Page 56 - SAMENA Trends - December 2020

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It received $885.5 million in a reverse auction for the FCC’s should be allowed to participate due to concerns over its ability
Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), a $9.2 billion pot the US to provide low-latency service: the FCC reluctantly approved its
regulator stated would help deliver high-speed broadband to inclusion in June. Other winners include rural internet provider LTD
more than 5.2 million unserved homes and businesses. Chairman Broadband ($1.3 billion); cable operator Charter Communications
Ajit Pai hailed the auction as “the single largest step ever taken ($1.2 billion); and the Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium utility
to bridge the digital divide”. SpaceX will receive the funding in group ($1.1 billion). The RDOF is distinct from a $9 billion 5G Fund
monthly instalments over the next decade: it is required to cover a for Rural America unveiled in 2019, which is yet to be allocated.
total of 642,925 locations across 35 states. The win is significant CNBC previously reported SpaceX launched a public beta of its
because there was previously a debate over whether the company Starlink service in October.

Rocket Lab Successfully Launches Satellite for Japanese Startup Synspective

Rocket Lab has completed its 17th mission, putting a synthetic Synspective’s first satellite on orbit, and it took off from Rocket
aperture radar (SAR) satellite on orbit for client Synspective, a Lab’s launch facility on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. It
Tokyo-based space startup that has raised over $100 million will operate in a sun synchronous orbit approximately 300,000
in funding to date. Syspective aims to operate a 30-satellite miles from Earth, and will act a a demonstrator of the startup’s
constellation that can provide global imaging coverage of Earth, technology to pave the way for the full constellation, which will
with SAR’s benefits of being able to see through clouds and provide commercially available SAR data avails both raw, and
inclement weather, as well as in all lighting conditions. This is processed via the company’s in-development AI technology to
provide analytics and insights. For Rocket Lab, this marks the
conclusion of a successful year in launch operations, which
also saw the company take its key first steps towards making
its Electron launch system partially reusable. The company did
have one significant setback as well, with a mission that failed
to deliver its payloads to orbit in July, but the company quickly
bounced back from that failure with improvements to prevent a
similar incident in future. In 2021, Rocket Lab will aim to launch
its first mission from the U.S., using its new launch facility at
Wallops Island, in Virginia. That initial U.S. flight was supposed to
happen in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a NASA
certification process for one of its systems, pushed the launch to
next year.

Viasat Acquires Rignet, Expands Satellite Service Range

Viasat‘s global satellite mobility services With more than 50 countries covered the plan to deliver profits from the ViaSat-3
offering now includes a major off-shore footprint can help Viasat as it looks to a constellation. Expansion into this industry
component. The company agreed to broad deployment of its solutions under was inevitable and RigNet offers an entry
acquire RigNet, a provider of networking the global coverage of the upcoming at a compelling price point and allows
services to the oil and gas industry, in ViaSat-3 constellation. Viasat President Viasat to have an immediate impact in that
an all-stock deal valued at $222 million and CEO Rick Baldridge also suggests segment. Moreover, the RigNet offerings,
including assumption of debt. RigNet’s that Viasat will take advantage of RigNet’s particularly in its AI-powered video
successful track record, global footprint, efforts in digital transformation services, monitoring and IOT segments, deliver
deep customer relationships and emerging including machine learning and artificial outsized benefits to customers and the
technology expertise in areas like machine intelligence. By combining the strong provider alike. Baldridge describes them
learning and artificial intelligence (AI) gains in bandwidth efficiencies expected as “technologies help the customers save
make this transaction an ideal fit as we from the impending ViaSat-3 constellation money in their core operations, more than
launch our integrated global broadband and RigNet’s portfolio of services, Viasat the cost of the communications. So it is a
platform. The deal immediately adds more will become a leading vertically-integrated win for the customers and for us.” Beyond
than 650 customers at 1,200 onshore and energy communications provider with the existing oil and gas industry customers,
offshore sites and 11,000 IOT devices to deep domain and customer expertise. Viasat and RigNet see expansion into
the Viasat portfolio. The customer base Baldridge notes that “diversification into adjacent industries including mining,
also offers broad geographic diversity. other verticals is a key aspect” of Viasat’s shipping and maritime.

56 DECEMBER 2020