Satellite News articles from January 2005

Satellite News archives from January 2005

Sirius, XM Hit 2004 Subscriber Goals.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2005... Both Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio reached their respective subscriber goals for 2004, each company an-nounced last week. XM said Dec. 27 that it recently surpassed 3.1 million subscribers, the company's year-end goal. ...

2004: The Year Of Private Equity.(Industry Overview)
January 3, 2005... 2004 has been one of the most exciting years in the satellite industry for a long time. It will be remembered as the year where the private equity (PE) firms decided to invest billions of dollars in the satellite industry and the theme of...

Panamsat Seeking $1.12 Billion in IPO.(Initial Public Offerings)
January 3, 2005... Panamsat, according to a Dec. 20, 2004, Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, will be looking to raise $1.12 billion in an initial public offering. The planned date of the offering, the amount of shares to be issued and...

Spotlight: Monitoring Emissions With Satellites.(Sacramento Air Quality Management District, Satellite Security Systems of North America L.L.C., contract)
January 3, 2005... In order to measure reduced emissions from diesel trucks and off-road vehicles, the Sacramento Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) in California signed a five-year contract with Satellite Security Systems (S3) to install its GlobalGuard...

Boeing Delta 4 Heavy Launch Not Entirely Successful.(Brief Article)
January 3, 2005... The Boeing Co. said its Dec. 21 Delta 4 Heavy launch placed a demonstration payload into a lower than expected orbit. According to Boeing, preliminary review of the launch data indicated that shorter than expected first-stage burn led to the...

Overcapacity To Remain An Issue In Latin America.
January 3, 2005... As we look toward 2005 in Latin America, the satellite industry will continue to suffer from the consequences of overcapacity created by "satellite providers and the thousands of miles of fiber optic networks deployed in the 1990's," said Jose...

Telesat Acquires Spaceconnection.(Telesat Comunicacoes for Satellite)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... Telesat said last week that it acquired The Spaceconnection Inc., a provider of programming-related satellite transmission services to U.S. television net-works and cable programmers. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but...

Satellite Companies Pitch In For Tsunami Relief.
January 10, 2005... Throughout the world, commercial enterprises, individuals and governments are pitching in to aid those who have survived the devastating tsunamis that took the lives of more than 180,000 people on Dec. 26. The satellite industry is no...

Zeus Goes Cellular For New Intelsat CEO.(Zeus Holdings Ltd)
January 10, 2005... Although there has been no official confirmation on whether Zeus Holdings Ltd., the company formed by a consortium of private equity firms Apax Partners, Apollo Management, Madison Dearborn Partners and Permira, will actually complete its...

Spotlight: Serving Thrill-Seekers' Communication Needs.(satellite services from Roadpost Inc.)
January 10, 2005... While satellite services boast their ability to keep users connected where traditional services can't reach, one typically does not think about the inside of a volcano as a place where satellite technology is needed. But that is where Iridium...

Putting The Pressure On Cable In Canada.(Interview)
January 10, 2005... Bell Express-Vu is one of the leading pay-TV operators in Canada and has close to 1.5 million subscribers. It is aiming to put the pressure on cable operators. Bell ExpressVu is owned by Bell Canada, the largest telco in Canada. This means...

Sirius Gets Solid Factory Install Push From Ford.(Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., Ford Motor Co., contract)
January 10, 2005... One of the differences between Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] and its rival XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] was that Sirius has been lagging in getting solid deals to have its receivers offered as factory installed options in automobiles. ...

TPS Reveals Subscriber Numbers.(Television Par Satellite)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... French satellite pay-TV operator TPS enjoyed a record month in December for adding new subscribers. In December 2004, it added close to 66,000 subscribers, an increase of more than 100 percent compared to December 2003. For 2004 as a whole, the...

Audiovox Markets Mobile Satellite TV Antenna For RaySat.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... Audiovox Corp. yesterday launched its SkyBox satellite television antenna designed for vehicles such as SUVs, minivans and recreational vehicles. The antenna, designed by RaySat, is described by the company as "a sleek-looking 5.7-inch high"...

DataPath Taps Radyne For Satellite Modems.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... Radyne ComStream said it received last month an order for $2.3 million to supply DataPath Inc. with its satellite modem. DataPath will use the modems in its DKET and TRACKX products. DKET and TRACKX terminals are designed to provide...

