Airbus Defence and Space mobilized five of its satellites to help the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared March 8. Satellites, including Pleiades 1A and Spot 5, are taking images of the search zone, Airbus said in a press release (http://bit.ly/1cRNThY). All the data collected is analyzed by the company’s maritime experts and provided to the Malyasian Remote Sensing Agency, it said. Its radar satellite TerraSAR-X can identify layers of hydrocarbon as well as oil slicks or metallic objects floating in the sea, it said.

Since Intelsat and Inmarsat were privatized, consumers have benefited from robust services and the satellite market is competitive, the companies said in comments to the FCC on The Open-Market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications (ORBIT) Act report. Inmarsat’s forthcoming Ka-band network, Global Xpress, is the result of a $1.2 billion investment into three Ka-band satellites, Inmarsat said (http://bit.ly/1iG8rIr). Inmarsat has partnered with several satellite industry companies, like iDirect and Cobham/SeaTel, to help deploy Global Xpress, it said: “Inmarsat’s land portfolio has and will continue to grow in the low data rate services.” Intelsat continues to invest heavily “to keep its satellite fleet technologically current,” the satellite operator said in comments (http://bit.ly/1dW1rY8). It has nine satellites in the design or build stages, including several next-generation high-throughput Intelsat Epic satellites, it said. The goals of the ORBIT Act have been fully achieved and the reporting requirement “now is an unnecessary burden on limited commission resources,” it said. The comments will be reflected in the FCC’s annual report to Congress (CD Feb 13 p17).

Airbus Defense and Space expanded an existing agreement with Inmarsat to cover the enterprise and defense markets. The companies are adding new markets and services to a strategic Global Xpress distribution partnership agreement, Airbus Defense and Space said in a news release Wednesday. The agreement also “extends the delivery of the future Ka-band service to Airbus Defense and Space’s worldwide distribution channels and customer base,” it said. Airbus plans to offer Global Xpress to its larger partner and customer base across a range of markets, it said. The new government sector agreement “sets out leasing capacity on military Ka-band spot beams,” it said.

The growing threat and sophistication of cyberthreats underscores the need for more security efforts to protect satellite networks, said Intelsat executives. Cyberthreats are state of the art, the environment is dynamic and the threat level has evolved a lot, said Chief Technology Officer Thierry Guillemin. The attacks have become more complex, more pervasive and better funded, he said Monday night at the Satellite 2014 conference in Washington. “You get to a point where you have to have a team of people to keep aware of what’s been happening.” It’s important for operators to engage in network security, he said. Satellite networks are different from terrestrial networks in terms of protection and vulnerability, he said. Satellite systems can be susceptible to jamming, Guillemin said. “A satellite operator sells more end-to-end services and operates hybrid networks.” When operating in the space and terrestrial arenas, satellite systems can be vulnerable to terrestrial threats, too, he said. The consumer wants information immediately, “which adds complications from a security standpoint,” Guillemin said. It’s important to know the posture of partners working with the satellite operator, said Vinit Duggal, Intelsat chief information security officer. To ensure integrity of the network, customers must use encryption, and having visibility mechanisms on the network is important, he said. Communication and operations management are key to ensuring protection, he said. This involves customers, partners and vendors, he said. Intelsat engages in compliance and validation by testing networks internally and also by obtaining third-party assessment, Duggal said. He urged companies to be aware of threats that could evolve with IPv6. IPv6 “expands the canvas” for attackers to operate, and the mobile space adds to that, he said.

LightSquared and ViaSat signed a multiyear agreement to introduce ViaSat L-band Managed Service. The mobile satellite service will combine LightSquared’s SkyTerra 1 satellite with ViaSat’s all-IP, packet-switched satellite technology, LightSquared said in a news release (http://bit.ly/1fk5UVF). The new service allows development of applications “serving the communications needs of consumer, enterprise and government segments,” LightSquared said Monday. The ecosystem will initially include machine-to-machine, vehicular and aviation devices designed to support a range of applications, including communications for emergency first responders and mobile workforce management, it said.

MTN signed an agreement with NewSat to enhance satellite coverage and throughput for MTN customers in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The agreement expands C- and Ku-band satellite coverage in those regions “and puts MTN in a strategic position for future service launches, including Ka band,” MTN said in a news release (http://bit.ly/1ch4xYb). The maritime markets served by MTN’s network are growing in vessel count and in demand, it said. MTN plans to add efficiencies to its network, it said.

Orbcomm unveiled new satellite modems it says are ideal for original equipment manufacturer integration into satellite machine-to-machine applications targeting markets such as transportation and distribution. The modems are 100 percent backward compatible with Orbcomm’s current OG1 satellite network, it said in a news release (http://bit.ly/NV3MbO).

Dish Network and Disney reached a carriage agreement that includes rights for Dish to carry Disney content for over-the-top (OTT) viewing. The deal also will result in a dismissal of pending litigation over ad-skipping technology from Dish, which will disable the AutoHop functionality for ABC content within the C3 ratings window. Content from Disney and properties including ABC and ESPN will be available on TVs, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and connected devices, the companies said in a news release Monday (http://bit.ly/1fEOhB5). The distribution agreement grants Dish the rights “to stream cleared linear and video-on-demand content from the ABC-owned broadcast stations, ABC Family, Disney Channel, ESPN and ESPN2, as part of an Internet delivered, IP-based multichannel offering,” they said. For the first time, Dish subscribers will be able to access Disney’s authenticated live and VOD products, they said. “The deal also provides a structure for other advertising models as the market evolves, including dynamic ad insertion, advertising on mobile devices and extended advertising measurement periods.” The agreement is a “win-win” for both sides, said Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker. “We would venture to guess that both sides got what they needed as this seems more like an agreement between partners rather than adversaries.” Most curious is the OTT service, “and we wonder if this DIS [Disney] deal has set a precedent for future Dish carriage agreements,” she wrote investors Tuesday. Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen said the companies were taking their time to reach an agreement and his company wanted a deal that took evolving technology into consideration (CD Feb 24 p9). The deal also includes an agreement with ESPN to carry University of Texas content on the Longhorn Network within Texas and nationwide, Dish said (http://bit.ly/1mSVYHM).

Hughes won a General Services Administration task order to provide commercial satellite communications end-to-end solutions in support of the Government Education and Training Network (GETN). The service will enable GETN’s distance learning capabilities, Hughes said in a news release Monday (http://bit.ly/1luSMQI). The task order is for a 4 1/2-year term, it said. GETN is made of eight federal agencies, including judiciary agencies, sharing satellite technology, facilities and distance learning programs, Hughes said. The company, which is owned by EchoStar, said it also will provide project management, maintenance and operational support and satellite capacity.

Dish Network launched a feature that gives customers using the Hopper the ability to control TV volume and power from their iPads. Dish added the feature to its second-screen iPad app, Dish Explorer, it said in a press release (http://bit.ly/1jDXxV9). In addition to the new feature, Dish added a new “Picked for Me” section to the app “offering personalized program recommendations based on viewing habits,” it said. Dish Explorer highlights the most popular programs on TV using real-time TV viewing trends, it said.