Satellite News articles from August 2007

Satellite News archives from August 2007

Questions Abound About Effects Of FCC Wireless Spectrum Ruling.
August 6, 2007... Anticipation has been running high since the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said July 31 it will be revising its 700 megahertz band plan and service rules "to promote the creation of a nationwide interoperable broadband network...

Restructured NPOESS Program Looking 'Back To Basics'.
August 6, 2007... Northrop Grumman Corp. and three U.S. government agencies have completed a restructuring of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), the organizations announced July 30. As part of the...

BSkyB's Acquisition Of Amstrad Analyzed.
August 6, 2007... BSkyB is planning to spend 125 million British pounds ($253.5 million) to acquire British set-top box vendor Amstrad, the operator announced July 31. Two days later, BSkyB reported that Sky Digital Supplies, its wholly owned subsidiary, had...

Abertis Looking At Other Satellite Investment Opportunities.
August 6, 2007... On the strength of an investment in Eutelsat earlier this year costing more than 1 billion euros ($1.37 billion), the Spanish infrastructure company Abertis is now a major player in the satellite space. The company is Eutelsat's major...

Eutelsat Makes Leap Of Faith In Ka-Band.
August 6, 2007... Fresh off a better-than-expected 2007 second quarter, Eutelsat has revealed plans to take its Ka-band strategy to the next level. The operator intends to launch a dedicated Ka-band satellite with multiple spot beams to 13 degrees East by...

Boeing, Lockheed Martin Teams Lodge TSAT Production Proposals.
August 6, 2007... Teams from each Boeing and Lockheed Martin with their respective industrial partners have lodged proposals to the U.S. Air Force for the development and production phase of the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) Military...

Defense Department Awards $31.1 Million Contract For Boeing's Connexion.
August 6, 2007... Boeing Service Co. has been awarded a $31.1 million, firm-fixed-price contract modification to provide broadband data service to U.S. military and government aircraft equipped with the Connexion by Boeing (CBB) system, the U.S. Department of...

Navy AIS Contract Awarded To DKW Communications.
August 6, 2007... DKW Communications Inc. of Silver Spring, Md., has been awarded a $6.4 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, performance-based contract to provide Automated Information System (AIS) services to the U.S. Navy,...

Forecast Sees Taiwan STB Market To Reach 20 Percent Growth In 2007.
August 6, 2007... Taiwanese set-top box vendors are likely to ship 3.2 million digital satellite set-top boxes in the second half of this year. Such is the forecast of MIC (Market Intelligence Center), an ICT industry research institute based in Taipei, it...

SES Americom's HD-Prime Triple-Feed Antenna Program Offers Cable Operators New HD Access.
August 6, 2007... CableOne and Cox Communications are among the latest U.S. cable operators to join SES Americom's triple-feed antenna program to provide access to new high-definition (HD) programming via the HD-Prime service, SES Americom announced July 30....

Polsat Claims HD Industry First In Poland.
August 6, 2007... Cyfrowy Polsat, the Polish DTH operator, is claiming an HD first in Poland, the company announced July 30. It said it is the first in Poland to own an outside HD broadcast truck, as Polsat is gearing up its HD strategy domestically. It is...

Vislink Acquires Focus.(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Vislink, a United Kingdom-based supplier of microwave radio and satellite transmission products for the broadcast and security markets, has acquired Focus Communications to boost its prospects in the U.S. technical services market, Vislink...

Launch Of Third Sino-Brazilian Satellite Scheduled For Fall.(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... China is expecting to launch the third Sino-Brazilian Earth resources satellite in September or October, according to Xinhua, citing a July 29 announcement by China's National Space Administration (CNSA). The latest schedule differs from...

Powerstar International To Change Auditor, CFO.(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Powerstar International Inc. is making a change of both its auditor and chief financial officer, the company announced July 30. At Powerstar's June 28 annual general meeting, BDO Dunwoody LLP was reappointed as the auditor of Powerstar....

