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Satellite Technology News 29 May 2025 - 15 June 2025

The Digital Lifeline: Inside Ghana’s Internet Revolution from Fiber to Satellite

The Digital Lifeline: Inside Ghana’s Internet Revolution from Fiber to Satellite

As of early 2025, about 24.3 million Ghanaians were internet users, representing 69.9% penetration, with 38.3 million active mobile connections. Over 93% of mobile connections are on 3G, 4G, or 5G networks, underscoring mobile broadband dominance. In 2021, internet use was about 80% among youth (15–29), with urban usage around 80% and rural usage about 54%. Fixed broadband subscriptions were about 113,640 by late 2023, less than 0.7% of the population, with more than 99% of users relying on mobile networks. MTN Ghana launched 4G LTE in 2016 and accounts for about 82% of Ghana’s 4G traffic. By 2020, 4G
How Satellite Technologies Are Transforming Ukraine: From Warzones to Wheat Fields

How Satellite Technologies Are Transforming Ukraine: From Warzones to Wheat Fields

In August 2022, a Ukrainian charity crowdfunded access to an ICEYE SAR satellite, providing 24/7 all-weather imaging from one satellite and access to ICEYE’s full constellation for over a year. Commercial high-resolution imagery from Maxar, Planet Labs, and BlackSky documented battlefield events such as Russian troop buildups and missile strikes. Analysts have described the Russia-Ukraine war as the most documented conflict in history thanks to the avalanche of satellite data. After the 2022 invasion, SpaceX shipped thousands of Starlink user terminals to Ukraine, and by 2024 Starlink was a reliable frontline communications partner. In February 2022, commercial satellites captured a
The GEO Reboot: How 2040 Will Look from 36,000 km Up

The GEO Reboot: How 2040 Will Look from 36,000 km Up

By 2040, analysts expect the global GEO replacement rate to be 10–15 new satellites per year, totaling about 200 GEO satellites from 2024 to 2040 and replacing most of today’s roughly 350-satellite fleet. A typical GEO satellite is designed for about 15 years, but all-electric propulsion and on-orbit servicing can push operational life to 20–30 years, as shown by MEV extensions of Intelsat-901 and 10-02 in 2020–2021. NASA is phasing out the dedicated TDRS relay fleet by the mid-2030s and shifting to commercial SATCOM services from providers such as SpaceX, SES, Viasat, and Inmarsat, with NASA stopping new TDRS users
Eritrea’s Digital Desert: Inside the World’s Most Isolated Internet – and the Satellite Lifeline on the Horizon

Eritrea’s Digital Desert: Inside the World’s Most Isolated Internet – and the Satellite Lifeline on the Horizon

As of early 2024, about 26% of Eritrea’s 3.7 million people were internet users. Eritrea is the only coastal African nation with zero submarine fiber-optic cable landings. The telecom sector is entirely state-owned and monopolized by Eritrean Telecommunication Services Corporation (EriTel), with no private ISPs or competing mobile operators. Public mobile data is essentially unavailable; the mobile network runs on 2G GSM with 3G/4G largely disabled for ordinary users. Fixed broadband remains extremely limited, with fewer than 150 subscriptions in the mid-2010s. Internet cafés are the primary access point, with fewer than 10 in Asmara and roughly 100 nationwide. EriTel’s
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
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
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,
The State of Internet Access in Denmark: From Fiber to Satellite in 2025

The State of Internet Access in Denmark: From Fiber to Satellite in 2025

Fiber-to-the-premises reach about 88% of Danish households as of early 2024, up from just over 84% in mid-2023. DSL coverage has declined to around 87–89% as copper networks are retired, with full decommission planned by 2030. Hybrid fiber-coaxial cable networks upgraded to DOCSIS 3.1 now cover roughly two-thirds of households, with rural fiber reach around 90.3% of rural homes by mid-2023. 5G coverage reached 98% of populated areas by 2023, with high-band 3.5 GHz reaching about 85% of the population by mid-2023, and a 5G Standalone core activated in 2023. Denmark has 151% mobile penetration with over 9 million mobile
Satellite Imagery: Principles, Applications, and Future Trends

