Satellite News articles from March 2003

Satellite News archives from March 2003

Industry Mergers Are On Hold.
March 3, 2003... WASHINGTON, D.C. -Large satellite operators looking for merger partners are unlikely to forge deals anytime soon. For example, Eutelsat's shareholders appear content to wait until valuations rise before considering the sale of their stakes...

Operators Plan To Gain Latin Lift.(Nahuelsat)
March 3, 2003... WASHINGTON, D.C. -The troubled economy in Latin America has not deterred a number of satellite operators in that marketplace from making strategic plans to invest heavily to grow their services in the region. The most ambitious strategy may...

Tips To Help CEOs Survive A Crisis.
March 3, 2003... By Marc A. De Simone Satellite industry executives likely remember the increased demand on their services and the strain on their employees immediately after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The challenges were heightened at The...

Spotlight: NASA Satellite Data Approaches Milestone.(Advanced Digital Information contract)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Redmond, Wash.-based Advanced Digital Information Corp. [ADIC], a provider of storage management software, is helping the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) to...

Ka-Band's Outlook For Future Deployment.
March 3, 2003... By W.L. Pritchard & Co. Commercial satellite operators plan significant expansion of Ka-band satellite capacity during the next three years, with some 20 satellites under construction. The first steps in this expansion already have begun....

Eutelsat, Intelsat Differ In Stock Offering Strategies.
March 3, 2003... Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat is planning to seek permission from the European Commission to forego an initial public stock offering (IPO) that the company otherwise would need to complete by a June 30 commission deadline. ...

DoD Wants Standards From Commercial Sector.(Department of Defense )(Industry Overview)
March 3, 2003... WASHINGTON, D.C. - During these times of increased use of commercial satellite equipment and services by the U.S. military, companies looking to do business with the Department of Defense (DoD) need to set up baseline standards for all branches...

Merrill Lynch Likes EchoStar.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Merrill Lynch is boosting estimates for EchoStar Communications' [DISH] fourth-quarter subscriber growth by 15,000 due to lower subscriber churn than anticipated. The change brings subscriber estimates for the direct broadcast satellite...

GlobeCast Extends Fiber Ring.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... GlobeCast, a satellite broadcast subsidiary of France Telecom [FTE], has extended its fiber network to Asia with the inauguration of a 45-Mbps transpacific fiber trunk between Singapore and Los Angeles, offering fiber connectivity between...

ESA Signs Launcher Contracts.(European Space Agency)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... The European Space Agency has signed contracts with the ELV Co. to complete the development phase of the Vega European small launcher program and with FiatAvio to develop the P80 advanced solid propulsion stage and demonstrator. The contract...

Gilat Supports Mexican Venture.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Gilat Satellite Networks [GILTF] is providing broadband satellite communications equipment and services to support an important new joint venture in Mexico between GlobalSat and Intelsat Global Service. GlobalSat is teaming with Intelsat to...

Africa's Rising Demand.(demand for satellite and wireless communications )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... The continent of Africa offers some strong growth opportunities for satellite and mobile telecom operators, according to a study by CIT-PriMetrica. CIT-PriMetrica's "Yearbook of African Telecommunications for 2003" identifies growth areas...

Loral Skynet 'Delivers' Signal.(helps Discovery Health Network broadcast live from maternity wards)
March 3, 2003... Loral Skynet, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications [LOR], provided in-orbit capacity to assist Discovery Health Network in presenting a live broadcast from inside maternity wards of hospitals in Los Angeles, Detroit, Orlando, Fla., and...

Intelsat Promotes Potarazu.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Ramu Potarazu, president and chief operating officer of Intelsat Global Service, will be promoted to president and COO of the parent company Intelsat Ltd. this month, the company announced. Potarazu will assume expanded responsibilities for...

Satellite And Launch Vehicle Reliability Must Improve.
March 3, 2003... WASHINGTON, D.C. - In the near term, volatility in launch insurance and in-orbit coverage will continue as satellite manufacturers and launch services providers struggle to improve their fleets of satellites and rockets. This could help drive...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
March 3, 2003... Week of Feb. 21 - 27, 2003 Percentage Feb. 27 One Symbol Price Week APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 1.57 -0.6 ASIASAT TELECOM ...

Rising Insurance Rates Inflict Pain.(insuring satellites and launchers )
March 10, 2003... Insuring satellites and launchers is becoming increasingly difficult as underwriters charge ever-higher prices and insist upon broad exclusions for certain risks. Satellite operators and insurance brokers are looking for ways to maintain...

Export Missteps Spur Reforms.(Hughes Electronics and Boeing Satellite Systems)
March 10, 2003... Hughes Electronics [GMH] and Boeing Satellite Systems, formerly Hughes Space and Communication (HSC), have agreed to jointly pay a $32 million penalty to the U.S. Department of State to resolve claims of technology transfer that stemmed from...

