Thuraya partners with SoftBank Mobile for satellite network services in Japan

A joint announcement by Thuraya Telecommunications and SoftBank Mobile revealed that the two companies have formed a partnership to offer mobile satellite communications services to business, enterprise, and consumer subscribers in Japan. The new partners will leverage Thuraya’s network of communications satellites for their aforementioned services.

Softbank Mobile has received approval to distribute Thuraya’s satellite network services in Japan. The distribution channels of the Japanese telecommunications company will begin offering Thuraya’s handsets and airtime services starting February 2013. Both companies will also develop a new Thuraya handset with unique features; SoftBank Mobile will be the exclusive distributor of the new handset.

The new partnership provides SoftBank users with access to Thuraya’s communications satellite network in areas that cannot be reached by terrestrial networks due to remote rough terrain or natural disasters. The satellite communications services extended by Thuraya will allow individual and enterprise consumers to enjoy clear communications at any time and anywhere in Japan and its surrounding maritime areas.

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Mobile OnAir, Internet OnAir will join Dassault Falcon 7X linefit options in 2014

OnAir recently announced that its Mobile OnAir and Internet OnAir in-flight connectivity services will become a linefit option for all Falcon 7X business jets that Dassault Aviation will build from 2014 onwards.

OnAir will leverage the GSMConneX airborne system to provide connectivity for its in-flight services. Designed and produced by TriaGnoSys, GSMConneX can link up with any satellite communications system compatible with the SwiftBroadband network. The system's small size, light weight, and unrestricted mounting options make installation extremely easy while ensuring the Falcon 7X receives the most comprehensive commercially-available hardware for in-flight connectivity.

Mobile OnAir allows owners, passengers, and crew of business jets to use their mobile phones to surf the Internet, place and receive calls, send and receive SMS, and access their email. Internet OnAir, on the other hand, creates a Wi-Fi network in the aircraft. Any Wi-Fi device will be able to access the Internet using the network.

The Falcon 7X is the premier business jet of Dassault Aviation.

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SES signs new capacity deal with Turkish broadcaster covering sub-Saharan Africa

This Wednesday, SES announced that it signed a new satellite capacity deal with Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT,) a public broadcaster based in Turkey, to provide the Turkish company's programs to customers in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Company's SES-5 satellite will deliver TRT's FTA digital channel TRT Turk and its radio channel Turkiyenin Sesi Radyosu (TRS) to the region between Europe and Africa. The SES platform is located at the 5 degrees East orbital slot, and it will provide flexible broadcasting operations through its Ka-band uplink capabilities.

TRT leverages another SES satellite at the prime orbital position 19.2 degrees East to broadcast its programs to audiences Western Europe.

Ibrahim Sahin, the General Manager for TRT, stated that the Turkish broadcaster could reach critical audiences and important markets outside Turkey thanks to the expertise and global satellite fleet extended by SES. The new agreement and capacity provided by SES-5 will allow TRT to directly deliver premium Turkish news, culture, and entertainment programs to audiences in sub-Saharan Africa.

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SES provides satellite broadband services to ESA for ARTES initiative

Last week, SES announced that its SES Broadband Services will be providing satellite broadband services to the participants of the ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA.)

The ESA has set its sights on boosting the competititveness of the European satellite industry. Its ARTES initiative will promote satellite functions and services in aviation, broadcasting, data relay, multimedia and mobile communications, and search and rescue operations. These promotions will encourage European companies to create new satellite broadband applications.

To support this ESA initiative, SES Broadband Services will provide participating companies with preferential rates for its satellite broadband services on two satellites: The Astra-3B platform, which serves Europe and the Middle East, and the Astra-4A satellite, which covers sub-Saharan Africa.

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Newtec satellite modem honored by Satellite Markets and Research Vision Awards

The Satellite Markets and Research Vision Awards recently gave its Most Innovative Product Award to the new generation Newtec MDM6000 Satellite Modem for setting a new world speed record earlier this 2012 using S2 Extensions-based technologies.

