Satellite News articles from October 2004

Satellite News archives from October 2004

At Press Time: Orbimage Wins $500 Million NextView Contract.(National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency )(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Dulles, Va.-based Orbimage gained a big boost for its business by winning a $500 million, multi-year pact to give high-resolution imagery to the U.S. government under a contract awarded by the Bethesda, Md.-based National...

Ciel Wins Slot From Canadian Giant.
October 4, 2004... Amid an industry-wide consolidation trend, room still exists for startup ventures that can match good ideas with sound management, financing and regulatory support. Those ingredients all are in place at Ciel, a fledgling Canadian satellite...

Loral Skynet CEO Details Post-Chapter 11 Path.
October 4, 2004... Patrick Brant, the new president of Bedminster, N.J. Loral Skynet, has a vision of turning the company into a provider of hybrid networking services that will use satellites, fiber and other technologies to meet the communications needs of...

Canada's SkyWave Tracks U.S. Customers.
October 4, 2004... Ottawa, Canada-based SkyWave Mobile Communications, a provider of Inmarsat D+ satellite airtime, services and terminal equipment, is pursuing an aggressive expansion program that will seize on its recent receipt of a 15-year license from the...

GM Plans To Expand GPS Rollout.(Global Positioning System)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... This fall, General Motors [GM] is aiming to produce 3 million vehicles in North America during the 2006 model year equipped with its Global Positioning System-enabled (GPS) OnStar in-vehicle safety and communications system. That level of...

MultiChoice Plans To Beat Newcomers With Enhanced Pay-TV Package.
October 4, 2004... Many satellite operators view Africa as a potential growth market. Last month, SES Astra announced that it was extending its provision of state-of-the-art satellite services to the entire African continent in a major new initiative. The...

Tapping The Remote Asset-Management Market.
October 4, 2004... Asset tracking is a key "remote application" outside the mainstream wireless markets of voice, data and now video. To the companies that offer the service, including wireless and satellite providers, remote applications represent viable sources...

Lockheed Celebrates MUOS Award.(Mobile User Objective System)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based unit of Lockheed Martin [LMT], won the biggest U.S. military satellite communications pact that likely will be awarded during the next two years when the U.S. Navy tapped it as...

XM Rocks And Rolls With New Subs.(XM Satellite Radio Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Wall Street analysts are offering a consensus estimate that Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] will pre-announce that it amassed in the neighborhood of 430,000 third-quarter net new subscribers. That pace of growth in the...

NAV Canada, FAA Team For Navigation Upgrade.(Federal Aviation Administration)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Ottawa, Canada-based NAV Canada reached an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to extend the benefits of satellite-navigation technology to all aircraft operators that fly in Canadian airspace. The agreement will expand the...

Azerbaijan Joins Intersputnik.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... The Republic of Azerbaijan is the newest member of the Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications. Initially Intersputnik had nine member countries. Now that Azerbaijan has joined the organization, the number now is 25. A...

EchoStar Begins Offers Local Channels In 150th U.S. Market.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Englewood, Colo.-based EchoStar Communications Corporation's [DISH] DISH Network satellite-television service expanded the number of markets in which it offers local channels to 150 last week when it added Terre Haute, Ind. The company...

WorldSpace Asks FCC For New Satellite.
October 4, 2004... Washington-based WorldSpace filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch and operate the AfriStar-2 satellite and to co-locate it at 21[degrees] East with the company's AfriStar-1 satellite. AfriStar-2...

SES Americom Seeks To Tweak AMC-12.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Columbia Communications Corporation, a SES Americom acquisition, filed an amendment with the FCC to its pending application for modification of the AMC-12 satellite at 37.5[degrees] West. The amendment provides new technical information about...

NAV Canada, FAA Team For Navigation Upgrade.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... WB Holdings 1 LLC, an affiliated organization of fledgling satellite broadband service WildBlue, filed a request for Special Temporary Authority to operate its Ka-band payload (29250 MHz-30000 MHz, 8350 MHz-28600 MHz and 19700 MHz-20200 MHz) on...

Why Raytheon Views MUOS Loss As Step Forward.(Mobile User Objective System)
October 4, 2004... In America, we are taught the importance of finishing first. Winning teams are celebrated, their head coaches are venerated and their top players typically are rewarded generously. Losers, no matter how valiant or indefatigable, often become an...

Broadcasters Sway SHVIA Reauthorization Bill's Provisions.
October 11, 2004... The satellite-TV industry showed once again last week that it lacks the political muscle to fend off the powerful National Association of Broadcast-ers (NAB) and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) when it comes to future...

At Press Time: Election Holds Up SHVIA Bill.(Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Legislation to re-authorize the Satellite Home Viewer Improve-ment Act (SHVIA) will need to wait for Senate action until lawmakers return from an election-related recess that began at the close of business last Friday. The House approved its...

