Satellite operator SES and du from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), a leading telecom operator in the United Arab Emirates, say they have successfully demonstrated the first satellite-enabled 5G backhaul in the Middle East utilising SES’s medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites.

Qatar’s Es’hailSat and AXESS Networks have announced a strategic partnership agreement to provide teleport and VSAT services for multiple sectors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

While it doesn’t seem to be region-specific, the widely reported news that satellite operator Iridium is entering into a service agreement for a direct-to-smartphone satellite service could be significant for many territories in both the developing and developed world.

The first microsatellite to be manufactured in South Africa since 2009 is about to be launched. Developed by local company Dragonfly Aerospace, EOS SAT-1 is due to be launched at Cape Canaveral as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-6 on Monday evening, local time.

The recently reported SES MEO satellite launches are continuing to bring business opportunities for SES and its customers: this time Ecuadorian state telco CNT is involved.

Vodafone announced connectivity in the Cook Islands would be bolstered to 4G+ after signing a deal with SES to tap into the company’s new range of satellites.   

The Chairman of regulator the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), PD Vaghela, has been widely quoted in recent Indian press reports as saying that TRAI is likely to come up with a model for the auction of satellite spectrum.

Satellite communications technology company ST Engineering iDirect has announced that its long-standing partner, the Bolivian Space Agency (ABE), has upgraded its satellite ground network.

OneWeb, a global communications network powered by a constellation of 648 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, has announced the signing of a distribution partnership with Paratus Group, the pan-African telecommunications company.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband provider Starlink has been licensed to operate in Haiti – and applied for a permit in Tanzania.

OneWeb, a global communications network powered by a constellation of 648 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and telco solutions and services provider Q-KON Africa, have signed a five-year agreement to distribute low earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity services in Africa.

The role of satellites in supporting broadband access is again in the news, with Hispasat and Sencinet announcing plans to expand their collaboration to extend satellite broadband access in Mexico.

Nigeria’s less well-served areas are set to benefit from a new deal bringing together satcoms and broadband.

OneWeb, a global communications network powered from space, has announced the signing of a distribution partnership agreement with Airtel Africa, a provider of telecommunications and mobile money services across Africa.

There’s been further success in Latin America for satellite networking technology, solutions and services company Gilat.

Pan-African network operator Paratus Group has announced a multi-year agreement with global telecommunications provider OneWeb to build a gateway in Luanda, Angola. It will be operational in the second half of 2023.

Satellite networking technology, solutions and services company Gilat Satellite Networks has announced that it has been selected to support a multi-million-dollar e-learning project in Peru.

Satellite operator SES has signed a multi-year capacity renewal deal with operator Claro Brasil, through Embratel, its corporate solutions division, to enable the delivery of enhanced 4G/5G-ready services via its O3b mPOWER network, SES’s next-generation medium earth orbit (MEO) communications system, in at least eight of 23 cities the operator serves via SES’s multi-orbit satellite network across the region.

Satellite networking technology company Gilat has been selected by Sencinet, an integrator of managed services and solutions, for Petrobras’ oil and gas industry satellite connectivity project.

The Carrier and Wholesale Services division of e& (formerly the Etisalat Group) has announced a partnership with technology giant Microsoft and satellite operator SES to host the co-located SES O3b mPOWER and Microsoft ground station at Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE.