GVF’s recent Rio de Janeiro conference, Oil & Gas Communications Brazil 2013: Big Oil, the Deep-Water Ocean Expanse, and Big Data was lauded as a great success by attendees, speakers, and sponsors alike; a very satisfactory precursor to both the next event in the GVF-EMP Oil & Gas Communications Conference Series, and, indeed, to the GVF High Throughput Satellite (HTS) Roundtable.

Telesat Holdings Inc.’s first-quarter revenues increased by 12 percent year-over-year to US$217 million (CAD 219 million) while EBITDA increased 12 percent to US$ 168 million (CAD 170 million).

Telesat said revenue growth was principally the result of the successful deployment of the Nimiq 6 satellite in the second quarter of 2012 and higher equipment sales.

Operating expenses of US$49.6 million (CAD50 million) were 40% US$32.7 (CAD33 million) lower than for the same period in 2012. The adjusted EBITDA margin was unchanged at 78 percent. 

CASBAA returns to Thailand to host an in depth forum examining the multichannel TV industry in the country with Thailand in View 2013, 30 May at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld.

Iridium Communications Inc. on Friday reported a net income of $14.9 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2013 compared to $12.4 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2012. Operational EBITDA for the first quarter was $46.8 million compared to $43.9 million for the prior-year period, representing year-over-year growth of 7 percent and an OEBITDA margin of 53 percent.

The GVF High Throughput Satellite Roundtable – High Throughput Ka, Ku and C band Satellite Communications: On Planes, Trains, Ships,… in Cities, Villages and Living Rooms will take place at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Washington DC on May 21 & 22, 2013.

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.

Dish Network Corp. chairman Charlie Ergen is gambling big time again. He has just upped the ante on the bidding game for Sprint Nextel, the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier, to US$25.5 billion in an effort to elbow out Japan’s SoftBank US$20.1 billion offer. The move is a big Blackjack gamble that Ergen is used to but the deal is rife with danger. Even if Ergen wins this bet, it could end into a pyrrhic victory and bring Dish to the edge.  

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.