The GVF-Satellite Evolution 2020 Webinar Series draws to a close the day following my writing the final words of this column. With 15 events in the main webinar series and a further five produced for embedding within partner online events, it has been an interesting and rewardingly successful response to the practicalities and realities of the limitations on our opportunity to move around the globe physically as governments’ policies have responded to the pandemic.

With the aim of continuing to expand cellular coverage to the entire Mexican territory, one of the largest mobile operator in Mexico, part of a leading global mobile group, has resumed the satellite coverage project in alliance with AXESS Networks, which continues to position itself as a technological partner in cellular backhaul solutions for Latin America and that after outstanding work during the homologation process, was initially awarded with 95 satellite sites.

Given the choice between wrestling a live alligator in a Florida pond and living through the events of 2020 again, I would take my chances with the gator.  As we finish our current orbit around the Sun, we have experienced 365 days, 5 hours, 59 minutes and 16 seconds that felt like a Martian year.  

And yet…….

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL) announced today that during its first quarter of fiscal 2021, its Tempe, Arizona-based subsidiary, Comtech EF Data Corp., which is part of Comtech’s Commercial Solutions segment, received US$ 1.0 million in delivery orders in support of a previously awarded US$ 58.8 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (“IDIQ”) contract from the U.S. Naval Information Warfare Systems Command. Funded orders received to-date under this IDIQ contract now total US$ 30.7 million.

BlackSky today announced Uyen  Dinh as its Vice President for Government Relations and Strategy. Dinh brings more than two decades of experience, knowledge, and insight in the federal legislative, authorization, and appropriations processes.

The World Teleport Association (WTA) today released Teleports and the 5G Opportunity, a new research report that explores market trends in 4G and 5G, the technology and operational requirements for competing in 5G and how meaningful the opportunity for teleport and satellite operators appears to be now and in the coming year.

ST Engineering iDirect today announced that its MDM5010 modem has achieved an aggregate speed of 600Mbps, making it the industry’s fastest satellite modem for shared bandwidth capacity networks. While these speeds have previously only been achieved with single channel per carrier (SCPC) point-to-point modems, bandwidth-sharing efficiencies can now be augmented to satisfy the most demanding throughput requirements in markets such as cruise, trunking and cellular backhaul. 

RF-Design receives ISO 9001:2015 certification  from “M-Zert Zertifizierungsgesellschaft für Managementsysteme mbH” which is an approved organization for ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management audits and certification.

RF-Design is a privately held company founded by Ralf Mayr in 1998 and specialized on the design and manufacturing of high quality RF equipment, RF distribution, RF-over-Fiber solution for the international Satcom, Broadcast, Broadband and Telecommunications industry.

When the first people from planet Earth went into space in the 1960s, it was the thrill of a lifetime.  But we didn’t stay there long.

The next time people went into space, they traveled as far as our Moon – and we got even more excited.   But we didn’t stay long there, either.  

In its latest research titled, “FSS Capacity Pricing Trends,” Euroconsult reported that the dramatic pricing declines of the past five years have slowed as a result of notable slowdowns in new capacity supply additions. However, intense pricing pressure is expected to return in advance of new capacity coming online in the 2022-23 timeframe.