Avanti Communications Share Discussion Threads

[habitualvoyeur] 29/11/2010 13:55

Lots of sells going through for the same amounts in sucsession 2300, 2322, 2122........ It must be same person ? someone dumping ? wots the NMS for these at the moment ???

[share_shark] 29/11/2010 13:35

More than one way to skin a cat !. ;-)Wall Street Journal.




By Ben Rooney, Technology Editor, The Wall Street Journal Europe

2010 ESA-CNES-Arianespace/
Photo Optique Vidéo CSG
HYLAS-1 being carried into space atop the Ariane 5 Good news from the HYLAS-1 launch. The Ariane 5 carrying Europe's first satellite to deliver broadband networks to remote areas was successfully launched.

David Williams, CEO of Avanti Communications, appears to have more than one way of skinning a cat.

Speaking after the launch late on Friday, he said; "As a result of certain extra activities during manufacture HYLAS 1 has higher performance than the original design provided for, and enables us to offer certain new services, especially in institutional markets.

"We will analyse the precise performance characteristics of the satellite in these and other operating modes, along with certain customers, in order that we are best able to maximise the revenue generating potential of the satellite through its lifetime."

With Eutelsat Communications breathing hard down his neck, the launch of their rival is due to take place on December 20, the pressure is on Avanti to get their smaller system up and generating revenue. Avanti are due to launch a second, much larger, satellite - predictably called HYLAS 2 - in Q2 2012.

Both companies are hoping that satellite provides a cheap - and profitable - way of delivering broadband internet to communities too remote for either fibre or ADSL. The market for 2Mb satellite broadband products in the markets served by Avanti is estimated at more than 100 million households.

Avanti, Eutelsat, satellite broadband

[share_shark] 29/11/2010 12:50

Thank you MT.Glass.


hello yorgi to you too from snow bound here.

[m.t.glass] 29/11/2010 12:46

shareshark - early 1980s.

[qs9] 29/11/2010 12:45

thanks for earlier posts on post-launch value, much appreciated

[m.t.glass] 29/11/2010 12:44

pip-uk - and you believe that?
I think it will be "a" priority, rather than necessarily "first" priority - though will be presented as the latter. And it will be the excuse government use for putting taxpayers' money into it.

[pip_uk] 29/11/2010 12:39

I would imagine that with the government`s desire to have broadband available to as many people as possible then that will be the first priority of this technology.

[sandbank] 29/11/2010 12:31

MTG: Very interesting. From what you say it would appear a fair amount of capacity has been pre-booked (at pre-launch prices) by the MoD on behalf of us taxpayers.

Promoted by your post I've discovered this - issued on September 8th 2010 (which is probably already well- known to regulars here)

"Astrium Services has entered into a pioneering agreement with Avanti Communications to use transponder capacity for Ka-band tests on the soon to be launched Hylas 1 satellite" .

"The technology test-bed comprises a dedicated secure laboratory facility equipped with RF, modem and encryption and routing equipment which will enable government and military customers to work in close collaboration with Astrium Services' engineers in testing and refining future Military Ka-band system requirements. System tests on the satellite will cover military use of Ka-band including tactical and comms on the move (CoTM) terminals in field locations. It will be based in Stevenage in UK and use proven in-house system and terminal capabilities supplied by Astrium Secure Satcom Systems"

"Astrium Services CEO Eric Beranger said: "As the world's first provider of military grade secure satellite communications to government customers we are continually looking at how to improve our services and solutions. Our goal with the technology test-bed and the capacity lease on Hylas 1 is to test and validate potential future service opportunities to give our existing and future customers an edge over the competition."

....So it would seem this is the reason for the delay in commissioning - and nothing to do with fine-tuning the systems.

Do we actually know how many non-military customers are signed up for this satellite?

[m.t.glass] 29/11/2010 12:24

ib1905 - I can understand Avanti regarding government military business being worth having - and being a useful boast when looking to sway other prospective customers. But I hope any such deal doesn't give away too much "priority when demanded" to the military.

Many years ago I participated in exercises that involved big chunks of BT's network being switched over for exclusive military use during parts of two-hour periods on particular days. The effect on ordinary telephone customers was that their attempted calls would be met with "All lines to Reading (or wherever) are engaged. Please try later". That itself of course is a perfectly legitimate message automatically dished out when lines are genuinely busy with heavy traffic or when availability was reduced for maintenance - so nobody would regard it as more than something they occasionally expect. And it was used for that reason - that nobody would think it odd. Those of us utilising the network during those exercises were able to tip off our family and friends precisely when to expect reduced availability. (This wasn't top secret, I hasten to add).

Those particular exercises no longer happen. But with current concerns over terrorism, I imagine the demand for communications access will now be more intense at times. If Avanti are too generous in bowing to government demands for occasional switching of priorities, this could reflect in ordinary broadband customers having to tolerate interruptions. And now that the government (who have poured a lump of public money into Hylas-1) have seen it successfully launched, I imagine they will be twisting Avanti's arm to maximise military usage - which might have some bearing on why Avanti are talking of rejigging their intended commercial sales plans.

Or might not of course ;o)

[backmarker] 29/11/2010 12:23

it's interesting that most of the sells at 725 are currently going through on AIM, whereas most of the buys at 727 are going through on PLUS, though because of the skewed official spread quoted on PLUS then ADVFN classifies them as sells. that makes the majority of trades look like sells to the casual observer while reality is quite different.

my understanding is that many MMs work both AIM and PLUS, so this could be a bit of obfuscation. if it is, then my guess is that the MMs are trying to encourage selling, probably to fill large buy orders. in which case expect some large (delayed) trades to appear late in the day. it's noticeable that there have been only a very few large trades posted so far, most trades being under 5000.

[yorgi] 29/11/2010 12:21

Good Morning Share Shark nice to see to you on this sunny morning.....well it is here at the moment.....How things have changed here from a week ago

[yorgi] 29/11/2010 12:17

Secret :-) Don't tell Wikileaks !

[backmarker] 29/11/2010 12:13

perhaps this "extra" work is going on alongside the originally intended commissioning work. there appears to be no suggestion of any delay to final commissioning.

as to the "secret squirrel" stuff, I am sure there is. but then I'm an avid watcher of Spooks ;~}

[yorgi] 29/11/2010 12:06

Any new piece of high tech equipment such as this is bound to have a commissioning period

[deadsceptical] 29/11/2010 11:58

Re Avanti taking time in commissioning and trials it should be obvious that you cannot try different configurations when the satellite is full of traffic. Hence optimise when satellite usage has not started. Can then take optimum route to maximum profit.

[yorgi] 29/11/2010 11:51

Whatever Ib it has all been good news :-)

[ib1905] 29/11/2010 11:46

Back in a moment some dark suited men have just arrived wearing fedoras and say they want a quick word.........

[yorgi] 29/11/2010 11:43

Agreed Bonnard

[julcester] 29/11/2010 11:43

ib1905,

Could well be. Very interesting thought. We don't know whats been put in the satallite or who has asked for it to be put there.

The results will be interesting too, although not as interesting as 1h 2011!

[ib1905] 29/11/2010 11:39

Well for what my tuppence worth is worth I think something (positive for shareholders) may be afoot. The government test-bed announcement in September
"Avanti and Astrium Launch Military and Government Ka-Band Test-Bed
* Test facility to support experimentation and development of end to end Ka-Band
communications capabilities"

followed by todays RNS about some extras being checked out
"we will be working to enhance the revenue generating potential of the satellite"

could be linked. If so it may be secret squirrel stuff which will be piggy backed onto the satellite while it provides consumer services. Feel free to shoot me down guys - just a thought

[alpha534u] 29/11/2010 11:37

with a broker buy note out ....the yanks may want some of these later.... :-))

sanbank.......
Mr. Williams at Avanti said skepticism about satellite broadband had been fueled by misinformation from cable and telecommunications companies. Once consumers see the new technology in action, he said, perceptions will change.

[bonnard] 29/11/2010 11:25

Sanbank.....wrong.

Any complex technology takes time to comission, optimise and fine tune. They could probably switch on for customers earlier, but why not spend a little over four weeks making sure that HYLAS1 is operating at the optimum level? In fact this is a great advantage of HYLAS that it can be reconfigured to suit the demand.

[yorgi] 29/11/2010 11:23

Only time will tell if you are right or wrong Sandbank I would say you were wrong but at saying that is it ever wrong to take a profit :-)

I don't think spending a few weeks, if it is that making adjustments and carrying
out testing is a problem. They talk of the new year and we are only weeks away from it now !

I'm not selling any at the moment