Satellite Today articles from March 2004

Satellite Today archives from March 2004

Arianespace Reschedules Rosetta Launch For Early Tomorrow Morning.
March 1, 2004... Arianespace's Flight 158 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket has been rescheduled for early Tuesday morning, following a "minor repair" to the exterior of the vehicle's cryogenic core stage over the weekend. The Ariane 5 was transferred from the...

SpeedCast and Helius Partner to Deliver Satellite IPS.
March 1, 2004... Helius, a Lindon, Utah-based provider of broadband IP over satellites, is teaming up with Asian based broadband services provider SpeedCast for a Strategic Alliance Program. SpeedCast's entrance into the program is an attempt to drive IP...

Rocket Launches, Fighter Jet Ride Highlight Auction Items At Satellite 2004.
March 1, 2004... Trips to see a pair of rocket launches and a chance to ride in a fighter jet are among the donated services and products that will be available for bid Wednesday during the Washington Space Business Roundtable's second annual silent...

US Monolithics to Supply Ka-Band Transceivers for WildBlue Consumer Broadband Service.
March 1, 2004... Chandler, Ariz.-based US Monolithics, a supplier of broadband wireless transceiver equipment and modules, agreed to collaborate with ViaSat [VSAT] to serve WildBlue Communications, a proposed consumer satellite broadband company. US...

Spacenet To Provide Connexstar VSAT To Eat'n Park Restaurants.
March 1, 2004... Spacenet, the U.S. subsidiary of Israel-based Gilat Satellite Networks [GILTF], has been selected to provide a Connexstar VSAT network to Pittsburghbased Eat'n Park restaurants in the Northeastern United States. Under the terms of the 36-month...

Internet Satellite Platform Expands Business.
March 1, 2004... Internet Satellite Platform (ISAT), an Almonte Springs, Fla.-based provider of wholesale satellite services, has expanded its business lines with two new offerings to address rural America's need for high-speed Internet access. The offerings...

Rosetta Probe Finally Hits The Skies.
March 2, 2004... The European Space Agency's $1.25 billion Rosetta probe finally began its mission to hunt a comet in the depths of the solar system and to shadow it around the Sun after being launched from Kourou, French Guyana, earlier today. The three-ton...

New Skies Launches Network Management Software.
March 2, 2004... New Skies Satellites N.V. [NSK], headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands, introduced a new software tool yesterday that will provide customers of its Ipsys software enhanced control in managing their IP networks. The software allows...

Discovery Widens Interactive Offering.
March 2, 2004... NDS company Visionik is launching two advanced interactive games to be deployed on Discovery Kids in the UK. The two interactive games, Mystery Hunters and Chomp are free to play, and they have added leaderboard functionality. The interactive...

CVC Losses Blamed On DBS Launch.
March 2, 2004... CableVision Systems Corp. [CVC] blames its fourth-quarter losses on the cost of launching its VOOM direct-broadcast satellite service in October 2003, with a bit of help from higher depreciation and amortization costs. The carrier reported net...

Lockheed Martin's Coffman Decides To Retire.
March 2, 2004... Vance Coffman, CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT], has decided to retire from the company this summer after devoting the last 37 years to it. He made his surprise announcement at the Lockheed's annual meeting last week, reportedly prompted by...

CEOs Speak Optimistically Of 2004 At Satellite 2004.
March 3, 2004... Industry CEOs voiced an uncharacteristically bullish view of their companies' prospects for the next year during a panel discussion at the Satellite 2004 conference's one-day financial forum Tuesday in Washington, D.C. The unexpectedly...

Satellite Capacity 'Vastly Outstripping' Demand.
March 3, 2004... The financial performance of fixed satellite operators is hamstrung by a lingering overcapacity problem that generally will exceed demand for years to come. Such is the view of two industry consultants who addressed the FSS sector during the...

