The U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin planned to launch the third Mobile User Objective System satellite Tuesday night on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, Lockheed Martin said in a news release Jan. 16. The launch window was 7:43 p.m. to 8:27 p.m. EST, it said. The launch was slated for the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Inmarsat Government signed a service provider agreement with Globecomm Systems to supply Inmarsat’s Global Xpress service to the U.S. government, said Globecomm in a news release. Global Xpress works with the Ka-band Wideband Global Satellite system, it said. Inmarsat-5 offers Global Xpress for U.S. government customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and southwestern Asia, it said.
CMMB Vision, a mobile multimedia service provider, and New York Broadband picked Boeing Satellite Systems International to build an L-band satellite, they said in a news release today. The NYBBSat-1 will support mobile multimedia services in China and other Asian markets. The new satellite will be launched in mid-2017 and replace the AsiaStar satellite, recently acquired by New York Broadband. New York Broadband signed a memorandum of understanding with CMMB Vision to lease the entire capacity of the satellite to CMMB. A launch vehicle hasn't been selected.
Satellite operator SES and the Luxembourg government agreed to operate an X- and Ka-band military satellite through a joint Luxembourg-based company, SES said in a news release Tuesday. SES plans to launch the satellite in late 2017, it said. It will cover Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. SES and the Luxembourg government will invest about 50 million euros ($58 million) each into the company. The joint company will receive a bank loan of about 125 million euros from Luxembourg banks.
ViaSat picked SpaceX to launch its ViaSat-2 high-capacity broadband satellite aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket, it said in a news release Monday. The launch is scheduled for late summer 2016 at the Kennedy Space Center. ViaSat said it expects ViaSat-2 to "cover seven times the geographic area and offer twice the bandwidth economics advantage" of its previous satellite. Coverage areas will include North and Central America and the Caribbean basin. This new satellite enables ViaSat to offer additional data for its wireless plans, it said. ViaSat-2 will also connect North America with U.K. and European coverage for "high-speed in-flight internet and other mobile services” through ViaSat’s partner Eutelsat and its KA-Sat satellite, a ViaSat spokeswoman emailed us.
ViaSat on Tuesday filed an application for FCC review (10-90) of its Rural Broadband Experiments plan. The Wireline Bureau denied the company’s RBE application Dec. 5. ViaSat’s waiver request was not offered a public comment period, unlike 15 similar requests from other companies, ViaSat said Tuesday. The company suggested the commission hold the RBE auction process in abeyance while it considers ViaSat's review application. In response, Lake Region Electric Cooperative, Ozarks Electric Cooperative and Northeast Rural Services filed a joint comment saying they filed their applications and supplemental filings in a timely manner, which positions them next in line to receive funding. The comment also said waivers like that sought by ViaSat could delay the CAF Phase II process.
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers’ office reached a $2 million settlement with Dish Network Friday, focusing on the company’s sales practices. The company will revise its sales disclosures nationwide to reflect its right to raise prices at any time, said the office in a news release. "This is going to have broader implications regarding the disclosure and consumer protection rights that we were able to establish through the agreement by the company to be a lot more forthcoming in its sales practices," said a spokeswoman for the office in an interview Monday. The AG began investigating Dish’s sales practices in 2011. Numerous consumers complained about price increases after the company promised that contract rates were “frozen” or “guaranteed” not to change. While disagreeing with the AG's allegations, Dish said it appreciates the office's "constructive feedback regarding our sales process," emailed a company spokeswoman. "We are pleased to amicably resolve this matter." The settlement was filed in Denver District Court by attorneys with the AG's Consumer Protection Section, as was a civil complaint alleging Dish's sales practices violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. The money will be split by the state's general fund and a special consumer protection fund in Suthers' office.
Orbcomm completed its buy of SkyWave Mobile Communications Thursday, said the acquirer in a news release Monday. It said SkyWave will add more than 250,000 subscribers, 400 channel partners and annualized revenue of more than $60 million, as well as expand its machine-to-machine business.
The FCC International Bureau delayed the comment deadlines on the agency’s Fourth Satellite Competition Report, which cover the 2011-2013 calendar years. Initial comments were due Jan. 7, replies Jan. 22. The new due dates are Feb. 6 for initial comments, Feb. 23 for replies, a Tuesday notice from the bureau said. The Satellite Industry Association had requested the delay, the bureau said. “SIA maintains additional time is needed to respond because SIA and its member companies are currently working on several pending proceedings of significant concern to the satellite industry, which have pleading cycles that overlap the comment schedule established by the Public Notice.”
Harris CapRock requested a special temporary authorization for a C-band and Ku-band transmit receive earth station. Harris CapRock plans to use the earth station to support the Royal Caribbean cruise ships, it said in an application to the FCC International Bureau.