Back to all News
Press release

Euro-Fibre introduced as we upgrade our terrestrial fibre network.

Feature image for Euro-Fibre

Space Norway (formerly Telenor Satellite) is pleased to announce that it has renewed the operating systems on its terrestrial fibre network to coincide with the renaming of the service. Previously known as the Multi Service Network (MSNW), it has been renamed Euro-Fibre.

The services are monitored and operated by the Space Norway (formerly Telenor Satellite), which is a leading European provider of satellite broadcasting and data communication services, has undertaken a refurbishment of its fibre network infrastructure, based on industry leading media delivery equipment from Net Insight, ensuring that the company offers secure, high-quality, low-latency content delivery.

Space Norway (formerly Telenor Satellite) is delighted to announce that Multi Service Network (MSNW) has been renamed to Euro-Fibre, which aligns with the updates to the operating systems on its terrestrial network.

The company, which is a leading European provider of satellite broadcast and data communications, has undertaken a refurbishment of its fibre network infrastructure, based on industry leading media delivery equipment from Net Insight, ensuring that Space Norway (formerly Telenor Satellite) offers secure, high-quality, low-latency content delivery.

With Points of Presence (PoPs) from the Nordics through to Central Europe and a network dedicated to broadcast customers, the Euro-Fibre service from Space Norway (formerly Telenor Satellite) offers broadcasters, data centres and play-outs a seamless high-end fibre network with capable bit rates, diverse and separate routing and built-in redundancy. Space Norway (formerly Telenor Satellite) offers clients tailor-made services, including tail circuits, direct to their site with commissioning taking place on short notice. Our Network Operations Centre (NOC) at Nittedal Teleport monitors and operates the service 24/7/365.

Ole Ledang, Director, Broadcasting.
Ole Ledang
Director, Broadcasting, Space Norway.

“The broadcast media demands the highest quality from its service providers and won’t accept any glitches or latency and that is exactly what we provide with Euro-Fibre. By renewing all our systems to the highest specifications available, we are ensuring that our customers benefit from a service which has been future-proofed to exceed the quality of service they require.”

Press inquiries

Randi Ellingsen

Title
Head of PR and Communication, Space Norway.
Tel
+47 988 77 675

Commercial inquiries

Ole Ledang

Title
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Back to all News
News

Changes in management

Dag H. Stølan appointed new CEO

Dag H. Stølan is appointed to the position of CEO of Space Norway AS. He comes from the position of Director of Infrastructure and CSO in Space Norway.

Before joining Space Norway in 2017, Stølan had a long-standing career in the Norwegian Armed Forces, the last position as Major General and Head of procurement at Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency.

Dag H. Stølan succeeds Jostein Rønneberg, who has been leading the company since 2013. The company develops and maintains critical space related infrastructure, and consists of the parent company Space Norway AS and the two subsidiaries Statsat AS and Space Norway HEOSAT AS, as well as the jointly owned Kongsberg Satellite Services AS.

Stølan has deep insight in the company’s activities and is well suited to continue the work Rønneberg has started. He has a long experience in leading organizations with large and complex projects as well as a good understanding of public administration and processes. His background gives him an excellent understanding of the need for critical space services, including the strategic importance of space for its most demanding users.

Chairman of the Board, Svein Olav Munkeby says: “Stølan has been deeply involved in company decisions and has acted as deputy for the CEO. This implies excellent knowledge and oversight of strategy and ongoing activities and future projects. The Board is very content with his appointment and feel that he will bring continuity as well as deliver on our ongoing projects. At the same time, he has the qualifications needed to bring Space Norway into the next phase of its development. All this is important for the Board. I would like to thank Jostein Rønneberg for the exceptional work he has put down in developing Space Norway into a leading satellite company with an order backlog reaching NOK 9 B”.

CEO Jostein Rønneberg, says: “On behalf of the company, I am content with the Board’s decision. Stølan has all the qualifications needed to succeed in taking the company into the future. Space Norway is an important company for Norway, and I wish him good luck”.

“Jostein Rønneberg has brought this company to its solid position and an excellent platform for further growth. I am looking forward to continuing and building on Rønneberg’s work. It is a privilege to be allowed working with the dedicated and highly competent workforce here at Space Norway,” says Dag H. Stølan.

