Today: 8 February 2026
Subscribe

Artificial Intelligence in Satellite and Space Systems

Artificial Intelligence in Satellite and Space Systems

In May 1999, NASA’s Deep Space 1 operated for three days with the Remote Agent AI, planning activities and diagnosing simulated faults autonomously. From 2001 to 2004, NASA’s EO-1 carried the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE), using onboard machine learning and the CASPER planner to re-task after events like volcanic eruptions. In 2013, JAXA’s Epsilon rocket became the first AI-enabled launch vehicle, reducing launch prep time from months to days. In 2015, NASA’s Curiosity rover implemented the AEGIS onboard targeting system to autonomously select rock targets for the ChemCam laser. In 2018, CIMON (Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN) became the first AI-powered
12 June 2025
··
Flat-Panel Frenzy: Phased-Array Antennas Set to Boom Across Global Industries by 2029

Flat-Panel Frenzy: Phased-Array Antennas Set to Boom Across Global Industries by 2029

The global market for flat-panel and phased-array antennas was valued at about $5.05 billion in 2024 and is on track to surpass $13 billion by the early 2030s, with a roughly 11–12% CAGR. Flat-panel antennas for satellite communications and mobility are expected to grow from about $0.49 billion in 2024 to $1.37 billion by 2029, a 22.7% CAGR. The satellite antenna market growth is driven by LEO, MEO, and GEO constellations, with about 5,500 active satellites in 2022 and up to 58,000 additional satellites could be launched by 2030. Kymeta pioneered metamaterial-based flat-panel antennas and released the Osprey u8 HGL
12 June 2025
··
The Digital Desert: Inside Equatorial Guinea’s Struggle for Internet Access

The Digital Desert: Inside Equatorial Guinea’s Struggle for Internet Access

Equatorial Guinea is described as a digital desert due to the internet’s high cost, slow speeds, and limited availability. Internet access began in 1997 via a France-backed connection, and by 2010 only about 2% of the population were internet users. GETESA, the state-dominated operator, held about 60% ownership with Orange S.A. around 40%, and controlled international gateways via GITGE. HiTs Telecom launched Green Com (Muni) around 2011, and GECOMSA was created in 2012 to expand competition. Equatorial Guinea connected to the ACE submarine cable in 2012, and domestic Ceiba-1 and Ceiba-2 cables linked the mainland Rio Muni with Bioko. Internet
12 June 2025
Ground Control Goes Cloud: The Digital Overhaul of Satellite Operations (2025–2030)

Ground Control Goes Cloud: The Digital Overhaul of Satellite Operations (2025–2030)

From 2025 to 2030, ground control shifts from hardware-centric architectures to cloud-enabled, software-defined infrastructure via Ground-Station-as-a-Service (GSaaS). The global satellite ground station market is projected to grow from about $56 billion in 2022 to $125 billion by 2030. AWS Ground Station and Microsoft Azure Orbital provide pay-per-use, cloud-connected antennas that deliver downlinks directly into cloud storage and analytics pipelines. Digital Intermediate Frequency (DIF) technology enables digitizing RF signals at the antenna and transporting RF over IP to cloud data centers. Digital twins are expanding into operations by 2025, with AWS Ground Station offering a digital twin environment and NASA JPL
12 June 2025
····
The Digital Divide and Skyborne Signals: Internet Access in El Salvador

The Digital Divide and Skyborne Signals: Internet Access in El Salvador

As of early 2025, about 4.88 million Salvadorans are online, representing 76.9% of the population. The telecom sector privatized in 1997, leading to competition among Claro (~40%), Tigo (~25%), Digicel (~11%), Movistar (~6%), and Others (~5%) for fixed broadband. Mobile networks cover about 93% of the territory, and 92% of Salvadorans have at least 3G coverage. Mobile phone subscriptions reached 11.5 million in 2022, exceeding the 6.5 million population for roughly 160% penetration due to multiple SIMs. Fixed telephone lines and legacy DSL have stagnated at under 0.9 million, as mobile becomes the preferred access. Median fixed broadband download speeds
11 June 2025
··
Satellite Bus Showdown: Legacy Titans vs. NewSpace Mavericks (2024–2033)

Satellite Bus Showdown: Legacy Titans vs. NewSpace Mavericks (2024–2033)