Satellite Firms Can Improve Security Through ECM.(enterprise change management )
March 10, 2003... By Michelle Dickey The U.S. government's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently released a study indicating that software errors cost the U.S. economy $59.5 billion yearly. These findings no doubt affect satellite...

Spotlight: M2sat and Thuraya Go Mobile.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... M2sat Ltd. and Thuraya Satellite Telecommunication Co. are teaming up to offer mobile broadband services at speeds of 192 Kbps to the international broadcasting industry and other high capacity users in the government and corporate worlds. ...

Ka-band Milestones Can Feel Like Millstones.(FCC wants license holders to meet deadlines)
March 10, 2003... WASHINGTON, D.C. - "Meet your milestones." That was the message the Federal Communications Commission's Thomas Tycz conveyed to executives from companies planning to offer Ka-band broadband satellite services at the recent Satellite 2003...

Hughes Ends Expensive Venture With AOL.
March 10, 2003... Hughes Electronics [GMH] has avoided expenditures of up to $1 billion by terminating its broadband alliance with struggling America Online, a unit of AOL Time Warner [AOL]. Had Hughes maintained the alliance, it would have needed to spend...

EchoStar Impresses Analysts With Performance.(4th qtr 2002)
March 10, 2003... EchoStar Communications [DISH] won praise from Wall Street satellite analysts and may well have caught the attention of cable TV operators by netting approximately 400,000 new subscribers during the fourth quarter. Littleton, Colo.-based...

EchoStar Takes Aim At Competition.
March 17, 2003... EchoStar Communications [DISH] Chairman and CEO Charlie Ergen has returned to his usual feisty form by directing verbal barbs at his competitors. He is also taking characteristically aggressive steps to tap the emerging market for Ka-band and...

Operators Chase Government Users.(satellite services)
March 17, 2003... PanAmSat Corp. [SPOT], SES Americom and Intelsat Ltd. have positioned themselves to tap into the U.S. government's demand for satellite services, one of the few segments that is showing growth during this economic downturn. Key drivers of the...

Unintended Consequences of Flawed Policies.(telecommunications industry management)
March 17, 2003... By Roger Rusch At one time elementary students were warned about upsetting the balance of nature. We were told about foolish people who introduced alien species to remove a pestilence. For example, 60 aggressive starlings were imported to...

Spotlight: Teleport Aids Latin American Learning.(Antenna Technology Communications installs Latin America's largest distance learning network)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Distance learning is earning high marks in Latin America. Phoenix-based Antenna Technology Communications (ATCi), a provider of commercial satellite communications systems, has signed a $2.8 million contract with the Mexican Ministry of...

EchoStar's Resurgence Shows In Numbers.(plans acquisitions)
March 17, 2003... EchoStar Communications [DISH] is back on the acquisition prowl. A recent indication came from a March 4 conference call that revealed an unusually positive set of numbers for year-end 2002. The key financial metrics reflect the strong business...

Launch Market Outlook Shows Little Promise.(Satellite launch industry)
March 17, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- Launch industry officials and analysts offered little hope for a quick turnaround in the beleaguered launch sector because of drastically curtailed demand, according to a March 11 panel discussion sponsored by the Society of...

Top Executives at Gilat Step Down.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Gilat Satellite Networks [GILTF] last week announced the resignations of its co-founders, Chairman and CEO Yoel Gat and President Amiram Levinberg. The resignations will take effect at the April meeting of a new board. Shlomo Rodav is expected...

China TV Chooses GlobeCast.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... GlobeCast, the satellite services unit of France Telecom [FTE], said China's national broadcaster CCTV-9 is now available on its digital DTH Hot Bird platform as part of French satellite bouquet TPS and its Eurobird platform targeting over 6.3...

VMS To Send CDs Via DirecWay.(Virtual Music Stores)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Hughes Network Systems Europe (HNSE) has signed a multi-year contract with Virtual Music Stores (VMS) for DirecWay broadband satellite services. VMS will use DirecWay to distribute music content to its "on demand' manufacturing kiosks situated...

EADS To Cut 1,700 Jobs.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. is eliminating 1,700 jobs at its Space Division. The division reported a loss of 268 million euros ($296 million) in 2002 because of "high provisions made in the context of further...

QuickBird Aids In Managing Forestry.(CLC-CAmint employs DigitalGlobe's QuickBird satellite imagery)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Canada's CLC-Camint is using DigitalGlobe's QuickBird satellite imagery to identify individual tree crowns in forest areas. With the ability to delineate and classify tree crowns, forestry professionals will have a better methodology for...

InterWAVE Gets $1.6M Congo Order.(Vodacom Congo orders GSM network)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... InterWAVE Communications International [IWAV] has received a $1.6 million order from Vodacom Congo for a GSM network with an advanced satellite compression capabilities. InterWAVE said the network expects to provide a 50 percent satellite...