Stølan will take office in June.

Back to all News
Press release

Extension of land-based Ku service on Dialog platform in the Middle East.

Space Norway offers Dialog coverage in the Middle East

Following successful expansion of its Ku-band Dialog services for maritime customers in the Middle East, Space Norway announces extension of the service to clients in the land-based sectors.

Norwegian satellite communications leader Space Norway today announces that its THOR 10-02 Ku-band service on Dialog platform from ST Engineering iDirect is being made available to land-based clients in the Middle East.

The company is a major supplier of premium connectivity via satellite to the broadcast, maritime and land-based vertical markets in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EMEA). With the introduction of the award-winning Dialog platform, the company can offer its clients in the Middle East the increased speeds and bandwidths that were previously only available on its THOR 7 Ka-band services for the maritime & offshore energy customers.

Premium Dialog VSAT platform for the land-based energy sector

This is particularly important for the company’s land-based oil & gas clients whose sophisticated and technology driven operations demand the higher performance offered by the Dialog VSAT platform. The benefits to clients include a highly efficient, scalable and flexible service which comes with DVB-S2X performance, advanced waveforms, Mx-DMA® shared bandwidth return channel technology, and more sophisticated QoS and QoE features.

Chris Insall, Head of Maritime Market Development at ST Engineering iDirect, said: “Space Norway is extending to the Middle East a VSAT platform that can address multiple markets by optimising the usage of infrastructure and satellite capacity. With the Dialog platform, Space Norway can select the best transmission technology for its needs, harnessing the industry’s most efficient, dynamic return technology to share satellite capacity more efficiently over a group of satellite terminals.”

Although the majority of Space Norway’s Middle Eastern clients require a fixed service, the company also supplies connectivity to offshore facilities and their support vessels requiring full mobility.

Space Norway further expands its Ku-band service on THOR 10-02  Spot 1 & Spot 2 to offer both maritime and land-based clients Dialog VSAT platform in the Middle East.
Space Norway further expands its Ku-band service on THOR 10-02  Spot 1 & Spot 2 to offer both maritime and land-based clients Dialog VSAT platform in the Middle East.
Jan Hetland, Director, Data Services.
Jan Hetland
Director, Data Services, Space Norway.

“We are pleased to be able to extend coverage of the Dialog VSAT platform into the Middle East as it will enable us to deliver a service of the highest quality to our clients working in the region whether they are land-based or maritime. The increased speed, bandwidth and flexibility of the new system ensures that our clients will receive the best possible performance from their satellite communications.”

Press inquiries

Randi Ellingsen

Title
Head of PR and Communication, Space Norway.
Tel
+47 988 77 675

Commercial inquiries

Jan Hetland

Title
Director, Data Services
Back to all News
News

Satcom companies can do well if they are prepared to adapt - even in times of uncertainty.

An image showing satellite connectivity

While everyone is delighted to be coming out of the end of the COVID pandemic, there have been some unexpected developments for the satcom sector.

“It was always too much to hope that supply and demand would return to pre-COVID levels so quickly, so we simply didn’t anticipate some of the growth we have seen,” said Jan Hetland, Director, Data Services at Space Norway. “Passenger vessels were particularly hard hit by the pandemic, and we expected a slow return in our cruise and ferry client base but in fact demand has outstripped our expectations.”

The Norway based company has seen a surprising increase in demand for speed of connectivity and bandwidth from end users who appear to have developed ingrained internet habits. Space Norway has been delivering high quality connectivity and services to the maritime sector as far as 79° North, taking in the North Atlantic, the Nordics, Mediterranean, and regions in Africa and the Caribbean, and has been looking at ways to expand its offering throughout 2022.

New services to improve performance

He continued: “Over the years, we have built up an excellent working partnership with ST Engineering iDirect, so we are delighted to add their Dialog platform to our Anker Ka-band service portfolio, which allows us to provide services of up to 150/50Mbps. This offering has now been extended to our Ku-band, so that even more of our clients can benefit from its superior performance in terms of speed and bandwidth.

