The incoming waves of LEO broadband satellites could do more than usher in a new era of high-speed, ubiquitous connectivity. They could potentially help shift satellite connectivity to a new asset class, shaking up how these companies are viewed by analysts and investors. Where the evolving satellite landscape will take existing and emerging businesses was a central talking point at this year’s Connectivity Business Investment Conference in New York.

Mark Wong, CFO of Singapore-based Kacific, spoke about the challenges of raising capital for a satellite broadband startup currently stuck between two asset classes. There’s a gap between the...

Chinese telecoms equipment vendors’ ongoing support for European 5G rollouts is expected to restore investor confidence, though they are still facing scrutiny from much of the western world for potential cybersecurity risks.

Shenzhen-based telecoms equipment giant Huawei was added to...

Speedcast Communications CEO Pierre-Jean (PJ) Beylier discussed the satcoms giant’s growth strategy and outlook for the wider sector at this year’s Connectivity Business Investment Conference.

The company has grown rapidly on the back of a series of acquisitions, and sees its future in IoT, managed network services, and the cloud amid a host of innovative partnerships. Finance Information Group's Jason Rainbow interviewed Beylier to learn more about...

The largest shareholders in AsiaSat are likely making a buyout offer for the Hong Kong-based satellite operator with the aim of a future exit.

China Satcom or another satellite operator in the region could…

More low- and mid-band spectrum is being put into 5G use in the US as T-Mobile and Sprint push forward with their US$26bn tie-up.

Sprint, which has already launched 5G services in parts of Atlanta, Dallas-Forth Worth, Houston and Kansas City, has brought...

Questions about investment, market and technology choices pervade the aborning 5G data networks as rollouts start amid regulatory and M&A activity and high expectations.

Investors are attracted to opportunities in…

5G-driven telecoms and media consolidation and the relatively relaxed financing environment continue to hike up infrastructure valuations, but seasoned investors believe there are still ways to reap significant returns. Recent Morgan Stanley research shows cumulative communications infrastructure enterprise values trade at ... 

The ability of connectivity businesses to ride through a financial downturn is an increasingly important topic for the sector amid signs of global economic strains.

How immune the industry is from macroeconomic pain drove significant discussion at the Connectivity Business Investment Conference, particularly on a panel focused on understanding positive and negative sentiment in the equity and debt capital markets. The session considered...

Technology heavyweights such as Google and Amazon might have a better chance of creating a fourth US wireless player than cablecos, as speculation about potential regulatory conditions for T-Mobile’s US$26bn merger with Sprint rises to the fore.

Industry veterans speaking at the Connectivity Business Investment Conference pointed to how underbidding by cablecos in the past two FCC mmWave spectrum auctions shows 

Connectivity investors are sharpening their skills in risk assessment as regulators get more assertive in evaluating M&A amid the possibility of increasing vigilance due in part to political trends.

There is ‘broad’ agreement across the political spectrum in the US and internationally that antitrust enforcers need to play closer attention to…

Despite being in a golden age for access to risk capital in satellite connectivity, concerns about a looming growth-blocking funding gap are mounting. Speakers on Connectivity Business Investment Conference’s focus of private capital panel looked across a spectrum of connectivity solutions, from satellites in space to towers on the ground.

It is an evolving landscape that is creating unique...

The flood of private capital pouring into data centres shows no sign of slowing down as growth rates outpace even towers and fibre in a wider connectivity goldrush.

Skyrocketing connectivity demand is pushing telecoms infrastructure growth to record levels, Steven Sonnestein, managing director of the global investment firm Digital Colony, said in an outlook presentation for the Connectivity Business Investment Conference...

The blending of satellite and terrestrial connectivity is encouraging network strategies such as managed services and open ecosystems to ensure reliability and appeal to profit-minded investors.

