Satellite News articles from January 2003

Satellite News archives from January 2003

WildBlue Rebounds With Financing.(WildBlue Communications)
January 6, 2003... WildBlue Communications Inc. appears locked in to begin commercial service in 2004 after finalizing a $154 million financing package from key strategic partners. As reported in a front page SATELLITE NEWS story Dec. 22, WildBlue cobbled...

The New Year Offers Little.(Industry Overview)
January 6, 2003... A speedy industry recovery from a dismal 2002 is not expected anytime soon. The outlook is for modest improvement in the economy and in business prospects during the year. Satellite companies may receive only slightly increased demand for...

XM Refuels With Needed Financing.
January 6, 2003... Washington-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] is sacrificing a big portion of the ownership stake of its existing shareholders in a planned $450 million restructuring that will gain the company about two years worth of operating cash. The...

Spotlight: Wireless Company Offers GPS Feature.(Southern Co.'s Southern LINC)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Companies increasingly seem open to using alternative technologies to serve their customers. The latest example is Atlanta-based Southern LINC, a wireless communications service from Southern Company [SO]. Southern LINC recently began...

Foiled Merger Brings Providers Back To Basics.(proposed merger of DirecTV, EchoStar Communications fails)(Industry Overview)
January 6, 2003... Termination of the proposed merger between DirecTV Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] ended another chapter in the competitive landscape of the U.S. direct broadcast satellite (DBS) industry. Many now believe that the two...

Arianespace Eyes Quick Recovery From Anomaly.(Ariane 5 launch failure of Dec 11, 2002)
January 6, 2003... France-based Arianespace S.A. will need a bit more time before it can shake off the Dec. 11 launch failure of an Ariane 5 that occurred during the first mission of its heavy-lift, 10-ton model. Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said the...

Satellite TV Gaining Ground.(Federal Communications Commission report)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released its ninth annual report on competition in the market for the delivery of video programming. The report finds that cable television still is the dominant technology for the delivery...

Nimiq 2 Launched.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The Nimiq 2 telecommunications satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) for Telesat Canada, was successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Lift-off occurred Dec. 29 aboard a...

Comtech Gets $1.3M Order.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Melville, N.Y.-based Comtech Telecommunications Corp. [CMTL] has received a $1.3 million order for satellite modems from an unidentified Asian customer for $1.3 million. The order includes the CDM-600 satellite modem as well as SDM-2020...

EchoStar To Retire Notes.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] announced that its subsidiary, EchoStar DBS Corp., has elected to retire all of its outstanding 9 [ordinal indicator, masculine] percent senior notes due 2006, three years early pursuant to its optional...

Beverly Deploys GPS.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Beverly Enterprises [BEV] became the first major U.S. healthcare company to enter the field of GPS location and monitoring systems for patient care purposes when it signed a strategic alliance and distribution agreement with Digital Angel Corp....

Stratos To Repay Bridge Facility.(Stratos Global )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Stratos Global Corp., a Bethesda, Md.-based remote communication solutions and services, has reached an agreement with its lending banks regarding amendments to certain terms and conditions of its credit facilities, including the scheduled...

ViaSat To Supply VSATs To Mexico.(very small aperture terminals contract with INTERNET Directo S.A. de C.V.)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... ViaSat Inc. [VSAT] has been awarded a contract by INTERNET Directo S.A. de C.V. to provide a LinkStar broadband VSAT network for the Mexican government's e-Mexico national IT project. The $6 million contract calls for the installation of a...

Castle Harlan Affiliate to Buy Stake in Australian Satellite TV Company.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Australian private-equity investment firm Castle Harlan Australian Mezzanine Partners Pty. Ltd. (CHAMP) would become the largest shareholder in Australian satellite TV firm Austar United Communications Ltd. under a bankruptcy reorganization...

Excessive Fuel In Engine Blamed For Russian Proton Launch Failure.(Proton K/Block DM launch of Nov 26, 2002)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, a joint venture partner in International Launch Services Inc., (ILS) made available information regarding the investigation into the Nov. 26 Proton K/Block DM launch. That mission failed...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
January 6, 2003... Week of Dec. 30 - Jan. 3 2002 Percentage Change Jan. 2 One One Symbol Price Week Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ...

Tonga Maneuvers To Save Slot.(plans satellite communications services)
January 13, 2003... Criticism that the tiny island nation of Tonga has been warehousing orbital slots without using them may be muted a bit after the country recently bought from Seattle Scientific Corp. a satellite that has been deployed at one of the country's...