AsiaSat Confirms TAS Digital Launch.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... Teleport Access Services (TAS) launched a digital television and radio platform aiming to cater to the needs of multicultural audiences in Australia and New Zealand. The DTH platform is being launched on the AsiaSat 4 satellite's Ku-band...

ABI: Satellite Radio To Dominate Preminum Real-Time Traffic Info Market.(Real-Time Traffic Systems)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... According to a new report, "Real-Time Traffic Systems," published by research firm ABI Research, the advent of satellite radio to deliver real-time traffic data will not only spur adoption of real-time traffic data services in North America,...

DirecTV Launches Mobile-Specific Package.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... Recognizing the upstart but growing market for satellite television services delivered to vehicles such as recreational vehicles, SUVs and minivans, DirecTV Inc. announced a new DirecTV Total Choice Mobile package. The package is available to...

Arianespace Begins 2005 With New Launch Contracts.(Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales )(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... The French space agency CNES awarded Arianespace a contract to launch two Pleiades Earth observation satellites. The satellite will be launched on board Soyuz rockets from Kourou, French Guiana in 2008 and 2009. CNES also contracted...

Comtech EF Data Awarded Satellite Communications Equipment Contract.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... Comtech Communications Corp. said its subsidiary Comtech EF Data Corp. has been awarded a $2.8 million contract to provide satellite communications equipment to an unnamed CMDA network operator in India. Comtech said that its data and RF...

Two Prime U.S. Government Contractors Tap Globecomm For Satellite Solution, Services.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... Globecomm Systems Inc. announced it has been awarded multiple contracts valued at approximately $4.2 million from two U.S. government prime contractors. [Copyright 2005 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved.]

Clear Channel Taps EMS For XtremeSat Satellite Services.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... EMS Satellite Networks, a division of EMS Technologies Inc., said it has delivered a DVB-RCS hub to Clear Channel Satellite Services of Centennial, CL. Clear Channel will use the hub and terminals to serve satellite communications needs within...

SES Astra Completes DPC Acquisition.(Digital Playout Center )(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... SES Astra has completed the 100 percent acquisition of DPC Digital Playout Center from Premiere, the German pay-TV operator. DPC operates a broadcasting center in Unterfohring and offers services comprising play-out, multiplexing, encryption...

ViaSat Awarded $60 Million Military Contract.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... ViaSat Inc. said it won an Engineering Change Proposal modification and corresponding delivery order valued at approximately $60 million for the development of a Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) complaint version of the Multifunctional...

Telenor's Regional BGAN Subs Double In 2004.(broadband global area network, Telenor Satellite Services Inc.)
January 10, 2005... While the numbers may not look large on paper compared to some of the more high profile consumer applications that tend to grab headlines, Telenor Satellite Service's announcement that it has doubled its customer base of its Regional Broadband...

SingTel Expands Relationship With Loral Skynet.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... Loral Skynet said it renewed an agreement with Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel) to distribute video, data, telecommunications and VSAT services on Loral's Telstar 10 satellite. Additionally, SingTel also agreed to lease a full C-band...

NSAB Awards First Commercial Satellite Contract Of 2005.(Nordic Satellite AB )
January 17, 2005... Nordic Satellite AB (NSAB) last week awarded the first competitive commercial satellite contract of this year to Lockheed Martin to design and manufacture the Sirius 4 satellite. According to NSAB, Sirius 4 will be a multi-national...

Croatian Company Pioneering Next Generation Satellite Strategy.
January 17, 2005... SES Astra's deal with the Croatian communications company Vodatel is one of the first indications of telcos in Eastern Europe deploying a progressive multimedia strategy using satellite communications. The deal puts Vodatel at the forefront of...

Spotlight: Selling Homes That Are DirecTV-Ready.
January 17, 2005... In what appears to be a page taken out of the playbook of the satellite radio industry, DirecTV Inc. has struck a deal with homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc. to get its direct-to-home satellite television services into the home during the...

Arianespace CEO Hopes For Happy February.(Jean-Yves Le Gall waiting for launch of the rocket)
January 17, 2005... February 11 is likely to be the key date this year for European satellite launch provider Arianespace. This is the date when we could finally see the long-awaited launch of the Ariane 5 ECA, a high-capacity launch vehicle that is able to carry...