Sirius Bets Its Future On Shock Jock.
October 11, 2004... The $100-million-a-year salary money-losing Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] has agreed to pay FM radio shock jock Howard Stern when he hits the satellite radio airwaves Jan. 1, 2006, is a risky move that has the allure of incredible financial...

Wegener Expands Beyond Traditional Satellite Sector.
October 11, 2004... Wegener, a Duluth, Ga.-based manufacturer of products that enable advertising insertions for broadcasters and corporations, is branching out beyond its traditional focus on the satellite industry by broadening its scope to the overall...

Product Update: EMS Technologies Taps Tracking Niche.(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Ottawa-based EMS Technologies [ELMG] is looking to drive its sales through the introduction of a new satellite-based truck-tracking product at the 2004 American Trucking Association's Management Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas last week....

NASA: Workers Caused NOAA N-Prime Accident.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
October 11, 2004... In a scathing report dated Sept. 13 but only made public last week, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) N-Prime Mishap Investigation Board (MIB) pointed the...

FCC Bureau Chief Confirms DTV Conversion Pressure.(Federal Communications Commission)(Digital Television)
October 11, 2004... With such issues as the analog-to-digital TV transition at the forefront, it is a busy time for the Federal Communica-tions Commission (FCC). The challenge to get the United States digitally enabled will not be an easy one, but the FCC hopes it...

Two-Dish Solution Stirs Controversy.
October 11, 2004... One of the most controversial issues involved in the current Congressional effort to re-authorize the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA) that expires at year-end is whether satellite-TV provider EchoStar Communica-tions [DISH] should...

Managing Satellite Services For Profit.(Industry Overview)
October 11, 2004... The satellite communications industry has entered a period of transition. A few private equity firms now control several large satellite operators. Previously, telecommunications companies or the original owners that had a technology or...

Loral Skynet Teams With Micron De Colombia To Offer Broadband.
October 11, 2004... Loral Skynet President Patrick Brant is moving quickly to implement his plan to transform the Bedminster, N.J.-based satellite operator into a provider of connectivity through the use of hybrid services that include satellite technology. The...

NGA Anoints Orbimage As Remote-Sensing Survivor.(National Geospatia Intelligence Agency )
October 11, 2004... The satellite industry may never have had such a quick turnaround story as what has transpired at Dulles, Va.-based Orbimage during the past six months. The company emerged from Chapter 11-bankruptcy court protection earlier this year and...

At Press Time: Loral Creditors Okay Reorganization Plan.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2004... Loral Space & Communi-cations Ltd. [LRLSQ] is likely to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under its current management during the first quarter of next year. The process advanced when Loral and the creditors' committee agreed to...

Why DirecTV Is Investing Heavily In Latin-American Pay-TV.
October 18, 2004... The DirecTV Group [DTV] is embarking on an aggressive strategy in Latin America that involves buying out its only satellite TV rival in the market and planning a competitive against the region's generally fragmented and weak cable competitors....

Stern Contract Could Resurrect Pay-Radio Indecency Debate.
October 18, 2004... Political pressure to apply the same indecency restrictions currently faced by traditional broadcasters to cable and satellite broadcasters is growing, and it may rise further once controversial shock jock Howard Stern moves his show to Sirius...

GlobeCast Adapts To Changing Video Trends.
October 18, 2004... GlobeCast America, the U.S. unit of Paris-based GlobeCast, is part of France Telecom but it is focused on video rather than telecommunications. In America, the company owns and operates digital teleports in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, as...

Navigating International Radio Regulations.
October 18, 2004... The satellite industry is affected dramatically by regulatory decisions about spectrum and the rights to orbital slots. Ambitious plans can fail to reach fruition without regulatory support. Regulations for the international use of radio...

Intelsat Ready To Get 'Aggressive' In Media Space.
October 18, 2004... Intelsat is banking on a strategic repositioning in the media and broadcasting market place to reap dividends during the next year. The operator, which recently announced it was pulling out of the Galaxy JV in Hong Kong, wants to accelerate its...

BSkyB Targets Non-Sports Subs With Marketing.
October 18, 2004... The U.K.'s BSkyB is likely to have to accelerate subscriber growth rapidly at the end of 2005 if it wants to have a chance of making its stated target of eight million subscribers by the end of next year. The operator hopes a new marketing...

Update: New Skies Races Ahead In Japan.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2004... New Skies Satellite N.V. [NSK], a global satellite operator in The Hague, Netherlands, will use its newly gained license from the Japanese government to provide domestic and international satellite services from that country to deliver live...

Capstone Eyes Brazil For Growth.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2004... Houston-based CapRock Com-munications' South American operation, known as CapRock Com-uncacoes do Brasil Ltda., completed the initial phase of an upgrade to its Latin American facility to allow it to provide satellite services in the region....

ViaSat Opens Office In Spain.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2004... After watching the international business opportunities for its Satellite Ground Systems (SGS) group grow substantially during the past year, ViaSat Inc. [VSAT] opened a business-development office in Europe, located near Malaga, Spain. The...