DirecTV Latin Unit Retrenches.(DirecTV Latin America LLC restructures)
January 13, 2003... Financial and operational challenges have spurred DirecTV Latin America LLC to begin a restructuring that ultimately could lead to a merger with News Corp.-backed satellite TV rival SKY Latin America or to bankruptcy. AlixPartners, a...

Spotlight: Eagle Broadband Gains Lift From Iridium.(sells low-Earth-orbit satellite communication services)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... The Iridium Satellite LLC voice and data satellite system is having a positive effect for a small broadband company. Eagle Broadband Inc. [EAG], a League City, Texas, supplier of broadband products, services and content, received an initial...

Consumer Value - DBS vs. Cable.(direct broadcast vs. cable television)
January 13, 2003... The Carmel Group has compiled data for five straight years about the fierce competition between cable and satellite TV services. This article offers highlights from our study of the battle and the results show that satellite services clearly...

Sirius Expands Focus To Mobile Video Market.(Sirius Satellite Radio provides satellite television for automobiles)
January 13, 2003... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] was the second U.S. satellite radio to enter commercial service but it aims to be the first to add a video component to its existing slate of audio programming. Company officials demonstrated the capability to...

Ariane 5 Launch Of Rosetta Satellite Remains In Limbo.(scientific satellite )
January 13, 2003... A second review panel is assessing the Ariane 5 rocket before it is cleared to launch the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta scientific satellite. That mission needs to occur by month's end for the satellite to rendezvous with Comet...

Gilat's Recent Contract Wins.(Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. contracts boosts quarterly results)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. [GILTF], a satellite networking technology company, reported a "significant increase" in its order backlog when it released its latest quarterly results Jan. 6. The gains are a sign that the Israeli-based company's...

PanAmSat Promotion Frees CEO.(James Frownfelter named COO, CEO Joseph Wright focuses on revenue)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... The promotion of James Frownfelter to the post of chief operating officer at PanAmSat Corp. [SPOT] is aimed at allowing CEO Joseph Wright to focus on growing the company's revenues. Shifting of operational duties to Frownfelter will free...

ST Passes 100 Million Mark.(STMicroelectronics ships MPEG-2 devices to set-top box manufacturers)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... STMicroelectronics [STM], a supplier of set-top box and MPEG decoder chips, recently shipped its 100 millionth MPEG-2 device to set-top box manufacturers, company officials said. ST's chips are used in the satellite, cable and terrestrial TV...

KVH To Introduce Satellite TV in Cars.
January 13, 2003... KVH Industries [KVHI] will unveil its TracVision A5 in-motion satellite TV antenna at last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The 4-1/2 inch high TracVision in-motion satellite TV system uses phased-array antenna technology to make...

MVS Sells 1,000 Inmarsat Terminals.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... The MVS Group, a distribution partner for Inmarsat's high-speed satellite-based Regional BGAN service, has sold 1,000 terminals for the service and expects Regional BGAN to triple its own commercial sales within its Eastern European sale...

Pegasus' Temporary Stock Symbol.(Pegasus Communications Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... Pegasus Communications Corp. said that as a result of its previously announced one-for-10 reverse stock split, its Class A common stock has been trading on Nasdaq on a post-split basis under the temporary trading symbol "PGTVD." The temporary...

Canadian Satellite TV Gains Slow.(Digital TV gains market share)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... Cable TV providers are gaining market share in the Canadian digital television market at the expense of satellite TV services, a new study has found. Canadian satellite TV providers have seen anemic growth in recent quarters, according to...

Globecomm Gets $5.3M In Contracts.(two satellite equipment orders)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... Hauppauge, N.Y.-based Globecomm Systems Inc. [GCOM], a provider of satellite communications services, won two satellite equipment infrastructure pacts valued at $5.3 million. The first contract, obtained from an unidentified customer in...

ITU, Inmarsat To Provide Rural Service.(International Telecommunication Union; telecommunications for developing countries)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... The International Telecommunication Union is partnering with London-based Inmarsat to promote rural telecommunication and support emergency communications in developing countries. Inmarsat will make a 105,000 euro ($109,500) contribution toward...

Orbital Recovery Hires Ikin.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... Orbital Recovery Corp. has appointed Kirby Ikin as its senior vice president for risk management. Ikin has extensive experience in the space insurance and risk management sectors, which he will apply to Orbital Recovery's development of a space...

Titan II Launches from Vandenberg.(Air Force launches satellite with windsat radiometer and solar mass ejection imager )(Brief Article)
January 13, 2003... The U.S. Air Force successfully launched a Titan II booster from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 6:19 a.m. Jan. 6. The joint government and industry project, dubbed "Coriolis," places a U.S. Navy windsat radiometer and an Air...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.(Industry Overview)
January 13, 2003... Week of January 6 - 10, 2003 Percentage Change Jan. 9 One One Symbol Price Week Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 1.67...