Telesat Increases U.S. Presence With Spaceconnection Acquisition.
January 17, 2005... Telesat's recent acquisition of The Spaceconnection Inc. represents a significant step to meeting that company's strategic goal of increasing its presence in the U.S. market. The price of the transaction has not been disclosed. Telesat...

Motient Increases Stake In Mobile Satellite Ventures.(Telecom Satellite Ventures Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... Motient Corp. last week said the signature of a binding term sheet with Telecom Satellite Ventures Inc. to acquire that company's interest in Mobile Satellite Ventures LP and its general partner MSV GP Inc. According to Motient, the...

Stratos Acquires Euro VSAT Business, Eyes Others.(Acquisitions)
January 17, 2005... Stratos Global Corp. executed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of Plenexis from private equity and venture capital company 3i. Stratos also announced the acquisition of a 49 percent stake in Navarino Telecom SA and NTS Maritime...

A Hint Of Things To Come From XM?(XM Satellite Radio Inc.)
January 17, 2005... A recently uncovered patent filing from XM Satellite Radio could reveal a possible direction the company is looking to go in as the satellite radio market continues to evolve. The contents of the Dec. 30, 2004 patent filing (originally...

Pace Looking To Exploit European HD Wave.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... Pace Micro Technology, the U.K.-based set top box (STB) manufacturer, is confident it will continue to grow its profits after releasing encouraging results this week. In the 27 weeks to Dec. 4, 2004, its profits increased to GBP3.1 million...

More Tsunami Relief From The Satellite Industry.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... Telenor Satellite Services and Global Relief Technologies LLC are working together with International Medical Corps (IMC) to provide an integrated support system for immediate collection and dissemination of in-the-field data information around...

Eumetsat Ready To Help Tsunami Prevention Effort.(European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... Eumetsat, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, is making a satellite available to help in the future detection of Tsunamis in Asia. It will make access to its satellite that covers the Indian Ocean...

C4 Nabs $830 Million Defense Contract.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... General Dynamics' C4 Systems division won an $830 million contract from Lockheed Martin to help develop a satellite-based system to support the U.S. military's network-centric communications initiative and will hire about 200 new workers as a...

AMC-12 Arrives In Kazakhstan For Feb. 3 Launch.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... SES Americom said its Americom-12 (AMC-12) satellite arrived in Baikonur, Kazakhstan and will be undergoing final preparations for its Feb. 3 launch by International Launch Services on a Proton/Breeze M rocket. AMC-12, according to SES...

iPSTAR-1 Satellite Tests Complete.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... Shin Satellite PLC said Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) informed the company that it successfully concluded its antenna patterns and end-to-end payload tests in compact antenna test range (CATR) for the iPSTAR-1 satellite. It was the last of a...

RaySat Brings Internet Access To In-Motion Vehicles.(RaySat Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... RaySat Inc. unveiled an antenna, the SpeedRay 3000, at the Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas, that will deliver high-speed Internet services to in-motion vehicles and distributes the connection to users via Wi-Fi wireless LAN...

Hughes Launches New NOC In Germany.(Network Operations Center)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... Hughes Network Systems said it launched a new dedicated network operations center (NOC) to be hosted at its European teleport in Griesheim, Germany. The new NOC will support additional satellite transponder capacity, which was brought online in...

HNS' Direcway Achieves Record Growth In 2004.
January 17, 2005... Hughes Network Systems (HNS) reported last week that it had a record year in 2004 in terms of subscriber growth for its Direcway satellite broadband product, ending the year with more than 220,000 residential and small business subscribers. The...

At Press Time: FCC Chairman Powell to Leave Soon.(Michael Powell plans to resign)(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... Federal Communications Com-mission sources confirmed Jan. 21 that Chairman Michael Powell is planning to resign after four years in a position marked by strong government efforts to increasingly deregulate telecom businesses and...

Intelsat Sale Should Go Through Despite IS-804 Failure.(acquisition of Intelsat Ltd. by Zeus Holdings Inc.)
January 24, 2005... Although Zeus Holdings Ltd. has the right to terminate its acquisition of Intelsat following the recent failure of the IS-804 satellite, industry observers believe the transaction will go through, but with a renegotiated price. "It will...

