4G LTE coverage is extensive, reaching about 91% of the population in 2024, while 3G coverage reaches about 95%. In 2023, SIT held spectrum auctions that raised about $176 million in total: 126 MHz in the 2.5 GHz band brought in about $49 million (with Tigo $32 million and Claro $17 million) and a later…
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FireSat, a Google Research–led constellation with the Earth Fire Alliance, will refresh every 20 minutes and use onboard AI to detect fires as small as a 5×5 meter patch (25 m²); the first satellite was launched in 2025. ALERTCalifornia operates 1,100+ AI-assisted cameras across California, filtering frames to alert responders and enabling early detection before…
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In June 2024, a team led by Japan’s NICT and Aston University achieved 402 Tbps over a single standard optical fiber using six wavelength bands (O, E, S, C, L, and U). In March 2024, the same international team reached 301 Tbps by extending into E-band and S-band with a custom amplifier for those bands.…
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1957 – The Atoms for Peace agreement between the United States and Iran launches Iran’s civil nuclear program. 1967 – Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) is a 5 MW reactor supplied by the United States, using weapons-grade uranium fuel (93% enriched). 1968–1970 – Iran signs and ratifies the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); IAEA safeguards enter force…
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Starlink’s upfront CapEx was estimated at about $10 billion and later as high as $30 billion, SpaceX launched over 8,000 Starlink satellites with about 4,000 in operation by April 2025, and the service exceeded 5 million subscribers worldwide by 2025. Amazon’s Project Kuiper is a $10 billion plan for a 3,236-satellite constellation, with 27 production…
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In 2000 Zimbabwe’s internet penetration was about 0.3%, rising to around 15% by 2011. The first ISPs were Data Control & Systems in 1994 and MWEB in 1995, with ZISPA counting nearly 30 ISPs by the 2000s. By early 2023 there were over 14 million active SIMs, roughly 85% of Zimbabwe’s population. Median mobile download…
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In 2023, the global space economy reached $570 billion, with private/commercial ventures accounting for about 78%. In 2023 there were 221 orbital launches (the most on record), more than 2,500 satellites launched, and experts project up to 100,000 satellites in orbit within the next decade. Since 2009, investors have poured about $347.9 billion into roughly…
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Starlink (SpaceX) is a LEO constellation (~4,500 satellites) delivering residential speeds ~100–250 Mbps down / 10–20 Mbps up, business up to ~350–400 Mbps, with a median latency ~45 ms in Q1 2025 and no hard data caps, employing a Fair Use Policy that deprioritizes after 1 TB. HughesNet Jupiter-3 (GEO) upgrade in 2024–25 offers 50–100…
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From 2006 to 2023, violent non-state actors carried out 1,122 drone attacks, with a peak of 265 in 2023. The 2018 Gatwick airport incident highlighted the public-safety risks posed by off-the-shelf quadcopters. The Ukraine war has been described as the first “drone war,” with both sides deploying swarms of small drones for surveillance and strikes,…
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In 1965 Lloyd’s of London issued the first space insurance policy for an early Intelsat satellite. In 2019 insured losses reached about $788 million against roughly $500 million in premiums, following major failures such as a Vega launch with a ~$414 million loss. The global space insurance market was valued at about $3.6 billion in…
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