emergency services websites for customers in bushfire affected areas to ensure customers can access the information they need, without exceeding their plan data caps. Optus staff have been providing on-the-ground support in bushfire affected zones including visiting evacuation centres and enhancing network experience with charging stations, pre-paid SIMs, satellite and mobile phone access, and other support as needed. Optus is also matching donations dollar-for-dollar in our employee bushfire appeal.

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China's space-tracking vessels back from missions

Space-tracking ship Yuanwang 3 and Yuanwang 7 returned to the port of the China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Controlling Department after completing three monitoring missions, the Science and Technology Daily reported recently.So far, all four space-tracking ships in service, including Yuanwang 5 and Yuanwang 6, have made it back to China. Since November 2019, Yuanwang 5, Yuanwang 7 and Yuanwang 3 had sailed out in succession to carry out maritime monitoring in relays for the Long March-5 Y3 rocket launch in the Pacific Ocean.

Afterward, Yuanwang 5 returned and Yuanwang 3 went to the next mission area. Yuanwang 7 subsequently spent five days performing monitoring and control tasks for China's heaviest satellite Shijian-20. Over the past year, vessels of the Yuanwang fleet have completed 17 monitoring missions and one rocket transporting task.They operated more than 550 days at sea, sailing over 130,000 nautical miles in 2019, said the newspaper, citing sources from the China satellite maritime tracking and controlling authorities.

Astroscale close to US $4.5m grant from Tokyo Metropolitan Government to commercialize active debris removal services

Astroscale Holdings Inc. has been awarded a grant of up to US $4.5 million f r o m t h e To k y o M e t r o p o l i t a n Government's “Innovation Tokyo Project” to build a roadmap for commercializing active debris removal (ADR) services.

The project, which was launched last year, aims to subsidize up to half of the e x p e n s e s r e q u i r e d f o r t h e commercialization and development of innovative services and products for venture companies and small and medium-sized enterprises. Astroscale received the maximum amount covering half of its US $9 million application and will use the funds over three years to commercialize its ADR services and develop global sales channels with satellite operators, national agencies and the insurance market. The grant will also be used to continue pursuing joint research and development contracts, conduct safety and risk assessments of

client satellites, and grow the finance and human resources departments

“To address the issue of space debris removal and mitigation it is necessary to both advance innovative technologies and cooperate on policy,” said Chris Blackerby, Chief Operating Officer of Astroscale. “The support provided by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government allows us to do both in order to further develop the business case for Astroscale services and build upon the great momentum we have been gaining in m a t u r i n g t h e m a r k e t . ”

In addition to preparing for the launch of its pioneering End-of-Life Services by Astroscaledemonstration (ELSA-d) mission in 2020, Astroscale is also working closely with multiple industry and government representatives to develop standards and best practices for safe and sustainable satellite servicing and debris removal.

“As society is increasingly reliant on the orbital environment for satellite services, it is incumbent on all of us in the space sector to create a viable long-term solution to the space debris problem,” Blackerby added. “Astroscale is building that viable technical solution through the development of ELSA-d and future debris removal missions.”

Dawn Aerospace signed MOU with Waitaki District Council for suborbital flights out of Oamaru Airport

Dawn Aerospace announced the signing of an MOU with the Waitaki District Council for suborbital flights out of Oamaru Airport, New Zealand. The signing occurred after a presentation and discussion with other local operators. Further consultation will continue to take place to ensure that all relevant parties are appropriately and thoroughly considered.

Oamaru was chosen because of its stable weather, supportive local government and community, and proximity to Dawn's Christchurch facility. Dawn would like to commend the expediency and efficiency of the Waitaki District Council, in particular Mayor Gary Kircher and CEO Fergus Power. Mr Power brings with him considerable experience in NZ launch compliance from his time at Wairoa District Council. The company looks forward to progressing this exciting development.

SK Telecom, Microsoft to expand cloud gaming service over 5G in Korea

SK Telecom and Microsoft announced that they will expand Project xCloud Preview in Korea, inviting more players to participate, adding new games, and delivering the Microsoft Game Streaming app via the One Store. Project xCloud is Microsoft's game streaming technology that allows gamers to play Xbox games directly from the cloud on mobile devices while connected to the internet. Supported by SK Telecom's 5G network, which is marked by super-fast speed and ultra-low latency, Project xCloud can offer a more immersive and seamless experience to gamers.

As an exclusive business operating partner of Project xCloud, SK Telecom has launched the public preview for Project xCloud in Korea in October 2019 for its selected customers.

At present, public previews for Project xCloud are being provided in the United States, United Kingdom and Korea. According to Microsoft, Project xCloud preview participants in Korea are on average spending 1.75 times more time gaming and revisiting three times more compared to the participants in the United States and United Kingdom.

Kareem Choudhry, Corporate VP of Project xCloud, Microsoft said,"Our partnership with SK Telecom has played a valuable role in helping Microsoft reach new, mobile-first gamers while also learning more about delivering high-quality game streaming through 5G networks." Jeon Jin-soo, VP and Head of 5GX Service Business Disivion of SK Telecom said,"We are confident that 5G cloud gaming will shift the paradigm in the video game industry.”

NTT DOCOMO aims for 6G in 2030

NTT DOCOMO published a white paper outlining its ambition to launch 6G commercial services by 2030. The white paper summarizes the related technical concepts and the expected diverse use cases of evolving 5G and new 6G communication technologies, as well as the technology components and performance targets. DOCOMO has 6G research and development programs underway. In 2018, the company conducted successful radio wave propagation experiments at frequencies of up to 150 GHz, levels which are expected to enable the much faster and

larger-capacity communications that 6G will require.DOCOMO said it will continue to enhance the ultra-high-speed, large-capacity, ultra-reliable, low-latency and massive device-connectivity capabilities of 5G technology. It will continue its research into and development of 5G evolution and 6G technology, aiming to realize technological advances including the achievement of a combination of advances in connectivity, including ultra-high speed, large capacity and low latency, the pioneering of new frequency bands, including terahertz frequencies, the expansion of communication coverage in the sky, at sea and in space, the provision of ultra-low-energy and ultra-low-cost communications and the e n s u r i n g o f h i g h l y r e l i a b l e communications.

Teltronic installs Nepal's first TETRA system in Kathmandu airport

Teltronic has installed Nepal's first T E T R A n e t w o r k i n Tr i b h u v a n International Airport, Kathmandu, providing users and security teams with a comprehensive critical communications solutionThe Spanish company has deployed its NEBULA TETRA infrastructure, which has replaced the airport's existing analogue radio, meeting the main requirements defined by airport authorities: higher security standards, built in scalability to allow additional users and the integration of other airport technology. The chosen offers flexibility for varied work groups, with the highest level of encryption to ensure security, and robust Sepura SC20 radios which can be connected to the Wi-Fi service, enabling integration with existing airport data and control systems

In this way, the entire site is covered by the new TETRA network, ensuring that airport workers and security personnel are in constant communication with the control roomsAdditionally, one of the main advantages of the solution provided by Teltronic and Sepura is the fact that radios' high transmitter power extends coverage where lower power radios struggle. This is a key feature of the security capability for the airport, ensuring that users based in remote locations, underground facilities or within large building are kept in touch with the control room.Tribhuvan International Airport serves as an international hub for over 30 domestic and international airlines and saw over 7

million passengers passing through in 2018, with future increases expected. Situated in Kathmandu Valley, the airport features a passenger terminal, plus extensive outdoor maintenance facilities, parking areas and other large buildings.

The new TETRA network allows for the smooth movement of passengers through the airport by increasing co-operation between different work groups – including maintenance units, cleaning teams, airline staff, airside crews, security and emergency responders. Passengers benefit from a smoother experience with fewer delays, whilst the airport and airlines both benefit from more efficient working practises whilst fines and compensation for late running are minimised.

Bangladeshi internet users near 100 million in 2019

With addition of 8.08 million new users last year, the total number of Bangladeshi Internet users reached about 100 million at the end of last December, the statistics of the country's telecom regulator showed Wednesday.Te lecommun ica t i on Regu la to ry Commission (BTRC) data showed that the number of subscribers in the country reached 99.428 million. Of the total subscribers, the BTRC data showed that there were 93.681 million mobile Internet users and 5.742 million broadband Internet users in the country while the rest of the connections are through WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). The country's cell phone companies last year saw over 8 million new users to take the total subscribers base to 165.572 million at the end of last month.Bangladesh currently has four mobile companies, three of which are foreign-backed cell phone operators. The number of subscribers of mobile operators, Grameenphone, Robi Axiata, Banglalink and Teletalk stood at 76.462 million, 49.004 million, 35.239 million and 4.868 million respectively at the end of last year, BTRC data showed.

British Government allows Huawei in its 5G roll-outVictor Zhang, Vice President at Huawei, has said that “Huawei is reassured by the UK government's confirmation that we can continue working with our customers to keep the 5G roll-out on track. This evidence-based decision will result in a

more advanced, more secure and more cost-effective telecoms infrastructure that is fit for the future. It gives the UK access to world-leading technology and ensures a competitive market, according to Huaweil press release..

We have suppl ied cut t ing-edge technology to telecoms operators in the UK for more than 15 years. We will build on this strong track record, supporting our customers as they invest in their 5G networks, boosting economic growth and helping the UK continue to compete globally. We agree a diverse vendor market and fair competition are essential for network reliability and innovation, as well as ensuring consumers have access to the best possible technology.”

