Israel-based satellite operator Spacecom issued a formal notice to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that it was open to offers for a sale – or merger – of its company. Spacecom operates the Amos fleet of satellites which covers Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Spacecom has hired investment firm JPMorgan as an adviser for the transaction. Spacecom is controlled by Eurocom Holdings Ltd., which owns several telecom companies in Israel. The note to the stock exchange stated that the process is at an early stage “and there is no certainty that a deal will be carried out”.

In a sign of how profoundly Internet-based media is revolutionizing the way consumers access video entertainment content, more than 1.7 billion devices capable of accessing over-the-top (OTT) broadband content like Netflix and Hulu are set to ship by the end of 2013. Shipments of OTT-capable devices will rise 20 percent this year from 1.43 billion units in 2012, according to a new Consumer Electronics Topical Reportf rom IHS Inc.  

The World Teleport Association (WTA) published its annual rankings for the Top Teleport Operators of 2013. The annual rankings of companies by revenue and revenue growth are compiled by surveying teleport operators around the world as well as referencing the published results of publicly-held companies. 

World leaders from government, industry and research institutions gathering this week in Mexico City for ITU’s World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS) have sent a strong message calling for the international community to explicitly prioritize information and communication technologies (ICTs) as essential to every nation’s future social development and economic growth.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) successfully completed its first geostationary transfer mission, delivering the SES-8 satellite to its targeted 295 x 80,000 km orbit at 5:41 pm local time.  After two previous attempts that were marred by technical glitches, Falcon 9 executed a picture-perfect flight, meeting 100% of mission objectives.  To view videos of the Pre-Launch briefing with Elon Musk and interviews with SES executives click here.

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. today announced that it has completed the sale of its Spacenet Inc. subsidiary to Tulsa, Oklahoma-based SageNet. The aggregate consideration for the sale is approximately US$ 16 million, subject to certain post-closing adjustments and expenses.

The transaction, which was closed under the same terms signed in August, is expected to result in a capital loss of US$ 1 million to US$ 3 million, which includes banker's fees, legal fees and other transaction related expenses. 

The subjects of the oil & gas vertical market and that of High Throughput Satellites are rarely outside the scope of anyone connected with the development and delivery of satellite-based communications solutions these days. Indeed, as you read this column – during, I believe, the first week of December – one of the latest of the GVF-EMP Conference Partnership events covering the first of these subjects has already been successfully concluded, and another, covering the later subject, will be very nearly, or even actually, underway.

CASBAA will kick off 2014 with its first event of the New Year, Philippines in View, taking place on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at the Edsa Shangri-La in Manila.

“We are happy to be starting off the New Year in the Philippines, one of the most dynamic markets in the Southeast Asian media landscape,” said Christopher Slaughter, CEO, CASBAA. “The country offers vast potential for growth for the multichannel TV industry and CASBAA has lined-up an impressive roster of speakers and guests to examine the business of pay TV in the Philippines.”

AST  announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Wright Satellite Connections, (WSC) based in Wellington, New Zealand, increasing the previous shareholding from 49% to 75%.

WSC provides mobile satellite communication solutions to defence, maritime, civil defence and other organisations for their use around the world, and their strength lies in providing end to end solutions covering, hardware, airtime connections, training, peripherals such as encryption, and after sales care.

Intelsat S.A. today announced that Intelsat Jackson Holdings S.A., its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary  has amended its senior secured credit agreement, which governs its approximately US$ 3.1 billion senior secured term loan facility and $500 million revolving credit facility, effective today.