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 latest broadband forecasts from Point Topic have dropped the expected number of broadband lines in the UK by almost 8% at the end of 2016, from just under 26 million lines to 23.88 million.

 “There are two primary reasons. The remaining pool of offline households are proving difficult to convert with disposable income for example struggling to recover but the delay in the BDUK deployment has to take a share of the blame,” says Oliver Johnson, CEO at Point Topic.

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. 

Coordinating an alliance of the world’s leading industry trade associations, the Society of Satellite Professionals International announced  the launch of a global campaign to change the global conversation about satellite.  Called the Industry Message Summit, the effort aims to focus attention on the industry’s striking contributions to human welfare, safety and prosperity around the world.

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. 

Vivendi, the French media and telecommunications group, has confirmed its plan to split in two by spinning off its SFR telecommunications company and list it separately on the stock market.

“This plan could take the form of a distribution of SFR shares to Vivendi shareholders on the day of the transaction,” the company said. It added that its supervisory board had approved the spin off, first floated in September.

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.

Signalhornhas been awarded funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a gateway that will allow its customers to monitor all aspects of their services with the company. The funding is part of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) program.