News Analysis

by Robert Bell

New York City, NY, March 4, 2019--Once upon a time, a large teleport operator was hit by a major power outage.  Uninterruptible power supplies immediately kicked in and the NOC staff waited for the generator to start.  Nothing happened.  So, they switched to the backup generator.  Still nothing.  Work crews rushed to trouble-shoot the generator failures while the countdown timer on the UPS batteries ticked downward…and downward…and still downward.  Just minutes from total loss of power, the work crews got one of the generators started and customers suffered no loss of service.  
That did not stop the operator for buying two more generators to serve as triple and quadruple backups. 

by Bernardo Schneiderman

Los Angeles, Calif., March 4, 2019--Since 2016, the FCC had approved satellite constellations for new Non-geostationary Orbit (NGSO) Systems and the latest ones given green light were Spacex, Telesat, Keppler, and Leosat in November 2018 authorizing nearly 8,000 small telecom satellites to serve U.S. entities from Low Earth Orbit allowing global coverage.

by Elizabeth Tweedie

Dubai, UAE, March 4, 2019--In common with the rest of the world, the market for traditional satellite services in the Middle East and Africa is facing challenges, from terrestrial competitors, new space competitors and shifting consumer taste. Nevertheless, all of the operators interviewed for this article, remain very upbeat about the prospects for their services in this region.

The March 2019 issue of  the Satellite Executive Briefing magazine  focusing on the Middle East Satellite Market sponsored by Newtec is now available.  Featuring:

Middle East Satellite Market Update by Elisabeth Tweedie

The Next Wave: LEO Constellations by Bernardo Schneiderman

Mobility for the Masses by Andrew Faiola

It's the Weak Link that Breaks the Chain by Robert Bell

CABSAT 2019 Briefing by Martin Jarrold

Featured Company: Amphinicy Technologies: Providing Innovative Satellite Software Solutions by Virgil Labrador

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

Ottawa, Canada, March 1, 2019 — Telesat Canada reported today consolidated revenues of US$174.48 million (Ca$232 million) for the 4th quarter ending December 31, 2018, a decrease of 8% US$15.79 million (Ca$21 million) compared to the same period in 2017. When adjusted for the impact of foreign exchange rate changes, the revenue decreased by 9% or US$16.55 million (Ca$22 million) compared to the same period in 2017.

Korou, French Guiana, Feb. 27, 2019 — Flight VS21, Arianespace’s second launch of the year, took place on Wednesday, February 27, at 6:37 p.m., (Kourou time) from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana (South America).

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, Feb. 22, 2019 — SpaceX successfully launched Indonesia's Nusantara Satu satellite from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida at 8:45 p.m. EST, or 1:45 UTC on February 22. Falcon 9 also delivered the Beresheet lunar spacecraft and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) S5 spacecraft to orbit.

Tysons Corner, Va., Feb. 20, 2019 — Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) reported today total revenue of US$ 542.8 million and net loss of US$ 111.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2018. For the year ended December 31, 2018, Intelsat reported total revenue of US$ 2,161.2 million and net loss attributable to Intelsat S.A. of US$ 599.6 million.

Paris, France, Feb. 15, 2019 — Eutelsat Communications reported a drop in revenues to US$743.42 million (€658.1 million), down 4.4 %, in the first half of 2018-2019, compared to the same period last year, but the company maintained a high level of profitability with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of US$585.61 million (€518.4 million), or EBITDA margin at constant currency of 79%.

Petah Tikva, Israel, Feb. 12, 2019 — Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ, TASE: GILT) has reported a drop in quarterly revenues to $69.7 million, compared with $82.7 million in Q4 2017, and a full year 2018 revenues of US$ 266.4 million versus US$ 282.8 million in 2017.