Vodafone Australia extends 4G coverage in Tasmania

Vodafone, together with the Minister for Regional Services, Mark Coulton, announced the addition of three new mobile towers in Tasmania to improve mobile coverage and extend 4G services to more Vodafone customers.The new sites were completed under the Federal Government's Mobile Black Spot Program and provide a combined total of more than 170 square kilometres of additional 4G coverage, including approximately 42 kilometres of coverage along major transport routes and national highways.Vodafone Chief Technology Officer Kevin Millroy said Vodafone's new mobile sites are part of Vodafone's continued commitment to provide mobile services and more choice and competition to Australians living in regional areas.“We are excited to be able to deliver choice to the residents and visitors of Goshen and Wayatinah. Participating in the Federal Government's Mobile Black Spot Program has allowed Vodafone to build on its own investment and make a positive difference in the lives of Australians across the country,” said Mr Millroy.“These towers provide a much-needed boost to mobile coverage in Tasmania, giving locals more opportunity to take advantage of the economic and social benefits strong mobile communications offers.”Two of the new sites are located in the north-east of Tasmania, near Goshen and Pyengana. Together the new sites will introduce Vodafone services to Goshen and further expand Vodafone's 4G mobile services to local residents and businesses in the surrounding areas of Goulds Country, Lottah and St Helen's.

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US Special Command awards $100m contract to upgrade Very Small Aperture Terminals

U.S. Special Operations Command has awarded L3Harris Technologies a five-year with options, $100 million contract to upgrade and extend the service life of its existing fleet of approximately 550 L3Harris Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT). L3Harris will provide software, hardware and warranty upgrades that will extend the life of existing Hawkeye III Lite VSAT terminals and deliver significant cost savings. The VSATs originally were secured through the Satellite Deployable Node – Family of Terminals or Satellite Deployable Node – Medium contracts for the program.The Hawkeye III Lite auto-acquire VSAT is a light-weight, tri-band flyaway system that can be deployed in a matter of minutes by Special Operations Forces. They provide vital communications reach back capability to SOCOM headquarters and other government entities.“This agreement extends the service life of our customer's existing terminals and highlights the priority USSOCOM places on ensuring their deployed users are equipped with the latest in VSAT technology,” said Chris Aebli, President, Global Communicat ion Systems, L3Harris.U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said, "Rochester's L3Harris Technologies has the best workforce, and the U.S. Special Operations Command's $100 million five-year contract will only boost it even further. I've been proud to help L3Harris Technologies secure a level playing field to compete and grow its business in Rochester, so it can continue to boost the region's economy, create jobs and provide critical technology to our military.”

Get SAT deploys Dual SAT terminal solution with Inmarsat Global Xpress service to multiple U.S. government agencies

Get SAT, an innovator in small, lightweight satellite communication terminals for a i rborne, ground, and mar i t ime applications and Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, t oday announced a success fu l demonstration and deployment of a unique Dual SAT terminal solution for U.S. government agencies. The innovative solution employs Get SAT's lightweight

micronized Milli SAT LM terminals using Inmarsat's worldwide Global Xpress Ka-band network. The solution significantly reduces installation costs and efficiently manages communications-on-the-move. Dual SAT provides an antenna diversity solution for mobility platforms where o b s t r u c t i o n s s u c h a s s h i p ' s superstructures would cause blockage for a single antenna system. A fully automated software switching system that requires no external components, Dual SAT's two terminals operate redundantly as a single system to e n s u r e c o m p l e t e h i g h - s p e e d connectivity. When the primary antenna is blocked, the alternate antenna is switched seamlessly to provide services. This solution is ideal for the roll on, roll off requirements of Special Operations and Executive Staff onboard Afloat Forward Staging Bases (AFSB). Based on the micronized, ruggedized and portable Milli SAT terminal replacing large and bulky alternatives consisting of multi-modem and control units, the solution leverages Get SAT's highly efficient flat panel antenna technologies to enable fully autonomous operation for high bandwidth data rates. Following certification, the roll on, roll off solution is truly a one-person operation. According to Get SAT CEO Kfir Benjamin, “Get SAT's Dual SAT solution proves that there is no obstacle that can hold back any SATCOM-on-the-move application. Our miniaturized package enables true, un-blocked, constant, crisp communications. Our solution drastically cuts back on installation time and costs while easily integrating with pre-existing on-board systems.” “Global Xpress has established itself as the de-facto solution for reliable, i n t e ro p e ra b l e h i g h - t h ro u g h p u t communications across the government sector for mobile connectivity nearly anywhere. The Get SAT terminals, including the Dual SAT solution, are the lightest and most compact all-in-one 'on-the-move' solutions serving the Global Xpress network. We are proud to be part of a solution that delivers government users access to reliable, redundant, assured wideband capability on terminals that have been proven to operate in the world's harshest environmental conditions,” said Steve Gizinski, Chief Technology Officer, Inmarsat Government. Global Xpress is the world's first and only, globally available, seamless mobile wideband service. In U.S. government operation since July 2014, Global Xpress has established itself as the gold standard for re l iable communications across land, air and sea for assured mobile connectivity and interoperability with government satellite systems. Get SAT's micronized communications

terminals are based on the company's patented fully-interlaced InterFLAT panel technology that transmits and receives signals on the same panel. Meeting the demanding requirements of full-time usage in harsh environments, these rugged satellite on the move (SOTM) terminals offer significant savings in size, weight, and power usage.

New Boeing satellite to offer greater coverage, efficiency than predecessors

Boeing has developed a new variant of its 702 satellite for the U.S. Air Force's Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) constellation, one that offers both greater bandwidth efficiency and signal power than previous satellites in the fleet.The new WGS-11 will be delivered on a recently negotiated contract award from the Air Force. Advances in Boeing digital satellite technology mean WGS-11 will deliver hundreds of coverage beams and provide a more flexible and efficient use of bandwidth. These innovations will enable the spacecraft to support more users in theater and allow dedicated beams to follow aircraft in flight.“WGS-11 incorporates the latest advances in Boeing commercial satellite technology combined with a resilient and robust design specifically for military use in contested environments,” said Troy Dawson, Boeing vice president, Government Satellite Systems. “We look forward to delivering this critically important asset to the U.S. Air Force in 2024.”WGS provides dedicated high capacity b r o a d b a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s connectivity to U.S. and allied forces around the world. Boeing has been the lead contractor on the program since it began in 2001.

Lindsay, Farmers Edge expand digital partnership to connect 2m irrigated acres by the end of 2021

Lindsay Corporation a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology, and Farmers Edge, a global leader in digital agriculture, announced a plan to connect and digitize two million irrigated acres by the end of 2021. The companies will integrate their digital platforms to provide their growers and dealer networks with a first-of-its-kind,

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fully connected crop management solution. The expanded partnership will also focus on a collaboration in data science, machine learning, and AI-driven analytics to deliver highly precise water-based insights and predictive models, setting a new standard in agriculture. Lindsay and Farmers Edge announced a plan to connect and digitize two million irrigated acres by the end of 2021. The companies will integrate their digital platforms to provide their growers and dealer networks with a first-of-its-kind, fully connected crop management solution.

As part of the strategic initiative, Farmers Edge will provide Lindsay access to both high-resolution satellite imagery and the most comprehensive field-centric dataset available in the industry. Syncing Lindsay's market-leading irrigation management p la t form—Fie ldNET Advisor®—with the Farmers Edge fully-integrated, AI-driven farm management platform—FarmCommand®— creates an exclusive opportunity for growers to access digital tools that deliver real-time information to control pivots and monitor crop health, along with advanced predictive models to help identify issues, including: seeding or application errors, tile drainage, weather damage, pests, disease, and more. The combination of the two digital platforms enables growers to make more informed water management decisions to optimize applications and yield potential.

Adding another layer of connectivity to its suite of solutions, Farmers Edge will provide Lindsay's FieldNET Pivot Watch™—a remote irrigation monitoring solution that includes proprietary IoT sensors that connect to any center pivot—and FieldNET Advisor to help growers better understand when, where, and how much to irrigate.

"This integration of platforms enables growers to use tools like high-resolution satellite imagery to see a visual indication of variation in crop health across a field from the convenience of their laptop or smartphone. The connected farm strategy also enables growers to collect all aspects of field data and feed that information into FieldNET Advisor and FarmCommand. Once that data is collected, the platforms can provide AI-powered insights to ensure the most accurate decisions are being made on the farm," said Albert Maurin, product manager for irrigation software at Lindsay Corporation. "We are excited to bring growers this evolution of our partnership with Farmers Edge, and we will continue to leverage our industry partners to deliver innovative irrigation solutions to our customers.”

"Our goal at Lindsay is to help growers increase water and energy efficiency and profit while exercising more sustainable

farming practices, and we firmly believe digitization in agriculture is key to that," said Randy Wood, president of global agricultural irr igation at Lindsay Corporation. "Farmers Edge is very much aligned with that vision, and we're confident that by connecting our platforms through this strategic partnership, we'll reach our goal of two million digitized and connected irrigated acres by the end of 2021.”

"At Farmers Edge, we're focused on creating a digital agricultural ecosystem that's centered around a fully connected farm. Farmers Edge has thousands of connected machines, weather stations, and in-field sensors across the globe, but we have yet to bring a crucial asset—center pivots," said Wade Barnes, CEO and co-founder of Farmers Edge. "Having access to FieldNET Pivot Watch is a key component for achieving this goal. The ability to add pivot irrigation data into our unique field-centric datasets, and then move that information into FieldNET Advisor is extremely exciting. The power of the insights and analytics from the partnership will change how farms use irrigation, and we're eager to bring this type of industry changing technology to two million irrigated acres by 2021.”

