Satellite News articles from February 2004

Satellite News archives from February 2004

Rural Services Take Center Stage.
February 2, 2004... A first-of-its-kind Federal Communications Commission (FCC) forum last week highlighted a wide array of ways that satellites can serve rural consumers across the United States. The event's significance was underscored by the participation of...

Satellite TV Chips Away At Cable.(... according to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) annual study of television competition )
February 2, 2004... Intensifying competition from high-powered satellite TV services has left cable TV subscriber growth at just 2 percent a year and caused certain cable operators to suffer net subscriber losses, according to the Federal Communications...

FCC Champions Rural Use of Satellites.
February 2, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deserves high praise for holding a series of informative panel discussions last Tuesday that highlighted the ways satellites can be used to help rural Americans. Federal agencies often are the...

Spotlight: Amish Merchant Sells Toys Via Satellite.
February 2, 2004... Jacob King, a 19-year-old man living in rural Abingdon, Va., is among the new breed of small businessmen who are selling merchandise with the aid of satellite Internet links. King was raised Amish and generally still follows the religion's...

The Real Satellite Radio Boom Begins.(XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio )
February 2, 2004... By Jimmy Schaeffler It's long been said that Wall Street investors trade stocks based on a company's expected performance during the next quarter. If true, the year-end stock price gains by U.S. satellite radio service providers XM...

Tandberg CEO Confident Over HD In Europe.(Eric Cooney, CEO of Tandberg Television)(Interview)
February 2, 2004... Tandberg Television expects to play a key role as the high-definition TV (HDTV) market takes shape in Europe. While the market in the United States for high-definition (HD) continues to show promise, the story is not the same in Europe. ...

Alcatel Space Signs Key Defense Deals.
February 2, 2004... Alcatel Space has had a good start to the year in terms of government and institutional communications. It has announced two major deals in January. It announced that it has been chosen by EADS Astrium, prime contractor for the SPIRALE (Systeme...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
February 2, 2004... Week of Jan. 23 - 29, 2004 Percentage Change Jan. 29 One One Three Year to Symbol Price Week Month Month Date Operators APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS ...

Intelsat Sees Opening For IPO.(Initial public offerings)
February 9, 2004... Intelsat is preparing to pursue its long-anticipated initial public stock offering (IPO) at a time when the market for such transactions appears to be recovering. The plan is for Intelsat to sell up to $500 million worth of ordinary...

PanAmSat Shows The Money.(revenues)
February 9, 2004... Joe Wright, the president and CEO of Wilton, Conn.-based PanAmSat [Nasdaq: SPOT], characterized his company during last week's earnings conference call as the world's top-performing and best-positioned fixed satellite services (FSS) operator....

FCC Responds To Trend For Hybrid Services.(Federal Communications Commission )
February 9, 2004... Hybrid services are changing the shape of the satellite industry and causing a ripple effect in the regulatory arena. Satellite, wireless, wireline, Wi-Fi, and fiber-optic cable technologies are being used to form various combinations of hybrid...

Spotlight: IP Video Aids Mobile Medical System.(internet protocol)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2004... Satellite-based video services are expected to help save lives through a Houston-based program jointly operated by the U.S. Army, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Health Science Center (UT - Houston). The program, called...

Is the VOIP Revolution Salvation or Armageddon?
February 9, 2004... By Maury Mechanick As the satellite industry emerges from its most recent downturn, a number of new opportunities and threats loom on the horizon. Among these, voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) may be the most potent. VOIP will likely...

SS/L CEO Confident Company Will Rebound.(Space Systems/Loral)(Interview)
February 9, 2004... Despite bankruptcy at its parent company, Space Systems/ Loral (SS/L) has picked up some key satellite manufacturing orders recently, most notably in October from DirecTV. The turnaround has clearly been a source of optimism for parent Loral...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.(Pegasus Comm. fights DirecTV)(Illustration)
February 9, 2004... Week of Jan. 30 - Feb. 5, 2004 Percentage Change Feb. 5 One One Three Year to Symbol Price Week Month Month Date Operators APT SATELLITE...

