Satellite Today articles from April 2004

Satellite Today archives from April 2004

MTN Recapitalizes Amid Strong Growth.
April 1, 2004... Miramar, Fla.-based Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN) has recapitalized barely more than a year after it was acquired for $30 million by New York-based investment firm Falconhead Capital during February last year. The successful...

ESOA Elects Chairman, Sets 2004 Agenda.
April 1, 2004... The European Satellite Operators' Association (ESOA) General Assembly elected New Skies Satellites CEO Dan Goldberg as its chairman for a one-year term. He succeeds Eutelsat CEO Giuliano Berretta. Telespazio CEO Enrico Saggese was elected ESOA...

BTBS Wins Key ITV Modernization Deal.
April 1, 2004... BT Broadcast Services (BTBS) was selected by ITV to modernise its broadcast network. BTBS has signed a six-year contract to create a new multimedia network for ITV, exploiting advances in technology to enhance service quality and deliver...

XM Adds Coverage Of Boston Weather, Traffic.
April 1, 2004... XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] officials today said that the company is launching a 24-hour channel dedicated to Boston traffic and weather. The station (Channel 210) will provide a continuous stream of updated information from an array of sources,...

Sirius Raises $50 Million In Convertible Note Sale.
April 1, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] said the company raised $50 million from the sale of 2.5-percent convertible notes to Morgan Stanley & Co. Each $1,000 note will be convertible, at the option of the holder, into 226.7574 shares of Sirius common...

DirecTv Adds Canal 22 To Spanish-Language Programming Service.
April 1, 2004... DirecTV [DTV] and SatMex Maximo jointly announced that Canal 22, a Mexico-based network for news, movies and documentaries, would be added to the DirecTV Para Todos platform this month. Para Todos is DirecTV's Spanish-language programming...

Dish Expands Local Channel Offerings.
April 1, 2004... EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] executives said the company's Dish Network direct-to- home satellite service would begin offering local television channels to subscribers in Green Bay, Wis., and in Lincoln, Hastings and Kearney, Neb. It...

AMP Ohio Selects Gilat Spacenet.
April 1, 2004... Petah Tikvah, Israel-based Gilat Satellite's [GILTF] Spacenet subsidiary in McLean, Va., was chosen by the American Municipal Power Ohio (AMP-Ohio) to provide a high-speed VSAT network. Spacenet Connextar service will provide remote control for...

On2 Technologies, CNC International Ink Deal.
April 1, 2004... New York City-based technology firm On2 Technologies [ONT] signed a contract with China Netcom Communication International Corporation (CNC) to use On2's VP6.2 video codec and TrueCast servers to broadcast video via satellite and the Internet...

XM Notches Strong 1Q Subscriber Gains.
April 2, 2004... Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] topped Wall Street forecasts by boosting its subscriber total to more than 1.68 million at the end of the first quarter. XM netted more than 320,000 subscribers during this threemonth period to...

iSECUREtrac Names New President.
April 2, 2004... iSECUREtrac Corp. [ISRE] management named Thomas Wharton the company's president and CEO following the retirement of James Stark, who was the company's president. [Copyright 2004 PBI Media, LLC. All rights reserved.]

SpaceDev Wins $43 Million Contract.
April 2, 2004... SpaceDev [SPDV] inked a five-year, $43-million, cost-plus-fixed fee indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract by the Missile Defense Agency. Under the terms of the contract, SpaceDev will conduct a micro-satellite distributed-sensing...

EC Research Commissioner Outlines Goals.
April 2, 2004... Philippe Busquin, the European Research Commissioner for the European Commission (EC), outlined the importance space applications will have in Europe. He commented to Satellite Today, "Space applications will have a significant impact on the...

Satellite Security Systems Launches Truck-Monitoring Service.
April 2, 2004... Satellite Security Systems officials announced the launch of Ionit, a satellite security and monitoring solution for both tethered and untethered units. Ionit is a covert system placed on individual units and tracked via satellite...

SatCon Announces $3 Million In New Contracts.
April 2, 2004... SatCon Technology Corp. [SATC] executives report the company's Electronics division received more than $3 million in new contracts during the last financial quarter, including a $640,000 order for system-level assemblies used in military...

News Corp Plans U.S. Incorporation.
April 6, 2004... News Corp [NWS], the parent organization of DirecTV [DTV] and BSkyB, today announced it would change the company's place of incorporation to the United States from Australia. The proposed reorganization is aimed at aiding all shareholders by...

KTVK Phoenix Purchases skIP System.
April 6, 2004... Phoenix-based independent television station KTVK bought the skIP Broadband Communications System to combine the technical resources of Production and Satellite Services, a transportable uplink company, and The Spaceconnection, a provider of...