Private Equity: Short-Term Funding With Long-Term Benefits.
January 24, 2005... HONOLULU--Private equity companies' investments in global satellite operators will be good for system operators in the short term and signals a confidence by the market in the fundamentals of the commercial satellite business in the long term,...

Spotlight: Serving Remote Canadian Regions.(Telesat Canada introduced broadband communications services)
January 24, 2005... Telesat last week said that it, in partnership with the Canadian national government, has launched broadband communications services in 30 aboriginal communities in Northern Ontario, named the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network....

U.K. Satellite TV Braces For VoD Competition.(NTL Europe and Telewest Broadband introduced video-on-demand services)
January 24, 2005... The United Kingdom digital television market has entered a new phase this week with the news that the two major cable operators, ntl and Telewest Broadband, launched Video-on-Demand (VoD) services. This is one of the first major deployments of...

Delivering Ku-band Services On-The-Move.(marketing of General Dynamics C4 Systems)
January 24, 2005... When thinking about satellite services that do not involve satellite phones, most envision receiving the data from a stationary satellite dish. However, General Dynamics C4 Systems recently demonstrated for the U.S. Army at Fort Gordon, GA,...

EchoStar Buys Rainbow DBS Satellite.(EchoStar Communications Corp.)
January 24, 2005... Cablevision Systems Corp. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for its Rainbow DBS Co. LLC unit to sell its direct broadcast satellite (DBS) and certain other related assets to a subsidiary of EchoStar Communications Corp....

Gilat To Supply IsNet With SkyEdge Network.(Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. said it signed an agreement with Turkeybased IsNet to supply it with SkyEdge network, including two hubs and 1,500 VSAT terminal sites. The satellite-based remote sites will be deployed throughout the country....

Comtech Awarded $13.6 Million Defense Contract.(Comtech Mobile Datacom Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... Comtech Telecommunications Corp. said its Comtech Mobile Datacom Corp. has received a letter contract not to exceed $13.6 million, with initial funding of $6.7 million, for mobile data communications services from an undisclosed organization....

Globecomm Awarded $5.7 Million Infrastructure Contract.(Globecomm Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... Globecomm Systems Inc. received a letter of award and purchase order valued at $5.7 million, with $1.4 million in follow-on provisions, from an unnamed direct-to-home video services provider in the Far East. Under the terms of the contract,...

GlobeCast, BettingCorp Ink Satellite Delivery Deal.(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... GlobeCast said it signed a deal with BettingCorp for the satellite delivery of its PlayMonteCarlo interactive gaming channel on the BSkyB platform. The channel will be broadcast over the Eurobird satellite at 28.5 degrees East from GlobeCast's...

Europe*Star Approves Three Ku-band Antennas.(contract between General Dynamics C4 Systems and Europe*Star)(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... General Dynamics C4 Systems received a boost with the news that Europe*Star approved three Ku-band antennas from its Prodelin product line for ground-based use with its satellites. Europe*Star is a satellite owner-operator, offering capacity on...

JSAT Reports Satellite Anomaly.(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... JSAT Corp. said its JCSAT-1B satellite experienced an anomaly on Jan. 17 with one of the spacecraft's thrusters. According to the report, the satellite is dark, with no channels on the satellite available. JSAT reportedly is moving an in-orbit...

Boeing Orders $1.3 Million In GPS Components From Merrimac.(Boeing Co., Merrimac Industries Inc., global positioning system)(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... Merrimac Industries Inc. said it received a $1.3 million order from The Boeing Co. to supply its Integrated Defense Systems division with beamforming networks and RF/microwave signal processing components for Boeing's IIF GPS satellites. ...

Globalstar Introduces New Asset Tracking Application.(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... Globalstar announced the commercial availability of its Quick Locate service, which enables businesses and individuals to track assets that are remotely located or in areas not traditionally covered by terrestrial wireless services. The...

XM Acquires Effanel Music.(acquisition of Effanel Music Inc. by XM Satellite Radio Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... XM Satellite Radio said Jan. 18 that it acquired Effanel Music Inc., a company specializing in live music, remote and mobile recording. "Bringing Effanel into the XM family is a strategic fit because live content plays such a central role...

