Technology

Direct-to-Device Satellite Messaging Demonstrated for First Time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Published

4 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Viasat and Skylo have shared messages from a mobile device over satellite for the first time in the Kingdom.

CARLSBAD, Calif., Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, today announced it has successfully demonstrated direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the first time, in conjunction with its ecosystem partners.

Viasat successfully sent satellite-enabled two-way messages and SoS messages for attendees at this week’s ‘Connecting the World from the Skies’ event, hosted by the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in Riyadh.

The tests used a commercial Android smartphone enabled for non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity with the Bullitt over-the-top messaging application. The messages were sent over the company’s highly reliable L-band spacecraft which orbits above the Indian Ocean and were enabled by 3GPP standards-based NTN service infrastructure installed in Viasat’s gateways by Skylo, a Viasat ecosystem partner.

D2D is an emerging technology which allows everyday devices – like mobile phones, cars or industrial machinery – to connect seamlessly to both terrestrial and satellite connectivity without the need for additional dedicated hardware. The technology follows new global mobile 3GPP release 17 standards, which are being adopted by satellite operators, mobile network operators, handset and chipset manufacturers.

The demonstration was enabled by Viasat’s highly reliable L-band satellite capabilities, with the tests showing satellite to cell phone connectivity feasibility across the region. Importantly, the company’s approach of using already-licensed and dedicated satellite spectrum will enable it to work with mobile network operators to provide these services in the future without sacrificing or interfering with any terrestrial spectrum.

Sandeep Moorthy, Chief Technical Officer, Viasat, said: “By expanding our direct-to-device innovation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we’re showcasing the potential for D2D services in the fast-growing Gulf and Asia-Pacific region. D2D could help reduce barriers to connectivity in regions where terrestrial services are spotty and unavailable to help transform industries and supply chains, enable new opportunities, and to become more efficient, sustainable and safer. We’d like to thank the CST for their support in carrying out this exciting demonstration.”

About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. With offices in 24 countries around the world, our mission shapes how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate and connect. Viasat is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, reliable, secure, affordable, fast connections to positively impact people’s lives anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea, while building a sustainable future in space. In May 2023, Viasat completed its acquisition of Inmarsat, combining the teams, technologies and resources of the two companies to create a new global communications partner. Learn more at www.viasat.com, the Viasat News Room or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X or YouTube.

Copyright © 2024 Viasat, Inc. All rights reserved. Viasat, the Viasat logo and the Viasat Signal are registered trademarks in the U.S. and in other countries of Viasat, Inc. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements that refer to the design, features, benefits and performance of Viasat’s D2D services. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include: risks associated with the construction, launch and operation of satellites, including the effect of any anomaly, operational failure or degradation in satellite performance; network availability or satellite capacity required to scale direct-to-device services; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of satellites and any future satellite we may construct or acquire; the effect of adverse regulatory changes (including changes affecting spectrum availability or permitted uses) on our ability to sell or deploy our products and services; changes in the way others use spectrum; our inability to access additional spectrum, use spectrum for additional purposes, and/or operate satellites at additional orbital locations; competing uses of the same spectrum or orbital locations that we utilize or seek to utilize; In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in our SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

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SOURCE Viasat, Inc.

Technology

NASA, USAID Invite Media to Launch of New SERVIR Central America Hub

Published

16 minutes ago

November 27, 2024

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invite media to the official launch celebration of the new SERVIR Central America regional hub, located in Costa Rica, on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. EST. The event will be hosted by NASA SERVIR Program Manager Daniel Irwin, U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador William H. Duncan, and a representative from El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN).

Central America is the latest addition to SERVIR’s global network, a NASA and USAID initiative that has been operating in Asia, Africa, and Latin America since 2005.

Implemented by the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), SERVIR Central America will strengthen climate resilience, sustainable resource management, and biodiversity conservation through satellite data and geospatial technology. The SERVIR Central America hub will support evidence-based decision-making at local, national, and regional levels, strengthening the resilience of more than 40 million people in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions.

The event will be in Spanish with English translation available.

For press access and location details, please RSVP to Belarminda Quijano at belarminda@bqcomunicaciones.com by Monday, Dec. 2. NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. The event will be livestreamed.

For more information on SERVIR, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/servir/

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SOURCE NASA

Technology

NOVASPARKS FEEDHANDLERS NOW OPTIMIZED FOR TSE’S ARROWHEAD 4.0

Published

16 minutes ago

November 27, 2024

The Leading FPGA-powered market data company announces a successful migration to Arrowhead 4.0, demonstrating its strength with FPGA-powered feed handlers.

NEW YORK and LONDON and PARIS and TOKYO, Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NovaSparks, the leading field programmable gate array (FPGA) market data company, today announced the successful introduction of its FPGA feed handlers to support the new Arrowhead 4.0 feed on Tokyo Stock Exchange’s (TSE), one of the most strategic and competitive markets in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. NovaSparks continues to enhance its coverage in APAC markets by reducing the latencies of its feed handlers on multiple APAC exchanges, and by developing market-specific features such as Itayose for TSE—a Japanese auction method used to set prices and facilitate the reopening of trading floors. This achievement underscores NovaSparks’ ability to support advanced market technology and its ongoing commitment to the APAC financial sector.

The Arrowhead 4.0 migration, a significant move by TSE, shifts from Market by Level (MBL) to Market by Order (MBO), providing traders with unparalleled market data granularity. Unlike MBL, where quotes are aggregated, MBO publishes each individual buy and sell order, offering traders a detailed view of market activity. This transition allows market participants to leverage deeper insights and execute more strategic trading decisions.