“The recent addition of Xiplink™ Wireless Link Optimisation technology to our Anker Managed services further enhances our satcom service through best-in-class acceleration coupled with integrated QoS shaping. Both these additions are particularly useful for our passenger vessel clients who may have thousands of users wanting to access bandwidth at the same time and without any loss of performance. “

It isn’t only the passenger ship sector that has surprised. The energy sector has also undergone some changes with the onset of the conflict in Ukraine. Many of Space Norway’s clients have not only cancelled planned downgrades in their requirements but have opted for upgrades to their existing sites. We see a renewed increase in exploration and new project development in offshore Oil & Gas, as well as a surge in activity within the offshore renewables sector, and the company is again opting for the Dialog solution to increase capacity and bandwidths in the North Sea region.

Space Norway further expands its Ku-band service on THOR 10-02  Spot 1 & Spot 2 to offer both maritime and land-based clients Dialog VSAT platform in the Middle East.
Space Norway further expands its Ku-band service on THOR 10-02  Spot 1 & Spot 2 to offer both maritime and land-based clients Dialog VSAT platform in the Middle East.

New generation of VSAT antennas

As well as the latest additions to its satcom services, Space Norway has also just announced the recent approval of the new generation of the SAILOR XTR 1m and 65cm antennas from Cobham Satcom. These are robust and powerful antennas which will secure reliable connectivity for the many applications used by Space Norway’s clients in the offshore, fishing and merchant sectors, even in the harshest of environments.

SAILOR XTR 1m and 65cm antennas from Cobham Satcom
SAILOR XTR 65 cm and 1m antenna series are approved for Ka-band Anker service on THOR 7.

Press inquiries

Randi Ellingsen

Title
Head of PR and Communication, Space Norway.
Tel
+47 988 77 675

Commercial enquiries

Jan Hetland

Title
Director, Data Services, Space Norway.
Tel
+47 958 71 588
Back to all News
News

Press release

Space Norway builds radar satellite system for real-time maritime surveillance.

On the 25th of August 2022 Space Norway AS signed contracts with vendors and will immediately start building a radar satellite system optimized for maritime surveillance in Norwegian areas of interest.

Maritime Domain Awareness

The satellite system is unique in the way it detects relatively small vessels in a very large area simultaneously. Space Norway’s Maritime Domain Awareness capability leaves No Vessel Unseen. The system features a wide swath coverage approaching 500 km with high resolution (0.5 to 3 meters), enabling the tracking, classification, and identification of vessels across entire areas of interest. Setting a new standard for maritime monitoring. No vessel goes undetected—crucial for security, preparedness, and sustainability.

Areas of interest

Norway’s sea areas are seven times larger than the Norwegian land area. The Arctic and the High North is Norway’s most important strategic area of interest. This puts strong requirements on situational awareness in these areas. AIS (Automatic Identification System) has for many years been used for maritime surveillance. The challenge is that AIS is a system that requires the vessels themselves to send the required and correct AIS Information. Hence, AIS is a system based on cooperation. Today we estimate that 5 % of the vessels either does not send out AIS Information or are transmitting false information. Satellites with a radar, such as MicroSAR, will be able to detect these vessels independent of the use of AIS.

Payloads

MicroSAR satellites will bring an AIS Receiver to correlate radar detections with AIS Information.

The MicroSAR System is optimised for covering Norwegian needs. However, it will also offer and deliver maritime surveillance services in a global market in the same way as other radar satellites in space today, including surveillance of ship traffic, combating illegal fishing, search and rescue and oil spill detection.

Space Norway works closely with the Norwegian Armed Forces who will be the main customer and buy services and products from MicroSAR when in operation.

Space Norway also work in close cooperation with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT). KSAT establishes, operates, and owns the MicroSAR Ground System, utilising their existing global network. On behalf of Space Norway, they will provide services related to satellite operations and downlink of MicroSAR data. KSAT will also be responsible for marketing and sales of MicroSAR services and products as part of their portfolio, both in a national and an international market.

The payloads will be developed and built by Norwegian suppliers, while the satellite bus and the radar antenna will be built in the UK. The first satellite will be launched early 2025. In the following years, the plan is to launch a number of radar satellites to establish a constellation.

The Satellite System will be owned and controlled by Space Norway. This gives Norway an important strategic independent capability under national control to cover their needs for maritime surveillance.