The global satellite bus market is projected to rise from $14.1 billion in 2023 to $23.4 billion by 2033, a CAGR of about 5.4%. Lockheed Martin is developing the LM-2100 modular bus with upgradeable components, while Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Airbus, and Thales Alenia Space remain leaders in GEO and military programs. SpaceX has mass-produced Starlink satellites in-house, with over 6,500 launched to date and satellites comprising roughly 50% of active satellites, plus a Starshield military variant. Airbus and OneWeb formed a joint venture that manufactured hundreds of satellites on an assembly-line in Florida for mass production. Britain’s BAE Systems agreed
11 June 2025
··········
Inside Ecuador’s Digital Frontier: Internet Access, Inequality, and Satellite Solutions

Inside Ecuador’s Digital Frontier: Internet Access, Inequality, and Satellite Solutions

Fixed broadband penetration is around 15% of the population as of December 2022, equating to roughly 2.75–2.9 million fixed broadband accounts in a country of 18 million people. About 20,242 km of fiber-optic cable were laid in 2022 alone, representing nearly 10% of Ecuador’s total fiber infrastructure. The Mistral undersea cable was activated to increase international bandwidth, in partnership with América Móvil (Claro) and Telxius, with planned Galápagos subsea cable and Carnival Submarine Network to link Ecuador to the United States. By January 2023, Ecuador had 16.7 million active mobile connections (roughly 92% of the population) and about 10.8 million
11 June 2025
···
High Seas Broadband Boom: Maritime VSAT & L-Band Services Market Set to Soar by 2032

High Seas Broadband Boom: Maritime VSAT & L-Band Services Market Set to Soar by 2032

The global maritime VSAT and L-band services market is forecast to reach about $12.4 billion by 2032, with a roughly 8.5% CAGR from 2024 to 2032. In 2024, VSAT-based connectivity accounted for about 77% of maritime satcom revenue, while L-band MSS accounted for about 23%. The maritime VSAT market is projected to grow from about $3.46 billion in 2024 to $9.30 billion by 2032, a 14.6% CAGR for 2025–2032. Post-pandemic, total maritime satcom revenues fell by over 11% in 2020, then surged 42% in 2021 as demand rebounded and VSAT-equipped vessels rose from 28,350 in 2020 to 39,700 in 2021.
11 June 2025
·
Timor-Leste’s Internet Evolution: Bridging the Digital Divide in 2025

Timor-Leste’s Internet Evolution: Bridging the Digital Divide in 2025

In June 2024, Timor-Leste landed the TLSSC submarine cable, about 607 km to Australia with 27 Tbps capacity, built by Alcatel Submarine Networks, connecting Dili to Australia’s NWCS via Darwin and Port Hedland. Starlink launched in Timor-Leste in December 2024, becoming the 116th country with Starlink coverage and achieving nationwide signal by December 13, 2024. As of Jan 2025, internet users numbered 486,000 (34.5% of the population), down from 742,000 (54.2%) in Jan 2024 due to updated methodologies. Timor-Leste’s population is about 1.41 million (roughly 33% urban) with a median age around 21–22 years and about 74% under 35. The
11 June 2025
·
In-Flight Wi-Fi Takes Off: The Sky-High Race for Satellite Connectivity 2024–2030

In-Flight Wi-Fi Takes Off: The Sky-High Race for Satellite Connectivity 2024–2030

Euroconsult projects the number of IFC-equipped aircraft worldwide will grow from about 9,900 in 2021 to over 21,000 by 2030. SpaceX Starlink, an LEO system with more than 4,000 satellites by 2024, has contracts to equip over 2,000 aircraft by early 2025 and can deliver up to 350 Mbps per aircraft with installation times of 8–10 hours. OneWeb completed a 618-satellite constellation in 2023, merged with Eutelsat to form a multi-orbit offering, and began aviation service in 2023–2024 with Panasonic Discover Airlines projects by 2025. Viasat and Inmarsat provide a global Ka-band GEO network after merger, with ViaSat-3 entering service
11 June 2025
········
Dominican Republic’s Digital Revolution: Fiber, 5G and Starlink Are Connecting Every Corner of Paradise

Dominican Republic’s Digital Revolution: Fiber, 5G and Starlink Are Connecting Every Corner of Paradise

Historical Development Current State of Internet Infrastructure Dominican Republic internet penetration is high (~89% in 2024 Datareportal), driven mostly by mobile broadband. As of mid-2023 there were 8.94 million mobile‑broadband subscriptions (about 73% of the population) versus only ~1.09 million fixed‑broadband lines (≈9%) Trade. Fixed broadband is available via fiber, cable and DSL in urban/suburban areas, while 4G/LTE mobile covers ~98% of the population Worlddata (4G “or better” at 97.6%) and 5G networks now cover roughly 54.9% of the country Worlddata. Urban vs. Rural Access There is a stark digital divide between cities and the countryside. In 2022, about 50.8% of urban
10 June 2025
Telecommunications Infrastructure in Ukraine (2022–2025): Destruction and Resilience