“Increasing the transparency and granularity of market data has been pivotal for enhancing trading strategies and market resilience,” said Luc Burgun, CEO of NovaSparks. “With the shift from Market by Level to Market by Order, traders now have a deeper view of individual orders, enabling optimized order placement and advanced algorithmic trading. Our FPGA solutions were instrumental in processing the surge in data volume seamlessly, reinforcing market stability and performance. This transition exemplifies our commitment to equipping financial institutions with the technology needed to stay competitive and compliant during high frequency trading.”

“Arrowhead 4.0 was a very important market data feed for our company, and using NovaSparks enabled us to significantly reduce the complexity of switching to the MBO format. We achieved our goal of not losing any packet while providing consistent auction prices since the first days of trading,” said one of NovaTick’s customers who successfully moved his brokerage trading infrastructure to TSE Arrowhead 4.0.

The Power of FPGA Technology

The MBO format significantly increases data volume—an estimated additional 3 000+ messages per second—and demands that feed handlers build comprehensive order books, a task not required under MBL. While software-based solutions may need up to three times more memory and double the computing power to process this influx, FPGA technology excels in handling such high data loads efficiently, maintaining high-performance with the speed and determinism that only FPGAs can bring.

About NovaSparks

NovaSparks is the leader in FPGA-based high performance and ultra-low latency trading solutions for financial markets. NovaTick™, its flagship Ticker Plant product, supports 75 feeds across the major Equities, Futures and Options trading venues in North America, Europe and Asia. It is packaged in scalable ‘easy-to-deploy’ appliances or in ‘tightly coupled’ PCIe cards. NovaSparks scalable and deterministic feed handlers deliver normalized market data, including order book building and multi-feed consolidation with sub microsecond processing latency, even during market peaks period. Deterministic performance is extended to the whole trading cycle, whether the trading algorithms are implemented in software or in hardware. NovaTick™ also includes advanced built-in functions to support and optimize the use of wireless infrastructures.

The company is headquartered in Paris (France), New York City (USA) and has offices in London (UK), Nantes (France), Athens (Greece) and Bangkok (Thailand).

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novasparks-feedhandlers-now-optimized-for-tses-arrowhead-4-0–302317606.html

SOURCE NovaSparks

Technology

Netlight announces new rotation in CEO duo

Published

16 minutes ago

November 27, 2024

STOCKHOLM, Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Netlight, a leading digital consulting firm, announces a rotation in the CEO duo. Felix Sprick will step out from his role to continue as a Partner amongst Partners while Anders Thall will be stepping into the position alongside the current co-CEO Katri Junna.

Netlight introduced its innovative CEO duo model in 2021, featuring two equal leaders sharing the role. This model challenges the traditional CEO structure, offering richer perspectives, a broader leadership skill set, greater international exposure and an equal sparring partner for those in the role.

The rotation principle is a fundamental feature of Netlight’s CEO duo model. Netlight’s Board of Directors, in collaboration with the Partner group, selects every few years a new co-CEO from Partner group maintaining alignment with Netlight’s vision and values to drive long-term success.

The newly appointed co-CEO Anders Thall is a Partner and consultant, based in Netlight’s office in Stockholm. Thall has a track record of strategic advisory and he has been working with defining and expanding Netlight’s service offering globally.

Alongside the rotation in the CEO duo, Netlight strengthens the executive group by appointing Djavad Hedayati, Partner based in Munich, to be part of the group. The executive group is responsible for Netlight’s global business operations and governance.

This will take effect from 1st of January 2025.

“I am excited and honored to step into the role of co-CEO. Netlight’s commitment to innovation, collaboration, and diversity aligns closely with my own values. I look forward to working alongside Katri Junna to build on the company’s success,” says Anders Thall, the new co-CEO.

“At Netlight, we thrive on continuous renewal, which allows us to adapt, innovate, and stay competitive in a changing world – and our co-CEO model is in line with that. I am thrilled to welcome Anders Thall to the role, I believe our strengths complement each other in serving Netlight going forward,” says Katri Junna the current co-CEO.

Erik Fröberg, Chairman of the Board, adds: “Netlight has successfully navigated a challenging market environment, and I want to extend my gratitude to Felix Sprick for his valuable contributions. We are pleased to welcome Anders Thall as the new co-CEO. We are confident that the combined leadership of Katri Junna and Anders Thall will enable Netlight to thrive and excel in the ever-evolving digital landscape. I am also very pleased that Djavad will be part of the executive group where he will assume increased responsibility.”

From the departing co-CEO Felix Sprick: “Serving as co-CEO of Netlight has been an incredible journey and an honour. I deeply believe in the strength of our rotation model, which enables leaders to step into and out of the role seamlessly and without prestige. This approach not only provides Anders Thall the opportunity to grow and thrive as he takes on the role, but also allows me to refocus on driving Netlight forward from a partner perspective.”

About Netlight

Netlight is an international digital consulting firm, helping leading companies to succeed in the digital landscape, from advice to implementation. Our service contains the collective intelligence of 2000 consultants offering a comprehensive range of digital services, from strategy to technology. We support industries that are facing new challenges and opportunities based on new technology, to make better business. Netlight has been awarded several times for profitable growth and management, as a top employer, and for our engagement in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Located in Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Zurich, Cologne, Amsterdam and Toronto. Co-creating the future today, since 1999. www.netlight.com