Satellite News articles from May 2003

Satellite News archives from May 2003

Intelsat Targets Niche Markets.
May 5, 2003... Intelsat Ltd. is targeting opportunities in selected niche business segments after reporting weakened financial results for the first quarter. Intelsat's net income fell 24 percent to $64.1 million during the quarter, compared to net...

Satellite Firms Become Fiber-Friendly.(PanAmSat and Intelsat)
May 5, 2003... Major satellite operators are increasingly turning to fiber optic networks to speed their growth strategies. Once the enemy, fiber is now becoming the friend of satellite executives looking to cut the cost of delivering services to certain...

FCC Has No Regrets On 12 GHz Band Sharing.
May 5, 2003... Rejecting an effort by the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association to overturn an earlier decision, the Federal Communications Commission last week reaffirmed its 2002 order allowing wireless cable operators to share the 12 GHz...

Spotlight: Surf the Web From Mt. Everest.(Americom Asia-Pacific )(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Princeton, N.J.-based Americom Asia-Pacific is using satellite technology to launch what company officials describe as Mt. Everest's first Internet cafe. The Internet cafe operated at Mt. Everest's base camp went live last week by using...

Is There A 'Magic Bullet'?
May 5, 2003... By Steve Symonds Broadband is the "hot button" du jour in the satellite marketplace. Every trade show, seminar, and magazine these days seems to be hyping how broadband services will lead the industry to a recovery from the current weak...

ICO To Rescue Globalstar From Black Hole.(ICO Global Communications)
May 5, 2003... ICO Global Communications, the troubled London-based mobile satellite startup, appears poised to jumpstart its delayed service launch by agreeing to pay $55 million to buy a controlling interest in the assets of bankrupt rival Globalstar. ...

Gilat To Provide Tibet Telephony.(Gilat Satellite Networks)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Gilat Satellite Networks [Nasdaq: GILTF] has been selected by China Telecommunications to provide a large-scale, satellite-based rural telephony network in Tibet. China Telecom will make an initial purchase of a DialAway hub, 14 gateways and...

Alaska Selects SkyFrames.(to install satellite network)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... The community of Coffman Cove, Alaska, has selected SkyFrames [OTC Bulletin Board: SKYU] to install and coordinate the implementation of a satellite broadband network that will provide a 2-mile broadband radius around the Coffman Cove City...

Maqsat Joins Europe*Star.
May 5, 2003... Maqsat, a Dutch satellite communications provider, has joined the Europe*Star gateway program. The program, consisting of network providers, national telecom providers and independent teleport operations, provides access to Europe*Star's...

Surge In Canada DTH Revenues.(direct-to-home)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Revenues generated by Canadian firms in providing direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV and multipoint distribution system (MDS) services have soared since 1998, according to statistics released recently by the Canadian Radio-television and...

Lockheed Martin Gets JSAT Order.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has been awarded a contract by Japan's JSAT Corp. to build an A2100 geostationary telecommunications satellite. Financial terms were not disclosed. The satellite, designated JCSAT-9, will provide satellite...

Marlink, Kyma Team On Topaz.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Marlink has signed a three-year agreement with Kyma Ship Management, of Miami, Fla., to provide satellite communications onboard the TSS Topaz cruise ship. The vessel will be under charter for three years to Peaceboat, a Japanese...

SI To Provide Satellite Engineering.(SI International )(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... SI International [Nasdaq: SINT], a Reston, Va.-based provider of information technology and space system products and services, has been awarded a contract with a potential value of $24 million to provide military communications satellite...

NASA's GALEX Satellite Launched.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Dulles, Va.-based Orbital Sciences Corporation [NYSE: ORB] successfully launched the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite April 28 aboard the company's Pegasus rocket. The...

ILS Launch of AMC-9 Postponed.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Launch of the AMC-9 satellite has been delayed by about 30 days after the April 26 planned lift-off was postponed due to a technical problem with a component on the Proton rocket intended to carry the satellite into orbit. The problem that...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
May 5, 2003... Week of April 25 - May 1, 2003 Percentage Change 1-May One One Symbol Price Week Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ...

Global Radio Failure Leaves Void.
May 12, 2003... While satellite radio is showing signs of taking off in the United States, it has so far sputtered in Europe. As unmistakable proof, Luxembourgbased satellite radio hopeful Global Radio recently filed for bankruptcy in its home country,...

XM Builds Financial Momentum.
May 12, 2003... Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio's [Nasdaq: XMSR] first-quarter results were well received by Wall Street. XM Chairman Gary Parsons boasted during a May 8 conference call that his company's streak of meeting or exceeding its...

FCC IB Chief Lays Out Broad Agenda.
May 12, 2003... The Federal Communications Commission's International Bureau is developing and promoting U.S. commercial positions for the upcoming International Telecommunication Union's World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) being held June 9 to July 4 in...

Spotlight: Bad Weather Is No Problem For Antenna.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Lincoln, Neb.-based Centurion Wireless Technologies, a designer and manufacturer of antennas and power products for wireless communications, introduced a new waterproof antenna to enhance Global Positioning System (GPS) and cellular phone...