RocketStream Releases Enhanced Data Transfer Acceleration Software Suite.
August 6, 2007... RocketStream Inc., a subsidiary of Voyant International Corp. and developer of technologies and solutions to accelerate digital content delivery over high-bandwidth IP networks, unveiled its updated RocketStream file transfer acceleration...

iDirect Rolls Out DVB-S2 Offerings, Announces CrossSat Deal In China.
August 6, 2007... iDirect Technologies, a company of VT Systems Inc., will introduce a DVB- S2 product line with Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) fully integrated within its system architecture to support the DVB-S2 digital broadcast standard, the company...

Sirius Increases Revenue, Narrows Loss In Second Quarter.(Financial report)
August 6, 2007... Sirius Satellite Radio enjoyed a second quarter with revenue and subscribers increasing by 51 percent and 53 percent, respectively, the broadcaster announced July 31. It attained record revenues of $226.4 million while adding more than 561,000...

Army Gives Northrop Grumman $91 Million Contract To Supply GPS-Aided Laser Rangefinder Systems.
August 6, 2007... The U.S. Army extended a $91 million contract to Northrop Grumman Corp. for more than 300 battle-proven Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder (LLDR) systems, Northrup Grumman announced July 30. The systems provide targeting capability...

SES New Skies Signs African Deal.
August 6, 2007... SES New Skies has signed a five-year deal with one of Africa's largest VSAT companies for capacity on its NSS-7 satellite, the operator announced July 31. SES New Skies said that Afsat has contracted additional capacity for its iWay...

TCS Nets $3.5 Million Addition From Army For Military Transition SATCOM Contract.
August 6, 2007... TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS) has received a $3.5 million contract increase for satellite communications equipment and services to support Military Transition Teams (MiTTs), TCS announced July 31. In a three-year contract with a...

Gilat's Spacenet Announces Contract Extensions.
August 6, 2007... Spacenet Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., has been awarded two new contract extensions, Gilat announced July 31. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Spacenet has signed a contract extension with...

Blue Sky Network, Iridium Provide RAF With Flight-Tracking System For Search- And-Rescue Missions.(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... The British Ministry of Defense is deploying Blue Sky Network's Iridium satellite-based flight tracking equipment for the Search-and-Rescue division of the Royal Air Force (RAF), the companies announced July 31. Utilizing Blue Sky...

Ball Aerospace Ready To Ship WorldView 1.
August 6, 2007... Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has completed assembly and performance testing of DigitalGlobe's WorldView 1 remote sensing satellite, Ball reported July 30. Ball, DigitalGlobe and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA)...

Northrop Grumman Given NPOESS Contract Modification Worth $2.35 Billion.
August 6, 2007... Northrop Grumman Space Technology was awarded a contract modification including a cost-plus-award-fee with multiple incentives worth $2.35 billion in the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) acquisition...

Eumetsat Admits Anomaly Could Be 'Non-Correctable'.(European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Eumetsat, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, gave further details of an anomaly on its Metop-A satellite, which it believes could now be "non-correctable," the agency announced July 31. The...

RR Satellite Draws Record Revenue In Second Quarter.(Financial report)
August 6, 2007... Satellite broadcast company RR Satellite Communications Ltd. posted record revenue and a 37 percent growth in net profit during the second quarter of 2007, the company announced July 31. The company's revenue increased 42.6 percent, to $14.7...

Trimble Sees Positive Second Quarter Growth.(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Trimble reported that its revenue for the second quarter of 2007 was $327.7 million, up approximately 34 percent from revenue of $245.3 million in the same quarter of 2006, when it announced its quarterly earnings figures on July 31. ...

Telesat Reports Revenue Increases For Second Quarter.(Financial report)
August 6, 2007... Telesat Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of BCE Inc., posted increases in both revenue and profitability, the company announced Aug. 1. For the second quarter ending June 30, Telesat's second quarter operating revenue of 161.4 million...

