DirecTV is entering the home security and automation business by acquiring Pennsylvania-based LifeShield Home Security.

DirecTV announced on Tuesday it had bought LifeShield for an undisclosed sum. DirecTV said it is leveraging LifeShield's self-installed security and monitoring platform to reach out to consumers starting in early 2014. With an estimated 20 percent of U.S. homes owning security systems, new entrants see plenty of potential growth in the business.

The Federal Communications Commission is initiating an inquiry into the competitive practices of the Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) industry because of allegations that some operators are “warehousing” satellite orbital locations and frequency assignments and are barring competitors from purchasing capacity on their satellites.

Liberty Global plc has completed its acquisition of British cable operator Virgin Media Inc. in a stock and cash merger valued at approximately US$ 24 billion (€18.26 billion) following shareholder approvals, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Mike Fries, President and CEO of Liberty Global, said the combined company now provides over 47 million video, voice and broadband services to 25 million customers located principally in 12 European countries.

According to The Diffusion Group (TDG), more than four years after the first public announcement of the cable industry’s ‘TV Everywhere’ (TVE) initiative, deployment to America’s multichannel TV subscribers remains at less than 50%.

CBS Corp. has acquired full control of TV Guide’s online and mobile apps divisions after buying out the 50 percent share held by Lionsgate Entertainment.This latest deal makes CBS the outright owner of Lionsgate’s digital assets, including TVGuide.com and TV Guide Mobile, which provide news and information about TV shows and movies in addition to TV listings.

The new edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report reveals thatmobile-data traffic will continue to grow significantly in the coming years, a trend driven mainly by video. Overall data traffic is expected to grow 12-fold by the end of 2018. Increasing usage is driven by continual growth in the amount of content available as well as the improved network speeds that come with HSPA and LTE development.

IDATE  has published the 13th edition of its DigiWorld Yearbook with its theme "Embrace innovation: Evolve or die!  IDATE experts provide a concise and easy to read reference manual of the digital world, including key figures and a look at the latest innovations and key events that marked telecom, internet and media markets during 2012.

In another bold attempt Charles Ergen, chairman of Dish Network Corp., has offered to buy broadband company LightSquared Inc., which is in bankruptcy proceedings,  for its wireless airwaves for US$ 2 Bil.

Reports from Reuters and Bloomberg say Ergen offered $2 billion for LightSquared spectrum.

ViaSat Inc., a provider of satellite and other wireless networking systems and services, earned profits of US$ 1.9 million in its fiscal fourth quarter after a boost from new contracts.

The company said it earned 4 cents per share for the quarter that ended March 29 compared with a loss of US$ 7.4 million, or 17 cents per share, in the same quarter last year. It earned 19 cents per share when excluding one-time items, versus a loss of a penny per share last year.

SpaceTech Expo (www.spacetechexpo.com ) the West Coast’s premier space industry event, has increased the free seminars and sessions available to its attendees by expanding its free-to-attend Satellite & Space Summit and Open Tech Forum.  “Against the backdrop of tough travel budgets for industry and government, we want to offer unrivalled value to the spacecraft and launch industry,” says Guy Harris, Event Director for Space Tech Expo 2013. “That is why on top of our premium Space Tech Conference for C-level business people, we have expanded the free-to-attend Satellite & Space Summit, and free Open Tech Forum.”