Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Safran [EPA: SAF] have received regulatory approvals for a joint venture so they can begin designing, building and servicing aircraft Auxiliary Power Units (APUs)—onboard engines that are primarily used to start the main engines and power aircraft systems while on the ground and, if necessary, in flight. The companies also named Etienne Boisseau as Chief Executive Officer of the joint venture.

During the past ten years, Africa, the second-largest continent in terms of size and population after Asia, has made great strides in improving its telecommmunications infrastructure through submarine fiber cables landing on both the African Eastern and Western coastlines.

In the last quarter of 2018 a real small sat express consisting of the Indian PSLV and the American SpaceX Falcon-9 launchers will bring a large number of small satellites into an sun synchronous orbit.  After long delays more than 80 small satellites from more than 30 customers from around 20  countries,  that are waiting anxiously to have their small satellites launched into orbit.

Introduction

A man walking along a cliff feels the ground give way beneath him.  He manages to clutch at a root extending from the face of the cliff, which saves him from falling 1,200 feet onto jagged rocks in the surf below. But as he hangs, on he cannot climb back up.  He shouts, “Is anyone up there!?” 

A voice fills the sky!  “Have faith. If you have faith you can let go and you will fall light as a feather, landing unhurt on the rocks below.”  He looks down at the rocks and crashing surf, thinks about it, looks back up and shouts, “Is there anyone ELSE up there?”

NSR’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Satcom and Imaging Markets, 5th Edition report, released today, projects a cumulative revenue opportunity of nearly US$ 30 Billion over the 2017-2027 period for satellite communications and commercial UAS imaging & analytics services.  Largely driven by satcom revenues, it is an accelerating market where Government & Military end-users lead as adoption rates of UAS platforms rise globally.

Peraton has announced the appointment of Alan Stewart as executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (“Comtech”) (NASDAQ:CMTL) announced today that it entered into a new US$ 550.0 million credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with a syndicate of lenders on October 31, 2018. The Credit Facility consists of a senior secured revolving loan facility with a borrowing limit of US $300.0 million and an accordion feature allowing the Company to borrow up to an additional $250.0 million, plus additional amounts subject to pro forma covenant compliance.

In my previous column I referenced the GVF’s contribution to the forthcoming International Telecommunication Union’s World Radiocommunication Seminar 2018 (WRS2018), December 3rd to 7th, which will take the form of a pre-Seminar Workshop Symposium, November 29th to 30th, focused on capacity building amongst the world’s regulators. A number of organizations will be supporting and contributing to the Workshop Symposium, including (at the time of writing) Hughes and SES, together with other GVF members currently finalizing their inputs.

The annual AfricaCom Awards shortlist was released today. With an overwhelming number of excellent entries, the selection process has been even more challenging than previous years.