US broadband satellite operator Hughes Network Systems is offering managed services regardless of…

While swarms of LEO HTS satellites are on course to blanket the world in just a few years, questions still linger over whether infrastructure on the ground will arrive in time to realise new connectivity markets. Is antenna technology keeping up with the demand satellite operators are placing on them to achieve faster speeds at viable price points around the world?

Many believe there is not enough capital being directed towards an apparent disconnect between...

Inflight connectivity provider SmartSky expects to launch its network later this year, with an initial focus on the business jet market.

Steve Kaufman, a partner with law firm Hogan Lovells, interviewed SmartSky chair and CEO Haynes Griffin during our recent Connectivity Business Investment Conference in New York...

A slew of network sharing deals among European telecom operators is driving regional private equity companies to increase their fibre investments.

Sharing network infrastructure has become a key capex-saving strategy for... 

The smart utility IoT sector is expected to see significant investment in emerging markets as technological advances and data analytics enhance connectivity.

About 50 countries that make up emerging markets are poised to invest more than…

5G is expected to be a spur for significant innovation across the telecommunications industry and especially within the IoT sub-sector. As M&A activity is one indicator of underlying tech trends generally, Morgan Lewis reviews the landscape in what commentators have variously referred to as the third internet age (after fixed and mobile) and the fourth industrial revolution.

As the global telecommunications industry has seen its revenues diluted, IoT therefore presents an opportunity to deliver...

LEO satellite broadband constellations are rushing to orbit in a race to market that remains undecided despite a few early launches. But could being first be a disadvantage as others look to exploit the new business lines being carved out by newspace pioneers?

When to buy into these ventures is becoming a key question for investors as the first of many satellites from OneWeb and SpaceX...

Facebook and other tech heavyweights are stepping up investments in low-cost wireless equipment, as efforts to spread connectivity to underserved regions worldwide gather momentum.

While global data consumption is growing rapidly, it is becoming increasingly challenging for mobile operators to generate revenues amid...

Diversification is an increasingly important tool for satellite operators weathering an uncertain landscape, and will see UAE-based Thuraya expand into the government market for a next-gen L-band system that is starting to come to light. The MSS operator plans to follow its new majority owner Yahsat in creating separate commercial and government arms, Thuraya CEO Ali Al Hashemi said in an interview.

This requires a remodelling of Thuraya ground services that have traditionally focused on the commercial market, paving the way for...

Telecom operators’ increasing need for spectrum diversity is pushing US regulators to accelerate a sale process for mid-band airwaves.

5G-capable spectrum ranging from low-band to high-band has been a key battleground for... 

Data and analytics providers are digging into new strategies as they face pricing pressures and more competition alongside growing investor interest.

The satellite-based data sector eclipsed…

Analysts expect connectivity players’ increasing investment in developing their own modem businesses will help slumping chips stocks recover as China-US trade tensions continue.

The US ban on Chinese telecoms vendor Huawei, which has been spotlighted during the protracted trade war, has taken a toll on ...

Mine operators are expanding connectivity programmes as the sector is expected to double installations over the next few years amid a general increase in industrial investment.

Education is crucial as sometimes mining companies have passed over emerging technologies because…

Fibre deployments are starting to ramp up globally as telcos seizing additional spectrum through recently closed auctions plan near 5G launches.

British multinational telco BT revised fibre targets to pass four million premises by March 2021, up by a million, as its EE subsidiary looks to ...

The smart city IoT sector is heading downtown as Europe invests significant money in the sector, investor interest in some segments is strong and projections are bullish.

A key initiative has originated in the EC as it has pledged to spend…

Emerging markets are becoming increasingly complex battlegrounds for satellite operators seeking growth in untapped connectivity regions. While Hughes Network Systems is building partnerships to double down on the consumer broadband opportunity, Avanti Communications is backtracking to the more traditional wholesale model.

US-based Hughes recently partnered with Yahsat of the UAE to bring more than 65Gbps of Ka-band capacity to 95% of Brazil’s population, targeting...