Coachmen Offers KVH Satellite TV Systems In New Vehicles.
April 6, 2004... KVH Industries [KVHI] says its TracVision LF in-motion satellite TV antenna and its TracVision SF stationary automatic satellite TV antenna will be offered as optional equipment on all new Sportcoach Elite diesel motor homes manufactured by...

Geolink Taps Performance Technologies Signaling Platform.
April 6, 2004... Performance Technologies [PTIX] executives today said mobile satellite communications systems developer Geolink is using PT's SEGway 1100 SS7/IP Signaling Platform on its OceanCell GSM solution. OceanCell uses maritime satellite links to allow...

Networkcar Announces Reseller Agreement.
April 6, 2004... Networkcar, a Reynolds and Reynolds [REY] company, said today that Maximus [MMS] would be a reseller of Networkcar's fleet products. Networkcar's in-vehicle system collects and organizes detailed information from the engine's computer as well...

Sirius Hires Senior VP Of Marketing.
April 6, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI], a New York City-based satellite radio service, today announced the appointment of Tola Murphy-Baran as senior vice president of marketing. Murphy-Baran will be responsible for subscriber acquisition and retention,...

Satlynx CEO Outlines Challenges.
April 7, 2004... Satlynx CEO Paul Heinerscheid said his company is aiming to sharpen its marketplace focus. The two-way European satellite broadband services provider intends to become a key player in the region's broadband-services landscape. In terms of...

Sirius Announces Factory-Installed Availability.
April 7, 2004... Officials at New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] said today that the company's radio receivers will be available as a factory-installed option and a dealer-installed accessory on the BMW 2004 7 Series sedans. Buyers will receive a...

XM Announces Expanded Deal With Honda, Planned Offering Of Secured Notes.
April 7, 2004... Executives at Washington-based XM Satellite Radio today reported that American Honda would expand the number of car models that offer XM radios as standard equipment for the 2005 model year. The move should help to double the number of...

New GPS Satellite Declared Fully Operational.
April 7, 2004... A U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin Space Systems [LMT] team has completed on-orbit checkout of the upgraded GPS satellite, designated GPS IIR-11, which was successfully launched March 20, Lockheed Martin officials said yesterday. The launch of...

ActSoft Releases New GPS Tracking Software.
April 7, 2004... ActSoft officials said yesterday that a new version of Comet Tracker would be released. Comet Tracker uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology available on Java-enabled handsets to instantly track the locations, tasks and hours of mobile...

XM Reaches Accord With Saab, Opens NASDAQ Trading And Offers Traffic Data.
April 8, 2004... XM Satellite Radio [XMSR], a Washington-based satellite services provider in the U.S. market, announced today that the new Saab 9-7X sports utility vehicle will offer factory-installed XM equipment in first quarter 2005. Saab also will offer XM...

Connexion by Boeing Aligns With Wireless Broadband Partner.
April 8, 2004... Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of The Boeing Company [BA], and StarHub, a communications provider in Singapore, today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The deal calls for Boeing's proposed realtime, high-speed...

NDS Forges Standards Deal With Thomson.
April 8, 2004... NDS [NNDS] has signed a deal with Thomson to promote the development of secure content protection solutions. The objective of the two partners is to promote a standard secure and end-to-end digital content distribution solution for the...

Dish Network Adds Local Channels To Line-up.
April 8, 2004... EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] officials said today that the company's Dish Network would offer local channels to its subscribers in the Rochester, N.Y., area, including the local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, as well as PBS....

Orbital Names Former Boeing Executive To Lead Its Launch Systems Group.
April 8, 2004... Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] officials said today that Brent Collins has been named senior vice president and deputy general manager for operations in the company's Launch Systems Group. In this position, Collins will help lead Orbital's...

Bank Hapoalim Aids Gilat With New Loan Terms.
April 9, 2004... Bank Hapoalim came to the aid of Gilat Satellite Network Ltd. [GILTF] by modifying the terms of a $71 million loan. The new terms reduce the rate of interest applicable for the loan's outstanding balance, defer part of the principle payments...

SpaceDev Reports Net Loss for 2003.
April 9, 2004... SpaceDev [SPDV] is investing in the future but it bottom-line is suffering near-term as a result. Company officials reported the Poway, Calif.-based provider of space and low-cost microsatellite-related products and services incurred a widened...

Eutelsat Benefits From Olympics.
April 9, 2004... The Athens Olympic Games scheduled for this summer should provide additional business for a wide array of satellite industry companies. One of the deals involves Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat agreeing to provide the European...

