Satcoms

The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on a regulation establishing the EU's secure connectivity program for the period 2023-2027. The program sets goals for the European Union to deploy an EU satellite constellation called 'IRIS2' (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite), which will enable secure communication services by 2027

In this episode of Space Cafè Radio Editor in Chief Dr. Emma Gatti spoke with Dr. Valanathan Munsami, the Senior Advisor to the CEO of the Saudi Space Agency. This interview took place during the Connecting the World from the Skies forum, which was held in Riyadh from the 8th to the 10th of November 2022. The conference was hosted by the International Telecommunication Union and the Communications, Space & Technology Commission of Saudi Arabia with the theme being “connecting the unconnected”. Important indications of where Saudi Arabia wants to situate itself within the global Space economy, the directions it wants to follow, the vision it would like to cultivate, and the investment it intends to pursue, were showcased. 

In this Space Café Radio - SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening spoke with HE Dr. Mohammed Altamimi, the Governor of the Communications, Space & Technology Commission of Saudi Arabia (CST). This interview took place during the Connecting the World from the Skies forum, which was held in Riyadh from the 8th to the 10th of November 2022.

Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund invested US $450 million in critical infrastructure supporting Emergency SOS via satellite for iPhone 14 models in the US and Canada. The new service will be available later this month, making the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models capable of connecting to a satellite directly. The connection in turn, will allow for messaging emergency services even without cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.

The European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) has published its second Horizon Europe call with a total value of €48.1 million. The goal is to stimulate the development of innovative space downstream applications. As a result, the call will bring forth the added-value EU Space Program data and services, namely Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus.

Lynk CEO Charles Miller has announced that the mobile network technology company will begin its commercial services in early 2023 after receiving the "first commercial license" from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  Miller made the disclosure during a panel session at the ongoing 3-day international forum on Connecting the World from the Skies

Sateliot, the U.S.-based first nanosatellite telecommunications company to offer 5G connectivity for IoT devices, announced the launch of its first functional nanosatellite in Q1 2023. The technology will allow anyone with a standard 5G device to stay connected anywhere in the world. 5G connectivity will also have an impact on the logistics, agriculture, maritime, energy, utilities, transportation and environmental sectors, the company stated.

OneWeb CEO Sunil Bharti Mittal has announced that it will become ready for service in the second half of 2023 as it will complete the launch of its constellations by March 2023. Sunil made this announcement at the ongoing Connecting the World from the Skies forum, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Saudi Arabia Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST). 

Launch and space systems company Rocket Lab, has partnered with Inmarsat Government to develop and manufacture an L-band radio in support of NASA’s Communications Services Project (CSP), Rocket Lab said. CSP aims to accelerate the development of commercial near-Earth communications services by leveraging the expertise and technology of satellite communications providers. 

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) published a position paper outlining core priorities in the field of space-based connectivity and industry requirements for the European Communication Satellite Constellation, the 5GAA said.  With the publication, the Association aims to highlight the role of NTNs (non-terrestrial networks) in the development of automotive and telecommunications industries.