Canadian Weather Service Taps U.S.(US satellites to be used in improving forecasts)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The Canadian government is investing $75 million over five years that will allow the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) to improve the quality of its forecasts and its service to Canadians in all regions. MSC staff will be able to make...

Sarantel Provides GPS Antennas.(GeoHelix )(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... U.K. antenna supplier Sarantel has launched a surface mount version of its GeoHelix miniature Global Positioning System antenna. Sarantel's GeoHelix-S can be mounted directly onto GPS circuit boards, simplifying production and lowering costs....

Orbital Weakness Unwarranted.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Weakness in the share price of Orbital Sciences [ORB] is unwarranted and stems from "general confusion" around the company's plan to increase its outstanding shares from 80 million to 200 million, according to William Kidd, Lehman Brothers'...

BBC Sends Unencrypted Channels.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The BBC announced that it would, for the first time, broadcast its eight TV channels unencrypted by satellite. This decision will enable viewers in the United Kingdom to receive BBC channels without a BSkyB viewing card, through any make of...

SpaceConnection Inks Deal.(with PanAmSat)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Satellite service provider SpaceConnection has signed an exclusive marketing agreement with PanAmSat [SPOT] that will provide the satellite news gathering (SNG) market with an access facility. Under the terms of the agreement, SpaceConnection...

Stratos To Serve Oil Platform.(Shell UK Exploration and Production)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Stratos, a provider of remote communications solutions and services, agreed to provide Shell UK Exploration and Production with a satellite communications network for its Goldeneye Platform, due to be deployed next year in Moray Firth,...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
March 17, 2003... Week of March 6 - 13, 2003 Percentage Change 13-Mar One One Symbol Price Week Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS ...

DirecTV LA Targets Programmers.(DirecTV Latin America files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection)
March 24, 2003... Programmers that were unable to re-negotiate contract terms with moneylosing DirecTV Latin America may have lost leverage last week after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The question now becomes how a U.S. bankruptcy...

EchoStar Gambles On Insurance.(EchoStar Communications to self-insure)
March 24, 2003... The soaring cost of space insurance has convinced EchoStar Communications [SPOT] that buying coverage for its eight in-orbit satellites is not worth the price. According to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),...

Launch Demand Forecasts Skew Upward.(Industry Overview)
March 24, 2003... By Roger Rusch Although there is great concern about weak demand within the launch services industry, there are brighter prospects ahead. In a few years, a new cycle of satellite replacement activity will nearly restore the old launch...

Spotlight: Inmarsat Puts Spare To Work Over Mideast.(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Inmarsat is moving one of its five in-orbit spare satellites over the Middle East to meet rising demand for military and media communications in that region. The London-based provider of mobile satellite services undertook the move to...

Satellite Radio Tunes Up With OEM Sales.
March 24, 2003... By Jimmy Schaeffler The spotlight for satellite radio now is shining on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The reasoning is that satellite radio's prime success will come from units that are factory-installed in millions of new...

Inmarsat Posts Rising Revenues, Earnings.
March 24, 2003... Inmarsat, a London-based provider of global mobile communications via satellite, reported increases in revenues, profits and earnings per share last year compared with 2001. Revenues rose 5 percent to $463 million; earnings before interest,...

Intelsat Defends DoD Procurement Process.(United States' Department of Defense)
March 24, 2003... Responding to complaints of favoritism in the Department of Defense's (DoD) commercial satellite service procurement process, Intelsat told the General Accounting Office that a contract it received to provide satellite transponder service to...

Gilat Deploys Nicaraguan Network.(for Empresa Nicaraguense de Telecomunicaciones )(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Gilat Satellite Networks [GILTF] has deployed a fixed rural satellite telephony network for Empresa Nicaraguense de Telecomunicaciones (Enitel) to serve 170 communities throughout Nicaragua. The new network, based on Gilat's DialAw@y IP...

Sea Launch To Resume Launches.(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Sea Launch said March 20 that it is ready to resume satellite launches following completion of the Sea Launch Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) investigation into the failure of the ILS Proton Astra-1K mission. Sea Launch, a Long Beach,...

ESA To Launch Mars Probe.(European Space Agency's Mars Express)(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Mars Express, the European Space Agency's first spacecraft developed for a mission to the planet Mars, has completed its tests at Toulouse, France. After six months of extensive thermal environmental, mechanical and electric tests, the...

Lockheed Martin Gets Patent.(ceramic rocket nozzle throat for solid rocket motors)(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a patent for a ceramic rocket nozzle throat for solid rocket motors. The new ceramic material promises to improve solid rocket motor affordability and...

