Satellite News articles from November 2003

Satellite News archives from November 2003

Cablevision's Changes Add Intrigue.
November 3, 2003... The recently unveiled changes in how Cablevision Systems [NYSE: CVC] plans to spin-off its fledgling Rainbow DBS satellite TV service could become a prelude to future bold moves in the marketplace. Wall Street analysts are not convinced...

Industry Executives Eye Niches.(SkyForum conference)
November 3, 2003... NEW YORK-- Business conditions for the satellite industry are improving slowly, but the go-go times of the late 1990s will not return in the foreseeable future. This was the consensus of industry leaders meeting here last week at the annual...

Intelsat Gains Ground In Buying Loral Assets.
November 3, 2003... Intelsat appears to have fended off EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH] by winning approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to buy the North American satellite assets of Loral Space & Communications...

Spotlight: Norsat Aids California's Telemedicine Thrust.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2003... British Columbia, Canada-based Norsat International [Toronto: NII] found a willing partner in the Center for Health and Technology of the University of California, Davis Health System to deploy a new telemedicine initiative. The university...

Satellite-WiFi - A New Revenue Stream?
November 3, 2003... By Christopher Baugh Broadband access has been a primary target of satellite companies for many years. Unfortunately, the satellite market has not fared well in its efforts to supply low cost, two-way broadband Internet access services via...

Digital+ Keeps Above the 1.8 Million Subscriber Mark.
November 3, 2003... Despite a huge marketing campaign, the newly formed Spanish satellite pay-TV operator Digital+ has gotten off to a relatively slow start. Sogecable, the owners of the new platform, announced that the operator now had 1,815,000 subscribers at...

BSkyB Ready To Go To Next Interactive Level.
November 3, 2003... UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB is looking to significantly ramp up its interactive service offerings for its seven million subscribers. "We have a portfolio of interactive services, which are very popular. But, with seven million homes, you...

Satellites Can Play Vital Roles In Homeland Security.
November 3, 2003... By D.K.Sachdev Modern satellite systems stand out among technologies that can serve the needs of homeland security by offering unmatched capabilities for wide-area communications coverage. If appropriate redundancy and hardening...

Tip of the Iceberg.
November 3, 2003... The half-dozen applications listed above are only the tip of the iceberg. Much more can be done with existing operational systems. Some of the ideas and concepts still on the drawing board may need additional funding and sponsorship from public...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
November 3, 2003... Week of Oct. 24 - 30, 2003 Percentage Change Operators Symbol Oct. 30 Price One Week One Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 2.21 -1.3 6.3 ASIASAT TELECOM SAT 18 9 ...

WorldSpace Narrows Focus, Risks.
November 10, 2003... WorldSpace Chairman and CEO Noah Samara is marshaling his company's resources by narrowing its marketing efforts to just a handful of countries, rather than all 100 nations covered by its satellite radio signals. The strategy is to...

Eutelsat Targets North America.
November 10, 2003... Heavy competition is not deterring Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat from focusing its attention on North American customers that are seeking coverage outside their home region. Ron Samuel, chief operating officer of Eutelsat Inc.,...

New Radiofrequency Thrusters May Yield Big Savings.
November 10, 2003... PARIS--The planned deployment of radiofrequency ion thrusters (RIT) in satellites later this decade could produce savings in the range of 10 to 20 million euros ($11.5 million to $23.0 million) for each mission, compared to traditional chemical...

Spotlight: HNS Finds New Turkish Partner.(Hughes Network Systems )(Brief Article)
November 10, 2003... Germantown, Md.-based Hughes Network Systems (HNS) is teaming up with a Turkish company to expand the international reach of its DirecWay satellite broadband service. The new partner, DEXAR Multimedia ve Telecommunications, the...

Industry-wide Impact of Loral's Bankruptcy.
November 10, 2003... By Jimmy Schaeffler New York-based Loral Space and Communications [OTC BB: LRLSQ] filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection July 15 in a move that has had widespread implications for other companies in the industry. Loral...

Thuraya Chairman Targets Asian Market.(Interview)
November 10, 2003... Thuraya has had a busy 2003. The UAE-based mobile satellite operator saw its second satellite - Thuraya-2 - launched in June this year. The Thuraya-2, designed to operate for 12 years, is a Boeing GEO-mobile model satellite built by Boeing...

