The rollout of 5G will probably be delayed for months but the technology could see a boost over the long term as the coronavirus forces connectivity providers to adapt.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a massive impact on connectivity, as providers, regulators and governments scramble to…

OneWeb’s spectrum licences and launch contract are likely the most valuable assets of the smallsat broadband operator as it undertakes its own sales process.

Major users of the frequencies are probably driving much of the discussion within the company…

Satellite insurers expect to lose as much as a fifth of their projected premiums this year as the global COVID-19 pandemic squeezes an already strained market. 

“About 20% of the premium that the market would’ve written this year will be pushed into next year, because of satellite launch delays and how everything has slowed down,” a well-informed insurance source said.

“That includes satellite manufacturing and, of course, the situation with...

Last-mile access in developing regions represents a big opportunity for major American technology companies that consume connectivity, helping to fuel rumours of a sizable US-Asia deal.

The FAANG companies – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google – are facing a long-term…

Segments of satellite connectivity are expected to withstand the economic wreckage of the global coronavirus calamity with a few even thriving as the industry steadies itself for the pandemic’s assault on the economy.

Nobody is under the impression that industry will come away from the situation unscathed, as satellite launches…

Significant flaws in UK R&D arrangements for the satellite sector are undermining the country’s competitiveness in a global market Euroconsult analysts believe will be worth about US$485bn by 2028, British accountancy firm Moore Kingston Smith has warned. While the UK government provides significant support through targeted tax incentives, fostering highly technical skills and directly financing projects and university-led research, Moore Kingston Smith’s Thomas Hayden told Connectivity Business how none of these will be effective in isolation.

“Without significant reform of funding methods the UK forecast of 10% of the global space market by 2030 will not be met,” said Hayden, who leads...

Iridium’s capex holiday sets it apart from other broadband constellations as it zeroes in on the IoT opportunity.

We speak to CEO Matt Desch about how a diversified connectivity portfolio is helping to shelter the satellite operator as uncertainty grips markets...

SoftBank is unlikely to keep supporting OneWeb, a source familiar with the situation said, as an activist investor agitates for change at the Japanese internet giant amid rumours that its LEO broadband holding is mulling bankruptcy.

Several potential buyers could fit with the venture if it goes down the M&A route, with...

The healthcare IoT connectivity segment is primed to shift to data analytics from collection as predictive analysis, smart hospitals and artificial intelligence increasingly take root.

Predictive analytics rely on the availability of data from IoT…

Providers of inflight connectivity are focusing on liquidity and a rebuff of 2020 guidance as they face stark choices amid the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

US-based IFC provider Global Eagle Entertainment fully drew on its…

Speedy production of spacecraft and other advantages of vertical integration are playing a role in smallsat M&A as questions about the near-term prospects for inorganic growth predominate.

An acquisition by US-based smallsat launcher Rocket Lab in mid-March will provide it with several pluses, including…

Network strategies in IoT satellite connectivity are emerging including integration with terrestrial as providers underline the benefits of their networks amid the expectation of explosive growth.

Satellite operators are developing approaches to offset increasing competition in the sector, such as…

The rapidly evolving data market and its influence on satellite business models have pushed SES to consider separating the operator’s Networks unit from its Video business. Connectivity Business speaks with SES CEO Steve Collar about the potential implications for a company with a reputation for spearheading industry trends...

Antenna makers are rethinking business models and edging towards blended solutions as higher frequencies being adopted by mobile operators pushes them closer to satellite spectrum.

The pace of change means the satellite industry needs to do “a much better job to be integrated into terrestrial networks”, according to John Finney, founder and CEO of flat panel antenna maker Isotropic Systems. With the most popular frequency filed in 5G being...

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the company’s Starlink broadband constellation will mostly focus on rural areas in part because it will not have the bandwidth for big cities.

Launch executives during the Satellite 2020 conference debated the number of heavy and smallsat launchers likely to survive a shake-out, with United Launch Alliance…

The impact of the coronavirus loomed over the Satellite 2020 conference amid panel discussions about investor outlook, the potential for M&A and other key business issues.

Players in commercial space are responding in reaction to the virus, including…

IoT connectivity is expanding amid the development of products for asset tracking as providers in satellite boast mostly double-digit growth in the segment.

Because the sector is on a growth curve, connectivity companies are looking at costs, including refinancing…

Fresh from one of newspace’s largest funding rounds, Relativity Space has just moved into a new 120,000-square-foot facility in California, where it aims to revolutionise satellite connectivity with the world’s largest 3D printer and the latest in intelligent automation. 

Connectivity Business speaks with CEO Tim Ellis to learn more about...

Promising nanosatellite trends in the US are pushing satellite manufacturers such as Sweden/Scotland’s AAC Clyde Space to break through headwinds and secure a base in the country for growth. The company, formed in one of the sector’s first consolidation deals at the end of 2018, is seeing a marked increase in interest in nanosats as operational assets, rather than just technology demonstrators.

It believes recent contracts with two global communications operators underlines the market’s evolution as it also...

The prospect of SES’ plans for M&A are uncertain, amid a series of announcements that include an internal reshuffle and an increasing focus on cloud connectivity.

CEO Steve Collar appeared to throw cold water on the possibility…

Technology spending has yet to hit the accelerator as 5G rolls out amid the potential for greater investor interest due to a pending merger, consumer technology and politics.

Congressional action is seen as having an impact on technology spending for 5G as the US Senate in late February passed a bill that would give…

The possibility of legal action is rising to the fore as tensions and infighting among stakeholders escalates over the FCC’s plan for a public auction of C-band to ensure 5G connectivity.

What to make of the next steps of players involved in the C-band situation is up in the air as the FCC was expected vote...

The connected train market is likely to attract greater interest in connectivity due in part to its low risk amid upgrades in technology and new network projects.

The sector may represent a safe bet for investors amid a…

Smallcell technology is bringing base station capex down to a level where, coupled with lower satellite capacity prices and ground segment advances, MNOs are starting to close out business cases in even the most ultra-rural communities.

The trend is placing cellular backhaul as one of the key pillars for satellite communications growth this...

Maxar Technologies is doubling down on core markets this year, after selling its Canada-based MDA satellite technology business to private equity.

The effort recently saw it break away from partner Thales in bidding for Telesat’s multibillion-dollar IoT network contract. We caught up with Maxar Technologies CEO Daniel Jablonsky at the Smallsat Symposium in Silicon Valley...

Applications in software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) are set to surge amid a rising number of private sector projects and government funding for rural and 5G connectivity.

Pairing SD-WAN technology with satellite services appears to make a fit with rural connectivity in part because…

A new model is emerging in GEO connectivity via smallsats for the orbit as manufacturers in the sector tout funding success and technology advances.

The smallsat GEO sector offers advantages to buyers of satellite connectivity, based on a model where multiple spacecraft are…

US connectivity investors have started wading through greatly expanded foreign investment rules that are more complex and nuanced than ever before. 

While terrestrial networks have been dealing with strict security and nationalist sensitivities for some time, CFIUS’s widened scope adds a layer of uncertainty for newspace communications, in particular, not least because of the number and variety of LPs that have been helping the sector reap record...