Slava Frayter, VP for Newtec Americas, accepted the award on behalf of the Company at the SMRV Awards reception during SATCON 2012 at New York City on November 14, 2012.

The newest addition to the Newtec modem portfolio, the MDM6000 Satellite Modem debuted back in September 2012. It can handle all IP applications and any speeds, and supports data rates of up to 380Mbps in each direction.

In addition to being compatible with the upcoming S2 Extensions, the MDM6000 modem also fully complies with the DVB-S2 standard. This is because Newtec went ahead and gathered other DVB-members to form a team that defined and updated the DVB-S2 standard.

The Newtec-led team effort created smaller roll-offs, advanced filtering, a wider array of improved MODCODs, FEC upgrades, 72 Mbaud wideband support, and other new DVB-standard satellite transmission technologies that are used by the MDM6000 Satellite Modem. These new efficiency technologies are up to 20% better compared to DVB-S2 when enhancing the satellite link in DTH networks and 64 percent to other professional applications. These gains are greater than the ones achieved by currently-available proprietary systems.


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O3b Networks, Harris CapRock form strategic satellite communications alliance

A strategic marketing alliance will be formed by O3b Networks and Harris CapRock Communications. The two companies will be focusing on an array of ultra high-speed, low latency, exploration, and production capabilities for satellite communications services.

Harris CapRock will also add O3bEnergy to its portfolio of satellite services for the energy market. The O3b solution has the advantages of fiber broadband connectivity without the disadvantages of huge upfront CAPEX investments, outage concerns, immobility, and lengthy ramp-up times. O3bEnergy is also easy to integrated into existing enterprise systems and operational budgets.

With O3bEnergy, oil and gas companies and systems integrators will be able to enjoy latencies under 150 milliseconds, unlimited and affordable bandwidth, and big operational savings. The high capacity, low latency satellite offering can enable real-time seismic surveys of oil reserves beneath the ocean floor thanks to its speedy data transfers of up to 2 Terabytes per day.

Harris CapRock and O3b Networks have teamed up earlier to boost the Internet experience aboard Oasis of the Seas. The flagship of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and the largest cruise ship in the world is one of the many ships in the the maritime service that derives satellite Internet connectivity from O3b’s Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite fleet with equipment integrated by Harris CapRock.

O3bEnergy will enter commercial service in the third quarter of 2013. The newest addition to Harris CapRock's satellite communications portfolio is targeted at oil and gas companies and systems integrators who operate oil and gas rigs and seismic survey ships in the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Angola, Asia and other key maritime regions.

AfricaCom 2012 will include Australian independent satellite company

The African digital-world’s largest event will be attended by rising Australian independent satellite communications company NewSat Ltd. Now on its 15th year, AfricaCom 2012 brings together key organizations and executives from the ICT, media, and telecom sectors at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa, from November 13 to November 15.

Over 7,000 delegates are expected to attend the summit, which will include over 200 speakers delivering panel discussions, interactive workshops, lectures, and seminars together with an expanded exhibition where companies will showcase their latest technologies and applications.

With the rise of more powerful devices such as tablets and smartphones, the digital ecosystem is changing at a fast pace. AfricaCom 2012 hopes to address the issues facing the digital industry, while focusing on this year’s theme, "Reaching the Next Frontier of Growth". Businessmen are encouraged to join the Entrepreneurs Hub focusing on business development in the continent.

NewSat Ltd is optimistic that the summit will be the perfect platform to showcase its Jabiru Satellite Program: a fleet of high-powered Ka band satellites which will deliver additional bandwidth, as well as flexible payloads to the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Over the last years, demand for satellite capacity has surged especially in Africa, where the technology can meet specific needs like satellite broadband service in remote regions. Jabiru 1, slated for a 2014 launch, will become Australia’s first independently-owned commercial satellite, and will deliver new capacity over Africa crucial for other wireless technologies and digital services to grow.

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