Rocket Communications announces Company Video wins Emmy® Award

A prominent UX Design company, Rocket Communications, has announced that their company explainer video won an Emmy. Rocket was honored in the highly coveted creative and animation category on December 14, 2019, at the 43rd Annual Ceremony of the Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards. The prestigious Emmy award recognizes the creative team at Digital Brew (Orlando, FL) who worked in collaboration with Rocket. When Rocket embarked on this project, they knew that the complexity of their work required combining innovative storytelling and animation. They selected Digital Brew as the creative partner to bring Rocket's story to life for their audience. Our team worked seamlessly with Digital Brew's creative group. They were able to capture our brand and message in a way that truly sets us apart in our market stated Michal Anne Rogondino, CEO, Rocket Communications. Digital Brew, a previous Emmy award winner, was extremely proud of the award as it recognized the creativity and animation skills of its team. We love creating a video that so closely identifies

with our client's brand. And, the Rocket project is a great example of how storytelling and visual impact work together. stated Michael Cardwell, CEO and Creative Director, Digital Brew.In today's world of 'show me, don't tell me', a video is the perfect complement to our branding. added Michal Anne. Rocket's CEO added We congratulate Michael and his team on their Emmy win and look forward to working together again.

SpaceX adds to growing satellite broadband constellation

Orbital launch firm SpaceX has launched another 60 broadband satellites to bring its total for the Starlink network to 182 satellites. The latest satellites were launched on a Falcon-9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It comes after SpaceX launched the initial 60 “Starlink” satellites for its low earth orbit-based broadband project in May last year.The Falcon 9 rocket typically carries 60 flat-packed satellites, and SpaceX hopes to begin offering its Starlink broadband service to US customers on a regional basis in mid-2020, providing it can place enough satellites into orbit in time.

SpaceX has said that it intends to launch 24 Starlink missions in 2020, as part of its strategy to place up to 12,000 satellites in orbit, with approximately 2,000 satellites launched per year. It could eventually place up to 42,000 satellites into orbit in the long term. It should be noted that each satellite weighs a hefty 227kgs and contains a single solar array. Each satellite has its own electric propulsion system that expels electrically charged atoms of krypton in order to provide thrust.The engine also maintains its correct position, and to bring the satellite down at the end of its service life.

This last point is important due to increasing concerns about space clutter in orbit. The news of the successful deployment of 60 Starlink satellites was announced by the firm on Twitter this week, along with a video of the actual deployment of the satellites into orbit. The Starlink satellites are initially deployed at an altitude of 290km, before they manoeuvre up to 550km (342 miles) above the earth. The plan eventually is to expand the Starlink network to the rest of the world. Elon Musk has made clear that he sees the Starlink service as a way of funding SpaceX's ambition to develop a spacecraft that can carry passengers to the moon, and eventually colonise Mars.Starlink reportedly is expected to generate roughly $3 billion a year in revenue. SpaceX had raised more than $1 billion (£790m) last year to help fund its

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broadband satellite ambitions.But Space X is not the only player in rolling out satellite-based Internet connectivity. The other companies racing to construct satellite-based broadband networks include Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, which intends to deploy a 3,200-satellite network known as Project Kuiper. Other players include Kepler, LeoSat and Telesat Canada.But perhaps the most immediate challenge to SpaceX'sStarlink comes from British start-up OneWeb, which launched its first satellites in February 2019. In March 2019 OneWeb raised a total of $3.4 billion (£2.63bn) in private funding, paving the way for a series of monthly launches this autumn to build an initial network of 650 satellites operating at 1,200km.

Advantech receives over 2m dollars orders of its engage™ class flyaway Milsatcom terminals

Advantech Wireless Technologies Inc. has received over two million dollars in orders of its satellite communication Engage™ Class 1.2m and 2.4m FlyAway SATCOM Terminal from a NATO member country.The Engage™ Class Flyaway Terminal Solution includes the most advanced SATCOM technology. This flexible and transportable satellite terminal is a fully integrated tri-band system designed for strategic applications, easy deployment and operation under harsh environmental conditions.The terminal is based on high efficiency, ruggedized tri-band ready 1.2 Meter and 2.4 Meter Flyaway Antennas which can cover X-Band, Ku-Band, or Ka-Band by replacing the feed only. The antenna is fully motorized with an integrated satellite finding controller. The RF section includes Advantech's Gallium Nitride (GaN) based technology, Solid State Power Amplifiers / Block-Up Converters (SSPAs/BUCs), X-Band from 20W to 100W, Ku-Band from 16W to 125W and Ka-Band from 10W to 40W.The entire Satcom terminal has been tested for the highest level of performance and compliance with military requirements.“These advanced satellite terminals include state of the art digital and RF technology. Within a completely modular and integrated solution, the terminals can uplink two independent carriers (up to 50 Mbps each) allowing simultaneous communication with both upper and lower echelon. These systems have been part of a complex modernization program for this active NATO member and has already been deployed in the field since 2017,” stated Cristi Damian, VP Business Development at Advantech Wireless Technologies.

NBC-Sky launch ONE PLATFORM for premium video sales

NBC Universal says its new ONE PLATFORM outlet will rebuild the premium video marketplace and adjust to a world already created by viewers. Making its debut at CES in Las Vegas, ONE PLATFORM will enable advertisers to reach audiences through more than 110,000 hours of new original content across 97% of the US population as well as another half a billion people in the UK and Europe through sister company Sky.“The future of our business is simple: it's our audience. People are the centre of everything we do. We know that viewers do not differentiate content by network, time or screen; instead, our fans see NBCUniversal as one giant home to the best stories, so that's the mindset we'll go to market with in 2020,” said Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Advertising and Partnerships, NBC Universal.NBC Universal says ONE PLATFORM will offer advertisers its best content across any screen, helping to simplify the buying process and deliver better results for brands. The platform is still under construction but NBC says in three years it will have a single online platform to optimise, plan, deliver, and measure audiences across all video distribution points.

OneWeb makes strong progress towards Arctic connectivity, teaming up with distributor Pacific Dataport Inc.

OneWeb, the global communications company whose goal is to connect everyone everywhere, announces a new distributor partnership with Pacific Dataport Inc. (PDI), a company founded by Microcom – the leading supplier of satellite communication systems in Alaska. The collaboration will enable delivery of OneWeb's high speed, low latency, communications services across Alaska. This agreement marks a key milestone in service-readiness for OneWeb's Network and its commitment to bring high-speed internet to the Arctic region. PDI's distribution agreement with OneWeb ensures that customers in the Arctic will enjoy OneWeb services as early as Q4 2020. Alaska's unique qualities mean that it is a center for economic growth, and OneWeb's seamless global network will be a key enabler of regional initiatives such as the collection of climate data, and the growth of a digital economy. Campbell

Macfar lane, President OneWeb Enterprise, said: “Working with PDI has been a fabu lous co l laborat ive experience.Their knowledge, deep customer relationships and prominence in Arctic commercial regions make it a natural fit to accelerate take-up of OneWeb's Enterprise propositions. PDI immediately recognized the potential of OneWeb's solutions to deliver high throughput, low latency services to customers in a broad range of markets.” Chuck Schumann, CEO Pacific Dataport Inc., said: “PDI is proud to sign Alaska's first significant LEO service agreement with OneWeb as a network service provider. PDI is at the forefront of the satellite industry, continually looking ahead and implementing the very latest technologies available in the market for our customers. We are delighted to be working with OneWeb, who will provide us with high-speed broadband coverage to serve our customers in Alaska and the Arctic.” “PDI now has the advantage of being one of the first to be able to demo OneWeb's service in Alaska and in the Arctic region from the end of this year, and already the enthusiasm from our customers to test and trial OneWeb services has been significant.” PDI was founded to bring connectivity to all of Alaska and it has a strong commitment to local community projects such as Alaska Seeds of Change, Alaska Healing Hearts, and several other local initiatives. OneWeb shares with PDI this ethos of local collaboration; Alaska is the home of one of the six remote schools chosen to enjoy free OneWeb connectivity.

Rogers officially activates Canada's first 5G network

It's a red-letter day for Rogers Communications Inc., as the telecom provider officially turns on its 5G network in downtown areas of Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal. But while Rogers says the next-generation wireless network is now up and running, nobody will actually be able to use it for a while, as there aren't any devices authorized to use the Rogers network yet.Officially lighting up the network is a signal to device manufacturers that Rogers is open for business, and ready to work with companies such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. to make sure 5G devices are compatible with network infrastructure.In a news release Wednesday morning, Rogers chief executive Joe Natale said that the move toward 5G is as significant as when Rogers first went into wireless cellular networks.

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“5G will not only power businesses, it will fuel entire industries and drive Canada's digital future,” Natale said. “We were the first with wireless services 35 years ago, and we are once again first to bring this innovative technology to consumers and businesses on Canada's only national network.”The reason that telecom providers are excited about 5G is, essentially, because it's much faster. In addition to providing much more bandwidth, allowing faster data transfer, 5G promises to eventually allow for much lower latency, reducing the delay from when you press a button on your phone to the time when the cell network sends a response.

Rogers has managed to get a jump on competitors BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. with the 5G rollout by partnering with Swedish equipment manufacturer Ericsson for its kit. Both Bell and Telus want to use gear from Chinese manufacturer Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, which is considerably cheaper, but national security experts have raised concerns that the Huawei equipment might create the potential for foreign interference in critical communications systems.There are already a handful of phones on the market in other parts of the world that offer 5G connectivity, but Rogers says that even if somebody brought one of those phones to Canada, they won't be able to use the Rogers 5G network yet.

