Set-top boxes developer Pace plc is acquiring optical transport and access network solutions provider Aurora Networks for US$ 310 million in cash.

For the year ended 31 March 2013, Aurora generated revenues of US$ 217 million and EBITDA of US$ 30 million. With the purchase, Pace is hopeful it will be able to improve its chances of reaching profitability target of 9 percent return on sales in 2015.

Informa Telecoms & Media partnered with Comsys this year to produce the 15th annual VSAT 2013 conference,  in a new venue—Amsterdam, the Netherlands.   The conference was  held the day after the IBC 2013 convention and there has been some spillover attendance from IBC, which resulted in slightly higher attendance numbers this year. 

BSkyB showed strength across all its products during the first quarter of fiscal 2013 with plenty of highlights. During the first three months ended 30 September 2013, BSkyB snatched 800,000 new paid-for subscription products for a 50% year on year growth. Sky Broadband surpassed 5 million customers with 111,000 net new broadband customers added in the quarter, up 9% year on year, while triple play penetration rose to 36%, up 3 percentage points.

BSkyB showed strength across all its products during the first quarter of fiscal 2013 with plenty of highlights. During the first three months ended 30 September 2013, BSkyB snatched 800,000 new paid-for subscription products for a 50% year on year growth. Sky Broadband surpassed 5 million customers with 111,000 net new broadband customers added in the quarter, up 9% year on year, while triple play penetration rose to 36%, up 3 percentage points.

With high-speed satellite broadband now available in all 28 EU countries, Europe today reached a major milestone in its drive to bridge the Digital Divide. The opportunity of broadband for all became a reality with the launch of satellite broadband services in the Baltics, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania being the last countries to be added to a network of service providers across Member States.

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., a leading global provider of mobile auto-deploying satellite antenna systems, today announced financial results for its third quarter ending August 31, 2013.The company reported  a net profit of CDN $ 353,978 or 1.0 cent per share compared with results for the same period last year when there was a net profit of $65,625, or 0.2 cents per share. The working capital of the company increased by 27% to CDN $17,271,614 at August 31, 2013 compared to CDN $13,577,437 at August 31, 2012.

SES S.A. operator of a global fleet of 54 communication satellites, has successfully placed a €500 million 5-year Euro bond. The bond, issued by SES Global Americas Holdings GP and guaranteed by SES S.A., was priced today with a coupon of 1.875% (Mid-Swap +73bp). SES is rated Baa2/BBB/BBB (all stable). Proceeds of issuance will be used to refinance existing debt.

The biggest U.S. media companies have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule Aereo Inc., which provides broadcast signals to online viewers, as an illegal operation. Petitioners to the suit include — Walt Disney Co., 21st Century Fox Inc., Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)’s NBCUniversal, CBS Corp. (CBS), Univision Communications Inc., the Public Broadcasting Service and station WNET, and Tribune Co. owned New York station WPIX — filed the petition on Friday with the court after litigation in lower courts failed to stop Aereo.

The proliferation of smart devices, mobile broadband and connected TV in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), has opened up a wealth of possibility for operators to maximise on the revenue opportunities presented by CDNs (Content Delivery Networks). The region’s premier event in connected entertainment, TV Connect MENA, will provide the ideal platform next month for industry leaders to delve into the topic of monetising the network.

ORBCOMM Inc., a provider of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) solutions, and Savi Technology, a provider of sensor-based analytics and radio-frequency identification (RFID) solutions, today announced a strategic relationship to provide advanced location-based monitoring solutions to government and commercial markets.