Space Norway has signed contracts with the following vendors to build the first MicroSAR satellite.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) is a UK company with long experience in building satellites. SSTL will deliver the satellite platform and be responsible for integration of the payloads on board. SSTL will also be responsible for building the radar antenna through their sub-contractor Oxford Space Systems (OSS).

The payloads will be developed and produced by the Norwegian companies WideNorth, Eidsvoll Electronics (EIDEL), Kongsberg Seatex and Norwegian Defence research Establishment (FFI). Hence, the project will also contribute significantly to business development of Norwegian companies.

Space Norway’s current plans are to launch the first satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 as a Rideshare. When establishing a constellation, the satellites will be launched on dedicated launchers. The establishment of Andøya Spaceport may result in future MicroSAR satellites being launched from Norway.

The MicroSAR satellites will follow polar orbits in various orbital planes at an altitude of about 600 km and will weigh about 300 kg.

Press contact at Space Norway

Trude Larstad

Title
Director, Communications and Governmental Contact
Tel
+47 936 67 742

Date June 8th 2022

Back to all News
News

Press release

EPS-R payload delivered and begins integration into the ASBM host vehicle

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Space Systems Command (SSC) delivered the first of two Enhanced Polar Systems-Recapitalization (EPS-R) payloads to begin integration on Space Norway’s Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission host space vehicles. The second payload is expected to be delivered for integration onto the second host space vehicle by the end of July 2022. SSC’s joint partnership with Norway is allowing the hosted payload to deliver capabilities three years ahead of schedule with potential savings of up to $900 million. A successful integration and testing process will highlight the effectiveness of the U.S. Space Force, Norway’s Ministry of Defense, and Space Norway’s strategic partnership.

 

Read the rest of the press release here.

 

Back to all News
Press release

Expanding to meet maritime communication needs of the growing European market.

Telenor Satellite will expand its connectivity services on Newtec Dialog for ferries, cruise and OSV's in Europe.
White ferry ship moored in port of Propriano, South region of Corsica island, France

Delivering Quality of Experience for high bandwidth vessels and offshore installations is at the heart of Telenor Satellite’s drive to service the satellite communications needs of the growing European maritime market.

And while the cruise and ferry sectors look to recovery from the effects of the global pandemic, general maritime, offshore oil & gas and fishing sectors are upping their demand for high quality satcom services.

Since 2016, Telenor Satellite has provided a regional Ka-band VSAT service to maritime users over its THOR 7 satellite from its 1° West orbital location. It targets the North Sea, North Atlantic/ Norwegian Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea and the Mediterranean. THOR 7 is equipped with an HTS Ka-band payload, providing regional coverage with a favourable look angle over the main European shipping lanes. The satellite utilises relatively small spot beams, which provide unprecedented high-power performance for maritime applications.

Jan Hetland, Director of Data Services division at Telenor Satellite, said that thanks to Telenor Satellite’s partnership with ST Engineering, its offering of high throughput services is about to expand for ferries, cruise and OSVs in the summer of 2022. Currently available on Anker Ka-band, the Newtec Dialog® platform allows Telenor Satellite to offer services of up to 150/50Mbps.

Telenor Satellite to further expand its coverage on THOR 7 Newtec Dialog® service in the Mediterranean region.

 

He also added that the company’s recent decision to collaborate with XipLink Inc., the technology leader in Wireless Link Optimization, greatly enhances its Anker Managed Service offering. Xiplink’s Wireless Link Optimization capabilities will boost the customers’ quality of experience “through enhanced speed and reliability while also improving the economics/affordability of the Anker service connections”, he said.

Drawing on Telenor Satellite’s 14 years of partnership with iDirect and combining this with XipLink’s unique WAN optimization capabilities allows Telenor Satellite to serve the most demanding customers out there. The Xiplink WAN optimizer solution provides a greatly improved Quality of Experience for high-bandwidth vessels and offshore installations carrying large numbers of passengers and/or crew, Mr Hetland added.

Telenor Satellite’s portfolio of ‘Anker’ connectivity solutions is used in a variety of sectors, ranging from maritime mobility and oil and gas, to fixed land-based VSAT services. It’s pan European coverage up to 79° North is complemented with an extended coverage of the North Atlantic, Middle East, West Africa and the Caribbean.

