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SES Becomes Microsoft Azure Orbital Founding Connectivity Partner
SES today announced it has joined as the medium Earth orbit (MEO) connectivity partner for Microsoft Azure Orbital, Microsoft’s new managed service enabling network operators to communicate and control their satellite capacity, process data, and scale their operations directly within Azure. The integration is part of a multi-year agreement between the two companies that accelerates and expands SES’s use of Azure to significantly advance the digital transformation of the company’s services and operations as part of its cloud-first strategy. As pioneers in Microsoft’s new cloud ecosystem in space, the two companies will make joint investments in Azure Orbital ground stations that SES will deploy and manage for the MEO and…
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SES Simplifies Sports Production with Stockley Park Facility in London
As remote production for sports ramps up around the globe, SES is providing broadcasters with a newly opened, full-service sports and events facility in Greater London. Apart from handling downlink, decoding, processing and recording, SES’s Stockley Park facility offers sports broadcasters a range of services that help simplify sports production workflow. The video services offered at SES’s Stockley Park facility range from content management services such as clipping and editing, subtitling, audio dubbing and titling, storing and archiving of content for easy retrieval to channel playout services to multiple broadcast or online platforms. In addition to addressing diverse customer needs, the facility in London will also provide playout services for…
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Economic Growth in Latin America: A Digital Future For Everyone
All of Latin America is seeing a movement towards digital growth and digitalisation. This is true both in remote regions with historically limited access to connectivity and in regions with demand and readiness to advance to the next level of digital capabilities. Through the SES Partner Programme, we combine the expertise of Latin American service providers and telecommunications companies with the unprecedented power of our technology and proven managed network solutions. Our partners experience first-hand the opportunities this creates for businesses to differentiate and expand into new markets. The results are digital and economic growth. With high-performance connectivity comes an increased quality of service and quality of life for the customers…
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SES Picks SpaceX to Launch Four Additional O3b mPOWER Satellites
SES announced today that it has selected SpaceX as a launch partner to deliver the four newly-ordered O3b mPOWER spacecraft of its next-generation Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) communications system. Just like the initial seven O3b mPOWER satellites procured, these additional four satellites will be launched into space on board Falcon 9 rockets from Cape Canaveral. A total of four Falcon 9 rockets will be used to support the deployment of all O3b mPOWER satellites. SES’s O3b mPOWER fully-funded communications system comprises 11 high-throughput and low-latency satellites as well as an automated and intelligence-powered ground infrastructure. Built by Boeing, each satellite will generate thousands of dynamic beams and can deliver connectivity…
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Half Year 2020 Results
SES S.A. announced financial results for the six months ended 30 June 2020. Solid H1 performance in line with expectations and continued underlying growth in Networks of +7.1% year-on-year([1],[2]) Revenue of EUR 947.5 million, -1.5% as reported with underlying revenue 2.4%(1,2) lower than H1 2019 Adjusted EBITDA([3]) of EUR 582.0 million, -2.3% as reported (-3.5% at constant FX(2)) compared with H1 2019 and representing an Adjusted EBITDA(3) margin of 61.4% including a 2.2% year-on-year reduction in recurring operating expenses Limited COVID-19 impact in H1 reflecting business resilience with measures in place to mitigate increased headwinds in H2 2020 Updated FY 2020 group revenue outlook to EUR 1,860 – 1,900 million([4])…
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SES Selects SpaceX for Launch of New C-Band Satellites
SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions, announced today that American launch provider SpaceX will provide launch capability for up to 3 of its C-band satellites over two launches as part of the company’s accelerated C-band clearing plan. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch two C-band satellites built by Northrop Grumman as well as provide enhanced protection to rapidly launch a contingency satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2022 allowing SES to meet the Federal Communications Commission’s time-critical objective to roll out 5G services across the United States. In June, SES announced it contracted American companies Northrop Grumman and the Boeing Company to deliver four C-band satellites in accordance…
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SES Selects United Launch Alliance to Launch Two C-Band Satellites to Accelerate C-Band Clearing
SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions, has selected U.S.-based United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch two C-band satellites. This launch is part of the company’s accelerated C-band clearing plan to meet the Federal Communications Commission’s objectives to roll out 5G services in the United States. ULA’s Atlas V rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2022 and carry the two stacked satellites. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200805005597/en/ Earlier this year, SES contracted with American companies Northrop Grumman and the Boeing Company to deliver four C-band satellites. These satellites will enable SES to clear 280MHz of mid-band spectrum for 5G use while…
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SES launches Free-To-Air Satellite Channel to Fight Spread of COVID-19
Millions of households across Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific will be able to access a free-to-air TV channel via SES satellites dedicated to delivering reliable, informative content about COVID-19. The channel – Fight COVID-19 – broadcasts content that is aimed at providing underserved and rural communities with critical information about how to limit the spread of the virus. The content is provided by trusted organisations such as UNICEF and AFP as well as global EdTech social enterprise Potential.com. The content aims to impartially inform TV viewers about identifying COVID-19 symptoms, the recovery process, and how to manage the effects of a global pandemic and social distancing, such as managing a household,…
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SES Delivers Video Services for BBC Studios
BBC Studios (BBCS) and its subsidiary UKTV have selected SES to manage the playout and distribution of over 50 linear channels, and their associated video on demand (VOD) services, SES announced today. SES will provide playout, content processing, distribution, and VOD services, delivering BBCS and UKTV content to a network of affiliates globally and in the UK. These services will be based on SES’s European global delivery services with technical playout infrastructure provided from SES’s new Stockley Park facility in London and with SES’s Munich playout facility overseeing operational management. BBCS is the commercial production and distribution arm of the BBC, crafting over 2,500 hours of content every year. BBCS…
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SES Drives Innovation During First Live UHD Broadcast Using VVC
Every decade, a new, more efficient video encoding scheme is developed. Today, the next encoding scheme on the roadmap to more efficient video delivery is VVC (Versatile Video Coding). Normally we’d showcase an innovation of this nature to our global customers and partners at the annual SES Industry Days. But given the unprecedented circumstances around COVID-19, we had to cancel the in-person component of the Industry Days event. That didn’t stop us from sharing our vision of the future. Continuing with SES’s video innovation tradition, we recently joined forces with industry partners, including ATEME, VideoLabs and IETR, to prepare the first satellite broadcast using the VVC codec. The test transmission…