Telecommunications Infrastructure in Ukraine (2022–2025): Destruction and Resilience

Overview: Types of Infrastructure Targeted Ukraine’s telecommunications network encompasses a wide range of critical infrastructure that has come under attack since 2022. These include: Together, these attacks have aimed to sever Ukraine’s connectivity – both civilian communications and military command links – by dismantling the physical pillars of the internet, phone, and broadcast systems. The following sections detail the timeline of destruction, the regional impacts, and how Ukraine has kept communications running against the odds. Chronology of Major Damage (2022–2025) People examine the wreckage of a broadcasting tower destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv (April 2024) euronews.com. Critical telecom
10 June 2025
·
Sky’s the Limit: Earth-Observation Data & Analytics Market Set to Soar by 2031

Sky’s the Limit: Earth-Observation Data & Analytics Market Set to Soar by 2031

Market Overview and Definition Satellite Earth observation covers remote sensing data from space (and high-altitude) sensors plus the analytics that turn imagery into actionable insights. The sector is rapidly evolving: by 2023 there were over 6,500 satellites in orbit, enabling unprecedented global coverage mordorintelligence.com. Today’s EO data includes optical images, radar (SAR) returns, hyperspectral scans, LiDAR, etc., which are processed into maps, change-detection alerts, and predictive models. Key application segments span agriculture, energy, infrastructure monitoring, disaster response, and more mordorintelligence.com. For example, one analysis notes that agriculture (crop monitoring), energy (resource site selection), infrastructure, and disaster management are core EO
10 June 2025
·
Dominica: Internet Infrastructure and Access Technologies

Dominica: Internet Infrastructure and Access Technologies

Dominica is a landing point on the 3,000-km Southern Caribbean Fiber (SCF) ring linking 15 Eastern Caribbean islands. On-island, Flow (formerly Cable & Wireless) provides fixed DSL and coaxial/cable service, while Digicel Play offers cable/FTTP over an upgraded HFC network. In 2018 Digicel won a 15-year contract to overhaul Dominica’s telecommunications, rebuilding towers and fiber to government offices and health centers. In 2019 the Southern Caribbean Fiber cable landed at Dominica’s Canefield, boosting international capacity. Starlink LEO service began serving Dominica in June 2025, offering high-speed, low-latency internet across the island. As of January 2024, about 61,020 Dominicans were online,
10 June 2025
·
Rural Broadband Revolution: Satellite Internet’s Sky-High Growth (2024–2030)

Rural Broadband Revolution: Satellite Internet’s Sky-High Growth (2024–2030)

The global satellite broadband market was roughly $5–9 billion in 2023 and is forecast to reach about $24–23 billion by 2030, with an annual CAGR of 14–30%. North America led in 2023 with about 32% of revenues, while Asia-Pacific (~15%), Europe (~14%), Latin America (~12.5%), and Middle East & Africa (~12%) are forecast to grow fastest. By 2030, North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific are each projected to be in the $6–7+ billion range, with Latin America and MEA contributing several hundred million USD. In 2023 the regional revenues were North America $2,966.1 M, Europe $2,435.0 M, Asia–Pacific $2,264.6 M, Latin
10 June 2025
····
Inside Djibouti’s Digital Frontier: The Rise of Internet Access and Satellite Connectivity

Inside Djibouti’s Digital Frontier: The Rise of Internet Access and Satellite Connectivity

Djibouti hosts about 10–12 international undersea cables on the Red Sea coast, including SMW3, EIG, SEA-ME-WE-5/6, AAE-1, EASSy, WIOCC, Yemeni, and DARE1, linking to Europe, Asia and East/Southern Africa. Djibouti Telecom invested over $200 million in the last decade in landing stations and a protected submarine corridor, reinforcing Djibouti as a regional internet gateway. Terrestrial fiber links connect Djibouti to Ethiopia and Somalia, and AfriFiber serves thousands of homes in Djibouti City. The Djibouti Data Center (DDC) is the first and only carrier-neutral data center in East Africa, co-locating major cable landing points with Tier-3 colocation, peering, and the DjIX
10 June 2025
··
Bandwidth Wars: The High-Stakes Battle for High-Throughput Satellite Dominance (2025–2035)

Bandwidth Wars: The High-Stakes Battle for High-Throughput Satellite Dominance (2025–2035)

