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.

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.

As OTT players mature, Voxofon expects accelerating market disruption, more options for consumers. Expect connected devices to integrate even further into the way humans live, work and play, which will accelerate adoption of an ever-expanding array of highly specialized over-the-top (OTT) services and further fragment the telecom ecosystem. These are among the top five predictions for OTT in 2014 issued today by Voxofon, a rapidly growing provider of OTT voice and messaging services.

Voxofon's top 5 predictions for OTT communications services for 2014 include:

Coinciding with the SATCON Satellite Communications Conference & Expo held here November 13-14 at the Javits Convention Center, Teal Group space analysts have identified 3,164 space payloads proposed to be built and launched to earth or deep space orbits between 2013 and 2032. They estimate the value of these satellites and other space payloads at more than US$ 235 billion.

nforma Telecoms & Media, has published new research reporting that telecom network transformation is necessary for operators to remain profitable and provide value for their subscribers.

The telecoms market is experiencing an evolution like no other: Voice revenues are eroding; Web-based and Over-the-Top (OTT) services are cannibalizing the operators’ own services; while total profits in the value chain are dropping. Operators need new ways to counter this erosion and new paradigms to follow in order to remain relevant in the fast-paced, user-driven telecoms market.

At an awards ceremony held on the first day of the SATCON Conference and Exhibition in New York City, the Second Annual Vision Awards announced winners in three categories:   David Hershberg, Founder and CEO of Globecomm Systems won the Visionary Executive of the Year; Advantech Wireless’ SapphireBluTM series High Power Amplifiers won the Innovative Product of the Year and satellite operator Arabsat won the Most Promising Company of the Year.

The GVF-EMP Conference Partnership has announced additional details of the High Throughput Satellites 2013: The Game-Changer in Action – London Roundtable, which will take place at the Strand Palace Hotel on 5th & 6th December 2013. This event will deliver the third programme in the GVF-EMP Roundtable Series, offering a further timely and topical platform for industry and end-user dialogue just as the satellite operator community continues to bring more HTS capability to orbit and to the satellite broadband solutions market.

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. reported a loss of US$ 1.3 million for the third quarter of 2013 compared to an operating income of US$ 5.7 million in the corresponding period in 2012 as revenues fell on account of delays in two of the company's divisions and lesser revenue from Compartel in Colombia.

Gilat said revenue for the third quarter of 2013 dropped to US$ 71.3 million, compared to US$ 89.0 million for the same period in 2012, while EBITDA for the third quarter of reached US$ 2.1 million compared with US$ 9.8 million in the comparable period in 2012.

 Euroconsult announced today the release of its Executive Report DTH Platforms: Key Economics & Prospects, the yearly reference report on satellite television. More than 150 platforms with TV revenues primarily derived from direct-to-home satellite broadcasting are now offering services. The 202 million DTH subscribers in over 100 countries (early in 2013) will result in over $100 billion in revenues this year. Although the report highlights large national specificities, three market profiles with different growth patterns and service availability can be identified: