Quarkson: SkyOrbiter UAV fleet to provide Web Access in remote areas

Web access can transform regions in terms of education, communication and health, during emergency situations, a working Internet signal can be the difference between life and death.

Facebook has already aired a plan to use unmanned drones to get remote areas of the world connected, and Portuguese company Quarkson wants to follow suit with its own SkyOrbiter fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The SkyOrbiters bridge the gap between satellites orbiting in space and users on the ground, Internet access is provided not by cell towers fixed to underground networks, but by the drones in the air, beaming out high-speed data connections for the population down below to take advantage of.

For remote, rural, undeveloped areas this is a more efficient and cost-effective way of getting people connected.

In some areas, depending on the specific requirements, the SkyOrbiter may connect with a substation at ground level (directly hooked into the Web) rather than a satellite up in space.

4G data speeds can be provided to any area with a line of sight to one of these Quarkson SkyOrbiter drones.

There are a total of nine different SkyOrbiter drones in the pipeline, which operate at either a high or low altitude, 22,000m (72,180ft) or 3,500m (11,480ft) respectively.

The most basic, the LA25, can stay in the air for two weeks and 42,714km (26,540 miles); the most advanced, the HA75, will be able to stay airborne for five years and an incredible 5,000,000km (3,107,000 miles).

That's because the higher altitude planes are powered by solar energy, so they can keep going as long as the sun is shining, with a network of these always-on UAVs circling around the skies above, parts of the planet that were previously cut off can be connected very quickly.

According to the United Nations, Internet access is a human right, and ensuring universal access to it should be a priority for all countries.'

The size and payload of the UAVs in Quarkson's fleet varies significantly.

The LA25 has a wingspan of around 25 metres (82 feet) and a maximum payload of 35kg (77lbs).

This increases with each model until you get to the HA75, with a wingspan of 75 metres (246 feet) and a maximum payload of 280kg (617lbs).

If you haven't twigged, the codename for each drone indicates the altitude it can reach and its wingspan.

It's not just about Internet connectivity, either: the UAV fleet can be used to capture aerial imagery, monitor environmental conditions, track down illegal operations and more besides.

Each drone is controlled by a Constellation Manager unit on the ground.

SES: Satellite Fleet Operator on the expansion trail

Satellite fleet operator SES on July 30 said it is weighing expansion in Latin America, Asia and even Canada and has not ruled out using its huge cash flow starting in 2012 to purchase growth, whether by acquisition or by securing new orbital slots.

In a conference call with investors, Luxembourg-based SES reconfirmed that its spending on new satellites, which is peaking this year at 820 million euros ($1.07 billion), will start to fall in 2011 and then drop sharply in the following years, averaging 250 million euros starting in 2014.

Asked whether the increased free cash flow might be used for a special, one-time dividend for SES shareholders, or for share buybacks, Bausch cautioned that SES is still hungry.

In what some investors may view as a threat, and others as a promise, Bausch said the company would above all seek to invest its cash in new growth. He said there are investment opportunities in Latin America and parts of Asia.

Bausch said Telesat of Canada, the world’s fourth-largest provider of fixed satellite services, also may be viewed as an acquisition target.

SES owns a 70 percent economic stake and has 40 percent of the voting rights to Ciel of Canada, whose one satellite is leased to Dish Network of the United States for direct-broadcast television. Because Ciel does not provide television or telecommunications services in Canada, SES’s ownership of it might not be a barrier to an eventual purchase of Telesat, Bausch said.

Bausch said that Telesat’s owners — New York-based Loral and Canada’s PSP pension fund — may be looking for an exit in the next year. The same, he said, is likely true for the private-equity owners of Intelsat of Luxembourg and Washington.

An SES purchase of Intelsat would almost certainly be rejected by U.S. regulators given that Intelsat and SES World Skies are the two dominant satellite telecommunications operators in the United States.

Depending on how Canadian regulators view the market, they may consider that an SES purchase of Telesat would not result in undue industry consolidation.

