Infrastructure
Communications Satellites
2005 – Data Communications
Data communications services include very small aperture terminal (VSAT) services, Internet backhaul, direct-to-home broadband, and mobile data. Data communications services include very small aperture terminal (VSAT) services, Internet backhaul, direct-to-home…
2007 – Communications Satellites Overview
A satellite database compiled by Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) lists 524 active communications satellites in Earth orbit.95 Of these, 241 are in a geostationary orbit while an additional 57 satellites…
2008 – MSS Satellite Design Activities
A new MSS venture was announced in September 2008. With the backing of $60 million from Google, HSBC, and Liberty Global, the “Other 3 Billion” (O3b) network was introduced. The…
2008 – Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) Space Activities
While FSS systems all operate in GEO, mobile satellite service (MSS) systems operate in a range of orbits. Some MSS operators have built their networks using a limited number of…
2008 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Satellite Design Activities
Since 2004, the FSS sector has experienced steady increases in the utilization of its satellites, in some regions verging on exhaustion of currently available capacity. The major FSS players report…
2008 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Space Activities
GEO satellites provide coverage of a wide area from a relatively fixed position, making them ideal for broadcast applications to multiple downlink sites, as well as for networking services to…
2008 – Communications Satellites Overview
According to a satellite database compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists, there are 548 active communications satellites: 326 in geostationary orbit (GEO), 206 in low Earth orbit (LEO), and…
2009 – MSS Satellite Design Activities
MSS provider Globalstar is developing its second-generation constellation to replace existing satellites that have had technical problems since early 2007. The problems have severely degraded its two-way voice and data…
2009 – Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) Space Activities
Mobile satellite services (MSS) providers connect phones and other handheld devices directly to satellites to provide near-constant coverage, even in African villages, Antarctic bases, offshore oil rigs, and other remote…
2009 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Satellite Design Activities
Providers of FSS have enjoyed considerable success in recent years due in large part to the international growth of applications such as high-definition (HD) television. From the beginning of 2007…