EMS, Stratos Partner.(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... EMS Technologies [ELMG] has signed an agreement that makes Stratos a principal reseller to the trucking industry of EMS' suite of satellite communications terminals. With the partnership, Stratos can offer trucking fleets the EMS PDT-100...

SpaceX Fires Rocket Engine.(Space Exploration Technologies )(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... El Segundo, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), founded by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, has successfully test fired the company's Falcon rocket main engine. "Satellites and spacecraft urgently need a more reliable and...

NASA Buys Integral System.(Integral Skylight ground terminal system )(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has purchased Integral's [ISYS] SKYLIGHT ground terminal system for receiving and processing satellite Earth science data. The system includes a receiver and data processing, storage, and...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
March 24, 2003... Week of March 14 - 20, 2003 Percentage Change Symbol March 20 Price One Week One Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 1.41 0.7 -10.8 ASIASAT...

SES Results Highlight FSS Slump.(fixed satellite service)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Sagging financial performance at SES Global [Luxembourg: SES], the world's largest satellite operator, is a clear sign that fixed satellite service (FSS) providers are under mounting pressure. Wall Street analysts expected 2002 would be a...

Competition Turns To Cooperation.(SES Americom signs contract with EchoStar Communications)
March 31, 2003... Princeton, N.J.-based SES Americom has forged a multi-year service agreement to provide satellite capacity to EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH], despite SES Americom's previously expressed willingness to work with EchoStar competitors in...

Save the Date!(broadband Webinar)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 31, 2003... April 29 12:00 - 1:30 PM EST "From Broadcast to Broadband: Seizing The Next Satellite Business Opportunity?" A Webinar presented by Satellite News Register at www.telecomweb.com/satellite/webinar.htm [Copyright 2003 PBI...

Spotlight: NBC Uses Truck-based Antenna In Iraq.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... NBC correspondent David Bloom has been relying on an innovative truckbased satellite antenna to provide live mobile satellite broadcasts from the front lines in Iraq. The system enables Bloom to broadcast live even when moving at speeds up to...

Ten Trends In Consumer Electronics.
March 31, 2003... By Jimmy Schaeffler Key trends in the development of consumer electronics (CE) products are taking shape that will have a significant effect on subscription satellite-based services. Officials from direct broadcast satellite (DBS) and...

Sirius Sees Significant Changes On Horizon.(plans new satellite receivers, looks for new CFO)
March 31, 2003... Change seems to be the one constant at Sirius Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: SIRI]. The New York-based satellite radio services provider is searching for a new chief financial officer, planning to roll out next-generation satellite receivers in the...

PanAmSat Ready To Take On Brazilian Market.
March 31, 2003... PanAmSat [Nasdaq: SPOT] secured crucial approval to operate its PAS 9 satellite in Brazil last week from ANATEL, the government agency that regulates Brazilian telecommunications services. The long-anticipated regulatory clearance was given...

Canada, India Sign Space Accord.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have signed an agreement expanding their ongoing international space cooperation for peaceful purposes. The agencies said the accord would foster the study of...

Boeing To Build MEASAT-3.(Binariang Satellite Systems orders communications satellite)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Malaysia's Binariang Satellite Systems and Boeing Satellite Systems, a unit of Boeing [NYSE: BA], have signed a contract for the procurement of a highpower commercial communications satellite. The new Boeing 601HP satellite, designated...

New Skies Names Pitsch To LA Post.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Dutch satellite services company New Skies Satellites [NYSE: NSK] has named Jurandir M. Pitsch as sales director for its commercial activities in Brazil and the Mercosur region of Latin America. Pitsch will be responsible for sales of New...

French Firm Orders EutelTRACS.(Giraud International signs satellite communications system/software contract with Qualcomm )(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Giraud International, a truckload carrier based in France, has signed a six-year agreement with Qualcomm [Nasdaq: QCOM]. Under the terms of the agreement, Qualcomm Wireless Business Solutions Europe will provide the EutelTRACS satellite...

Discovery Inks SES Americom Deal.(transponder contract)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Discovery Communications has signed a multi-transponder agreement with SES Americom, a unit of SES Global, to lease C-band capacity on AMC-10 and AMC-11, the company's successor satellites to Satcom C-3 and C-4. Beginning in 2004, AMC-10 and...

SkyFrames, Advantage Team Up.(to provide broadband Internet services to security-related agencies)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... SkyFrames [OTC Bulletin Board: BEYI], a provider of satellite broadband Internet services, has joined forces with Advantage Associates, a firm that specializes in assisting clients in governmental, political and international affairs, to...

Could Broadband Bonanza Become A Bust?
March 31, 2003... By Futron Corp.'s Space and Telecommunications Division When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued its first Ka-band licenses in 1997, it hoped to spur the introduction of satellite broadband access that could compete with...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
March 31, 2003... Week of March 21 - 27, 2003 Percentage Change 27-Mar One One Symbol Price Week Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS...