Satellite News articles from September 2004

Satellite News archives from September 2004

At Press Time: SES Americom Drops CEO, Keeps Strategy.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The unexpected departure of innovative and aggressive SES Americom President and CEO Dean Olmstead from the company, announced late last week, should not slow the company's drive to pursue its strategy of tapping emergingmarket opportunities....

DirecTV Plucks Broadband Feathers.(DIRECTV Inc. to offer high-definition satellite TV services)
September 13, 2004... El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV Group's [DTV] decision last week to provide high-definition (HD) satellite TV services via its two Spaceway satellites and two other spacecraft it plans to launch by 2007 to offer Ka-band satellite broadband...

The New DirecTV Birds.(DIRECTV Inc. satellites to be built by Boeing Co.)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The DirecTV 10 and 11 satellites will be built by The Boeing Co. [BA] and launched in 2007. The two orbiters will be among the largest and most powerful Ka-band satellites ever launched. The satellites use advanced transmission techniques and...

Lockheed, Raytheon Sweat DoD Deal.
September 13, 2004... Two industry leaders are counting down the days until one of them wins what is believed to be the biggest military pact available to satellite manufacturers for the next two years. The victor will sign a $6.2 billion, 20-year contract to...

Sirius, XM Score With Sports Programming.
September 13, 2004... By Paul Dykewicz For sports fans, satellite radio is an increasingly enticing low-cost alternative to the much higher priced satellite and cable TV services.For sports fans, satellite radio is an increasingly enticing low-cost alternative...

Spotlight: Genesis Failure Focuses On Parachute.
September 13, 2004... South Windsor, Conn.-based Pioneer Aerospace Corporation, the modestsized company that provided the parachute and the corresponding pyrotechnic device intended to safely cushion the dissent of the costly Genesis scientific satellite, expressed...

WildBlue CEO Counting On Pent-Up Rural Broadband Demand.(Chief Executive Officers)(Interview)
September 13, 2004... Building a successful business in the satellite broadband arena is no easy task. While it's easy to talk about the size of markets not covered by DSL and cable, it's far harder building a long-term, profitable business in this area. One company...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.(Illustration)
September 13, 2004... Week of Sept. 3 - 9, 2004 Percentage Sept. 9 One Symbol Price Week APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 1.54 8.5 ASIASAT TELECOM ...

At Press Time: Alcatel Space Signs Russian Customer.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... France-based satellite manufacturer Alcatel Space [ALA] wasted no time in following up on last week's order announced by rival Boeing Satellite Systems with DirecTV by signing a major pact of its own for two spacecraft payload orders from...

Intelsat Drops Risky DTH Venture.(Direct to Home)
September 20, 2004... Global service provider Intelsat is showing increased signs of conservatism by choosing to cut its losses and end its future commitments to the high-risk, Hong Kong-based direct-to-home satellite (DTH) TV service it formed as a joint venture...

Boeing Aims To Clear Insurance Cloud.
September 20, 2004... Boeing Satellite Services of El Segundo, Calif., is looking to rebound after building six flawed 702 model satellites that ultimately may lead to insurance payouts of more than $1 billion. The high-profile flaws with the early-generation...

Lithium-Ion Batteries Are The New Game In Town.
September 20, 2004... New advances in technology have led to the development and commercial introduction of batteries made for big GEO satellites reportedly more powerful and 30-percent lighter than today's 600-pound nickel-hydrogen products. Lithium-ion...

Spotlight: Hurricanes Drive Transponder Demand.
September 20, 2004... A slew of big events this year have spurred occasional-use transponder demand. One of the big beneficiaries of the clarion cry for capacity in North America has been Princeton, N.J.-based SES Americom, the U.S.-based satellite operating unit of...

Regulatory Roundup: Decisions Affecting The Worldwide Satellite Industry.(Editorial)
September 20, 2004... Editor's Note: This week we are introducing the following value-added feature to assist you in tracking regulatory developments. Who's Doing What?: XM Satellite Radio [XMSR], (www.xmradio.com), 1500 Eckingon Place, NE, Washington, DC 20002...

Will Private-Equity Owners Stay The Course?
September 20, 2004... It's been a hectic year in the satellite sector, with some of the biggest operators in the business now sporting new ownership. Private-equity (PE) firms that have acquired stakes in such satellite operators as Intelsat, New Skies Satellites...

New Financial Investors Bring Discipline.
September 20, 2004... The top officers of large FSS operators who spoke at Euroconsult's 8th World Summit For Satellite Financing in Paris voiced no surprise with forecasts of much tougher capital-expenditure parameters for companies recently acquired by PE firms....