Digital Set-Top Box: A New Engine Goes Vrooom!
May 12, 2003... By Jimmy Schaeffler Many Americans today are on the verge of purchasing a wonderful new vehicle - one that will take them to new heights - yet they don't even know it. The reason is the new vehicle - or really the engine inside this...

EchoStar Outperforms Wall Street's Expectations.
May 12, 2003... EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH] is continuing to rack up impressive financial results. The company unveiled its first quarter results last week, reporting rising subscribership, earnings and free cash flow. Wall Street analysts who...

New Skies Overcomes Challenge Of Weak Demand.
May 12, 2003... New Skies Satellites [NYSE: NSK] displayed resiliency during the first quarter at a time of weak demand for fixed satellite services (FSS) that hamstrung the performance of many other FSS operators. The company managed a slight boost in...

LM, Spectrum Astro Team on GPS.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], based in Bethesda, Md., and Spectrum Astro, headquartered in Gibert, Ariz., have joined together to pursue the development of the next-generation of Global Positioning System satellites (GPS III). The companies will...

NSI Supplies Military Terminals.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... NSI Global [Toronto: NGL], a supplier of satellite-based communications systems headquartered in Montreal, Canada, announced that its Vistar subsidiary is supplying 700 GlobalWave MT2000 satellite data communication terminals for use by...

Harris Delivers Weather Data.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Harris [NYSE:HRS], a Melbourne, Fla.-based supplier of weather data processing systems to the U.S military and other government agencies, has signed a contract to provide U.S. mobile forces with real-time weather data transmitted to their...

Globalstar Restructures In Canada.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Globalstar Canada Satellite, the Mississauga, Canada-based provider of global mobile satellite telecommunication services in Canada, has acquired all the shares of Globalstar Canada Holding from Shaw Communications [NYSE:SJR]. Globalstar Canada...

Smith Micro Supplies Kits.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Smith Micro Software [Nasdaq: SMSI], a Aliso Viejo, Calif. -based developer of software and service communications for the wireless market, has agreed to supply data connectivity accessory kits to Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications for its...

Flight Explorer, Blue Sky Partner.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Flight Explorer, Arlington, Va.- based provider of Internet-based flight tracking and information systems, and Blue Sky Network, a La Jolla, Calif.-based satellite communications company, are partnering to provide worldwide satellitebased...

AGS, JSAT Ink Regional Pact.(Americom Government Services and JSAT)(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Americom Government Services (AGS) and Japan's JSAT Corp. (JSAT) have signed a business collaboration agreement to support each company's pursuit and execution of U.S. government-related satellite-based communications services in the...

Delphi Signs Deal With Wal-Mart.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Delphi Product & Service Solutions, a unit of Delphi Corp. [NYSE: DPH], has signed up mass retailer Wal-Mart [NYSE: WMT] to sell Delphi XM SKYFi radios and other products in 2,100 store locations. The SKYFi receiver, a satellite radio that...

EMS Delivers Part for DoD System.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... EMS Technologies [Nasdaq: ELMG] said it has delivered ahead of schedule an engineering model of the beam-forming network (BFN) for the U.S. Department of Defense's advanced EHF satellite system. The DoD system is expected to provide secure,...

Conexant Launches MPEG-2 Units.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Conexant Systems [Nasdaq: CNXT], a Newport Beach, Calif.-based provider of semiconductor systems for communications applications, has introduced a family of MPEG-2 audio/ video decoders for cable, satellite and terrestrial settop boxes (STBs)....

MDA Signs RADARSAT Customer.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates [TSX: MDA] announced May 5 that an unidentified customer will purchase satellite imagery from MDA's RADARSAT International subsidiary for land use mapping and monitoring purposes. The agreement is worth C$1.3...

SBCA Promotes Breckon.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA), of Alexandria, Va., has promoted Alex Breckon to vice president of business development, reporting to SBCA President Andrew Wright. Breckon's responsibilities will include...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.(Illustration)
May 12, 2003... Week of May 2 - 8, 2003 Percentage Change 8-May One One Symbol Price Week Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 1.34 ...

New Policy Buoys Remote Sensing.
May 19, 2003... The U.S. commercial remote sensing industry should receive a boost from a new Bush administration policy that calls for the U.S. government to use private sector satellite imagery whenever practical. The policy's aim is to give all remote...

Subscriber Growth Gives Sirius Hope.
May 19, 2003... New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: SIRI] expects the rest of 2003 to be a banner year for the satellite radio provider in terms of subscriber growth. The company's management may have good reason for its optimism after nearly...

International Bureau Dances Around DISCO II.
May 19, 2003... By Fred Donovan In a curious decision, the Federal Communications Commission's International Bureau granted a license to Digital Broadband Applications Corp. (DBAC) to use Canadian satellites to offer digital broadcast services (DBS) and...

Spotlight: New Relationship Blossoms In Paris.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2003... Two European companies with complementary attributes have agreed to become partners. Tiscali, a European Internet communication company, is teaming up with Paris-based Eutelsat to offer one-way Internet capability through Eutelsat's...