Globecast Inks Moroccan Channel Deal.
April 9, 2004... Globecast is to deliver the Moroccan channel 2M Maroc to Africa via its digital satellite television platform on NSS 7. The distribution agreement will give 2M Maroc access to DTH viewers and cable markets in Africa. It is the second largest...

Ground Control Deploys Satellite Internet Access Points.
April 9, 2004... San Luis Obispo, Calif., based-Ground Control officials today announced the availability of the One Touch-2500 auto tracking two-way satellite dish that can be mounted on the roof of a vehicle to provide high-speed Internet access. Officials...

CapRock, ViaSat Create Global Oil/Gas VSAT Networks Partnership.
April 12, 2004... Houston-based CapRock Communications and Carlsbad, Calif.-based ViaSat [VSAT] formed a global VSAT (very small aperture terminal) alliance to serve the oil and gas industry. The agreement calls for CapRock to serve as the exclusive oil and...

EMS Technologies Completes First Phase Of DoD Antenna Project.
April 12, 2004... Atlanta-based EMS Technologies [ELMG] completed the first set of beamforming networks (BFN) for the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications program. The communications program,...

Enhanced Security Offered For Maritime Communications.
April 12, 2004... In response to increased security demands in a post-9/11 world, Chandler, Ariz.-based satellite voice and data communications service provider World Communications Center (WCC) is launching a new end-to-end maritime security and communications...

Japanese Telecom Satellite Readied For Launch.
April 12, 2004... A Boeing [BA]-built communications satellite that would help Space Communication Corporation (SCC) of Japan to provide telecommunications and data services to customers in Asia is scheduled to launch this Thursday, April 15, from Cape Canaveral...

DISH Network Delivers Interactive Television To 8 Million TV Households.
April 12, 2004... EchoStar Communications [DISH] officials announced today the company's DISH Network satellite television service launched two new interactive TV channels. The first is Trivia, offered by Buzztime, while the second is Fantasy Cup Auto Racing,...

Lead Engineer Named At Boeing NASA Systems.
April 12, 2004... Keith Reiley has been selected as the lead systems engineer for Boeing NASA Systems, a Washington-based unit of The Boeing Co. [BA]. He will report to Chuck Allen, the vice president and program manager of Boeing Space Exploration Systems...

CapRock, ViaSat Create Global Oil/Gas VSAT Networks Partnership.
April 13, 2004... Houston-based CapRock Communications and Carlsbad, Calif.-based ViaSat [VSAT] formed a global VSAT (very small aperture terminal) alliance to serve the oil and gas industry. The agreement calls for CapRock to serve as the exclusive oil and...

EMS Technologies Completes First Phase Of DoD Antenna Project.
April 13, 2004... Atlanta-based EMS Technologies [ELMG] completed the first set of beamforming networks (BFN) for the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications program. The communications program,...

Enhanced Security Offered For Maritime Communications.
April 13, 2004... In response to increased security demands in a post-9/11 world, Chandler, Ariz.-based satellite voice and data communications service provider World Communications Center (WCC) is launching a new end-to-end maritime security and communications...

Japanese Telecom Satellite Readied For Launch.
April 13, 2004... A Boeing [BA]-built communications satellite that would help Space Communication Corporation (SCC) of Japan to provide telecommunications and data services to customers in Asia is scheduled to launch this Thursday, April 15, from Cape Canaveral...

DISH Network Delivers Interactive Television To 8 Million TV Households.
April 13, 2004... EchoStar Communications [DISH] officials announced today the company's DISH Network satellite television service launched two new interactive TV channels. The first is Trivia, offered by Buzztime, while the second is Fantasy Cup Auto Racing,...

Lead Engineer Named At Boeing NASA Systems.
April 13, 2004... Keith Reiley has been selected as the lead systems engineer for Boeing NASA Systems, a Washington-based unit of The Boeing Co. [BA]. He will report to Chuck Allen, the vice president and program manager of Boeing Space Exploration Systems...

Satellite Radio Deal Stirs NYC Debate.
April 14, 2004... The top executives at Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] and Satellite Radio [SIRI] verbally sparred with each other about which company is pursuing the best growth strategies. The two CEOs squared off during a panel discussion at...

C-Com Delivers iNetVu To Satmex.
April 14, 2004... C-Com Satellite Systems Inc. [CMI] officials said today the company delivered its first iNetVu mobile two-way high-speed Internet over a satellite antenna system to Mexican satellite operator Satmex. Satmex will use the antennas in conjunction...