Their SIM cards won't be updated until device-makers are ready to sell their products here, and they can engage in a full-scale marketing push for the next-generation network.Rogers says 5G data plans and a more comprehensive rollout will have to wait until business partnerships are cemented, and companies start selling their phones in Canada later this year. For now, the company isn't publishing a map showing the extent of the coverage until later in the year. Rogers has said by the end of 2020 they intend to offer 5G in 20 Canadian markets, but the full rollout will take years.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. receives orders in excess of $2.6 million for SATCOM antenna feeds\Comtech Telecommunications Corp. has announced that during its second quarter of fiscal 2020, its Mission-Critical Technologies group, which is

part of Comtech's Government Solutions segment, received orders in excess of $2.6 million for SATCOM antenna feeds from Cubic Mission Solutions, a business division of Cubic Corporation. These orders continue the long-term success of Comtech's products being used on Cubic's portfolio of SATCOM terminals. “Comtech is very pleased to have the opportunity to continue our long-standing relationship with Cubic in delivering high-performance, SATCOM solutions,” said Fred Kornberg, President and Chief E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e r o f C o m t e c h Telecommunications Corp. The Mission-Critical Technologies group is focused on ensuring its customers are able to successfully carry out their mission, whether that be communicating in an austere environment on land or at sea, launching or tracking a satellite, or protecting the cyber security posture of their network.

Lockheed Martin ships mobile communications satellite to launch site

Lockheed Martin shipped its third satellite based on the modernized LM 2100™ bus to French Guiana for launch aboard an Ariane V rocket. JCSAT-17 will provide flexible mobile communications services to users in Japan and the surrounding region. Arianespace will launch JCSAT-17 from its spaceport in Kourou. JCSAT-17 is the first Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) communications satellite built on the modernized LM 2100™, which includes 26 innovations that make the satellite more powerful, flexible and versatile in orbit. A reprogrammable mission processor adds flexibility as mission needs change. Lockheed Martin i s cu r ren t l y manufac tu r ing f i ve modernized LM 2100™-based satellites for commercia l and government customers.

"Following two successful launches of LM 2100™ commercial communications satellites, Lockheed Martin is proud to deliver JCSAT-17 to SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SJC), which will add a tremendous amount of new connectivity fo r users in Japan, " sa id Guy Beutelschies, Lockheed Martin's Vice President for Communication Satellite Solutions. "This satellite will help grow Japan's advanced economy by adding new options for mobility, bandwidth where it's needed, and reliable connections." The satellite's payload incorporates S-band and C-band transponders with a flexible processor along with 18m mesh r e f l e c t o r , e n a b l i n g a s s u r e d communications continuity during high-volume events. The satellite also features robust Ku-band connectivity. JCSAT-17 is

the eighth satellite built by Lockheed Martin for SJC, beginning with NSAT-110, JCSAT-9 through JCSAT-13 and JCSAT-110R.

Iridium now formally authorized to provide GMDSS service

Iridium Communications Inc. announced that a Letter of Compliance has been signed by the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), stating it has positively verified the operational and technical requirements as requested by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for Iridium to provide Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) service. The Letter of Compliance was formally presented to Iridium CEO Matt Desch by the Director General of IMSO, Captain Moin Ahmed, during a ceremony at Iridium's headquarters on the morning of January 13, 2020. The issuance of the letter formally authorizes Iridium to now provide satellite GMDSS service, bringing truly global coverage and a choice of both network and equipment to this critical emergency service for the first time.

GMDSS is a safety of life system that helps rescue mariners in emergency situations while at sea. IMSO serves as regulator for the system, which is partially comprised of satellite networks that transmit distress information to rescue coordination centers around the world, in addition to the disseminat ion of navigat ional and meteorological data to vessels at sea."This is a historic moment for public safety in the maritime community globally. The addition of new providers, such as Iridium, for GMDSS services can help to create safer seas for all mariners," said Captain Moin Ahmed, Director General of IMSO.

Captain Ahmed continued, "Since the inception of GMDSS by the IMO in 1999, a new mobile satellite system, the Iridium® network, has now completed a thorough evaluation to become a recognized mobile satellite system in the GMDSS. Recognition of Iridium marks the start of a new era in GMDSS and enhances the integrity and global coverage of safety services for seafarers across the world, including in the polar regions. The evaluation of Iridium took more than four years, and at various stages the Company successfully demonstrated its capability to comply with the requirements for satellite communication services for maritime safety.”

Concluding his remarks, Captain Ahmed stated, "I am pleased to issue Iridium the 'Letter of Compliance' that officially makes the company the second recognized mobile satellite system in the GMDSS. My organization and I take this opportunity to congratulate Iridium management and

everyone in the company for their commitment and contribution to the safety of mariners and their passengers at sea. We look forward to continuing to work with Iridium.”

Iridium's GMDSS service is bringing many new capabilities to the maritime industry, including extending this critical service to the growing number of ships in the waters of the Arctic and Antarctica, otherwise known as Sea Area A4. The new Iridium GMDSS terminals will combine the key three GMDSS services - distress alert, distress voice and Maritime Safety Information – all in one truly global compact terminal. These terminals can provide both normal and emergency communications, including Ship Security Alert System (SSAS), Anti-Piracy/Citadel Communications, and Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT). All of this will be provided in a cost-effective way, making the terminals more affordable for all sizes of vessels, including those that are not required to be GMDSS equipped, such as smaller fishing boats and yachts, but want to take advantage of this invaluable service.

"This is a monumental achievement for Iridium, and one that took years of hard work and dedication. The maritime industry is recognizing that our network possesses the unique ability to make GMDSS an even more robust system and extend its coverage to the entire planet," said Iridium CEO, Matt Desch. "We are dedicated to keep finding innovative new ways to facilitate safer marine travel.”

Hispasat hired by Thales Alenia to build Amazonas Nexus satellite

HISPASAT, the Spanish satellite telecommunications operator, has been awarded to Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), the construction of the Amazon Nexus satellite, which will replace and expand the capabilities of Amazonas 2 satellite , in orbit at 61º West. The contract has been signed in Madrid, with Thales Alenia Space winning the award against an international field of competitors.The new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) will enable HISPASAT to access new customers and markets, by delivering high capacity mobility services to the air and maritime transport sectors, among others. In

addition, it will continue the provision of services to the current HISPASAT customers that use the capacities of Amazonas 2.As prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space will be responsible for Amazon Nexus satellite design, production, testing and in-orbit acceptance tests.Amazon Nexus features, as main novelty, a new generation Digital Transparent Processor (DTP), a technological breakthrough that is essential to increase the geographical flexibility of the mission to respond to eventual evolutions with respect to the initially envisaged commercial scenario.

Thanks to this element, the satellite payload will be digitally processed allowing to assign in-orbit the required capabilities at any time providing the satellite with great resilience to the evolution of the communications market both in the field of connectivity and data and in the field of contents transmission.The advanced design, HTS capacity and versatility of Amazon Nexus make it the most efficient satellite in HISPASAT's fleet.The new satellite will have coverage over the entire American continent, the North Atlantic corridor (air and maritime traffic area) and Greenland, and will enable the p r o v i s i o n o f l e a d i n g - e d g e telecommunication services in Ku band. Amazon Nexus marks the start of a new generation of satellites in HISPASAT's fleet with an innovative architecture that also features Ka-band capacity to optimize communications between the gateways and the satellite, allowing to multiply the total on-board capacity available for commercial use, thus improving to a great extent the unitary cost with respect to conventional satellites.

Amazon Nexus will be launched in the second half of 2022.Based on the Spacebus NEO platform from Thales Alenia Space, the satellite will feature full electric propulsion, making the satellite lighter and contributing to the lower launch cost. With an estimated lifetime of 15 years, 20 kW satellite power and a mass of 4.5 metric tons at launch, Amazon Nexus will be launched mid-2022.Amazon Nexus is the 3rd satellite ordered by HISPASAT to Thales Alenia Space, after HISPASAT 1C & 1D, the 7th satellite based on Spacebus NEO platform and the 5th embarking a digital transparent processor of 5th generation..

OneWeb and SatixFy to launch a digital technology pathway payload in 2021

This combination of features enables

significantly higher throughput to designated areas within satellite coverage, while continuing to meet all national security concerns. Active areas are dynamically allocated much higher capacity than areas that do not require as much bandwidth and are just being scanned to gauge demand.

The Beam hopping capability also enables seamless handover for mobile devices, between beams and satellites. An example would be an Aero terminal for In-Flight Connectivity, able to operate on both LEO and GEO simultaneously and ma in ta in ing make-be fo re -b reak connectivity between the rising and setting satellites. Maximum capacity can be directed from multiple sources to hot-spots like busy airports. Advanced discussions are in progress for collaboration and support from the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.

“We have designed several chip sets across the full satellite value chain including terminals, payloads and gateways, creating a full eco-system based on our own software”, said Yoel Gat CEO of the SatixFy Group. “This new OneWeb satellite will demonstrate all of these capabilities.” “This leading-edge satellite will be fully operational and is a great opportunity to showcase what can be delivered with our payload technology”, said Massimiliano Ladovaz, Chief Technical Officer at OneWeb. “The improved performance, greater efficiency and targeted capacity, together with sophisticated ground infrastructure, puts us at the forefront of LEO communications network services.” OneWeb launched its first satellites in February 2019 and will shortly start a regular launch program to deliver global commercial broadband services at the end of 2021.

