NEWS

LATEST NEWS EXTRACTS FROM THE APSCC

Maxar Technologies to Sell MDA to Northern Private Capital

December 30, 2019 - Maxar Technologies has entered into a definitive agreement to sell MDA to a consortium of financial sponsors led by Northern Private Capital (NPC), for CAD$1 billion (US$765 million), subject to customary adjustments. The company expects to use proceeds to reduce leverage and improve its capital structure to prioritize investments for growth in its core areas of Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure. The transaction includes all of MDA’s Canadian businesses, encompassing ground stations, radar satellite products, robotics, defense, and satellite components, representing approximately 1,900 employees. Following the completion of the transaction, the MDA team will operate as a stand-alone company within NPC’s portfolio, retaining its name and standing as the leading space and defense company in Canada. MDA expects to continue to supply Maxar with certain components and subsystems, and the companies expect to sell each other’s complementary satellite data. The completion of the transaction is conditioned on regulatory approvals, including review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, Hart-Scott-Rodino review by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and Canadian government reviews under the Radiocommunications Act and the Competition Act.

Thuraya Signs Strategic Partnership Agreement with Rockville Technologies

December 26, 2019 - Thuraya Telecommunications Company has signed a Service Partner agreement with Rockville Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd., one of the leading system integrators and IoT/M2M solution providers in Pakistan. The partnership will expand the availability of Thuraya’s products and services across key vertical markets within the country. Headquartered in Islamabad, Pakistan with offices in Kuwait, UAE, KSA, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria and Turkey, Rockville has developed a diversified portfolio of technologies and telecom solutions since its founding in 2002. The company is already associated with more than 25 top telecom GSM operators and now its first-class integration capabilities complement Thuraya’s renowned satellites and network portfolio of M2M, IoT and Data services. The strategic agreement is a key milestone in Thuraya’s plans to drive growth in its M2M and IoT business. It will further expand market potential by offering bespoke satellite communication solutions to a diversified customer base.

Inmarsat Government Orders Large Block of Airborne Satcom Terminals from Orbit

December 19, 2019 - Orbit Communication Systems and Inmarsat Government announced an initial order from Inmarsat Government for Orbit’s Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT) 46WGX. Orbit’s MPT 46WGX is a 46cm (18-inch) modular, multi-role aviation terminal designed to be fully interoperable with military Kaband systems and optimized for use over Inmarsat’s Global Xpress constellation. The order comes on the heels of a co-development agreement signed between Inmarsat and Orbit Communication Systems, announced on March 20, 2019. Delivery of the satellite antenna systems is expected in early 2020 from Orbit’s US-based production facilities.

Satellogic Announces $50M in Funding from New and Existing Investors

December 19, 2019 - Satellogic announced $50M in funding from new and existing investors. Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Satellogic’s $38M Dedicated Satellite Constellation (DSC) agreement with ABDAS to deliver access to a dedicated fleet of satellites providing them with high-resolution geospatial insights that will contribute to the monitoring of agriculture over the Henan Province in China and strengthen governmental decisions. Existing investors, including Tencent and Pitanga, contributed approximately 40% of the $50M in newly announced funding, with some existing investors requesting more than their pro rata share. The remaining capital comes from a number of new financial and strategic investors, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the IDB Group.

Hughes Partners with VeloCloud to Deliver SD‐WAN Platform for Distributed Enterprises

December 17, 2019 - Hughes Network Systems, LLC has added the VMware SD-WAN powered by VeloCloud platform to its HughesON Managed SD-WAN portfolio for enterprise customers. The addition of the VeloCloud platform further enhances the most robust portfolio of SD-WAN solutions in the marketplace, reinforcing Hughes as the trusted partner of all organizations, no matter their size or nature, to deliver the most cost-effective, cloud-delivered application performance. The addition of VMware SDWAN by VeloCloud to the HughesON portfolio gives enterprise customers a platform option that includes support for multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), cloud on-ramp services, architectural flexibility, and native ability for Voice over IP (VoIP) optimization on both wired and wireless broadband networks. Deployed via a cloud-hosted, on premises, or hybrid model, the VMware platform supports Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) and Zero Trust security architectures, integrating seamlessly across vendors for increased service flexibility and quality. For global enterprises, VMware's network of cloud-hosted gateways enables optimal application performance anywhere in the world.

For all the latest news visit the APSCC website

Editorials and Inquiries
News, comments, and suggestions can be sent to the editor at:
APSCC Publications
Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council
Suite T-1602 Poonglim Iwantplus, 255-1 Seohyun-dong, Bundang-gu
Seongnam, Kyunggi-do, 463-824 Korea

Tel:  +82 31 783 6244
Fax:  +82 31 783 6249
E-mail: info@apscc.or.kr
Website: www.apscc.or.kr

About APSCC
APSCC is a non-profit, international organization representing all sectors of satellite and space-related industries. The aim of the organization is to exchange views and ideas on satellite technologies, systems, policies and outer space activities in general along with satellite communications including broadcasting for the betterment of the Asia-Pacific region.

Conferences, forums, workshops, and exhibitions are organized through regional coordination with its members in order to promote new services and businesses via satellite as well as outer space activities. APSCC membership is open to any government body, public or private organization, association, or corporation that is involved in satellite services, risk management or associate fields such as data-casting, informatics, multi-media, telecommunications and other outer-space related activities with interests in the Asia-Pacific region. More information is available at www.apscc.or.kr.