Media & editorial inquiries at Telenor Satellite:

Natalia Grøvan

Title
Head of Marketing and Communications

Commercial inquiries at Telenor Satellite:

Jan Hetland

Title
Director Data Services Division
Back to all News
Press release

Space Norway announces new XipLink™ WAN optimisation service

Telenor Satellite announces new XipLink WAN optimizer service for maritime connectivity

Space Norway is pleased to announce a successful collaboration with XipLink™, Inc., the technology leader in Wireless Link Optimisation solution, that has further enhanced their Anker Managed Service offering.

The Anker Managed Service, delivered over an ST Engineering iDirect Velocity platform, provides Ka connectivity over the THOR 7 satellite to clients requiring higher bandwidth capacity and always-on connectivity in the maritime mobility sector.

“Both Space Norway and ST Engineering iDirect were very clear in communicating what was required of XipLink™ and our role in complementing the Anker service”, said XipLink’s CEO Jack Waters. “Specifically, XipLink’s WAN optimisation capabilities increases the end customer’s quality of experience through enhanced speed and reliability while also improving the economics/affordability of the Anker service connections. We are pleased that we have met these objectives and will continue to accept input from our partners and their end customers on how XipLink will add further network performance values.” Waters stated further that “working closely with the many functional groups within Space Norway and ST Engineering iDirect was necessary to bring this service to market. We have come to be treated as part of the team and appreciate the professionalism extended to us.”

“The largest benefit of this service is the substantially improved Quality of Experience when accessing the internet, both by the crew and passengers”, said Jan Hetland, Director of Data Services division at Space Norway. “Drawing on our 14 years of partnership with iDirect and combining this with XipLink™’s unique WAN optimisation capabilities allows us to serve the most demanding customers out there.” The Xiplink™ WAN optimizer solution provides a greatly improved Quality of Experience for high-bandwidth vessels and offshore installations carrying large numbers of passengers and/or crew”, he added.

“As a long-standing partner of Xiplink™ and Space Norway, we have a very collaborative relationship and this is reflected in the boost in performance that we have seen in the Anker Managed Service,” said Jerome Clapisson, Regional Vice President of Sales at ST Engineering iDirect. “We were pleased to involve Xiplink in this project, and our combined expertise and heritage in the maritime sector has allowed us to create an enhanced connectivity experience for all on board, both from the passenger and operational perspectives.”

More specifically, XipLink™ addresses several challenges of the satellite mobility market to include large number of users generating a high number of concurrent TCP sessions and the performance effects of high latency on transport protocols associated with GEO based satellite transport solutions. XipLink’s “XipOS” software is also perfectly positioned to offer hybrid connections of GEO, NGEO, Cellular, Terrestrial Wireless and Wireline connections to further extend bandwidth capacities while providing session persistence for ever higher uptime requirements.

 

Find out more about our XipLink WAN Optimiser solution.

About XipLink Inc.

XipLink™ is the leading independent global technology provider for Wireless Link Optimisation (WAN optimisation) solution using standards-based SCPS protocol acceleration, streaming data compression and Internet optimizations to deliver a better wireless experience over stressed communication links. XipLink™ is a privately-owned company with headquarters in Montreal, Quebec (Canada), integration facilities in Ashburn, Virginia (USA) and field personnel worldwide. www.xiplink.com

About ST Engineering iDirect

ST Engineering iDirect, a subsidiary of ST Engineering North America, is a global leader in satellite communications (satcom) providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their business, differentiate their services and optimize their satcom networks. Through the merger with Newtec, a recognized industry pioneer, the combined business unites over 35 years of innovation focused on solving satellite’s most critical economic and technology challenges and expands a shared commitment to shaping the future of how the world connects. The product portfolio, branded under the names iDirect and Newtec, represents the highest standards in performance, efficiency and reliability, making it possible for its customers to deliver the best satcom connectivity experience anywhere in the world. ST Engineering iDirect is the world’s largest TDMA enterprise VSAT manufacturer and is the leader in key industries including broadcast, mobility and military/government. In 2007, iDirect Government was formed to better serve the U.S. government and defense communities. For more information on our platforms please visit www.idirect.net.

