The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) today applauded  the publication of new regulations that reform the export controls for satellites and related items.  The U.S. Departments of State and Commerce each published rules that will transfer commercial communications satellites and some remote sensing satellites, along with tens of thousands of  associated parts, components, and ground terminals from the more restrictive U.S. Munitions  List to the Commerce Control List. 

Satellite services provider SpeedCast Ltd today announced the buyout of SatComms Australia, a leading satellite solutions provider in Australia. The acquisition will provide SpeedCast with an expanded presence in Australia.

SatComms Australia is a specialized provider of mobile and fixed satellite solutions in the Australian market and in the Asia-Pacific region. The company services customers in the natural resources, maritime and Government sectors. SatComms is based in Queensland, Australia with a teleport and operations center in Henderson, Western Australia.

CASBAA returns to Singapore for its annual gathering exploring the latest developments and issues affecting the satellite industry in the Asia Pacific. Taking place on June 16 at the Shangri-La Singapore, the CASBAA Satellite Industry Forum 2014 will provide a platform for leaders from the satellite sector to come together and share their knowledge and experiences.

Hosted payloads and small satellites share a common mission – to enable greater access to space for an ever-expanding variety of commercial, government and scientific customers. In an effort to include everyone in the conversation of future-changing technology, the producers of the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition expanded and revamped the program of its annual Hosted Payload Summit, which will now be called the Hosted Payload and Smallsat Summit. This industry-leading event will be held October 15, 2014 at the Grand Hyatt Washington, located at 1000 H Street NW, Washington, D.C.

Ericsson has completed its acquisition of Red Bee Media, a leading media services company headquartered in the UK, from Creative Broadcast Services Holdings - an entity controlled by Macquarie Advanced Investment Partners, L.P.

Ericsson announced its intention to acquire Red Bee Media on July 1, 2013, and the UK's Competition Commission formally cleared the acquisition on March 27, 2014.

Mobile satellite services operator Globalstar, Inc. reported a net loss of US$ 250.5 million for the first quarter of 2014, driven almost entirely from non-cash sources, compared to US$25.1 million for the first quarter of 2013.  Adjusted EBITDA was US$ 3.8 million for the first quarter of 2014 compared to $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2013, an increase of 54%.

DISH Network Corporation today reported revenue totaling $3.59 billion for the quarter ending March 31, 2014, compared to $3.38 billion for the corresponding period in 2013.

Net income attributable to DISH Network totaled $176 million for the quarter ending March 31, 2014, compared to $216 million from the year-ago quarter.

On 13th & 14th May, the oil and gas industry, and the satellite solutions community will turn their collective attention to the 21st event in the GVF Oil & Gas Communications Series, and the 7th to be held in Aberdeen with a focus on the European oil & gas patch.

Norsat International Inc., a provider of innovative communication solutions that enable the transmission of data, audio and video for remote and challenging applications, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2014.   Total sales were US$ 9.1 million, compared to US$ 8.4 million in Q1 2013.

Spanish telecom conglomorate Telefonica has acquired Canal Plus, the biggest pay TV operator in Spain, for €725 million (US $1.0 billion).

Telefonica informed Madrid’s CNMV stock market regulator of the offer Tuesday. Prisa, the controlling shareholder of Canal Plus, notified the CNMV on Wednesday evening that it had accepted Telefonica’s US$1 billion bid. With the acquisition of a 56 per cent stake, Telefonica now becomes the major shareholder in the pay-TV group with a 78 per cent stake, with Mediaset holding the remainder 22 per cent.