The Big Data revolution has helped grow Spire’s fleet to 76 in-orbit satellites, and the Californian venture is keen to add more to meet growing demand for its weather forecasting, maritime analytics, and aircraft tracking services. The venture has raised more than US$140m since being founded in 2012 to build one of the world’s largest constellations, and revenues began covering capex in the last 18 months.

We interview CEO Peter Platzer to learn more about the newspace opportunity from a business that was there at its...

The prospect of increasing revenues in the 5G world, growing focus on commercial operations and the expansion of the oil & gas market exemplifies the IoT nanosat market amid a raft of launches.

Astrocast is ‘almost ready’ to kick off a…

The global TMT sector is expected to contribute significantly to a robust 2019 IPO pipeline, despite concerns around economic and political uncertainties, such as Brexit and US-China trade tensions.

Analysts believe certain emerging markets, such as Central Asia, are more likely to see telecoms IPOs in later 2019, as Spain-based Telefónica cancels its London Stock exchange listing...

A new age in space is aborning as three European companies have announced the latest partnership in laser-based optical communications for smallsat missions and space services.

The deal involving GomSpace, KSAT and TESAT comes amid the potential for a major acquisition…

Infracos building outdoor small cell networks may see lower-than-expected investment returns as carriers become less dependent on third-party vendors with their own networks.

Small cells are a critical element of 5G deployment, and the market is expected to... 

Data centres with colocation capabilities have become the new frontier for towercos as they seek to capitalise on edge computing growth.

Significant growth for the technology, which promises greatly reduced latency by installing computing services physically closer to end users, is set to be... 

Geographic realignments continue to reshape the connectivity sector as operators fortify portfolios ahead of the new market opportunities being promised by 5G.

Norwegian telecoms giant Telenor is paying €1.5bn (US$1.7bn) for 54% of Finland’s third-largest mobile operator DNA, in further step towards its main Nordic and Asia markets. The deal it reached with DNA’s two largest shareholders triggers a mandatory offer for the rest of the telco in Europe’ fastest growing mobile market, valuing it at...

The implications for consolidation among LEO broadband providers and questions about increased telco competition, regulations and even purpose are brimming amid Amazon’s 3,236-satellite constellation announcement.

Amazon could have other uses in mind for its constellation, leading investors to…

The accelerating growth of the European broadband market is attracting more US investors to seek M&A opportunities in the region’s telecoms infrastructure assets.

The number of fibre-to-the-home and broadband subscribers across all 28 EU countries will reach...

US regulators have reaffirmed their opposition to a nationalised 5G network, but questions linger over whether private enterprises are better suited for tackling cybersecurity threats than governments.

The Trump administration proposed to build a...

New technologies, an increasing focus on rural care and first responder connectivity point to a fit prognosis in satellite and terrestrial healthcare connectivity amid growing investment in IoT-driven services.

US software giant Microsoft has announced it would invest…

As large connectivity technology providers rush to acquire new technologies to be at the forefront in a 5G era, finding ways to effectively integrate these assets is becoming a core challenge for the sector.

Often the value of these ‘digital acquisitions’ is not derived from tangible assets but from future growth, including algorithms, intellectual property and human capital. However, large organisations have a tendency to contort such assets into something that is technically and...

The race to acquire higher-margin broadband assets this year could accelerate as more media consumers are expected to switch from traditional pay-TV to technologies such as OTT.

The shift towards OTT comes with the accelerated pace of cord-cutting/shifting in 2018, with the largest pay-TV providers in the US... 

The demand for swifter connectivity in the looming 5G era points to further consolidation in satellite communications, potentially heralding a shift in acquisition strategy for UK satcoms provider Bigblu Broadband amid solid results.

The future shape of the satellite market place is ‘only now’ becoming clear, pointing to…

Telecoms operators are increasingly under pressure to seek cost-effective 5G deployment methods, as the economics of the incoming next-gen technology remain unclear.

Despite concerns over the potential for 5G infrastructure to cost more than anticipated, telcos are...

An anticipated rise in cyberattacks during the 5G era is pushing more connectivity providers globally to source additional cybersecurity protection tools.

Nearly half (43%) of telcos suffered from... 

The fast pace of M&A for cloud connectivity and other high-growth technology assets is creating new due diligence dynamics.

It is pushing competitive bidders to “differentiate themselves by narrowing the scope of the diligence they force sellers to accommodate and [offer] very seller-friendly terms”, according to Charlie Rice, SVP of corporate and business development at US cloud and CDN provider Akamai Technologies.

“We’ve had to be thoughtful about redesigning our approach to diligence and really honing in on...

The role of satellite communications in the always-on connectivity of the 5G era and the expanding industry footprint of Asia are coming into focus as ST Engineering buys Newtec Group for SGD383m (US$282.2m).

The role of satellites in delivering 5G is coming into focus as…