Satellite Industry Must Focus On Core Applications In Asia-Pacific Region.
January 24, 2005... HONOLULU--Commercial satellite companies that do business in the Asia-Pacific region, the third-largest customer region for the industry, must continue to focus on applications that highlight the core strengths of satellite-based communications...

New Skies Files For IPO.(initial public offering, New Skies Satellites N.V.)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... New Skies Satellites Holding Ltd. became the second private equity-owned satellite operator to file for an initial public offering (IPO) of stock with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the past two months. According to the...

Alcatel, Finmeccanica Merge Space Activities.(Compagnie Financiere Alcatel, Finmeccanica S.p.A.)
January 31, 2005... Alcatel and Finmeccanica announced Jan. 28 that the two companies have signed an agreement to merge their respective space activities through the creation of two joint venture companies, to which both partners will contribute their respective...

Arianespace Challenges Claim Of High Chance Of Launch Failure.(Airclaims)
January 31, 2005... United Kingdom-based research firm Airclaims Ltd. said, based on launch industry history, there is a high chance of failure for the upcoming Ariane 5 ECA launch next month. Arianespace, however, is not going along with those conclusions. ...

Spotlight: BT, Vista Team Up For Super Bowl XXXIX Coverage.(Vista Satellite Communications Inc)(BT Broadcast services)
January 31, 2005... For members of the media who do not have access through the National Football League to cover Super Bowl XXXIX and the pre-game festivities leading up to the big game on Feb. 6 from the inside of Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, FL, Vista...

Orbit Ready To Expand Internet Play In Middle East.(Orbiet Satellite Television and Radio Network)
January 31, 2005... Middle East satellite operator Orbit Satellite Television and Radio Network is getting ready to roll out a satellite broadband service more expansively across the region. It already offers a two-way broadband service in Saudi Arabia but will...

FCC Chairman Michael Powell Resigns.(Federal Communications Commission)
January 31, 2005... "Having completed a bold and aggressive agenda, it is time for me to pursue other opportunities and let someone else take the reins of the agency," wrote Michael Powell last week, announcing his decision to leave the chairmanship of the Federal...

Sanswire Nabs First Stratellite Contract.(Sanswire Networks LLC)
January 31, 2005... With the U.S. government calling for a closer look into stratellites--high altitude airships that can provide communications services in what companies in that industry say can be done quicker and cheaper than satellites or even terrestrial...

Loss Widens For DirecTV.
January 31, 2005... The DirecTV Group Inc. reported a net loss for 2004 of $1.9 billion, an increase compared to the net loss of $362 million in 2003, despite a record year in terms of gross subscriber additions to its direct-to-home satellite television service...

Sirius Loss Widens In 2004.(Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Although Sirius Satellite Radio hit its subscriber goals in 2004 and has more than 1.24 million customers today, the company's adjusted loss from operations increased by $126.1 million to a loss for the year of $456.2 million compared to a loss...

Telenor Acquires Equipment Provider.(Neratek AS, Telenor Satellite Services AS)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Telenor Satellite Services acquired Neratek AS, a Norwegian provider of land mobile and maritime satellite communications equipment and services. Telenor said it plans to incorporate Neratek's operations with the operations of its Marlink...

C-Com Taps Encore For Global Broadband VPN Solutions.(virtual private networks, C-Com Satellite Systems Inc., Encore Networks Inc., contract)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Encore Networks said that C-Com Satellite Systems selected Encore's complete line of VSR security appliances for both fixed and mobile global satellite VPN network solutions. The Encore VSR suite of broadband VPN security products are powered...

RT Logic Delivers Satellite Test Systems To Ball Aerospace.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... RT Logic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems Inc., said it delivered multiple systems that will be used to test the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environment Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft to...

Alcatel To Build Star One C2 Satellite.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... Alcatel said it has signed a $150 million contract with Brazilian satellite operator Star One for the construction of the telecommunications satellite Star One C2. It will be the second satellite Alcatel built for Star One. The satellite...

Some Pentagon Officials Consider Removal Of SBIRS Sensor To Preserve Cost.(Space Based Infrared System)
January 31, 2005... Senior Pentagon officials are again concerned about additional cost growth on the already bloated Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS High) program, the nation's next- generation early missile warning satellite constellation, prompting some...