I opened my previous column for this publication one month ago with the following statement: “In starting to draft this column it was impossible not to be affected by the news that the official global figure for Covid-19 fatalities was approaching 200,000. The zoonotic – interspecies – jump to humans and subsequent pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has badly impacted many of the world’s most advanced and richest countries, but the epidemiology tells us that the worst of the impact, on the less-developed world, is still to come.”

As part of its ongoing Simplify & Amplify transformation program, satellite operator SES announced  that it plans to restructure its operations worldwide, including the consolidation of part of its European regional operations into the company’s global headquarters in Betzdorf, Luxembourg.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL) announced today that during the Company’s third quarter of fiscal 2020, it closed an acquisition of NG-911 Inc., a pioneer of Next Generation 911 solutions for public safety agencies in the Midwest. NG-911 is one of the first Next Generation 911 solution providers in the Midwest and has successfully deployed regional Comtech Solacom systems in the past.

IBC2020 has been cancelled due to concerns for exhibitor and attendee safety and the ability to deliver an event of the quality expected of IBC. IBC2020 was due to take place 11-14 September in Amsterdam, but with many countries in Europe still in lockdown, IBC chief executive Michael Crimp said there were “many unknowns.”

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) marks the anniversary of the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 17 May 1865, when the first International Telegraph Convention was signed in Paris. The theme of this year's World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is “Connect 2030: ICTs for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

Eutelsat Communications (ISIN: FR0010221234 - Euronext Paris: ETL) today reported revenues for the Third Quarter and Nine Months ended 31 March 2020.  Third Quarter Operating Verticals revenues down 1.6% year-on-year; up 1.2% quarter-on-quarter while broadcast showing resilience, with return to slight growth quarter-on-quarter.

Satellite operator Intelsat has filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division. The company said the bankruptcy filing is part of a "financial restructuring" that is "intended to enhance the company’s liquidity and will likely result in a substantial reduction of Intelsat’s legacy debt burden, allowing for Intelsat to emerge with a strengthened balance sheet to complement its strong operating model and future growth plans."

National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Gordon Smith delivered the annual NAB Show State of the Industry address during NAB Show Express, taking place May 13-14. Smith said that "broadcasters endure" amid the COVID 19 pandemic.

Flat panel antenna manufacturer Phasor Solutions UK has filed for bankruptcy in the UK according to various media reports.  The company is based in Arlington, Virginia in the US and has a technology development center in the UK.  The company has previously filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in the US in 2017.

Amergint Technology Holdings today announced it has acquired Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI), a leader in new space solutions for the small satellite market. The transaction will bring together Amergint Technologies, Inc. and TUI to provide integrated end-to-end solutions for satellite communications and in-space services to the space market.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.