Satellite Imagery: Principles, Applications, and Future Trends

The first space images were captured in 1946 from a sub-orbital U.S. V-2 rocket at about 105 km altitude. The first actual satellite photograph of Earth was taken on August 14, 1959 by the U.S. Explorer 6 satellite. In 1960, TIROS-1 transmitted the first television image of Earth from orbit, a milestone for weather observation. Landsat 1, launched in 1972, began the longest-running civilian Earth-observation program with a 50-year archive, and Landsat 9 was launched in 2021 to continue it. The KH-11 KENNEN program began near-real-time digital imaging in 1977, eliminating the need for film return. IKONOS, launched in 1999,
Satellite Technologies FAQ

Satellite Technologies FAQ

Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, was the first artificial satellite. Explorer 1 became the United States’ first satellite in 1958. As of 2025, there are roughly 11,000+ active satellites orbiting Earth, with tens of thousands of pieces of inactive satellites and debris. Geostationary satellites orbit about 35,786 km (22,236 miles) above the equator and stay fixed over one ground spot. Most satellites use solar panels with large arrays and rechargeable batteries to power their instruments and systems, including during eclipses. The first known accidental collision of two satellites occurred in 2009. Starlink is SpaceX’s
6 June 2025
Satellite Technology in Military and Defense: A Global Overview

Satellite Technology in Military and Defense: A Global Overview

The United States operates roughly 120–130 dedicated military satellites, spanning KH-11 imaging, SBIRS/DSP early warning, AEHF/Milstar communications, and the Wideband Global SATCOM network. Russia maintains about 70–80 active military satellites, including the Persona and Bars-M reconnaissance systems, the Liana ELINT network, the GLONASS navigation constellation, and the Tundra early-warning fleet. China operates approximately 60–70 military satellites, featuring the Yaogan reconnaissance fleet, the Beidou 35-satellite GNSS, and the Shentong/Tianlian military communications satellites, along with an active ASAT program. India demonstrated an ASAT capability in March 2019 with Mission Shakti, destroying a satellite in low Earth orbit. Israel’s Ofek series has operated
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Stock Market Today

Eli Lilly stock rises after FDA steps up crackdown on GLP-1 copycats

Eli Lilly stock rises after FDA steps up crackdown on GLP-1 copycats

7 February 2026
Eli Lilly shares climbed 3.7% in after-hours trading after the FDA announced plans to restrict GLP-1 ingredients in unapproved compounded drugs. Hims & Hers shares dropped nearly 12% after being referred for a Justice Department probe. Investors are watching for details on enforcement and pricing pressure as the market reacts to moves against copycat obesity drugs.
IREN stock whipsaws after earnings as bitcoin rebounds; Microsoft GPU financing in focus

IREN stock whipsaws after earnings as bitcoin rebounds; Microsoft GPU financing in focus

7 February 2026
IREN Limited shares rose 5.1% to $41.83 in after-hours trading Friday as bitcoin jumped 11.4% to $71,198, lifting crypto-linked stocks. The company reported $184.7 million in quarterly revenue, with $167.4 million from bitcoin mining and $17.3 million from AI cloud services. Net loss reached $155.4 million. IREN recently announced $3.6 billion in GPU financing for a Microsoft contract and a new Oklahoma data center.
Netflix stock price rises after-hours as DOJ widens scrutiny of Warner deal

Netflix stock price rises after-hours as DOJ widens scrutiny of Warner deal

7 February 2026
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Netflix’s business practices as part of its review of the proposed Warner Bros Discovery deal, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Netflix shares rose 1.6% to $82.20 in after-hours trading. Warner expects a shareholder vote on the deal in March. Paramount Skydance’s rival bid remains active.
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