Fledgling CalAmp Revs DBS Growth.
October 18, 2004... CalAmp, an Oxnard, Calif.-based provider of wireless and content delivery solutions, last week reported an impressive 110-percent jump in revenue and a $1.4 million increase in net income for its second quarter of FY05 ended Aug. 31, compared...

VOOM Viewed As Drag On Cablevision.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2004... Cablevision Systems' [CVC] planned spin-off of its Rainbow Media Enterprises and its affiliated satellite TV venture, VOOM, is likely to close by year-end, according to Douglas Shapiro, a cable and satellite TV analyst with Banc of America...

How Sirius Is Writing Stern's Check.
October 18, 2004... Conventional wisdom is that New York City-based Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] was savvy to hire shock jock Howard Stern and his entourage for the princely sum of $100 million annually for five years, starting in 2006. His crew will bring their...

At Press Time: EchoStar Misses Subscriber Estimate.(Brief Article)
October 25, 2004... An important avenue of new subscriber sales for EchoStar Communications [DISH] did not quite meet Wall Street expectations Friday. The satellite television service's partnership with telecommunications services provider SBC Communications [SBC]...

C-Com Taps Partners For Profit.(Company Profile)
October 25, 2004... Ottawa, Canada-based C-Com Satellite Systems Inc. [CMI] found in its eighth year of operation that deploying an innovative and cost-effective technology in the slowly growing satellite broadband market niche ultimately can lead to a profit. ...

XM Takes $650 Million Swing.
October 25, 2004... Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] joined the big leagues of sports-programming rights holders last week when it agreed to spend $650 million to air all the Major League Baseball (MLB) games for the next 11 years, starting in...

Andrew Sharpens Focus With New Product Group.
October 25, 2004... Orland Park, Ill.-based Andrew Corporation [ANDW], a communications systems equipment supplier, earlier this month created a product group focused exclusively on satellites and formed a second group that combines antennas and cable products....

Spotlight: Loral Skynet Pursues Telecommuters.(Brief Article)
October 25, 2004... Telecommuters have a new way to connect to the office through a partnership between Bedminster, N.J.-based Loral Skynet's SkyReach Service and Remote Work Central, a provider of telecommuting and teleworking services. The alliance is intended...

Coalition Urges SHVIA Re-Authorization.(Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2004... A diverse group of organizations that all benefit from the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA) jointly signed a letter urging all 100 U.S. senators to pass a House-approved version of the re-authorization bill, H.R. 4518, opposed by...

Ka-band has finally arrived.
October 25, 2004... Ka-band has finally arrived. The progress has been aided with the Anik F2 deployed and ready to provide Ka-band service for Telesat Canada and WildBlue along with the successful launch of AMC 15 to provide Ka-band capacity for EchoStar...

Regulatory Wrap.
October 25, 2004... Who's Doing What?: The U.S. Defense Department (DoD) received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved to use the 2025-2110 MHz band on a coequal, primary basis with non-federal government operations for earth stations at 11 sites. The...

Sirius Hits Subscriber Milestone.(Brief Article)
October 25, 2004... It was an encouraging but not a completely reassuring sign that Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] hit the 700,000-subscriber mark Oct. 18. The milestone suggests that the company ended third-quarter 2004 with more than 650,000 subs rather than the...

SBC-EchoStar Alliance Pays Dividends.(Brief Article)
October 25, 2004... Prospective satellite-TV subscribers appear to be responding to the joint efforts of SBC Communications [SBC] and EchoStar Communications [DISH]. The SBC-DISH branded service is gaining new subscribers but it also likely is "cannibalizing"...

Garmin Prospects Rise.(Brief Article)
October 25, 2004... Morgan Stanley raised fiscal-year 2005 estimated revenue forecast for Garmin [GRMN] to $900 million from $830 million and EPS (earnings per share) to $2.18 from $2.04 due to stronger than expected demand across multiple product segments. ...

Orbital Sciences Beats 'Doldrums'.
October 25, 2004... Orders for commercial satellites are in the "doldrums" but Dulles, Va.-based Orbital Sciences [ORB] still managed to post favorable results for thirdquarter 2004, according to a research note from William Kidd, a satellite analyst with New York...

Goumy Wins Arthur C. Clarke Award.(Claude Goumy)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2004... Claude Goumy, former chief executive of Matra Marconi Space, was honored with the Arthur C. Clarke Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the development and exploitation of space in a career that spanned commercial, government and...

FCC Chairman Pushes Ad Limits.(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief Article)
October 25, 2004... A consent decree issued last week by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Enforcement Bureau led FCC Chairman Michael Powell to draw attention to the responsibility of satellite-TV and cable-TV operators to limit the amount of commercial...

Ford's Slow Start Left Sirius Smelling XM's Fumes.
October 25, 2004... Ford Motor Co. [F] was suffering through hefty losses and restructuring woes when rival General Motors [GM] initially invested in Washington-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] and pledged to fund a major marketing blitz. Progressive GM's early...