Rosetta Delay Raises Concerns.
January 20, 2003... The one-of-a-kind Rosetta satellite that was developed to become the first spacecraft to rendezvous with a comet will need to chase a different comet than originally planned. The change in the $1 billion-plus mission was necessitated last week...

XM Eyes Big Subscriber Gains.
January 20, 2003... XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] officials expect the company's subscriber numbers to top 1.1 million by the end of this year. The outlook is buoyed by General Motors [GM] offering XM satellite radio receivers as a factory-installed option in...

Spotlight: PanAmSat Prepares For Flag-waving.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Increased U.S. government spending on commercial satellite capacity and expected growth in that demand has put Wilton, Conn.-based PanAmSat Corp. [SPOT] on the verge of making an acquisition to pursue that business with zeal. PanAmSat is...

Satellite Radio at CES: Get Ready 2003.(Consumer Electronics Show )
January 20, 2003... LAS VEGAS--At the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) here, XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] seemed to have its name on just about every banner, kiosk or bag in sight. However, rival Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] had the most news releases,...

New Globalstar Investor Faces Significant Risk.
January 20, 2003... A new investor is recognizing the value of the Globalstar handheld satellite phone service. The investor, New Valley Corp. [NVAL], is preparing to pump money into the financially struggling operation. Now the question is whether Globalstar can...

DirecTV Guidance For 2003.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... The 2003 outlook for Hughes Electronics [GMH] subsidiary DirecTV Inc. is more promising that the company's conservative guidance would suggest, concluded Karim Zia, the cable and satellite analyst with Deutsche Bank Securities. DirecTV's...

PanAmSat's Revenues Slip.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... While 2002 revenues slipped, PanAmSat Corp.'s [SPOT] cost-cutting during the past year helped the company to achieve slightly improved profitability, company officials reported Tuesday. The company posted 2002 revenues of $812.3 million,...

Lufthansa's In-flight Internet.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Passengers aboard a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 can now use laptops to gain high-speed connections to the Internet, including full access to their personal or business e-mail accounts and files. As part of a three-month demonstration,...

New Skies Expands In Asia-Pacific.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... New Skies Satellites [NSK] and REACH, an international carrier of voice, private line and IP data services, have signed an agreement that will combine the capabilities of New Skies' newly launched NSS-6 pan-Asian satellite and REACH's satellite...

Spacenet To Provide Lottery VSATs.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.'s [GILTF] subsidiary Spacenet Inc. has signed multiple agreements with global lottery services provider GTECH Corp. to install more than 10,000 Gilat Skystar Advantage broadband satellite communications terminals...

Inforetech Signs With Satellite Golf.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Inforetech Wireless Technology Inc., a supplier of Global Positioning System technology for the golf industry, announced that Satellite Golf Inc. had acquired distribution rights for its products in Nevada and first rights of refusal in Oregon....

Space Imaging Signs Up Raytheon.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Space Imaging has signed up Raytheon Australia, a unit of U.S.-based Raytheon [RTN], as a master reseller of Space Imaging's products and services, including imagery from its earth imaging satellite IKONOS. The agreement allows Raytheon...

Boeing Joins MUOS Team.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Lockheed Martin [LMT] and General Dynamics [GD] have added Boeing Satellite Systems to their team competing to develop the U.S. Navy's next generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system, known as the mobile user objective...

SES, Kinderkanal Extend Deal.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... SES Astra, a unit of SES Global, signed a new long-term agreement for Kinderkanal (KI.KA) to use transponder capacity for analog broadcasts and prime time transmissions in Europe. KI.KA can be viewed an additional two hours per day from...

C-COM Sees Higher Revenues.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., an Ottawa, Ontario-based supplier of satellite Internet technology, reported a 57 percent increase in fourth-quarter revenues from $484,146 in 2001 to $759,719 in 2002. Total revenues generated for fiscal year 2002...

L-3 Unit Secures $52M Contract.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... L-3 Communications' [LLL] Communication Systems-East division has received a $52 million contract modification for the U.S. military's secure global communications system via the advanced extremely high frequency communications security...

Ex-Comsat Official Joins Senate Staff.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Paul E. Jacobson, vice president of corporate communications for Starz Encore Group LLC, has been named deputy communications director for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Senator Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). Jacobson joined Starz Encore in 1998 after...