Tachyon Unveils 'Auto Deploy' Portable Broadband Product.
April 14, 2004... Tachyon Networks Inc.'s new "Auto Deploy" customer premise equipment will allow enterprise and government users to deploy a high-speed, carrier-grade satellite broadband network in "minutes," the company said. Auto Deploy features a...

Helius Integrated Distance-Learning Platform Available.
April 14, 2004... Helius officials said the company's OneTouch Classroom Site Controller in the Helius MediaGate Router platform has gone commercial. By integrating the Site Controller, Helius is able to offer a platform for distributing content and for managing...

Dauphin Signs Stock-Swap Pact With EDC Hellas.
April 14, 2004... Dauphin [DNTK] signed a stock-swap agreement with EDC Hellas, a subsidiary of Belgium-based European Datcomm Holding that manufactures telematics and satellite communication products. According to the agreement, Dauphin will acquire a...

Radcom Introduces Next-Gen Protocol.
April 14, 2004... Radcom [RDCM], an Israel-based manufacturer of support network services, announced the availability of a new testing system to monitor and to troubleshoot LAN, WAN, ATM and other communications capabilities. The testing system, called the...

Globalstar Emerges Debt-Free From Chapter 11.
April 15, 2004... Globalstar LLC, a handheld satellite phone service that operates in all of the most populated regions of the world, today announced the completion of its financial restructuring following the formal acquisition of its main business operations...

OpenTV CEO Expects U.S. Interactive Market To Grow.
April 15, 2004... OpenTV [OPTV] CEO James Ackerman believes a new era of interactive television could be just around the corner in the United States, and his company could play a key role as it provides technology, content and services that power interactive...

FCC Rulemaking Allows Wireless Operations In FSS Band.
April 15, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission today unanimously approved a recommendation by the commission staff to proceed with the development of a proposed rule that would allow unlicensed wireless broadband devices to operate in the 3,650-MHz...

Loral Completes SkyReach Trials.
April 15, 2004... Loral Skynet officials said today the company successfully completed service trials with several customers on SkyReach, its IP-enabled product that provides two-way broadband services for secure private networks or for highspeed Internet...

DirecTV Settles PaySystems Lawsuit.
April 15, 2004... DirecTV [DTV] has agreed to settle a lawsuit it filed last fall against PaySystems and a number of defendants who DirecTV claimed were processing payments for merchants selling goods marketed or designed to allow piracy of the company's...

Space Imaging Names Kling Vice President.
April 15, 2004... Space Imaging, a Denver, Colo.-based provider of Earth imagery via satellite, appointed Mark A. Kling vice president, general counsel and secretary. Kling brings more than 20 years of legal experience to the company. [Copyright 2004 PBI...

Japan's Superbird-6 Satellite Successfully Launched By ILS.
April 16, 2004... The Superbird-6 satellite lifted into orbit last night after a successful launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on an Atlas IIAS rocket provided by International Launch Services (ILS). Liftoff of the Atlas vehicle, built by Lockheed Martin [LMT],...

Intuicom Releases Military Navigator II.
April 16, 2004... Intuicom, a Boulder, Colo.-based wireless data company, yesterday released the Military II navigator data link with embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities for military and homeland- security applications. The Military Navigator...

CopyTele Encryption Enhances Boeing Satellite Telecommunications.
April 16, 2004... CopyTele, [COPY], a Melville, N.Y.-based manufacturer of encryption based products, agreed to provide its technology for use with the Boeing-built [BA] Thuraya satellite communications network. Financial terms were not disclosed. Boeing will...

DISH Network Brings Local Channels To 3 More Markets.
April 16, 2004... EchoStar Communications [DISH], an Englewood, Colo.-based provider of U.S. satellite TV, added local channels to El Paso, Texas, and to the Las Cruces, N.M., area as well as to the Columbia-Jefferson City, Mo., market. The channels for El...

MDA Awarded RADARSAT-2 Contract In Venezuela.
April 16, 2004... British Columbia based-MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates [MDA] was awarded a contract for a RADARSAT-2 ground station for the Instituto Geografico de Venezuela Simon Bolivar (IGVSB). The ground station will provide end-to-end capabilities...

SkyPort Demonstrates Emergency Network For Texas County.
April 16, 2004... SkyPort International officials said the company successfully conducted a product demonstration to the Harris County Department of Education Center for Safe and Secure Schools in Texas. The demo of a standby emergency network showed that it...

ILS Lands Three Launch Contacts From SES Global.
April 19, 2004... International Launch Services (ILS) officials said today the company secured contracts from SES Americon and SES Astra to launch three satellites in 2005 and 2006. Financial terms of the contracts were not disclosed. SES Americon will have its...

