5G and the drive towards autonomous vehicles could be tipping the balance in favour of satellite over terrestrial networks as the need for ubiquitous communications intensifies, according to the CEO of UK-based accelerator Satellite Applications Catapult.

Speaking at SmallSat Symposium 2019 in Silicon Valley, Stuart Martin said long-held perceptions that satellite technology is a niche capability is starting to change in countries such as the UK, where fibre rollouts continue to lag behind...

Fibre and satellite connectivity synergy opportunities are behind Spanish utility Red Eléctrica’s €949m (US$1.07bn) acquisition of a majority stake in Hispasat, a regional GEO communications operator that recently branched into LEO.

The debt-funded deal will transform the power company into one of Spain’s largest operators of telecoms infrastructure, while expanding its geographic...

Despite Softbank’s multibillion dollar backing of satellite broadband startup OneWeb, uncertainty continues to surround the venture’s business model as it prepares to begin launching this year.

Should other LEO connectivity providers and their enablers be preparing for the potential impact that a high-profile failure could have on the wider ecosystem? Capital markets are generally... 

RBC Signals is broadening its scope beyond LEO-focused ground station connectivity as Amazon Web Services pushes into its market through a JV with Lockheed Martin.

SatelliteFinance spoke with CEO Christopher Richins on the sidelines of SmallSat Symposium 2019 in Silicon Valley to find out...

Analysts remain bullish on the Viasat’s long-term investment return as the US satellite broadband services provider explores inflight connectivity (IFC) opportunities beyond media content. 

American Airlines recently started offering Apple Music subscribers free access to...

Increasing probability of positive spectrum catalysts continues to boost satellite operator Intelsat, as the regulatory process for deploying C-band spectrum enters its finals stages.

The satellite telco’s share got a temporary boost after...

Sunrise Communications has confirmed it is in talks to acquire Liberty Global’s Swiss business UPC, but analysts recommend investors to pay more attention to the deal structure, which is key to Sunrise’s price change.

The announcement came nearly a year after Liberty Global agreed to sell...

Exploding demand for inflight connectivity (IFC) in Asia Pacific is expected to further hike up profits for Inmarsat’s aviation business, boosting the outlook for the satellite telco that received takeover interest last year.

Inmarsat recently posted US$369.3m in group Q3 2018 revenue, a 3.7% increase from... 

Finding innovative ways to raise funds for capex-intensive infrastructure far in advance of initial revenues is a core challenge for satellite connectivity. 

As well as going through Australia’s stock market, Sky and Space Global is moving further from the industry norm by looking to insure its first...

Rampant investor activity in Africa’s telecoms sector is pushing Helios Towers to hunt for more opportunities to diversify geographically, after acquiring a South African towerco to enter its fifth country. 

South Africa is set to lead the way on the deployment of 5G across Sub-Saharan Africa, Helios Towers CEO Kash Pandya told Connectivity Business in an interview, adding that...

A new wave of disruption is barreling down on LEO communications as satellite operator Telesat looks to use the network operating system design of balloon-based connectivity provider Loon.

The Canadian company and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin also unveiled a multi-launch agreement to deploy LEO...

Uncertainty around 5G profitability is fueling investors concerns over Verizon’s growth prospects, even as the largest US carrier claims it will be the leader in the next generation technology.

Verizon recently missed estimates for its Q4 2018 earnings...

Rocketing rising demand for faster fixed and mobile data is expected to make the consolidating Latin American telecoms market increasingly appealing to connectivity investors.

Latin America’s mobile data traffic will grow at a...

An uptick in first-ever communications satellite orders from countries in Africa offers some relief for ailing GEO manufacturers, with the potential for others to follow as margins under ownership are generally higher than they are via leasing.

The average gross margin for ownership is around…

Towercos’ fibre and small cell ramp-up signals 5G progress, putting them in good stead for additional funding from telecoms infrastructure investors as the technology standard matures. 

Crown Castle announced during its Q4 2018 earnings conference that it deployed a record number of... 

With an increasing amount of private equity funds pouring into telecoms infrastructure, towerco veteran Alex Gellman believes the US towers sector has a promising future, and decided to get back to business in 2014 after selling Global Tower Partners to American Tower for US$4.8bn.

Gellman, who is CEO and co-founder of infraco Vertical Bridge and has spent most of his career in PE-backed funds, talked to Connectivity Business about the rapid growth of... 

Singapore startup Kacific is ramping up towards the launch in Q3 2019 of its first satellite Kacific-1, a condosat being shared with Japan’s Sky Perfect JSAT to deploy high-speed broadband across South East Asia and the Pacific. Jason Rainbow, Finance Information Group Editor-in-Chief, speaks with Kacific CEO Christian Patouraux about the venture’s funding journey, and how it is shining a spotlight on the Family Office investment opportunity for connectivity...

IBM and Vodafone’s US$550m European cloud joint venture could be the start of an important connectivity trend, signalling more significant partnerships to tackle increasingly complex digital environments.

The proliferation of digital services for businesses in recent years means more than two-thirds of organisations are now using at least 2-15 hybrid clouds, according to IBM, which forecasts 98%...