Thaicom introduced commercial in-flight Ka-band connectivity services to provide broadband on Nok Air airlines. The carrier will provide Wi-Fi on its aircraft starting in August, Thaicom said Wednesday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1lDAfB4). Thaicom teamed up with Row 44 to implement the service for Nok Air passengers “to enhance the experience by giving access to broadband combined with video content,” it said.

Eurovision is beaming World Cup matches in HD and Ultra HD over SES satellites to an estimated 3 billion viewers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia, SES said Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1slsYev). Eurovision, run by the European Broadcasting Union, is distributing matches live in Ultra HD to its global network using SES’ NSS-806 satellite and its teleport in Manassas, Virginia, said a Tuesday SES news release. “Eurovision and the EBU are gearing up for one of the largest broadcast operations requirements in the history of the World Cup, now including Ultra HD content,” said Paolo Pusterla, Eurovision’s head of procurement. Live matches in Ultra HD “will allow consumers to catch a glimpse of the future of TV,” he said.

Chip makers MaxLinear and STMicroelectronics will demonstrate a multichannel Ultra HD set-top box and satellite server platform at the four-day BroadcastAsia show, which opens in Singapore Tuesday, the companies said Monday (http://bit.ly/1ltdGdQ). The platform, which uses High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) compression, is targeted at the growing number of satellite pay-TV operators looking to deliver broadcast 4K services, they said. Show attendees “can’t help but recognize that UHD is providing the next-level user experience and extraordinary opportunity for satellite broadcasters,” ST said. MaxLinear is providing the combined system’s front end, ST the back end, they said. The STiH412 system-on-a-chip device from ST handles the decoding and video processing in the design. In addition to HEVC decoding, the SoC provides multichannel recording to an internal or external hard drive, as well as VOD capability and real-time transcoding of up to three streams, they said.

Eutelsat is partnering with Asian satellite provider ST Teleport to deliver a 4K TV channel on the Eutelsat 70B satellite that reaches Southeast Asia and Australia, the companies said Friday. Content for the 4K feed is encoded in High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) by Ateme and Thomson Video Networks at 50 frames per second with 10-bit color depth, the companies said. They will display the feed at the Eutelsat stand at CommunicAsia 2014, which begins Tuesday in Singapore, using a Samsung 65-inch UE65HU7500 TV, they said. The channel also can be received by 4K TVs equipped with DVB-S2 demodulators and HEVC decoders, they said. Content to be shown will include documentaries and cultural and sports programming, they said.

Satcom Direct Communications (SCD) will be a value-added reseller for Inmarsat’s forthcoming Ka-band network, Global Xpress. SCD will market Global Xpress subscription services to the aeronautical sector of the U.S. government market, Inmarsat said Wednesday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1kmRaTL).

U.S. policy goals for promoting a competitive global market for satellite communications services are being met in accordance with the Open-Market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications (ORBIT) Act, the FCC said in its 15th ORBIT Act report to Congress released Wednesday. Intelsat said it faces numerous and legitimate competitors, “including fiber optic cable, broadband-enabled IP applications, and terrestrial wireless platforms,” the report said (http://bit.ly/1pHWSVz). Intelsat said it faces robust competition “which proves that it does not enjoy any market advantages resulting from its days as an intergovernmental organization,” the report said. Inmarsat invests in new technologies, including its deployment of its fourth-generation network, it said. The company said it continues to introduce new services, the report said. The commission is required to provide annual reports on the impact of the privatization of Inmarsat and Intelsat. Commissioner Ajit Pai reiterated in a statement his support of the FCC Consolidated Reporting Act, HR-2844, as a step toward repealing outdated reporting requirements like the ORBIT Act report (http://bit.ly/1u8iEBZ). The bill would more closely align the FCC’s responsibilities with today’s marketplace, he said. It would give Congress and the public a “one-stop shop for (more) relevant and comprehensive data, facilitating better oversight and more informed policymaking,” he said.

Intelsat signed a 15-year service agreement with MultiChoice to expand direct-to-home services in sub-Saharan Africa. MultiChoice will use capacity on Intelsat 36, which is expected launch in 2016, Intelsat said Wednesday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1xIZkju). The satellite will offer Ku- and C-band services at 68.5 degrees east, it said.

Google will buy Skybox Imaging, a satellite imaging company, for $500 million, it said. The satellites “will help keep Google Maps accurate with up-to-date imagery,” Google said Tuesday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1kN2iOx). Google said it also would like to use Skybox to help improve Internet access and disaster relief. The announcement follows reports that Google is planning to provide satellite broadband to remote areas (CD June 5 p5).

The U.K. is connected to the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) protected communications satellite system by Lockheed Martin. It’s the last of the partner nations to use the satellites for their most important transmissions, Lockheed said Tuesday in a news release (http://lmt.co/1nvGIxK). AEHF is designed to circumvent adversaries’ jammers in most wartime operations, it said. The program is led by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Lockheed said. The U.S., U.K., Canada and the Netherlands will begin operational testing and evaluation, it said.

ViaSat bought NetNearU to expand its ability to deliver high-speed satellite services and Internet access. NetNearU’s network management system for Wi-Fi can extend ViaSat’s Exede to a growing base of subscribers for multiple markets, ViaSat said Monday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1n2vEqb). NetNearU will retain its Bryan, Texas, location, which will establish a ViaSat presence in that state, ViaSat said.