Digital+ Unveils Latest Numbers In Spain.
April 19, 2004... Digital+, the leading satellite pay-TV operator in Spain, ended the first quarter of 2004 with 1,732,000 subscribers. Sogecable (the owners of the Digital+ platform) launched the Digital+ service in July 2003. Sogecable CEO Javier Diez de...

DirecTV Receives $51.5 Million Judgement.
April 19, 2004... El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV, a unit of The DirecTV Group [DTV], received welcome news last week when a federal jury awarded the satellite TV services provider $51.5 million in damages against Pegasus Satellite Communications [PGTV] for the...

Russian Broadcast Satellite Set For April 27 Launch.
April 19, 2004... Russian Satellite Communications Co. said its communications and broadcasting Express-AM11 satellite will be launched into geostationary orbit at 96.5 degrees East on April 27. The bird will be delivered into orbit aboard a Proton-K launch...

Sirius Available In Mercedes-Benz Vehicles.
April 19, 2004... Officials from Mercedes-Benz USA and Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] said today the satellite radio service will be available in most Mercedes-Benz models starting this year and moving forward as a dealer installed option for $679 plus...

Eutelsat Offers Occasional-Use Capabilities For 2004 Summer Olympics.
April 19, 2004... Eutelsat, the U.S. subsidiary of satellite operator Eutelsat S.A., inked a deal between its parent company and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to deliver occasional-use capacity on three Eutelsat satellites for the upcoming 2004 Summer...

PanAmSat's PASport Takes Broadcasters Anywhere.
April 19, 2004... PanAmSat [SPOT] launched PASport, a global on-the-spot broadcasting service for the transmission of live breaking news. This new service gives broadcasters and video-content producers access to PanAmSat's global hybrid network from anywhere in...

Dell Servers Help GlobeXplorer Deliver Aerial Images.
April 19, 2004... GlobeXplorer, a subsidiary of Stewart Information Services [STC], a Walnut Creek, Calif.-based geographic data and publishing company that provides satellite images via the Internet, is using Dell [DELL] server technology to speed online access...

KKR Acquires PanAmSat For $4.3 Billion.
April 20, 2004... Officials from PanAmSat Corp. [SPOT] and its 80.5-percent shareholder The DirecTV Group [DTV] today said they signed a definitive transaction agreement with affiliates of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) for the sale of PanAmSat at $23.50...

NAB Prez Critical Of Satellite TV, Radio.
April 20, 2004... LAS VEGAS--National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) President and CEO Edward Fritts verbally bashed satellite TV and radio providers at the group's annual conference here yesterday. On the television front, Fritts made it clear NAB will not...

Dutch Delta Mission Launches.
April 20, 2004... A Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft carrying three astronauts is heading to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of an 11-day mission. The Delta mission lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The crew consists of European Space...

Lockheed Martin Builds Second GEO Bird For JSAT.
April 20, 2004... Lockheed Martin [LMT] officials was awarded a contract to build a second A2100AX geostationary telecommunications satellite for JSAT Corporation of Japan. The bird, designated JCSAT-10, will provide communications services throughout Japan and...

Loral Skynet Exec: HDTV Will Help Fill Excess Satellite Capacity.
April 20, 2004... LAS VEGAS--High-definition television services (HDTV) offer an opportunity for satellite operators to fill part of their excess capacity during the next few years, said Robert Hedinger, Loral Skynet's executive vice president of sales,...

BT Broadcast Launches Globally Integrated HD Solution.
April 20, 2004... BT Broadcast Services (BTBS) launched what it said was the industry's first end-to-end, high-definition (HD) solution that fully integrates fiber and satellite. The new service aims to increase revenue opportunities for major broadcasters by...

Sirius Grows Subs, Revenues; Touts Wal-Mart Distribution.
April 21, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] reported 351,663 subscribers as of March 31, a net increase of 90,602 during the quarter and a 138-percent increase compared with net subscribers during the same period a year ago. For the first quarter of...

Alcatel Space Goes Acoustic.
April 21, 2004... Alcatel Space plans to install a new acoustic chamber for satellite environment tests, and it should be operational in May 2005. The company decided to build this new test facility to keep pace with the growth in telecom satellites. Alcatel...

Lockheed Martin Launches Gravity Probe.
April 21, 2004... Lockheed Martin [LMT] said the Gravity Probe B that it built for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was launched into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California yesterday. During its 16-month mission, GP-B will attempt to...

Harris Intros High-Speed Connectivity Module.
April 21, 2004... Harris [HRS], a communications equipment provider, rolled out a new plugand-play module to support video-over-IP for rich-media- content distributors that range from satellite to telecom service providers. The NetVX Gigabit module is an...