Norsat Increases Penetration Into Military Markets.
August 6, 2007... Norsat International Inc. has sold its portable satellite systems to seven of the world's militaries, deploying Norsat's technology in at least 17 countries and all five continents, the company announced Aug. 1. The company pointed out...

Stauder Technologies Receives $9.6 Million Modification To A Marine Corps Contract.
August 6, 2007... Stauder Technologies of St. Peters, Mo., has been awarded a contract modification with a not-to-exceed ceiling of $9.6 million with undefinitized contract line items for not less than 230 units, the U.S. Department of Defense announced July...

Lockheed Martin Completes End-To-End Test Of Space-Based Infrared System.
August 6, 2007... Lockheed Martin has completed a critical end-to-end test between the space and ground elements of the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), the company announced Aug. 1. The test was considered a key milestone in preparation for launch...

GlobeCast Begins Playout Services From London.(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... GlobeCast has opened a complete playout and media management center at its existing facility in London, the company announced August 1. The new center allows GlobeCast to offer a range of solutions to global broadcasters of all sizes....

Abertis Exec Discusses Possible Hispasat Deal.
August 6, 2007... Abertis, a Spanish infrastructure company, has firmly set its sights on Spanish satellite operator Hispasat. In its results issued August 2, the company announced that its subsidiary, Abertis Telecom, "has been in talks" with Hispasat's...

Sirius Selects Space Systems/Loral To Build FM-6 Satellite.
August 6, 2007... Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications, has been awarded a contract from Sirius Satellite Radio to build Sirius FM-6, a high-power satellite designed to operate in a highly inclined elliptical orbit (HIEO),...

Inmarsat Signs Deal With Major Asian Wireless Operator.
August 6, 2007... Inmarsat has teamed up with top Philippines wireless operator Smart Communications as the telco looks to expand the reach of its satellite phone offering, Smart Link, the companies announced August 2. Smart is a major force in the Philippines...

Integral Systems Receives CCS-C Contract Modification For Air Force's WGS And AEHF Satellite Programs.
August 6, 2007... Integral Systems Inc. has been awarded a cost-plus-award fee modification from the U.S. Air Force totaling $5.8 million to modify the Command and Control System-Consolidated (CCS-C) effort to support the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) and...

Showtime Goes On-Demand.(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Showtime, the Middle East satellite pay-TV operator, is launching a new Video-on-Demand (VoD) service to its subscribers in the Middle East, the company announced August 2. With the launch of Show On Demand, Showtime is claiming it is one of...

Boeing Updates Its TSAT Status.
August 6, 2007... Having earlier in the week submitted its proposal to the U.S. Air Force for the development and production phase of the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) Military Operations System, Boeing updated the status of its...

Garmin To Buy Italian Distributor After Posting Record Second Quarter.
August 6, 2007... Navigation and communications devices manufacturer Garmin Ltd. has signed a letter of intent to acquire Synergy S.p.A., the distributor of Garmin's consumer products in Italy, Garmin announced Aug. 3. Financial terms of the proposed deal...

SES Astra Signs German Capacity Deals.(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... SES Astra has signed two long-term capacity deals with top German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, SES Astra announced Aug. 2. SES Astra will provide ARD and ZDF with an additional transponder each for a 15-year period, with the...

Numerex Acquires Orbit One Communications.
August 6, 2007... Numerex Corp., a machine-to-machine solutions and wireless network services provider, has acquired the assets of Orbit One Communications Inc., Numerex announced Aug. 3. Numerex will pay $6 million in cash for Orbit One, which provides...

Premiere Seeing Fast Take-Up of Soccer Packages.
August 6, 2007... German pay-TV operator Premiere has been seeing strong demand for its new Bundesliga (German soccer) packages in Germany. The company announced August 2 that it had sold 45,000 subscriptions in less than two weeks, and that it expects to...