HTS use numerous narrow spot-beams and on-board processing to deliver dramatically higher data rates than legacy FSS, with platforms like Boeing 702X and SES-17 featuring fully digital, reconfigurable payloads. HTS constellations can deliver terabits of capacity worldwide to power broadband, backhaul, IoT and government networks. Modern HTS platforms operate primarily in Ku/Ka-bands and increasingly in V/Q/KuL bands to support mobility. In aviation, Ka-band GEO and LEO HTS provide in-flight connectivity on thousands of passenger aircraft, with SES-17 Ka-band HTS expected to meet exponential airline connectivity needs. On-the-move broadband can deliver gigabit links to moving antennas for military, emergency-response and commercial
10 June 2025
·····
Internet Access in Czechia: From Prague to the Sky

Internet Access in Czechia: From Prague to the Sky

As of 2023, about 91.6% of Czechia’s population is online, equating to roughly 9.6 million internet users in a country of 10.5 million. Fixed broadband connections reached 4.1 million in 2023, roughly 38–40 subscriptions per 100 people. There are 15.5 million mobile SIM cards (about 148 per 100 people) and 11.5 million active mobile internet subscriptions, with mobile broadband subscriptions nearly three times fixed broadband. Wireless fixed access accounts for about 27% of fixed connections in 2023, with about 1.13 million fixed wireless subscriptions in 2022 and 452,000 fixed LTE/5G connections in 2022, together about 39% of fixed broadband. FTTH
9 June 2025
··
Rocketing into the Future: Smallsat Launch Services Set to Skyrocket (2025–2032)

Rocketing into the Future: Smallsat Launch Services Set to Skyrocket (2025–2032)

Executive Summary In summary, the 2025–2032 period will likely be remembered as the “gold rush” era for small satellite launch services, marked by fierce competition, rapidly advancing technology, and multiplying launch opportunities worldwide. For stakeholders – whether satellite operators planning constellations, investors evaluating launch companies, or government agencies seeking assured access to space – the key will be to monitor both the economic trends (pricing, supply vs. demand) and the technical/regulatory landscape (new capabilities, rules, and players). Smallsat launch services are poised for tremendous growth, but success in this market will require navigating its fast-evolving dynamics. Those launch providers that
9 June 2025
··
Inside Cyprus’s Digital Lifeline: Internet Access on the Island and Beyond the Clouds

Inside Cyprus’s Digital Lifeline: Internet Access on the Island and Beyond the Clouds

Cablenet’s hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) network passes around 80% of premises in Cyprus. Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) rollouts are underway with a target to reach 200,000 gigabit-capable premises nationwide. Cyprus’s four mobile network operators are Cyta (Cytamobile-Vodafone), Epic, PrimeTel, and Cablenet. By end-2022 Cyprus achieved 100% 5G coverage in populated areas, with Cyta claiming full-population 5G coverage. Starlink began regulatory clearance in Q3 2023 and is now available in Cyprus with download speeds over 100 Mbps and latency of 30–50 ms. As of 2024, Starlink hardware kit costs roughly €175 and monthly service about €50. FTTP coverage now reaches 77% of homes nationwide,
9 June 2025
1 … 1,633 1,634 1,635 1,636 1,637 … 1,642

Stock Market Today

Barclays share price jumps into earnings week: what to watch before Tuesday’s results

Barclays share price jumps into earnings week: what to watch before Tuesday’s results

8 February 2026
Barclays shares closed up 2.71% at 479.1 pence on Friday, ahead of full-year results and a targets update due Tuesday. Barclays and NatWest have both submitted offers for Evelyn Partners, with a deal announcement possible this week, according to Reuters. Mary Francis will retire from the Barclays board in May. Investors are watching for signals on costs, credit quality, and capital returns.
Rolls-Royce share price ends week higher on buyback update as RR.L eyes turn to results

Rolls-Royce share price ends week higher on buyback update as RR.L eyes turn to results

8 February 2026
Rolls-Royce Holdings shares closed at 1,229p on Friday, up 1.78%, as the FTSE 100 gained 0.59%. The company reported buying 742,570 shares on Feb. 5 as part of its £200 million buyback, bringing total repurchases to 12.66 million shares. Rolls-Royce will attend the World Defense Show in Riyadh, noting over 80% of its Saudi workforce are nationals.
Vodafone share price: Buyback kicks off, but Germany recovery is the next test for VOD.L

Vodafone share price: Buyback kicks off, but Germany recovery is the next test for VOD.L

8 February 2026
Vodafone (VOD.L) bought 27.1 million shares this week as its new buyback began, with the stock closing Friday up 1.47% at 110.6p after a sharp drop the day before. Investors remain focused on Germany’s service-revenue growth and the pace of buybacks ahead of Monday’s open. The company maintained full-year guidance after reporting 5.4% group service revenue growth in Q3, with Germany up 0.7%.
Go toTop