How Many Elephants Can Fit In the Room?
May 19, 2003... By Steve Symonds General Motors' [NYSE: GM] efforts to sell Hughes Electronics [NYSE: GMH] have to be one of the most interesting sagas in the history of corporate acquisitions. For those of us sitting in the audience, it has been like...

Partnership Brings Mobile Voice Service To Russia.
May 19, 2003... Four satellite companies from three different parts of the world are teaming up to bring mobile voice services to Russia. Germantown, Md.-based Hughes Network Systems (HNS) is tapping into its experience in the Russian market to spearhead...

NIMA Plans To Expand Use Of Commercial Imagery.
May 19, 2003... The National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) has moved so swiftly to boost its use of commercial remote sensing services in recent years that it will not be affected much by a new White House policy unveiled last week to promote use of...

ICO Investment In Globalstar OK'd.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2003... Mobile satellite telephone service provider Globalstar [OTC: GSTRF] has received court approval for its acquisition by ICO Global Communications. This clears the way for Globalstar to transfer most of its assets to a new Globalstar operating...

BSAT-2c Set For Mid-June Launch.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2003... Japan's Broadcasting Satellite System's (BSAT) BSAT-2c geostationary communications satellite has been shipped to Arianespace's launch complex in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite will be launched aboard an Ariane 5 rocket in mid-June....

SES To Provide Hellas Sat Services.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2003... SES Astra, a unit of SES Global [Luxembourg: SESG], has signed two contracts with Greek telecom service provider Hellas Sat to provide services for its recently launched communications satellite. Financial terms were not disclosed. Astra...

RSI Sets Up County System.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2003... Radio Satellite Integrators (RSI), a Torrance, Calif.-based provider of Global Positioning System-based vehicle tracking and mobile data products, has completed an automatic vehicle location system for the Isabella County Transportation...

NovAtel Buys CMC Product Line.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2003... NovAtel [Nasdaq: NGPS], a Calgary, Alberta-based precise positioning technology company, has acquired CMC Electronics' non-aviation Global Positioning System OEM product line for C$150,000 (US$109,000). That amount could increase to as much as...

Stratos' Australian Order.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2003... Stratos [TSX:SGB], a Bethesda, Md. -based provider of satellite communications, has signed a multi-million dollar contract with the Australian Defence Force to provide Inmarsat-B voice and data leased services. Under the contract, Stratos will...

ViaSat Wins U.S. Army Contract.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2003... ViaSat [Nasdaq: VSAT] has received a contract from the U.S. Army to design and produce an enhanced bandwidth efficient modem for high-speed satellite communications. The contract, which includes the purchase of strategic (fixed) and tactical...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
May 19, 2003... Week of May 9 - 15, 2003 Percentage 15-May One Symbol Price Week APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 1.66 27.7 ASIASAT TELECOM SAT ...

Sirius Makes Up For Slow Start.
May 26, 2003... Despite a slow start last year, New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: SIRI] is gaining ground on its U.S. rival XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR]. Sirius expects to raise $168.875 million through a convertible notes offering in...

News Corp's Carey Offers Vision.
May 26, 2003... NEW YORK--Chase Carey, named by News Corp [NYSE: NWS] Chairman Rupert Murdoch in April to head Hughes Electronics [NYSE: GMH] should News Corp's acquisition of Hughes succeed, has upbeat view of what the future might bring. Carey told...

Satellite Operators Want New U.S. Policy.
May 26, 2003... The U.S. government's procurement process for commercial satellite communications is badly in need of reform. This was the consensus of panelists at an event last week sponsored by the Society of Satellite Professionals International and held...

Spotlight: SatLynx Assists Fellow Luxembourg Firm.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2003... Betzdorf, Luxembourg-based SatLynx, a two-way broadband satellite services provider, is expanding its reach through a partnership with another Luxembourg company, Infotechnique, a subsidiary of Getronics Group. SatLynx, a joint venture of...

Is EchoStar On The Rise?
May 26, 2003... By Jimmy Schaeffler EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH] is riding stellar subscriber growth and strong financial metrics to increase support for the stock among investors. For any multichannel provider, long-term growth trends and...

Industry Faces Heightened Government Scrutiny.(Industry Overview)
May 26, 2003... NEW YORK -The satellite broadcasting industry has achieved a record of innovation and growth that has drawn the attention of more than satisfied customers and wary cable companies concerned about losing market share. Andy Wright, president...

Satellite Broadband Execs Hold Onto Hope.(Industry Overview)
May 26, 2003... NEW YORK--Satellite broadband service providers and hopefuls see a rosy broadband future, but that can only be realized by sidestepping stiff competition in urban areas from for lower-priced terrestrial alternatives. At the SkyForum...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.(May 16, 2003)
May 26, 2003... Week of May 16 - 22, 2003 Percentage 22-May One Symbol Price Week APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 1.67 7.7 ASIASAT TELECOM SAT ...