BSkyB Exec Outlines Mobile, Broadband Plans.
August 13, 2007... Just over a year ago, BSkyB launched key initiatives in the mobile and broadband arenas, giving its customers more access to Sky content than ever before. Its Anytime PC service is one of the more comprehensive legal movie download services...

Executive Q&A: TCS Satellite Services Director Discusses WWSS.
August 13, 2007... TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS) is one of six prime contractors in the U.S. Army's $5 billion Worldwide Satellite Systems (WWSS) contract awarded in 2006. The contract provides users with a single-source, turnkey, rapid-response...

Analysts Remain Bullish About SES Global.
August 13, 2007... When SES Global this week announced its half-year results to the end of June, the company's status was greeted positively by analysts who believe that the stock represents an attractive pick in the satellite sector. On Aug. 6, SES...

Loral Reports 'Steady' Second Quarter, First Half Results.(Financial report)
August 13, 2007... Loral Space & Communications saw revenues increase by 17 percent in the second quarter, and 22 percent for the first half of the year, the company announced Aug. 8. For the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2007, total...

After A Dozen Years, Semtek Still Seeking Russian Assets Over Civil Judgment.
August 13, 2007... In a case stemming from more than a dozen years ago, Semtek International Inc. is proceeding against various Russian entities to collect a $381 million civil judgment awarded by a U.S. federal court. Unfortunately, however, the plaintiff...

Intelsat Reports Quarterly Revenues of $543 Million.(Financial report)
August 13, 2007... In a second-quarter 2007 earnings report, fixed satellite services provider Intelsat Ltd. claimed revenue of $543.2 million and a net loss of $31.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2007. The company's results for the three- and...

EchoStar Reports Boosted Revenues As Dish Network Adds Subscribers.(Financial report)
August 13, 2007... EchoStar Communications Corp., the Colorado-based parent of Dish Network satellite TV, reported boosts in subscriptions and total revenue as it announced its second quarter 2007 figures on Aug. 10. For the quarter ended June 30, EchoStar...

Gilat Posts Strong Numbers.(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... Gilat Satellite Networks announced strong increases in revenues and profits when it reported its second-quarter results on Aug. 9. The publicly traded, Israel-based company which designs, develops and markets satellite and hybrid...

Foxtel Continues Digital Momentum in Australia.(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... Australian direct-to-home (DTH) operator Foxtel ended June with close to 1.3 million domestic direct customers, the company announced Aug. 9. The operator added 150,000 of those customers in the last year, an increase of more than 13 percent...

Worldspace Satellite Radio Reports Flattened Subscriptions.
August 13, 2007... Worldspace Satellite Radio saw a slight drop in overall subscriptions during the second quarter of 2007, the company announced with its earnings report on Aug. 9. For the period ended June 30, 2007, the broadcaster ended with 190,333...

Hughes Communications Reports Increased Revenues Of 12 Percent In Second Quarter.(Financial report)
August 13, 2007... Global broadband satellite network solutions and services provider Hughes Communications Inc. reported second-quarter increases in services, hardware sales and revenues, the company announced Aug. 10. For the second quarter ended June 30,...

With SS/L, Loral Sees 'Steady' Earnings, Outlook.
August 13, 2007... Loral Space & Communications saw revenues increase by 17 percent in the second quarter, and 22 percent for the first half of the year, the company announced Aug. 8. For the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2007, total consolidated...

Tata Sky CEO Targets 8 Million Subscribers By 2012.
August 13, 2007... Tata Sky, the Indian direct-to-home (DTH) operator, has reached 1 million subscribers within its first year of having launched services, the company announced Aug. 8. As India represents one of the world's largest DTH markets, Tata CEO...

Sky Italia's Profits Soar.(Financial report)
August 13, 2007... Sky Italia, the Italian DTH operator owned by News Corp., had 4.2 million subscribers by the end of June, News Corp. reported Aug. 8. Sky Italia added nearly 370,000 subscribers, second in Europe only to U.K. DTH operator BSkyB over the same...