Analytical Graphics Expands Alliance.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Analytical Graphics Inc. (AGI) has expanded its seven-year strategic alliance with Science Applications International Corp./Advanced Technology Group (SAIC/ATG) of Huntsville, Ala. AGI will assist SAIC/ATG's business development efforts to...

Foundation Telecom, SES Team.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Foundation Telecommunications Inc. (FTI) and SES Americom Inc., an SES Global unit, have agreed to a strategic partnership that will enable cable system operators to deliver broadband Internet connectivity. FTI's new service is a high-speed,...

Delta II Delivers NASA Satellites.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... A Boeing [BA] Delta II rocket has successfully launched the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's ICESat (ice, cloud and elevation satellite) and CHIPSat (cosmic hot interstellar plasma spectrometer satellite) from Space Launch...

Globecomm Gets $15M Contract.(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Globecomm Systems [GCOM], a provider of satellite-based communications, received a $15 million contract to provide satellite infrastructure to a European customer. Under the terms of the contract, Globecomm will modernize an existing...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
January 20, 2003... Week of January 13 - 17, 2003 Percentage Change Jan. 16 One One Symbol Price Week Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS ...

Are Satellite's 'Bent Pipe' Days Over?
January 27, 2003... HONOLULU--Existing and new satellite customers continue to ask satellite operators to be integrated services providers, not just "bent pipe" carriers offering single, space-based solutions to customers' telecommunications needs. "We view...

WildBlue: Broadband for the Masses.
January 27, 2003... Denver-based satellite broadband hopeful WildBlue received its best Christmas present ever this holiday season with a $156 million equity investment. Now, the company needs to finish building its system and find a way to become the world's...

Preparing For The Impending Spectrum War.
January 27, 2003... By Maury Mechanick Juxtaposition of the words "spectrum" and "war" is nothing new. Battles over who gets what spectrum have been waged since the time of Marconi. What is different today is that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)...

Spotlight: Satellite, Wireless Communications Users Cruise the Internet.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2003... COZUMEL, Mexico--Passengers and crew members on the Norwegian Sun and other ships in the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) fleet now are using satellite and other communications technologies to surf the Internet, send e-mails and receive onboard...

2003 Marks Dramatic Shift For DBS.
January 27, 2003... By Jimmy Schaeffler Retention of the 20 million U.S. satellite TV subscribers is becoming an increasingly important priority for the two companies that serve them. Hughes Electronics Corp. [GMH] reflected that trend in its quarterly...

Allure of Asian Satellite Market Proves Irresistible.(Industry Overview)
January 27, 2003... HONOLULU--Asia represents one of the world's largest markets for satellite products and services, with 67 commercial satellites transmitting to a third of the world's population. Asian satellite operators "may be faring better than their...

Liberty Satellite To Acquire Astrolink.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2003... Liberty Satellite & Technology, a majority owned entity of Liberty Media [L], has reached an agreement with Lockheed Martin [LMT], Northrop Grumman's [NOC] Space & Mission Systems division and Telespazio S.p.A. concerning the proposed...

XM To Close $475M Financing.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2003... XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] has received tenders and consents from a majority of the holders of its senior secured notes due 2010. In addition, XM has received the necessary approvals from General Motors [GM] and its investor group, which...

GeoLogic System Launched.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2003... Aether Systems [AETH], in partnership with TransCommunications, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based provider of business telecom products for the transportation industry, and the Mobilacomm Eagle division of BOT Engineering, are launching GeoLogic...

TOMRA Selects Nexterna Product.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2003... TOMRA East, a division of TOMRA North America, a provider of automated recycling systems for collecting used beverage containers, will deploy Nexterna's Clearview field service management solution. The system will enable TOMRA to respond to...

Space Imaging Gets NIMA Contract.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2003... Space Imaging has been awarded a multi-year satellite imagery capacity contract by the U.S. Defense Department's National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA). Under terms of the contract, NIMA would acquire imagery worldwide from Space Imaging's...

Starz Encore Renews PanAmSat Order.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2003... Starz Encore Group and its sister company, International Channel Networks, have renewed satellite capacity contracts with PanAmSat [SPOT]. As part of the agreement, Starz Encore and International Channel will continue to distribute their...

Europeans Debate Space Policy.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2003... With the release last week of a "green paper" on Europe's space policy, the European Commission and the European Space Agency are preparing to debate its future direction. The paper examines Europe's assets and weaknesses in this sector. ...

ORBIMAGE Reaches Bankruptcy Accord.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2003... Orbital Imaging (ORBIMAGE) has signed a non-binding agreement with its unsecured creditors and its parent, Orbital Sciences [ORB], that will allow it to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Under the proposed settlement, ORBIMAGE would...