Will Niche Companies Spur Industry Growth?(Industry Overview)
September 20, 2004... By J. Armand Musey The dominant sectors in the satellite industry, fixed satellite services (FSS) and direct-broadcast-satellite (DBS) services, are entering a mature growth phase. The level of growth is in the low to mid-single digits...

ITT Wins $359 Million NASA Pact.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... The Space Systems Division of ITT Industries Inc. [ITT] was chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop, manufacture and test an advanced imager for the next generation of geostationary weather satellites....

Report: Travelers Want In-Flight Phone Service.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Teamwork between two industry providers of mobile-satellite voice services onboard aircraft led to the unveiling of a new study that shows higher demand than expected among passengers for such services. ARINC of Annapolis, Md., and Telenor...

DirecTV Rolls Out Interactive Services.
September 20, 2004... DirecTV, the largest satellite TV service in the United States, is known for its "NFL Sunday Ticket" programming featuring nearly all the professional football games in America each week. The company decided to try out its new advanced...

Boeing Teams With Fortune 50 IT Company.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... The Boeing Co. [BA] plans to form an alliance with a Fortune 50 IT company that would enable the two companies to develop and deploy systems to enhance U.S. military communications, intelligence operations and homeland security by using...

ND SatCom Antenna Targets Video.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... ND SatCom, a global supplier of satellite-based broadband VSAT, and broadcast and defense communication networks, is rolling out an antenna subsystem called SkyRAY Compact 1500. The ND SatCom SkyRAY compact series is the latest generation of...

Should You Ride The HDTV Wave?(Hign Definition Television)
September 20, 2004... By Paul Dykewicz Those who like to wait until a trend is almost palpable before pursuing it for fear of acting prematurely should have seen plenty of indicators to know the time to catch the high-definition television (HDTV) wave is now....

At Press Time: Navy Nears Decision On MUOS.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Raytheon [RTN] were pacing the floor late Friday afternoon, waiting to hear which one would win a $6.2 billion U.S. Department of Defense satellite-communications contract (SN, Sept. 13), which was due to be announced...

Senate DTV Bill Could Thwart DBS.
September 27, 2004... Satellite TV's advantage of offering digital video signals since the mid-1990s is waning because the $70 billion the big cable-TV operators have spent on the technology is allowing those carriers to catch up. However, satellite-TV service...

Boeing Targets DoD With Two Plans.
September 27, 2004... The Boeing Co. [BA] is pursuing U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) communications networking business opportunities that depend on satellites. Last week, Boeing showed it was willing to invest in innovative technology by demonstrating that...

iDirect Partnership Offers Hybrid Network.
September 27, 2004... Herndon, Va.-based iDirect wants to capitalize on a new threesome forged with satellite services operator Intelsat and communications networking provider Equant by tapping into what its management considers to be a unique technical advantage....

Spotlight: New GPS Software Aids Farmers.
September 27, 2004... NavCom Technology, a unit of Deere & Company [DE], is targeting the agricultural industry by pushing Global Positioning System (GPS) services into the untraditional role of helping farmers plow their fields with precision. The company is...

PanAmSat Shifts To Cautious Growth From Bold Innovation.
September 27, 2004... The bold move by PanAmSat Founder Rene Anselmo to risk tens of millions of dollars of his own money to buy a satellite and then to launch it, uninsured, on the maiden flight of the Ariane 4 rocket broke the monopoly control on international...

NSAB Scales Back Capacity, Plans New Revenue Streams.
September 27, 2004... Nordic Satellite (NSAB) is holding back on a decision about ordering its proposed SIRIUS 4 satellite, amid slow demand for capacity, and the carrier will capitalize on existing hardware for the next two years. CEO Lennart Hallkvist told...

In France: DTT? Mais Qui!
September 27, 2004... With close to 30 million households now subscribing to some form of digital television (DTV), France is the only major European market to support two satellite pay-TV operators, Canal Satellite and TPS. The market, however, is undergoing some...

McCain And The Liberation Of Broadcast Spectrum.
September 27, 2004... By Adam D. Thierer Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has introduced an important new bill dealing with the digital television (DTV) transition that will have direct impact on the satellite industry. The vexing question is how to compel...

Arianespace Wins AirTV Launch Deal.
September 27, 2004... New York City-based AirTV's search for funding did not stop the startup from signing a launch services agreement with Arianespace last week, with the first launch scheduled for 2007. The fledgling live-television service is designed to...

Sirius Defends Higher Pricing.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI], the higher priced of two U.S.-based satellite radio services, took the unusual step of issuing a press release last week to put a positive spin on why consumers should believe its subscription price is worth an...

Parlaying Huge Debt Into A Smart Business Decision.
September 27, 2004... By Paul Dykewicz PanAmSat President and CEO Joseph Wright, noted for his financial conservatism and cost-cutting, recently told me he isn't worried at all about taking on a large debt load following the company's purchase by financial...