India Approves $67.5 Million Arianespace Deal.
August 13, 2007... India's cabinet has approved a contract worth up to $67.5 million with Arianespace for launching satellites, according to Aug. 9 published reports out of New Delhi. In June, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) signed an...

ViaSat's First-Quarter Earnings Fall Flat.(Financial report)
August 13, 2007... ViaSat Inc., a producer of satellites and digital communication products, reported that its fiscal first-quarter profit fell on flat revenues and higher expenses, the company announced Aug. 8. The Carlsbad, Calif.-based company reported...

MSV And Sprint Join To Offer Satcom Solutions To Public Safety End-Users.
August 13, 2007... Mobile Satellite Ventures LP (MSV) has entered into a three-year strategic distribution deal with Sprint's Emergency Response Team (ERT) to offer continuous wireless connectivity for public safety agencies in situations where the public...

Yahsat Orders Satellites From EADS Astrium And Thales Alenia Space.
August 13, 2007... Al Yah Satellite Communications Co. (Yahsat) has signed a deal with European satellite companies EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space for the buildout of a dual satellite communications system, Yahsat announced Aug. 8. The two satellites...

NDS Posts Strong Full-Year Results.(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... NDS posted strong increases in revenues and overall profits and revenues among its full year results to the end of June, the company announced Aug. 7. The conditional access and middleware vendor works with a number of DTH operators...

NTE Automation Relies on SkyWave D+ for Remote Compressor Monitoring in Hazardous Environments.(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... Texas-based NTE Automation has selected SkyWave Mobile Communications to supply reliable D+ terminals and network services for integration with NTE's remote Web-based monitoring, NTE Automation announced Aug. 7. The SkyWave terminals are...

Arinc Adds SkyPort Satellite Service For Interoperability Solution.
August 13, 2007... Arinc Inc. has signed a marketing agreement with SkyPort Global Communications of Houston to distribute SkyPort's broadband satellite service to customers of Arinc's wireless interoperability network solution (AWINS) interoperability solution,...

Telesat's Anik-F3 'Performing Normally' Despite Published Rumor.
August 13, 2007... Notwithstanding an Aug. 3 report posted online at an industry publication, Telesat confirmed Aug. 7 that its Anik F3 satellite "has been performing normally and there have been no recent issues affecting its operations." [Copyright 2006...

GeoInformation Group Adds Thermal Mapping To Imagery Portfolio.(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... The GeoInformation Group, publishers of Cities Revealed aerial photography, is offering a new Thermal Mapping solution among its geographic information and aerial imagery portfolio, the company announced Aug. 8. Thermal Mapping is a...

ATK Awarded $2.8 Million Contract With Sandia National Laboratories For Satellite Link Signal Generator.
August 13, 2007... Alliant Techsystems' (ATK) mission research and technical services business division has signed a $2.8 million dollar contract from Sandia National Laboratories to build a unique multi-channel test source for the U.S. Nuclear Detection...

Renamed Vizada Launches Website.(Website overview)
August 13, 2007... Formerly known as France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications, mobile satellite communications provider Vizada has launched a Website to reflect the new brand, Vizada announced Aug. 8. Acquired by Apax Partners from the France Telecom...

Inmarsat Posts Strong Results; Signs Launch Deal.
August 13, 2007... Inmarsat reported a leap in profits during the first half of 2007, the company announced Aug. 7. Amid earnings results for the first six months of 2007, revenues cleared $284.2 million, or an increase of nearly 16 percent compared to the...

Integral Systems Cites Record Results For Third Quarter.(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... Integral Systems Inc. achieved record results for the fiscal third quarter of 2007, the company announced Aug. 7. Revenues for the quarter were $35.9 million, up $8.5 million from the third quarter of fiscal 2006, while third quarter...

