Connectivity

On Aug. 13, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 test rig using the code name Grasshopper completed a divert test.

Satellite operator Telesat has partnered with Lemko Corporation to bring advanced broadband services, including 3G/4G solutions, to rural and remote communities in Canada.

Sirius XM will pay $530 million in cash to acquire the connected vehicle services business of Agero, Inc.

The Guitammer Company, a broadcast technology provider, announced second quarter 2013 revenue rose to $428,183, which is an increase of 25 percent compared to second quarter of 2012.

Vislink, a broadcast solutions provider, has appointed two new key members for its team.

C-COM Satellite Systems has entered into a white label agreement with one of Asia's largest electronic manufacturers.

ATK has received a contract from Orbital Sciences Corporation to provide first and second stage propulsion for the Air Launch Vehicle (ALV) that Orbital is designing and building for Stratolaunch Systems Corporation as part of an air-launched space transportation system.

The Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG) and satellite communications specialist, Newtec, have launched a survey to find out what the industry really thinks when it comes to satellite interference and Carrier ID.

Advantech Wireless has extended its line of S-band synthesized and block frequency converters in order to include various satellite loop translators and redundant indoor and outdoor units.

Israel-based RRsat Global Communications Network, reported record quarterly revenue increase during the second quarter of 2013, which ended on June 30.

OTE, a dominant telecommunications provider in Greece, saw second-quarter success with its satellite TV offer, adding a total of 174,964 subscribers to its ranks.

ATEME, a video compression solutions provider for the broadcast industry, announced that Karen McCone, has joined the company as vice president, media accounts for the Americas region.

Blue Sky Network, a supplier of satellite tracking and communication solutions for aviation, land and marine, announced several new map overlay enhancements to its cloud-based fleet management solution, New SkyRouter.

Five EchoStar-engineered products have been selected as finalists in this year's Cable & Satellite International (CSI) Awards.

KVH Industries, a provider of global high speed Internet, television and voice services via satellite, has more than doubled the capacity of its mini-VSAT Broadband network in the Asia-Pacific region.

Advantech Wireless, a global designer and manufacturer of satellite, radio frequency equipment and microwave systems, has received new orders in excess of $1 million to supply 600W and 1.2kW Ku-band SapphireBlu Series of UltraLinear GaN based High Power Amplifiers (HPA) for Direct-to-Home (DTH) projects from a major customer in Asia.

Beginning in September, JetBlue Airways will connect to satellites that employ spot-beam technology, according to reports.

RigNet, a global provider of managed remote communications to the energy industry, has deployed an iDirect Series 5IF Universal Satellite Hub in Guaratiba, Brazil.

RRsat Global Communications Network, a provider of digital content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries, reported a record $29.5 million in revenues for the second quarter of 2013.

SkyStream, a major service provider in the Middle East, has its eye set in Iraq as a key potential growth market for the company.

Due to lower-than-expected bids for the business, Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) is contemplating an initial public offering (IPO) of Optus Satellite, its Australian satellite unit.

Platco Digial, a low-cost direct-to-home (DTH) company that supports a multi-channel strategy offering content carriage to local broadcasters, will bring South Africa free satellite TV through OpenView HD, a free-to-view satellite TV offering with an initial 15 channels.

AmpliTech, a provider of radio frequency/microwave, microelectronic, Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMIC), and low-noise amplifiers for critical and high-reliability, wireless and commercial applications, has received more than $500,000 worth of orders during the second quarter for its amplifier solutions.

Agogo, a new mobile audio service, aims to collect the span of online audio offerings such as Spotify, Rdio, and NPR and connect them, in a single interface.

Israel-based ORBIT Technologies has signed a $4.2 million contract to supply its IP-based video surveillance system on board a major European aircraft manufacturer’s passenger planes.

Blue Sky Network, a supplier of satellite tracking and communication solutions for aviation, land and marine, has entered a partnership with Avionics Services, a company that develops, installs and certifies avionics equipment for the civilian and military aviation markets.

Perhaps best known for its Atlantic Ocean beaches, Appalachian mountains, world-class crab cakes and Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl champions, Maryland also has thriving satellite, aerospace and defense sectors.

Level 3 Communications has signed an agreement to provide a North American satellite gateway for O3b Networks.

Inmarsat announced that Alphasat, a technically advanced telecommunications satellite, has successfully reached its temporary post in geostationary orbit.

The Global VSAT Forum (GVF), the Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG), the World Broadcasting Unions- International Satellite Operators Group (WBU-ISOG) and the Radio Frequency Interference – End Users Initiative (RFI-EUI), have partnered to host a series of interference prevention meetings throughout IBC.