In an article for this publication exactly a year ago, I suggested that maybe it was time for us to start thinking of ourselves as the bandwidth industry, rather than the satellite industry. Now, I’m not vain enough to think that that remark was what prompted DirecTV to announce at the end of last year that it would not be ordering any more satellites, and that it would instead concentrate on building out fiber and OTT offerings for its customers.

The Satellite Hub Summit @ CABSAT 2019 – GVF’s prominent MENA platform for addressing and analysing evolutionary and revolutionary transitions in satellite technologies, services, applications, and markets – which was a central feature at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre/Dubai World Trade Centre over 12th to 14th March once again provided an essential and incisive value-added experience for hundreds of exhibition attendees.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Michael O’Rielly, Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks will participate in two separate sessions at NAB Show, held April 6-11 in Las Vegas.

Chairman Pai will offer remarks at the NAB: We Are Broadcasters Celebration on Tuesday, April 9 at 3:00 p.m. on the Main Stage.

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd today announced that its subsidiary, Singapore Technologies Engineering (Europe) Ltd, has entered into a conditional share purchase agreement to acquire a 100% ownership in Newtec Group NV, an established Belgium-based company in the satellite communications industry.

The consideration of US$281.24 million (€250 million or approximately S$383 million) on a cash-free and debt-free basis for the proposed acquisition, subject to closing adjustments, is payable in cash.

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. (TSXV: CMI) announced today it generated revenues of US$10.1 million (Ca$13,527,368) and a net after tax profit of US$1.72 million (Ca$2,299,501) or US 4.48 cents (6 Ca. cents per share). This compared with revenues of US$7.68 (Ca$10,282,319) and a net after tax profit of US$0.77 million (Ca$1,035,744) or US 2.24 cents (Ca. 3 cents per share) as reported in 2017, representing an increase of 31.6% and 122.0% respectively.

The boards of Inmarsat and Triton Bidco announced today that they have reached agreement for a US$3.4 billion in cash takeover by Triton Bidco of Inmarsat.

Triton Bidco is a newly formed joint venture company owned in equal shares by fund managers Apax Warburg Pincus, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board.

Under the terms of the acquisition, Inmarsat shareholders are to receive US$7.21 per Inmarsat share, comprised of a cash consideration of US$7.09 per share, and a final divided of USD0.12 to be paid on May 30.

The Satellite Hub Summit @ CABSAT 2019, GVF’s prominent MENA platform for addressing and analyzing evolutionary and revolutionary transitions in satellite technologies, services, applications, and markets, was a central feature at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre/Dubai World Trade Centre over 12th to 14th March. The Hub program started-off with the first of two important keynote addresses.

Leading figures from the Middle East’s growing eSports community believe that government-backing would give the Gen Z-led phenomenon the backbone it needs to “thrive” in the UAE and wider region.

Mohammad Albanna, who is on the board of the UAE eSports Federation, and Saeed Sharaf, CEO of eSport Middle East and president of the Syrian eSport Association, led an open panel discussion at the debut eSports Pavilion at CABSAT – the region’s leading event for the satellite, broadcast and filmed content media and entertainment industry.

Vertice 360, the Spanish media company owned by Squirrel Capital, is set to acquire M-Three Satcom, the Italian based teleport operator founded in 2004 and acquired by Giglio Group in 2015.

M-Three Satcom will be main part of a wider agreement including the purchase by Vertice of other media assets of Giglio Group as the internationally distributed Nautical Channel and  the Italian DTT Lcn  68.

Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, announced today that its recently launched satellite, Es’hail-2, entered commercial service to serve government, broadcast and telecommunications sectors in Middle East and North Africa.