Focus: Telecom
March 26, 2024
The relationship between satellite operators and telcos can at times seem like a troubled marriage — “It is difficult to live together. But it's more difficult to live alone,” Jean-Luc Vuillemin, special executive advisor to the CEO of mobile network operator Orange, told a session at last week’s SATELLITE 2024. Leaders representing Orange, Telstra, and…
February 26, 2024
GSMA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are starting a 15 million euro ($16 million) million challenge, Non-Terrestrial Network (TN-NTN) Community, and other initiatives to foster innovation between terrestrial and satellite connectivity. The two announced new initiatives on Monday during Mobile World Congress, following plans to work together on the satellite and cellular convergence in…
New Industry Organization Mobile Satellite Services Association Focuses on Direct-to-Device Services
February 9, 2024
A group of satellite operators debuted a new industry organization on Friday — the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA), focused on promoting the direct-to-device (D2D) ecosystem. Its founding members are Viasat, Terrestar Solutions, Ligado Networks, Omnispace, and Yahsat. Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg is chairing the organization. The group aims to develop a global ecosystem using…
January 19, 2024
AT&T, Google, and Vodafone have made a strategic investment in AST SpaceMobile to support the commercial roll-out of AST SpaceMobile’s network. Both AT&T and Google are new investors for the company. The investment announced Jan. 19 is a mix of equity-linked capital and non-dilutive commercial payments. According to an announcement, the three companies jointly gave…