Satellite TV Mulls Comcast Proposal.(bid for Disney)
February 16, 2004... The hostile takeover bid for Disney [NYSE: DIS] by cable TV industry giant Comcast [Nasdaq: CMCSA] could create an entertainment and multichannel video service behemoth that would intensify the competitive pressure faced by satellite TV...

Satellite Radio Orchestrates Growth.
February 16, 2004... The enormous potential of satellite radio to gain broad consumer acceptance was exhibited again last week when both U.S. service providers took turns crowing about major accomplishments. Washington-based XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR],...

DirecTV Sacrifices Short-term Profits For Growth.
February 16, 2004... The peculiar part about satellite TV subscriber growth is that the cost of boosting revenues typically batters a service provider's bottom-line. The phenomenon repeated itself last week when Hughes Electronics [NYSE: HS], the parent company of...

Spotlight: Iridium Helps Ships in Distress.(Iridium Satellite )(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Arlington, Va.-based Iridium Satellite has introduced a new range of maritime satellite communication services aimed at helping ship owners meet new International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements for ship security and alert systems...

Beware Of Unlicensed Operations.
February 16, 2004... By Leslie Taylor Satellite industry officials need to gird themselves for another battle. Still smarting from the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) decision to allow terrestrial multichannel video distribution and data service...

FOXTEL Ready For 'Revolution' in Australia.
February 16, 2004... FOXTEL, the Australian pay-TV operator, is set to launch its digital TV service within the next three months, heralding a new era of digital television in Australia. Patrick Delany, director of digital services at FOXTEL, said that the upcoming...

New Skies Plans Second Share Buyback.(New Skies Satellites )
February 16, 2004... New Skies Satellites [NYSE: NSK] has announced plans for a second share buyback of up to 10 percent of its outstanding shares. The Feb. 11 announcement came as little surprise given the success of the first buyback, which the operator completed...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
February 16, 2004... Week of Feb. 6 - 12, 2004 Feb. 12 One Symbol Price Week APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 2.55 1.2 ASIASAT TELECOM SAT 20.35 6.1 BRITISH...

Remote-Sensing Rivals Are Upbeat.
February 23, 2004... The outlook for the commercial remote-sensing sector is brighter than it has been in many years, based on the huge orders it is receiving to serve the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence agencies. However, the same level of...

Speculation Spikes About PanAmSat.
February 23, 2004... Wilton, Conn.-based satellite operator PanAmSat [SPOT] has done so well managing it costs and boosting its cash flow during an industry downturn that it may be ideally situated to be sold by its new owners. That view is shared by a number...

Exchange-Rate Fluctuations Affect Industry Players.
February 23, 2004... By Roger Rusch Although exchange rates may be unpredictable, they can have a major impact on satellite companies, launch- services providers and other international businesses. Satellite and aerospace companies are greatly impacted by...

Spotlight: New Arabic Language Channel Launched.(Middle East Television Network Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 23, 2004... A new Arabic-language satellite television channel, named Alhurra, recently began broadcasting to millions of viewers in 22 countries across the Middle East. Alhurra, an Arabic word for "the free one," primarily is devoted to news and...

Greater Europe Advances Regulatory Reform.
February 23, 2004... VILNIUS, Lithuania - Fundamental political changes underway in Europe are favorably impacting the satellite industry's ability to provide competitive systems and services. Final preparations to add 10 Eastern and Central European nations to the...

Inmarsat Prepares For BGAN Era.(Broadband Global Area Network)(Interview)
February 23, 2004... Inmarsat is expecting 2004 to be a big year as the company prepares to launch of full BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) services. Beginning next year, BGAN services would provide mobile data communications at 432 Kbps for Internet...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.(Illustration)
February 23, 2004... Week of Feb. 13 - 19, 2004 Feb. 19 One Symbol Price Week APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 2.51 -1.6 ASIASAT TELECOM SAT 20.7 1.7...