IFT publishes infrastructure sharing guidelines

Mexico's Federal Telecommunications Ins t i t u te ( Ins t i t u to Federa l de Telecomunicaciones, IFT) has published a new set of guidelines relating to the deployment of, access to and shared use o f te lecoms and b roadcas t ing infrastructure. The watchdog's key objectives are:· To contribute to a more efficient use of existing infrastructure resources through the promotion of infrastructure sharing among concessionaires;· To establish conditions to resolve disagreements relating to the shared use o f i n f r a s t r u c t u r e b e t w e e n

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concessionaires; and· To promote infrastructure deployment through incentives to carry out coordinated civil works – especially in areas where there is little or no operator presence.The IFT notes: 'There are areas where infrastructure has already been deployed t h a t c a n b e u s e d b y m o r e concessionaires – or where technically, economically and/or legally it is only feasible to develop one network. [ In f rast ructure shar ing] creates conditions for greater competition at regional or local level.'

ENENSYS' OneBeam, world's first DVB-SIS standard ready for deployment

ENENSYS Technologies, a leading provider of media delivery solutions, has announced that the latest release of ENENSYS' OneBeam solution brings it into compliance with the DVB-SIS standard. With this modification, ENENSYS has become the first provider capable in delivering a complete DVB-SIS system. ENENSYS has a long history with the OneBeam solution; the first OneBeam system was deployed in 2012 with the aim of optimizing the satellite bandwidth required to distribute video streams to terrestrial transmission sites drastically reducing the deployment costs of DTT services. Following OneBeam's initial launch, ENENSYS has implemented this solution for several network broadcast operators. With each deployment, the solution has been updated, keeping ahead of market changes and needs. ENENSYS' OneBeam DVB-SIS solution allows Network Broadcast Operators to optimize their TV delivery services using a single satellite feed for DTH and DTT in a Single Frequency Network (SFN). One satellite distribution serves both DTT transmission sites and DTH consumers. At the DTT transmission site, the ENENSYS TxEdge OneBeam creates the DVB-T or DVB-T2 SFN bouquet based on the services carried over DTH satellite. TV viewers who cannot receive DTT signals receive the DTT services over the same DTH feed. This brings Network Broadcast Operators a step closer to attaining their goal of 100% TV delivery coverage.

OneWeb makes strong progress towards Arctic connectivity

OneWeb, announces a new distributor partnership with Pacific Dataport Inc. (PDI), a company founded by Microcom, the leading supplier of satellite communication systems in Alaska.The collaboration will enable delivery of OneWeb's high speed, low latency, communications services across Alaska. This agreement marks a key milestone in service-readiness for OneWeb's Network and its commitment to bring high-speed internet to the Arctic region.PDI's distribution agreement with OneWeb ensures that customers in the Arctic will enjoy OneWeb services as early as Q4 2020. Alaska's unique qualities mean that it is a center for economic growth, and OneWeb's seamless global network will be a key enabler of regional initiatives such as the collection of climate data, and the growth of a digital economy.

Campbell Macfarlane, President OneWeb Enterprise, said: “Working with PDI has been a fabulous collaborative experience.Their knowledge, deep customer relationships and prominence in Arctic commercial regions make it a natural fit to accelerate take-up of OneWeb's Enterprise propositions. PDI immediately recognized the potential of OneWeb's solutions to deliver high throughput, low latency services to customers in a broad range of markets.”Chuck Schumann, CEO Pacific Dataport Inc., said: “PDI is proud to sign Alaska's first significant LEO service agreement with OneWeb as a network service provider. PDI is at the forefront of the satellite industry, continually looking ahead and implementing the very latest technologies available in the market for our customers. We are delighted to be working with OneWeb, who will provide us with high-speed broadband coverage to serve our customers in Alaska and the Arctic.”

“PDI now has the advantage of being one of the first to be able to demo OneWeb's service in Alaska and in the Arctic region from the end of this year, and already the enthusiasm from our customers to test and trial OneWeb services has been significant.”

PDI was founded to bring connectivity to all of Alaska and it has a strong commitment to local community projects such as Alaska Seeds of Change, Alaska Healing Hearts, and several other local initiatives. OneWeb shares with PDI this ethos of local collaboration; Alaska is the home of one of the six remote schools chosen to enjoy f ree OneWeb connectivity.

The Netherlands

Ministry of Defence Subscribes to Maxar's SecureWatch Platform

Maxar Technologies announced the Defence Geographic Agency (DGeo) of The Netherlands Ministry of Defence signed a multi-million dollar, multi-year subscription to SecureWatch, the company's cloud-based geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) platform.DGeo will leverage SecureWatch to enrich its geospatial foundation data holdings and derivative product portfolio that aid critical decision-making within The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD). Through SecureWatch, DGeo will have access to Maxar's 110-petabyte, high-resolution satellite imagery library, daily imagery collections, Vivid and Metro imagery mosaics, FirstLook service and synthetic aperture radar data from MDA's RADARSAT-2 satellite. When the WorldView Legion constellation imagery is available after the first satellites launch in early 2021, DGeo will also access it via SecureWatch. The abundance and variety o f geospat ia l data ava i lab le in SecureWatch will inform and support the MoD's information-driven activities such as mission planning, disaster response and border security, among other purposes.“Maxar is delighted to bring DGeo and the D u t c h M o D e c o s y s t e m i n t o SecureWatch's ever-growing community of subscribers,” said Tony Frazier, Maxar's Executive Vice President of Global Field Operations. “As one of the largest SecureWatch awards to date, this contract is the culmination of a careful consultation process with DGeo, ensuring that Maxar's solution has the greatest impact on their work. SecureWatch, with its mission-centric design and depth of content, fits DGeo's requirements perfectly.”“SecureWatch will facilitate DGeo's ability to bring geospatial insights to a broader community within the Dutch MoD,” said Lieutenant Colonel Rijk van Hunnik, DGeo's Commanding Officer. “Secure, on-demand and easy access to very high-resolution imagery promises to be a game-changer for our decision-making process and operations, allowing us to allocate resources in the most effective way possible.”

Lockheed Martin launches first smart satellite enabling space mesh networking

A new era of space-based computing is now being tested in-orbit that will enable artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud

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networking and advanced satellite communications in a robust new software-defined architecture. Recently, Lockheed Martin launched the Pony Express 1 mission as a hosted payload on Tyvak-0129, a next-generation Tyvak 6U spacecraft."Early on-orbit data show Pony Express 1 is performing its important pathfinding mission very well. Lockheed Martin's HiveStar™ technology on board will give our customers unparalleled speed, resiliency and flexibility for their changing mission needs by unlocking even greater processing power in space," said Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space. "This is the first of several rapid, self-funded experiments d e m o n s t r a t i n g o u r a b i l i t y t o systematically accelerate our customers' speed to mission while reducing risk from new technologies.”

Pony Express 1, an example of rapid prototyping, was developed, built and integrated in nine months, and was funded completely by Lockheed Martin Research and Development funding. This orbital proving ground is validating payload hardware and software, and is packed with new technology that fits into a satellite the size of a shoebox. Some of the key technologies being flight-tested include:

HiveStar™ software validates advanced adaptive mesh communications between satellites, shared processing capabilities and can take advantage of sensors aboard other smart satellites to customize missions in new ways previously difficult to achieve in space.A software-defined radio that allows for high-bandwidth hosting of multiple RF applications, store-and-forward RF collection, data compression, digital signal processing and waveform transmission.

Pony Express 1 is a dual-use payload that enables mesh networks in space through HiveStar™ and a second function that tests space to ground remote sensing. Future research missions this year, like Pony Express 2, will further advance cloud networking concepts among satellites, as well as validating Lockheed Martin's SmartSat™ software-defined satellite architecture which enables streamlined hosting of flexible mission apps. This mission consists of two 12U cubesats with faster, more capable ultra-scale processors that unlock in-orbit data analytics and artificial intelligence. Equipped with miniaturized cross-link and precision timing, Pony Express 2 is a trailblazer for autonomous teaming in space and true cloud networking.

Gogo, Hispasat sign capacity deal to meet rising inflight connectivity demand

Gogo and Spanish satellite operator, Hispasat, announced a capacity agreement on Amazonas Nexus satellite to meet the growing global demand for high-speed inf l ight connectivity services. Gogo has leased multi-gigahertz of Ku-band capacity onboard Hispasat's new satellite, set to launch in the second half of 2022, to provide service to its customers in the Americas and the Atlantic region. Hispasat and Gogo worked closely to optimize the satellite design to provide superior performance and capacity for inflight connectivity.Amazonas Nexus is a High Throughput Satellite (HTS) with an innovative architecture that will replace the Amazonas 2 in the 61º West position. The new satellite will have a payload spec i f ica l ly dedicated to aero connectivity and will offer additional capacities oriented to vertical segments like mobile connectivity, corporate communications and cellular network deployment. It will feature an advanced Digital Transparent Processor (DTP), a technological breakthrough that will substantially increase satellite flexibility when dealing with changes in demand."Amazonas Nexus will significantly enhance our Ku network over the Americas and the Atlantic region, providing Gogo with scaled capacity at the right economics," said Oakleigh Thorne, President and CEO of Gogo. "Through our partnership with Hispasat, Gogo 2Ku will continue to meet the growing demand for high-speed inflight connectivity.""We are excited to support Gogo in providing the best service for their global airline partners," said Miguel Ángel Panduro, CEO of Hispasat. "This partnership demonstrates the important role Hispasat will play in providing capacity for aerial services. The inflight connectivity market is a growing segment for satellite capacity, and this is one of the foundational elements for Hispasat's future growth," Panduro concluded.