AVC Expects 80,000+ Subscribers in 2004.
November 10, 2003... AVC hopes its nationwide consumer satellite broadband service, AVC Broadband, will gain upwards of 80,000 subscribers in its first year of operation in the UK. AVC is launching the service in January 2004 in partnership with SES Astra and aims...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
November 10, 2003... Week of Oct. 31 - Nov. 6, 2003 Percentage Change Symbol Nov. 6 Price One Week One Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 2.72 24.8 36 ASIASAT TELECOM SAT 17.9 - ...

EchoStar's Growth Trend Slows.
November 17, 2003... Englewood, Colo.-based EchoStar Communications' [Nasdaq: DISH] third quarter subscriber numbers fell short of consensus Wall Street estimates, leaving many analysts uncertain about its future growth. EchoStar had 285,000 net new subscribers...

Intelsat Aims To Enhance Value.
November 17, 2003... Intelsat is moving swiftly to complete its purchase of the North American satellite assets of Loral Space and Communications [OTCBB: LRLSQ] and its management is looking ahead to an opportunity to improve the weakening financial performance of...

Spectrum Allocations Heat Up At FCC Meeting.
November 17, 2003... The management of spectrum, both international and domestic, was the hot topic at the Federal Communications Commission's monthly meeting held last week. Ed Thomas, chief engineer at the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology, laid...

Spotlight: U.S. Soldiers Access High-speed Internet.(Brief Article)
November 17, 2003... Vienna, Va.-based Tachyon, a provider of broadband satellite services for large enterprises and government agencies, is offering high-speed Internet access to U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Tachyon's transportable broadband satellite units enabled...

DirecTV Surges, EchoStar Slows In Quarter.
November 17, 2003... Englewood, Colo.-based EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH] surprised the multichannel world last week by breaking a pattern of growth leadership and reporting several financial and subscriber metrics that uncharacteristically fell below the...

BTBS Hopes For Further New Skies Collaboration.
November 17, 2003... BT Broadcast Services (BTBS) expects to grow its overall revenues between 2 percent and 3 percent this year compared to 2002. The operator, a provider of terrestrial and satellite-based multimedia transmission products, has had a tough year but...

France's TPS Hopes Aggressive Pricing Will Pay Off.
November 17, 2003... The French satellite pay operator TPS believes an aggressive pricing policy will be one of the keys to its success going forward. It is particularly targeting consumers who may not be willing to spend huge amounts on pay-TV. Philippe Bony,...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
November 17, 2003... Week of Nov. 7 - 13, 2003 Percentage Change Nov. 13 One One Symbol Price Week Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 2.38 ...

PanAmSat Buys Terrestrial Network.
November 24, 2003... Wilton, Conn.-based satellite operator PanAmSat [Nasdaq: SPOT] is expanding its land-based capabilities with an all-cash acquisition of Chantilly, Va.- based Sonic Telecom, a provider of international high-definition multimedia transmission...

Lockheed Eyes Space Plane Contract.
November 24, 2003... The high stakes competition to determine the builder of the U.S. government's multi-billion dollar Orbital Space Plane (OSP) has led Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] to take the unusual move of opening a demonstration center just outside Washington...

Sirius, XM Expect Robust Holiday Selling Season.
November 24, 2003... U.S. consumers interested in subscribing to satellite radio have a host of new receivers to choose from this holiday season. Sirius Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: SIRI] and XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR] recently rolled out new units aimed at...

Spotlight: Asian Oil Operation Gains Bandwidth.(Brief Article)
November 24, 2003... China CNOOC [NYSE: CEO], a Hong Kong-based producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas, is deploying a satellite network to carry high-speed data, videoconferencing and voice/fax services. Roughly 40 locations would be served using...

North American Transponder Supply Grows.(Communications Center study)(Industry Overview)
November 24, 2003... By Edward Morgan In our fast moving satellite communications industry, it is easy to lose track of how various services are driving the demand for capacity. That is why the Clarksburg, Md.-based Communications Center has tracked the...

News Skies CEO Sees Overcapacity Continuing in 2004.(Interview)
November 24, 2003... New Skies Satellites [NYSE: NSK], the Dutch satellite operator, continues to perform solidly. In its latest results, the company reported revenues of $54.1 million for the third quarter, which was in line with most analysts' expectations. ...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
November 24, 2003... Week of Nov. 14 - 20, 2003 Percentage Change Symbol Nov. 20 Price One Week One Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 2.11 -18.5 -3.2 ASIASAT TELECOM SAT 16.5 -5.6 ...

Editor's Note.
November 24, 2003... Satellite News will be taking a break next week for the Thanksgiving holiday. Your next issue will be dated December 8. [Copyright 2003 PBI Media, LLC. All rights reserved.]