SES reported revenue of 844.9 million euros for the six months ending June 30, up 4.5 percent from the same period a year ago. EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, was up 3.3 percent and equivalent to 74.9 percent of revenue.

EADS: SES orders 4 multi-mission satellites from Astrium

Global satellite operator SES and Astrium, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS have announced that SES has ordered four multi-mission satellites from Astrium to provide replacement as well as incremental capacity for its SES ASTRA and SES WORLD SKIES divisions.

The new satellites, to be designated ASTRA 2E, ASTRA 2F, ASTRA 2G and ASTRA 5B, will allow the release of the existing satellites at two orbital positions (28.2 and 31.5 degrees East) and add new capacity as well as fleet deployment flexibility for the SES group over the coming years.

The satellites are scheduled for launch in several steps between 2012 and 2014. The design life of each satellite is 15 years.

"This important investment in new satellite capacity will enhance the prominence of SES ASTRA's 28.2 degrees East position, mainly for the UK and Irish markets, and improve coverage of Eastern Europe from 31.5 degrees East," said Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES.

"It will also allow SES WORLD SKIES to extend its offer to the African and Middle Eastern markets. By adding significant flexibility and improved functionality, these new satellites will allow SES to further drive its DTH, DTT, enterprise and broadband businesses while consolidating space assets and strengthening the international reach of the group. Also, we are pleased to be working again with Astrium. SES has appreciated the quality of their products and their customer dedication in recent and ongoing contracts, and this is exactly what we are looking for in this multi-satellite contract."

The four new satellites will be built on a Eurostar E3000 platform, the latest version of Astrium's Eurostar series which has proven to be highly reliable in commercial service. A total of 60 Eurostar satellites have been ordered to date. SES has already ordered three Eurostar E3000s: ASTRA 1M, which entered into service one year ago; ASTRA 3B, ready for launch early next year; and ASTRA 1N, which was ordered last year and is currently under construction.

"Astrium is extremely proud to have been selected by the world's premier satellite operator, and I would like to profoundly thank SES for their confidence. Following a rigorous selection process among the world's leading satellite manufacturers, Astrium demonstrated that it offered the best solutions for SES. The decision to order four satellites in a single contract increases Astrium's long-term standing as a market leader in satellite production. I would also like to express my gratitude to the teams on both sides of the table for their outstanding professionalism, which ultimately made it possible to sign one of the biggest contracts for telecommunications satellites in the world," said Astrium CEO François Auque.

Three of the new spacecraft, ASTRA 2E, ASTRA 2F and ASTRA 2G, will serve to deliver next generation broadcast, VSAT and broadband services in Europe and Africa, and will carry Ku-and Ka-band payloads at 28.2 degrees East.

The Ku-band capacity will allow SES ASTRA to enhance and secure its existing offering to major Direct-to-Home (DTH) markets in the UK and Ireland. With a Ku-band payload specifically designed to meet the requirements of some of Europe's largest DTH broadcasters, the satellites will have spot beam and pan-European beam switching capabilities to accommodate both pay-TV and free-to-air broadcasters, and to provide these customers with increased functionality.

SES ASTRA customers in this region include BSkyB, BBC, ITV, Freesat, Channel Four, UK TV, Virgin Media, Five, MTV and Discovery. The Ka-band payload will allow SES ASTRA to develop next generation broadband services in Europe, including its growing ASTRA2Connect product.

ASTRA 2E, ASTRA 2F and ASTRA 2G will also include replacement and new capacity for the SES WORLD SKIES division, serving the African and the Middle Eastern markets with Ku-and Ka-band capacity. The new capacity will provide continuity of service and expansion opportunities for customers that are today already using the ASTRA 2B steerable beam over West Africa, as well as for new customers

ASTRA 5B will be deployed at the orbital position 31.5 degrees East, extending SES ASTRA's transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern European and neighboring markets for DTH, Direct-to-Cable (DTC) and contribution feeds to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) networks.

SES' orbital position 28.2 degrees East is currently served by the ASTRA 2A, 2B and 2D spacecraft. The 31.5 degrees East position is currently served by ASTRA 2C.