Disney+ exceeded 30 million downloads in Q4

Disney+ saw more than 30 million downloads in Q4 2019. According to a new report from mobile app store marketing firm Sensor Tower, Disney+

became the most downloaded app in the US for the quarter with a total of 31 million downloads across Apple's App Store and Google Play. The launch is referred to by the report as 'unprecedented' and was more than double the total for the next closest app, TikTok.Worldwide, Disney+ was the ninth most downloaded app in Q4 2019 in the App Store, with more downloads than Netflix and YouTube Music.More impressive is the fact that Disney+ only launched on November 12, which is well into the measure period of October 1-December 31, and is currently only available in five markets.Since 2014, no SVOD app has seen nearly as many US downloads as Disney+ did in November. The app had more than 12 times as many US downloads in November as HBO Now had for the launch of the final season of Game of Thrones in April 2019.Unsurprisingly, the app failed to break into the top 20 in Europe, with Disney+ only being available in the Netherlands – a country with a population of only 17.18 million people.In spite of this, the report found that Disney+ grossed more than US$50 million in its first 30 days, which was more than competitors like HBO Now and Showtime. In its second month of availability, the app earned more US revenue than HBO Now's best month – which includes revenue spikes that were inspired by Game of Thrones.The app grabbed 34% of US SVOD downloads in Q4 2019, with Netflix and Youtube at 11% each, while Amazon Prime Video was only at 7%.The service generated 16% of total US SVOD revenues in Q4 through mobile app stores. Netflix mobile revenues consistently decreased through the year, though the report notes that the company has made a concerted effort to push new subscribers to subscribing online rather than through the app.

Globalsat Group, Inmarsat and Cobham sign multi-year contract to provide Rumo with satellite communications across Brazilian railway network

Globalsat Group, through its Brazilian affiliate Globalsat do Brasil, has signed a multi-year contract with Rumo SA, the largest transport and logistics company in Latin America. In a deal that is set to significantly improve the running of Rumo's Brazilian rail infrastructure, Globalsat Group will provide a solution leveraging satellite connectivity from Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite

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communications, and Cobham connectivity terminals. This solution will connect Rumo's cargo trains, increasing the speed with which goods can be transported across the country and improving the safety of trains, vehicles and the people operating them.Rumo is responsible for managing 14,000km of railway track in Brazil, with the project initially focusing on 2000km of the Northern Railway which connects six key states to the Port of Santos. As most of the tracks pass through remote areas with unreliable or non-existent network coverage, train drivers, railway engineers and transport managers have no way of communicating effectively. As a result, drivers cannot receive live traffic updates and trains cannot progress until they receive updates from the control centre. This causes long delays to trains and creates a variety of logistical challenges as well as increased operational costs. The first stage of the project will begin in early 2020 and will see Globalsat Group equipping 300 of Rumo's cargo trains, operating on this section of track, with Cobham EXPLORER 325 Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) terminals, EXPLORER Mobile Gateways and the PRISM PTT+ service, delivering uninterrupted connectivity, even in the most isolated of areas without mobile coverage. This will enable accurate real-time tracking of each train as well as reliable voice and data communication between drivers, maintenance crews and regional control centres. The framework's intent is to see 1,600 locomotives provisioned with highly reliable BGAN connectivity, ensuring an efficient, profitable and safe railway network.Igor Falcao, Head of Globalsat do Brasil and Senior Vice President of Sales of Globalsat Group stated: “In Brazil, rail is the most important transportation channel for many i n d u s t r i e s i n c l u d i n g a g r i c u l t u r e , commodities, forestry and consumer goods. So, a more efficient network means a stronger economy. Rumo's rail network is the only one connecting the central state of Mato Grosso to the largest port in Latin America – Santos. The connectivity improvements being brought by mobi le satel l i te communications will improve Rumo's operations, making rail a more reliable and effective transport proposition that the Brazilian economy can depend on.”

ST Engineering iDirect enables Speedcast to respond to growing bandwidth demand

ST Engineering iDirect announced that Speedcast will deploy the Newtec Dialog® platform to provide worldwide satellite broadband services for its customers.The deployment will enable Speedcast to respond to the exponential demand for high-speed connectivity on board cruise ships and

may also be used for other vertical market segments with increasing bandwidth requirements, such as yachting, oil and gas and the enterprise market. This builds upon the long-term partnership that has been forged between ST Engineering iDirect and Speedcast, supporting mission-critical communications in the world's most remote regions.The cruise market remains the biggest u s e r o f m a r i t i m e s a t e l l i t e communications and is driving the sector with its increasing demand for connect ivi ty. Cruise ships are essential ly f loating cit ies, and passengers and crew wish to experience the same connectivity at sea as at home. This supports the multiple devices that they have to keep in touch on social media and for their online entertainment needs. More essentially, connectivity brings about a plethora of operational benefits for operators, enabling them to manage their fleets and crew more effectively.“Our customers are increasingly faced with the need to deliver a seamless, high quality, high-speed connectivity experience, which drives significant growth in demand for Speedcast services,” said PJ Beylier, CEO, Speedcast. “We were looking for a technology platform that could meet our current and fu ture bandwidth challenges but also that was versatile enough to be used across other market segments where we were seeing similar demands.

The Dialog platform, with its high throughput and efficiency capabilities, allows us to deploy high-end services and is ultimately a natural extension of our existing Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) network. The partnership with ST Engineering iDirect will enable us to deploy a unified platform for the cruise sector to drive network efficiencies and ultimately create a better customer experience. This world-class global maritime and offshore network will leverage the optimal satellite capacity over each region to deliver bandwidth to hundreds of cruise ships and yachts. This network will give us a competitive advantage and enable us to continue to support the growing connectivity demands of our customers.”

“To stay ahead in this highly competitive and increasingly digitalized market, fast and reliable connectivity is essential,” said Thomas Van den Driessche, President of the Executive Strategic Board and Chief Commercial Officer, ST Engineering iDirect. “The recent integration of ST Engineering iDirect

and Newtec will ensure that Speedcast is able to maintain its lead in this high-value market with a forward-thinking, market-leading technology partner that will remain dedicated to protecting its investment across its entire VSAT network. We are proud to support Speedcast, a leading force in the maritime market, with the network capabilities that it needs to meet and exceed its customers' requirements, no matter how remote they are or what their business entails.”

Dialog can be used as a single and multi-service VSAT platform that allows operators and service providers to build and adapt superior infrastructure and satellite networking according to their business or missions. It gives operators the power to offer a variety of mobile and fixed services on a single platform, all of which can be delivered to customers operating remotely.

Artel, SES GS and Leidos provide mission-critical connectivity for Palmer Station, Antarctica

Artel, LLC, and SES Government Solutions have teamed with Leidos to deliver vital connectivity solutions to Palmer Station, Antarctica, operated by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The satellite-based service will serve as the primary backbone for the sharing of leading year-round scientific research from the field to the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) data center located over 7,500 miles away in Centennial, Co.

Artel engineered the solution leveraging the C-band coverage provided by the SES-14 satellite, with backhaul from the SES Government Solutions Teleport in Bristow, Va. through terrestrial circuits also engineered by Artel. The rapid data connection ensures the reliable transfer of data for the scientific community, but also provides a glimpse into the far reaches of Antarctica for the public through their station and penguin webcam live streams.

"The Antarctic Treaty provides the framework for scientists from all over the world to peacefully come together and better understand our planet. We're glad to follow suit and collaborate with our industry partners to provide crucial and resilient satellite connectivity to Palmer Station," said Pete Hoene, President &

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CEO of SES Government Solutions. Palmer Station's location on the Antarctic Peninsula, due south of Argentina, has given the USAP a unique perspective to provide leading research on global issues such as climate change and the effects on wildlife and surrounding ecosystems. The transmission of this data from the isolated environment to the global population has become pertinent to the NSF and USAP mission.

"Artel was involved with the NSF's Palmer Station Satellite Data Services from the beginning of 2002 to 2008 as a solution provider, installing the current 4.9-m C-band Palmer earth station and engineering the original satellite-based connectivity s o l u t i o n t o p r o v i d e e n d - t o - e n d communications between the Palmer Station and the USAP data center. We look forward to supporting the Leidos team in continuous delivery of mission-critical satellite-based data connectivity services to Palmer Station," said Ed Spitler, Head of SATCOM Programs at Artel.

Intelligent Waves awarded global satellite communications contract valued at $48m

Intelligent Waves LLC, announced that it was awarded a competitive, single award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The contract called Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) Global Logistical Services Management Contract (ELOG) has a lifecycle value of $48 million and a 1-year base with 4-year options.

EMSS provides deployed warfighters and par tner ing agenc ies w i th g loba l communication services through a dedicated, EMSS-controlled satellite gateway that leverages the commercial Iridium satellite constellation. EMSS services and support include the Distributed Tactical Communication System (DTCS), an over-the-horizon, beyond-line-of-sight, “netted” satellite communication capability that employs cutting-edge devices and corresponding systems allowing users to transmit information from unique environments.

