The 18th event in the Oil & Gas Communications Series, and the 6th for the European hydrocarbons industry communications environment, Oil & Gas Communications Europe 2013: North & Northwest – The North Sea, The Arctic Ocean & The Atlantic Margin, will take place at the Marriott Hotel, Dyce, Aberdeen on 14th & 15th May 2013.

SpeedCast Ltd today announced the buyout of Pactel International, a satellite communications service provider based in Australia. Pactel provides satellite communications solutions throughout Australia and the Pacific.  The company focuses on servicing its customers’ requirements for Internet, private networking and voice services.  Founded in 1999, Pactel is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and has additional offices in Perth, Australia and Jakarta, Indonesia.   

Spain’s Telefonica S.A. has sold its remaining shares in DTH provider Hispasat to Eutelsat for €56 million in cash.In its financial filing, Telefonica revealed it had signed a contract with Eutelsat Services & Beteiligungem, GmbH for the sale of its remaining stake in Hispasat, S.A., subject to approval of foreign investment.

The 2013 edition of ITU’s flagship regulatory report ‘Trends in Telecommunication Reform’, released today, highlights the increasingly global nature of information and communication technology (ICT) regulation and the crucial link between effective regulation of the ICT sector and the range, quality and affordability of ICT services available to consumers and business users alike.

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) today revealed the first results of its new survey on TV reception modes and trends across its global footprint, with a presentation in Rome of the Italian broadcasting landscape. Working in collaboration with Ipsos, Eutelsat announced that 8.2 million homes are now equipped with a Direct-to-Home antenna, consolidating the role of satellites as a core broadcast infrastructure serving one in three TV homes in Italy.

The UK needs to remove its broadband blackspots and increase coverage for the entire country in order to avoid opening another digital divide, warns network access specialist, The Kenton Group. This announcement comes at a time when many UK homes and businesses are still without basic broadband, and ahead of next week’s DSL Acceleration conference and exhibition.

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Ericsson has reached an agreement with Microsoft to acquire its TV solution Mediaroom business. This will make Ericsson the leading provider of IPTV and multi-screen solutions with a market share of over 25%. Closing expected during the second half of 2013. Mediaroom is situated in Mountain View, California and employs more than 400 people worldwide.

German media group Bertelsmann has confirmed plans to cut its stake in RTL Group by selling shares on the stock exchange.Bertelsmann said even if it reduces its shareholding in RTL Group, it will maintain a qualified majority of at least 75 percent.

RTL said it intends to apply for listing of its shares on the Regulated Market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, in addition to the existing listings on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and Euronext Brussels.

The first day of trading for the offered shares is expected before the summer break.

After months of eager anticipation, Intelsat Global Holdings S.A has finally announced details of its initial public offering this year. Intelsat said it was offering 21.74 million common shares and 3 million Series A mandatory convertible junior non-voting preferred shares in its IPO. 

Intelsat has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase an additional 3,260,869 common shares and an additional 450,000 preferred shares.