Lockheed Martin Receives $23 Million Contract To Upgrade B-2 Bomber Satellite Communications System.
August 13, 2007... Lockheed Martin has received a $23 million contract from Northrop Grumman to support the upgrade of satellite communications systems used aboard the U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bomber, Lockheed Martin announced Aug. 7. Lockheed Martin...

Iridium Announces First Development Partners for Next.(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... Iridium Satellite has contracted with seven partners in the initial phase of designing and developing its next-generation Iridium Next satellite constellation, the company announced Aug. 7. The first partners -- Avaliant, Boeing, General...

Northrop Grumman Delivers SBIRS GEO-1 Payload.
August 13, 2007... Northrop Grumman Corp., has delivered the first Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO) payload to prime contractor Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman announced Aug. 6. The milestone was achieved after a thermal...

Ferrari To Offer XM Radio And XM NavTraffic.
August 13, 2007... The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti will be the first Ferrari model to come with standard factory-installed XM Satellite Radio and XM NavTraffic real-time information service, XM announced Aug. 7. Ferrari will include three years of XM Radio...

DataPath Wins $16.7 Million Contract For National Guard Rapid Response Program.
August 13, 2007... DataPath Inc. has been awarded a $16.7 million contract for Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC) for the U.S. Army National Guard, DataPath announced Aug. 7. DataPath's communications networks, provided with cooperation...

Pace Wins New Sky Deal.
August 13, 2007... Pace Micro Technology has won a new contract from BSkyB, the company announced August 7. Pace said it had won additional STB business for the 2007 financial year. Through previous contracts, Pace expects to begin deliveries of Sky HD...

Yahsat CEO: "We Want To Be Different".
August 20, 2007... Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) is aiming to become a major force on the satellite landscape in the Middle East. The satellite operator, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, a UAE-based company, is...

Spaceway-3: The "Game Changer".
August 20, 2007... Hughes Communications, a provider of broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses and consumers is ready for a new chapter after the successful launch of the Spaceway-3 satellite. The...

European and U.S. DTH Markets Analyzed (Part II).
August 20, 2007... Over the last few weeks, all the major satellite pay-TV operators in Europe and U.S. have announced their results. Here, in a special two-part article, we look at how well satellite pay-TV operators are performing against cable and telco...

European and U.S. DTH Markets Analyzed (Part I).
August 20, 2007... Over the last few weeks, all the major satellite pay-TV operators in Europe and U.S. have announced their results. Here, in a special two-part article, we look at how well satellite pay-TV operators are performing against cable and telco...

Measat COO Confident Of Company's HD Prospects.
August 20, 2007... Measat Satellite Systems is confident the launch of its new high- definition (HD) platform will give it an edge in the competitive market in Asia, Paul Brown-Kenyon, Measat's COO, told Satellite News. The operator launched an HD...

Org CEO Hopes Others Deals Will Follow Belgacom Acquisition.
August 27, 2007... [24/08/07 - Satellite News] India's Org Informatics, which acquired Belgacom's satellite assets Aug. 22, is in discussion to buy other satellite assets, a company executive said. "I hope we will make other acquisitions in the satellite...

Canal+ Cyfrowy COO Confirms Push VOD Plans.
August 27, 2007... [23/08/07 - Satellite News] Canal+ Cyfrowy, one of the more progressive direct-to-home (DTH) operators in Eastern Europe, had a banner year in 2006 adding nearly 250,000 new subscribers to bring its total to around 950,000 customers in...

Europe Wants Continent-Wide Licenses For MSS Services.
August 27, 2007... [8/22/07 - Satellite Today] The European Commission believes the best way for the mobile satellite services (MSS) market to reach its potential is putting mechanisms in place so these services can be offered in a uniform fashion across...

Yahsat CEO: "We Want To Be Different".
August 27, 2007... [08/17/07 - Satellite News] Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) is aiming to become a major force on the satellite landscape in the Middle East. The satellite operator, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, a...