Intelligent Waves will provide global logistical service management and field service representatives in support of the DTCS and the EMSS program. The contract wi l l ensure operat ional , engineering and technical requirements are successfully achieved for current and future devices as technologies within the EMSS portfolio rapidly evolve.“For over a decade, Intelligent Waves has

proudly supported the warfighter and military operations with sophisticated communication systems,” said Chief Technology Officer Marqus Hutchinson for Intelligent Waves. “This award demonstrates our ability to deliver mission-critical solutions in support of our customers.”Performance will be at various locations within the Continental United States and Outside the Continental United States. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

VITEC acquires IPtec Inc. to strengthen its market position

VITEC, a worldwide leader in advanced video encoding and streaming solutions, announced the strategic acquisition of IPtec Inc., a developer and manufacturer of industry-leading solutions for low-latency transfer of telemetry and video-over-IP networks. This acquisition is the third the company has made within this vertical in the last 18 months, continuing VITEC's growth in broadcast contribution and remote production. "IPtec is highly respected in the military and broadcast verticals," said Kevin Ancelin, VP Worldwide Broadcast Sales, VITEC. "IPtec introduces the benefits of J2K, MPEG-2, and legacy H.264 4:2:2 10-bit codec support, as well as a full duplex encoder/decoder and a telemetry-to-IP gateway that complement VITEC's portfolio of high-quality, low-latency HEVC codecs. Together, our solutions will provide customers with a purpose-built technology platform capable of delivering broadcast-quality media streams even under the most extreme conditions." Effective this month, this acquisition will add IPtec's product families to the VITEC lineup. This includes the VNP Series video network processors, which support full-duplex encode-decode; H.264, AVC-I, and MPEG-2 video standards; and AAC and MPEG-1 Layer II audio standards, in a redundantly powered ½ RU package. The current IPtec VNP Series will be maintained as its product roadmap merges into VITEC's HEVC portfolio offering. VITEC will also add the TNP Telemetry Network Processor Series, which addresses the need for transmitting timing-sensitive data s i gna l s ove r IP ne two rks i n telemedicine, defense, and industrial applications.

GHGSat to provide free visualisation of global greenhouse gas emissions

Montreal-based GHGSat announced a new service for visualising greenhouse gas emissions. The interactive, online resource will be freely available and will be formally launched during COP26 in November 2020.GHGSat plans to initially provide visualisation for methane on a grid averaging 2 km x 2 km anywhere over land. Users will be able to zoom into the grid to explore geographic patterns and hotspots of methane, an important greenhouse gas. The visualisation will be updated on a rolling basis with the latest data. GHGSat will continue to offer higher resolution methane emission measurements, up to 25 m x 25 m, under a paid subscription service.The free visualisation will integrate data from GHGSat's own satellites, the Copernicus Sentinel satellites, as well as other current and future atmospheric monitoring missions. Having three years of experience in integrating rich data sources in GHGSat's commercial services, company President and CEO Stephane Germain says, "We decided to make this core capability openly available to accelerate the impact of our measurements." He adds that, "We plan to launch during COP26 to highlight the importance of combining the best of all satellite capabilities to help solve the real-world challenges of this decade."In 2016, GHGSat launched the world's first satellite ("Claire") designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions from industrial facilities. Claire has since taken thousands of measurements, covering over a million square kilometers of the Earth's surface, identifying previously undetected methane leaks which operators were then able to address. Public samples of these measurements are available on GHGSat's website. Building on the success of this first satellite, GHGSat is launching two more satellites and an aircraft sensor in 2020. GHGSat uses its satellites and aircraft sensors to offer monitoring services for industrial facilities in sectors such as oil & gas, power generation, mining, waste management, and agriculture to measure, control and ultimately reduce emissions.

Capella Space unveils solutions to deliver high resolution on-

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demand EO Data

Capella Space unveiled its evolved satellite design to enable on-demand observations of anywhere on Earth. Informed by extensive customer feedback and findings from the launch of Denali, Capella's testbed satellite, the re-engineered design features a suite of technological innovations to deliver timely, flexible and frequent sub-0.5 meter very high quality images to the market. The enhanced technology package will deliver the most advanced offering for small satellite SAR imagery on the market.

"Our customers have explained today's industry standard of waiting eight hours to receive data is woefully outdated. They want access to imagery that is reliable, timely and, most importantly, high-quality," said Christian Lenz, vice president of engineering at Capella Space. "The innovations packed into our small satellite make Capella the first and only SAR provider to provide real-time tasking and capture of sub-0.5m very high-quality imagery anywhere on Earth at any time. This is a game-changer for a variety of industries -- from monitoring military threats to assessing crop yields in agriculture to coordinating disaster response."The satellite evolution is a direct result of customer feedback, extensive on-orbit testing with Capella's first testbed satellite Denali, as well as ground-based testing. Enhancements include: Advanced design delivering high contrast, low-noise, sub-0.5 meter imagery: A 3.5 meter deployed mesh-based reflector antenna combined with a h igh power RADAR enab le key performance improvements including quality advances.Extended duty cycle: A deployed 400 W solar array increases on-orbit duty cycle to 10 minutes per orbit.Continuous imaging over long distance: Advanced thermal management systems allow continuous imaging of up to 4000 km long strip images.Highly agile platform: Enabled by large reaction wheels, the new satellite quickly adjusts pointing to collect images from diverse targets.Staring spotlight image mode: New mode further enhances image quality with the ability to collect the highest commercially available multi-look data.Enhanced data downlink rate: A high average data rate downlink of 1.2 Gbps supports the massive image collection rate and extended duty cycle, providing more data per orbit than any other commercial SAR system in its class.Real-time tasking: A highly secure encrypted two-way link with Inmarsat through an exclusive partnership with Addvalue provides real time tasking

capability for the entire Capella constellation.The new satellite design cemented major deals with multiple divisions of the U.S. government, including a contract with the United States Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office ( N R O ) . T h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l enhancements will be embedded in Capella's next six commercial satellites, named the "Whitney" constellation, starting with the launch of Sequoia slated for March of 2020. The Sequoia satellite is currently completing system level tests and will arrive at the launch site in early March.Capella is also licensed by the National O c e a n i c a n d A t m o s p h e r i c Administration (NOAA) for its 36 small satellite constellation, along with approval to sell the highest resolution legally allowed SAR commercial imagery to customers globally.

Rocket Lab to launch National Reconnaissance Office mission

Rocket Lab has announced that it will launch a dedicated mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The launch window is scheduled to open on 31 January NZDT and the mission, called 'Birds of a Feather,' will lift off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1.The NRO competitively awarded the contract under the Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract vehicle. RASR allows the NRO to explore new launch opportunities that can provide a streamlined, commercial approach for getting small satellites into space.Rocket Lab's Senior Vice President – Global Launch Services, Lars Hoffman, says the Electron vehicle is uniquely placed to deliver the kind of frequent, rapidly-acquired launch opportunities required by the NRO and other government agencies to ensure resiliency in space.“We are honored the NRO has selected Rocket Lab as the launch provider for this dedicated mission. The Electron launch vehicle is perfectly positioned to provide the kind of rapid and responsive access to space that puts the NRO in complete control over their own launch schedule and orbital requirements,” Mr. Hoffman says. “As the industry shifts toward the disaggregation of large, geostationary spacecraft, Electron enables unprecedented access to space to support a resilient layer of g o v e r n m e n t s m a l l s a t e l l i t e

infrastructure.”Rocket Lab has been launching to orbit since January 2018 and is now the world's leading dedicated small satellite launch provider. Rocket Lab remains the only launch provider capable of meeting the rapid-acquisition and launch requirements of dedicated small satellite missions for the U.S. government. Rocket Lab has delivered 47 satellites to orbit on the Electron launch vehicle, enabling operations in space debris mitigation, Earth observation, ship and airplane tracking, and radio communications

BAE Systems announces proposed acquisition of Collins aerospace's military GPS Business and Raytheon's airborne tactical radios business

BAE Systems, Inc. has reached definitive agreements for the proposed acquisitions of Collins Aerospace's military Global Positioning System (GPS) business and Raytheon's Airborne Tactical Radios (ATR) business.These two high-performing businesses are being sold in connection with obtaining the required antitrust clearances for the previously announced pending merger b e t w e e n R a y t h e o n a n d U n i t e d Technologies Corporation (UTC).The proposed acquisitions are structured as asset transactions with associated tax benefits, and they remain subject to customary closing adjustments. The asset purchase agreement for the Collins military GPS business calls for cash of $1.925 billion, with an expected tax benefit of approximately $365 million. For Raytheon's ATR business, the purchase agreement calls for cash of $275 million, with an expected tax benefit of approximately $50 million.“As mi l i tar ies around the wor ld increasingly operate in contested environments, the industry-leading, battle-tested products of these two businesses will complement and extend our existing portfolio of solutions we offer our customers,” said Jerry DeMuro, CEO of BAE Systems, Inc. “This unique opportunity to acquire critical radio and GPS capabilities strengthens our position as a leading provider of defense electronics and communications systems, and further supports our alignment with the modernization priorities of the U.S. military and its partners.”These proposed acquisitions are subject to the successful closure of the Raytheon-UTC transaction, as well as the satisfaction of other customary closing

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conditions, including receipt of the required U.S. regulatory approvals. Upon closure, both business lines would be integrated into the company's Electronic Systems sector.“These are strong businesses with talented employees who share our focus on quality and technology innovation,” said Tom Arseneault, President and COO of BAE Systems, Inc. “We are confident of a smooth transition that will accelerate our future together and look forward to welcoming these new employees to the BAE Systems team once the transactions are approved.”

Collins' Military GPS BusinessBased in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Collins' military GPS business is a longstanding provider of mission critical military GPS receiver solutions and has been a pioneer in military GPS receiver markets for over 40 years. Today, it designs and produces advanced, hardened and secure GPS products to include M-Code, anti-jamming, and anti-spoofing technologies. The business has an installed base of over 1.5 million devices on approximately 280 platform types around the world, including ground, airborne, and weapon systems.

Given the requirement for ubiquitous, secure geo-positioning in contested battlefields, this technology offering will continue to be critical to the U.S. military and partners worldwide. For example, the business is currently developing the next generation of M-Code GPS technologies for the U.S. military, which will advance our collective position to address the priority growth area of precision guided munitions.

Raytheon's Airborne Tactical Radios BusinessRaytheon's ATR business is a leading provider of airborne tactical radio solutions. Based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Largo, Florida, the ATR business designs, manufactures, and supplies a wide array of mission-critical communication systems to the U.S. Department of Defense, allied governments, and large defense aircraft manufacturers. The business has leveraged its innovative technologies to develop secure communications solutions that are installed on a broad range of military airborne platforms.

Coupled with the Electronic Systems sector of BAE Systems, Inc., Raytheon's ATR business will enhance our positions in airborne communications with broad spectrum, multi-band, multi-channel radios including battle proven, robust, anti-jam, and encryption capabilities. The ATR business brings both complementary waveform expertise and a long trusted partnership with the U.S. Army.

These businesses will be excellent strategic

fits with the strong BAE Systems Electronic Systems sector, and our combined capabilities will benefit our customers and all of our stakeholders.

Kymeta and Isotropic Networks collaborate on next generation flatpanel antenna services

Isotropic and Kymeta have partnered to conduct over-the-air testing on Kymeta's u7 antenna and next generation antennas.Testing took place last week in the Seattle area on Isotropic's E115 network. Previous testing took place on the AM2 and G28 satellites on the east coast. The Kymeta u7 antenna was paired with an iDirect X7 satellite router and iQ 200LTE modem, which are optimized for mobility. These successful tests demonstrate the ability of the antenna to operate across multiple satellite networks and beams, and they mark the first time Isotropic's commercial service offering has been del ivered immediately fo l lowing conception.

The Kymeta u7 Ku-band satellite terminal addresses the need for l i g h t w e i g h t , l o w - p r o f i l e , a n d highthroughput communication systems on-the-move. The u7 terminal makes connecting to nearly any vehicle, vessel, or fixed platform easier and more reliable than ever before.“The testing we completed with Kymeta has been a revelation to me,” said Hank Zbierski, Chief Catalyst and Co-Founder, Isotropic. “I had been waiting for the promises of holographic beamforming and was skeptical about metamaterial technology. These tests have proven, beyond any doubt, that metamaterial science is not something that's in the future—it's deliverable now.”

As part of the antenna innovator's development and testing of its next generation antenna, Kymeta will be using bandwidth provided by Isotropic at the Lake Geneva Earth Station and Isotropic 's world class network operations center.

“We are very pleased to have partnered with Isotropic to conduct these tests. Isotropic's network is proven to enable robust service delivery on our u7 antenna,” said Walter Berger, President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Kymeta. “This exercise has proven the seamless connectivity of

our revolutionary flat panel antenna technology, and we look forward to our continued work with Isotropic to shape the course of satellite communications in the future.”

ISILAUNCH enters into launch services agreement with firefly aerospace

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. announced today the execution of a Launch Services Agreement with Innovative Space Logistics BV (ISILAUNCH), a launch services subsidiary of Netherlands based ISIS - Innovative Solutions in Space B.V. (ISISPACE). Under the agreement, ISILAUNCH will offer to its customers multiple dedicated and rideshare launch opportunities on the Firefly's Alpha launch vehicle, on missions beginning in 2020."We are very pleased to have ISILAUNCH as a customer for our Alpha launch vehicle," said Firefly CEO Dr. Tom Markusic. "With our anticipated flight rate and the growth of the demand for launch services, Firefly will leverage the experience and market presence of ISILAUNCH to provide their customers with economical, convenient and reliable flight opportunities.""We are very keen to work with Firefly and their Alpha launch vehicle," said ISILAUNCH Director Abe Bonnema. "Based on our extensive experience with cluster launches, having launched hundreds of small satellites that way over the past ten years, we believe the Alpha launch vehicle has a very interesting capacity to cost ratio, enabling the launch configuration flexibility we need to serve our broad customer base, while Alpha is also interesting for our ambitions to bring swarms of small satellites to lunar orbit. Moreover, we are pleased to conclude that our business philosophy and market approach align very well with those of Firefly."Alona Kolisnyk, Firefly Director of International Business Development, added that, "At Firefly, our team is preparing to quickly ramp flight cadence following the maiden launch of our Alpha vehicle. This will allow us to deliver customer payloads to their preferred orbits in a responsive and affordable way. The rideshare missions Firefly will execute with ISILAUNCH will further enable the global small satellite industry and provide flight heritage to disruptive cislunar technologies being developed by commercial space startups.”

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ATEME awarded grant for AI video delivery innovationATEME, a leader in video delivery solutions for broadcast, cable, DTH, IPTV and OTT, has been announced as a recipient of the i-Nov Innovation Contest grant for the IA4SEC project, involving its state-of-the-art video technologies. The project is operated by Bpifrance, the public bank for entrepreneurs, and s u p p o r t e d b y P r o g r a m m e d'Investissements d'Avenir (PIA), a program set up by the French government to finance innovative and promising investments in the territory. The video industry market continues to face a changing landscape with increasing complexity of video payload standards such as HEVC, AV1, VVC / H.266 and EVC / MPEG-5 part 1. ATEME's technology offers customers a path to the latest video techniques by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). In the context of this project, ATEME proposed several levels of innovation in AI for video delivery. This included improvements in core encoding to enable bitrate reduction, Content, Adaptive Encoding for higher video quality, and elastic encoding orchestration to optimize media supply chain and cloud usage. ATEME also outlined how AI can help in reducing latency for an enhanced OTT viewing experience.

U.S. Navy awards Booz Allen $178m GPS contract

The U.S. Navy's Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC Pacific), in partnership with the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), has awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a $178 million contract to provide technical engineering services toward the modernization of advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) systems. The NIWC Pacific Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Division is the Navy's principal research and development center for navigation sensors and systems. SMC is the center of technical excellence for developing, acquiring, fielding, and sustaining resilient and affordable military space systems. By executing this contract, Booz Allen will continue to serve as a key mission partner for NIWC Pacific and SMC on the important endeavor of modernizing PNT systems for U.S. and Allied warfighters.In order to execute this highly complex scope of work, Booz Allen will provide a range of essential services, including sys tem def in i t ion , requ i rements

synchronization, capability improvement, cybersecurity engineering, platform integration and testing, and acquisition program management. Specifically, Booz Allen's work will aid in the development and modernization of GPS systems through major programs such as Military GPS User Equipment, GPS III, and Next Generation Operational Control System.“Booz Allen's robust track record of work in both systems engineering and cybersecurity continues to inspire trust from our clients,” said Vice President Brian Zimmermann. “Our deep bench of leaders and technical experts reassures our clients that no project is too big or too complex. It's our privilege to help the Navy and Air Force modernize GPS systems that are so vital to the security of our nation.”

C-Com and Isotropic partner to complete iDirect iQ 200 Integration

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. and reseller partner, Isotropic, have collaborated on the integration of the iDirect iQ 200 modem with C-COM's iNetVu® antenna controllers. The new modem is now fully compatible on all C-COM antenna systems using OpenAMIP interface. C-COM utilized Isotropic's extensive teleport facilities on Lake Geneva to test auto-pointing satellite acquisitions and data transfers.The compatibility of the iNetVu® Controllers with the iQ 200 satellite router provides an advantage to C-COM partners who are currently using or considering to use the latest iDirect modem. C-COM's 'Best-in-Class' an tenna con t ro l l e rs now o f fe r interoperability with 14 different modem manufacturers and over 35 different modems.“Combining good quality hardware products, especially high-performance products like the iQ series, with the robust services offered by Isotropic, should create new markets for C-COM Driveaway, Flyaway and Manpack antenna products in many different verticals,” said Drew Klein, Vice President for C-COM Satellite Systems, Inc. C-COM is also developing a Comm-on-the-Move, electronically steered Ka-band phased array antenna in conjunction with the University of Waterloo. “Once this f lat panel technology has been commercialized, we hope to test it with Isotropic

Networks,” Klein continued. The iDirect iQ 200 modem can deliver aggregate data transmission rates over 200Mbps with network configurations based on DVB-S2/S2X/ACM."We are delighted to reinforce our longstanding partnership with C-COM,” said Hank Zbierski, CEO, Isotropic. "As a premier iDirect Host Network Operator, it is great to see the combination of such innovative technology that will enable customers to go further and to do more than ever before. Isotropic is proud to enable these advancements with the highly reliable service that we deliver through our network." Zbierski added.

Iridium CloudConnect goes live, extending IoT on Amazon Web Services globally

Iridium CloudConnect is now actively serving customers. This new service combines Iridium® IoT capabilities with Amazon Web Services (AWS) IoT and cloud services extending customers' IoT reach to the more than 80 percent of the Earth that lacks terrestrial coverage. By combining the unique attributes of the Iridium network with the breadth of AWS supporting infrastructure and services, I r id ium customers can reduce engineering time, lower fixed operating c o s t s , a n d e x p e r i e n c e f a s t e r development and deployment of new IoT products and applications. For existing AWS customers, Iridium CloudConnect is providing the ability to easily expand their current service footprint beyond terrestrial coverage, creating the opportunity for additional service offerings and improved performance through the addition of satellite connectivity."There's been great anticipation for this service since it was first announced, and now our partners and customers can easily experience the full power of IoT using AWS, combined with the only network offering truly global coverage," said Bryan Hartin, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Iridium. "We've built a direct, private connection between our gateway and AWS, making it secure and redundant. This is now a premier satellite cloud-based IoT service."The service makes it easier to do business by translating between industry-standard cloud protocols and Iridium's Short Burst Data® service. This allows virtually any IoT device connected through the Iridium network to speak natively with AWS IoT services as well as other value-added elements

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