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Brussels, Belgium, November 6, 2020--To shed light on the developemnts and tends in the defense market, Satellite Mrkets and Research spoke with Koen Willems, Head of International Government and Defense Strategy-ST Engineering iDirect.  Excerpts of the interview follows:

by Bernardo Schneiderman

Los Angeles, Calif., November 6, 2020--An NSR report released last month estimates the Machine to Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) via satellite market to reach US $12.4 Billion from 2019-2029 with small satellites driving growth. Alan Crisp, NSR Senior Analyst and report lead author stated lower price points will unleash unaddressed use cases. Higher volumes will likewise lead to higher ARPUs, changing the overall demand dynamics of numerous verticals. “That is not to say that MSS and VSAT offerings will lose their competitive edge or role in the marketplace. On the contrary, these longstanding platforms will continue to play an enduring role in the IoT growth story,” said Crisp. 

Carlsbad, Calif., November 5, 2020–Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) today announced that Viasat’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Dankberg has become Executive Chairman of the company, a new position. He is continuing in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Viasat, Inc. The company’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Rick Baldridge, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer.

Petah Tikva, Israel, November 3, 2020 — Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ, TASE: GILT), a provider of satellite networking technology, solutions and services, announces that it has hired BG (Res.) Eyal Zelinger as its Global Defense Vice President and General Manager. The retired Brigadier General from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will head Gilat’s Defense business to maximize opportunities worldwide. Appointment effective December 1st, 2020.

San Francisco, Calif., November 2, 2020--ICEYE today announced that Jerry Welsh, who joined ICEYE in 2017 as COO/CFO, will take on the CEO role for ICEYE US. Welsh, an operations and technology expert who specializes in scale-up strategy recently oversaw the completion of ICEYE’s US$ 87 million Series C financing. He will lead a team focused on deploying capital to scale operations and serve the needs of US customers.

Asheville, NC, November 2, 2020--Satellite Markets and Research Editor-in-Chief Virgil Labrador spoke with Krystal Dredge, Marketing Director of satellite antenna manufacturer AvL Technologies. She spoke on her views on how she is continuously building AvL's brand in the industry, how the company has been coping with the global pandemic and the new opportunities in the post-pandemic world. 

Wuppertal, Germany, Oct. 14, 2020—Riedel Communications  announced the promotion of Peter Glättli to Director of Research and Development. Reporting to founder and CEO Thomas Riedel, Glättli will assume responsibility for Riedel's five main development hubs, aiming to advance the company's IP-enabled hardware and software solutions.

Satellite Markets and Research Editor-in-Chief Virgil Labrador spoke with Carl Novello, Chief Technology Officer of NXTCOMM. Carl talks about the innovations in the communications on the move segment such as the development of flat panel antennas of which he has been involved with several companies including his his current capacity as CTO of NXTCOMM. He also talks about the key trends in the satellite mobility market. 

Satellite Markets and Research Editor-in-Chief Virgil Labrador spoke with Alexander Mueller-Gastell, CEO-ND SatCom on how their company has been coping with the pandemic and how he sees ND SatCom and the satellite industry moving forward.

Madrid, Spain, October 9, 2020--The Board of Directors of HISPASAT, the Spanish satellite communications operator, approved the appointment of Jordi Hereu as the company’s new president yesterday. The appointment took place after an extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting in which the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI), which holds 7.41% of HISPASAT’s shares, proposed Hereu to preside over the company relieving Rosario Martínez Manzanedo.