SmartSky
Exotrail wins ESA contracts • SmartSky suing ATG equipment contractor • Eutelsat executive steps down
French propulsion startup Exotrail has signed two contracts with the European Space Agency for its smallsat electric propulsion technology.
French military shows interest in Stratobus • Emergency satcom gear deployed in Australia
Thales Alenia Space and its majority shareholder Thales Group have signed a study contract with the French defense procurement agency DGA
FIRST UP Satcom | SmartSky raises $104M • SES picks Halliwell successor • Netflix tops satellite, cable in US
SmartSky has raised close to $350 million. Its network of towers across the United States is scheduled to begin commercial service later this year.
SmartSky’s Air-to-Ground Network slips to 2018
Inflight connectivity startup SmartSky Networks has pushed back the start date for its terrestrial air-to-ground network from late this year to mid-2018, the company said Aug. 3.
Inflight connectivity providers more concerned about cyber threats than laptop ban
Travel bans barring passengers from bringing laptops and tablet computers onboard airplanes aren’t much cause for concern for satellite operators who provide airlines with internet connectivity, executives said May 25, but protecting those devices from hackers and cyber criminals is.
SmartSky raises $170 million for terrestrial in-flight connectivity network
SmartSky Networks, a startup building cellular towers for in-flight connectivity — a market coveted and dominated by satellite operators — says it is fully funded to build out ground-based network thanks to a new $170 million Series B funding round.
Will SmartSky’s ground game erode satellite’s in-flight connectivity high ground?
A six-year-old company headquartered near Charlotte, North Carolina’s busy international airport raised $66 million this February as it nears completion of an air-to-ground network of 250 cellular towers. When finished, those towers will point close to 20,000 beams at passenger planes crossing the continental United States.
