Babcock awarded £400M contract to operate military satellites

Babcock and its partners have been awarded a £400 million contract to operate the Skynet military satellite communications system.

Skynet is the UK’s satellite system that enables communications to be sent from anywhere in the world back to the UK and its allies.

Defence Procurement Minister Alex Chalk KC said:

“Space is increasingly important for maintaining battlefield advantage.

The UK’s next-generation military satellite communications...

15 February 2023 | Legislation & Government

UK announces £50M satellite industry boost

The UK Space Agency has announced a £50 million fund to boost the satellite communications industry.

Funding from the initiative will be used for projects including satellite constellations, ground systems, and entirely new end-to-end systems.

Science Minister George Freeman said:

“Developing UK space capabilities and maximising commercial opportunities are key to the National Space Strategy, as part of our plans to become a leading power in space and build...

23 January 2023 | Broadband

Boeing delivers first O3b mPOWER satellites to SES

Boeing took a sneaky jab at Starlink while announcing the delivery of its first two O3b mPOWER satellites to Luxembourg-based telecoms provider SES.

“SES's O3b mPOWER system is a true gamechanger and will transform the way people think about connectivity,” said Ruy Pinto, CTO at SES.

“Delivering performance above all, O3b mPOWER will offer connectivity services to government organisations and enterprises based in the most remote regions. In times of natural...

6 December 2022 | Networks

Ericsson, Qualcomm and Thales to take 5G into space

The Andromeda Galaxy.

Ericsson, Thales and Qualcomm Technologies plan to take 5G out of this world and across a network of Earth-orbiting satellites.

After having each conducted detailed research which included multiple studies and simulations, the parties plan to enter smartphone-use-case-focused testing and validation of 5G non-terrestrial networks (5G NTN).

The result could effectively mean that a future 5G smartphone could use 5G connectivity anywhere on Earth and provide complete global...

15 July 2022 | 5G

OneWeb to provide LEO satellite connectivity services across BT Group

BT has signed a Distribution Partner Agreement with OneWeb that will see the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite firm provide connectivity services across BT Group.

The agreement builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two companies in July. As part of the previous agreement, OneWeb promised to help BT to bridge “the last digital divides” across the UK.

BT says that satellite services form a key component of its vision to enable digital solutions anywhere...

2 November 2021 | Networks

UK satellite firm OneWeb receives a $500M boost from Bharti

UK-based LEO (Low-Earth Orbit) satellite firm OneWeb is continuing a big news week with a $500 million investment from Bharti Global.

OneWeb received $1 billion from the UK Government and Bharti Global last year.

Rt. Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, MP, Secretary of State, BEIS, said:

“Today’s additional $500 million investment in OneWeb by Bharti marks yet another vote of confidence in the company from the market. It’s clear that investors see a strong future for...

30 June 2021 | Networks

China proclaims 6G lead through its extensive patent portfolio

The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) used state media this week to proclaim the country’s lead in the development of 6G.

CNIPA made the declaration on World Intellectual Property Day (April 26th) and pointed to its analysis of 6G-related patents which found – of 38,000 patents – around 35 percent (13,449) came from China.

The US took second place with 18 percent of patents relating to 6G.

In the report, CNIPA advises China to...

27 April 2021 | 6G

FCC allocates spectrum for US commercial space industry, including today’s Crew-2 launch

The FCC has allocated spectrum to support the growing number of US commercial space launches, including today’s Crew-2 mission.

SpaceX’s Crew-2 launch will send four astronauts – National Aeronautical Space Administration’s Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, Akihiko Hoshide from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency – into orbit.

Weather-permitting, the launch is scheduled for 10.49am BST (5.49am EDT) at...

23 April 2021 | Legislation & Government

SpaceX will give Starlink launch another go after weekend abort

SpaceX is set to give the launch of its latest batch of Starlink broadband satellites another go after aborting a weekend attempt.

The 16th batch of Starlink satellites was scheduled to launch at 9:56pm EST on Sunday with the 45th Space Wing forecasting the weather to be 70 percent a “go”. Unfortunately, the SpaceX team was forced to call it off.

"Hold, hold, hold," SpaceX's launch director said in a live audio webcast just 30 minutes from launch. "We're standing...

23 November 2020 | Telecoms

Nokia unveils further details on NASA partnership to put 4G on the Moon

Nokia has provided further details on its endeavour to put 4G connectivity on the Moon after being named by NASA as a partner.

The company’s pioneering Bell Labs research division is developing the first low-power and end-to-end LTE solution that’s able to handle the rigours of space and the Moon.

Marcus Weldon, CTO at Nokia and Nokia Bell Labs President, said:

"Leveraging our rich and successful history in space technologies, from pioneering satellite...

19 October 2020 | LTE