Press inquiries

Randi Ellingsen

Title
Head of PR and Communication, Space Norway.
Tel
+47 988 77 675

XipLink Contact

Joanna Kotopoulis

Title
Administrative Assistant, XipLink.
Tel
514.848.9640 ext. 225
Back to all News
News

Press release

Redundancy on primary telecom connection to Svalbard restored

Space Norway AS owns the fibre optic cable between Svalbard and mainland Norway. The cable is a key element of Norway’s infrastructure in the Arctic and provides broadband telecom services both to the civil society and the science and space activities at Svalbard. Since Friday, January 7th, 2022, the system has been operating without the full specified redundancy. As of January 18th, 2022, this redundancy is restored.

The Svalbard fibre system is built as a fully redundant solution with two cables separated approximately 5-10 km on the seabed. The redundancy ensures continued operations if one of the two connections fails to function. At 04:10 CET on Friday, January 7th, 2022, one of the two connections experienced a failure. This failure did not in any way change the ability to communicate effectively with Svalbard in the same manner as before, but it represented a temporary lack of redundancy.

The analysis of the failure indicated a shunt failure in the cable causing loss of power to some of the signal repeaters. Through a workaround applying an alternate power supply to the damaged cable, the redundancy was restored during the evening of January 18th, 2022. This minimizes the operating risk until final cable repair can be performed probably in the February 2022 timeframe, depending on the availability of the cable vessel and the necessary weather conditions.

POC at Space Norway: Dag H Stølan, Head of Infrastructure, +4740029601/ dhs@spacenorway.no

Back to all News
Press release

Telenor Satellite announces revolutionary on-orbit life-extension service of its THOR 10-02 satellite in geosynchronous orbit.

Telenor Satellite makes history when MEV-2 docks with THOR 10-02/IS-10-02 for the first-ever on-orbit satellite servicing in geosynchronous orbit.
The view of THOR 10-02/IS-10-02 at its orbital position 1.0°W captured by the approaching MEV-2 (Mission Extension Vehicle). Image is courtesy of Northrop Grumman.
Featured image: The view of THOR 10-02/IS-10-02 at its orbital position at 1° West, captured by the approaching MEV-2 (Mission Extension Vehicle).  Image is courtesy of Northrop Grumman.

This represents the start of a new era for satellite communications, paving the way for a different approach to satellite servicing and life-extension possibilities.

The THOR 10-02 satellite, jointly owned with Intelsat (IS-10-02), was first launched in 2004 and remains in excellent health, continuing to carry thousands of vital communication links to vessels navigating across busy shipping lanes and operating in remote offshore fields, as well as delivering connectivity for broadcasting and land-based services in remote locations. The prospect of preserving the operation of these links made it an obvious choice for this pioneering technology, and the companies are the first commercial satellite operators to perform on-orbit servicing of an active satellite in geosynchronous orbit.

Morten Tengs, Telenor Satellite’s CEO, said: “This is a ground-breaking project and we are pleased to be a part of the success of this historic mission. Delivering exceptional satellite connectivity to our clients is our primary focus.”

Space Logistics (a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman) was contracted by our partner at 1° West, Intelsat, to deploy its Mission Extension Vehicle MEV-2 to prolong the operational life of THOR 10-02/ IS-10-02 as its on-board propellant was due to run out towards the end of 2021. The countdown started on August 15, 2020, when MEV-2 was launched from Kourou, French Guiana on board an Ariane 5 rocket.

Eight months after the launch, the docking procedure took place on 12 April, making history for satellite operations.

The MEV-2 satellite docked directly onto the communications satellite, effectively providing the space equivalent of a jetpack and so extending the operational life of THOR 10-02/IS-10-02. The MEV-2 has now taken over control of both the orbit and pointing of the satellite and will continue do so until the satellite is eventually retired in approximately five years’ time.

Media inquiries at Elaborate Communications

Sally Butler

Title
PR Account Manager

Editorial inquiries at Telenor Satellite

Natalia Grøvan

Title
Head of Marketing and Communications

Technical & commercial inquiries at Telenor Satellite

Peter J. Kaland Olsen

Title
Director Business Development