Wall Street Analysts See Satellites Fending Off Cable Challenge.
March 3, 2004... A group of Wall Street satellite analysts offered a spirited defense of the prospects for U.S. satellite TV operators to put forth a competitive bundle of video, broadband and voice services through partnerships to compete with their fierce...

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting Inks Nera Deal.
March 3, 2004... Telenor Satellite Broadcasting inked a deal with Nera for the delivery of a broadband satellite gateway - the Nera SatLink Hub. Telenor will use the new DVB-RCS SatLink System to enable service providers to offer broadband IP services in the...

Telesat Wins F&S Best Regional Operator Award.
March 3, 2004... Frost & Sullivan awarded its 2004 Regional Satellite Operator Award to Telesat. This award is given annually to the operator that best competes against all other operators in a region, resulting in increased revenue, broadband services or...

Envivio Demos Encoded Content.
March 3, 2004... Envivio Inc. demonstrated for the first time the distribution of H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC) encoded content over the Hughes satellite network. The live-source content is encoded at 1.2 Mbps, Envivio said, and the demonstration used the Envivio 4...

Worldspace Intros Multinational Subscription Plan.
March 3, 2004... Worldspace Corp. introduced what it calls the first multinational satellite radio subscription plan available across the Worldspace Satellite Radio footprint, which covers Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Worldspace said the...

Industry Leaders Differ On HDTV Strategies, Commitment.
March 4, 2004... The world of fixed satellite services (FSS) is evolving into one of scrappy survivors whose leaders are viewing the same marketplace opportunities and challenges but are drawing different conclusions about the best actions to take. The...

Latin America Offers Growth Opportunity For Strong Operators.
March 4, 2004... Robust growth clearly is possible for satellite operators doing business in comparatively weak Latin America, according to a panel of speakers at Satellite 2004 this week in Washington, D.C. "Latin America has gone to the bottom, and it has...

Hughes Promotes Internet Protocol Standard.
March 4, 2004... Hughes Network Systems [GMH], a Germantown, Md.-based satellite broadband network services provider, will promote the implementation of the IPoS (Internet Protocol over Satellite) standard through a multi-tiered licensing program that would be...

ISECUREtrac Secures $5 Million In Private Placement.
March 4, 2004... ISECUREtrac [ISRE], an Omaha, Neb.-based provider of GPS tracking services, has received private placement funding of $5 million from an undisclosed investment group. Proceeds from the placement will be used for working capital and other...

SBC Adds New 'Dish' To The Menu.
March 4, 2004... SBC Communications [SBC] and EchoStar Communications [DISH] launched a combined SBC/DISH Network satellite TV service across the SBC service area that spans 13 states and 55 million telephone lines. The network's rollout makes SBC the first...

Gilat CEO Confident Of SkyEdge Product Family.
March 4, 2004... Gilat Satellite Networks [GILTF] president and CEO Oren Most is gearing up the company for the launch of its SkyEdge family of products later in the year. Gilat claims this new product family is "the first truly comprehensive satellite platform...

Manufacturers Expect No Big Consolidation Deals This Year.
March 5, 2004... The capacity to build roughly 60 commercial satellites each year, compared to a demand of just 15 to 20 orders this year, is not expected to spur any significant consolidation this year, according to a panel of CEOs from the world's largest...

Americom Government Services Teams With Marshall Communications.
March 5, 2004... Princeton, N.J.-based Americom Government Services (AGS), a wholly owned subsidiary of SES Americom, also of Princeton, partnered with Marshall Communications, a provider of satellite-based telecommunications services and a prime contractor, to...

Iridium Signs Pact With Remote Knowledge.
March 5, 2004... Arlington, Va.-based Iridium Satellite LLC announced that Remote Knowledge agreed to become a value-added reseller for Iridium's satellite data communication services. Remote Knowledge plans to integrate Iridium data services into a series of...

FCC Chairman Lauds Satellite Industry's Competitive Spirit.
March 5, 2004... Federal Communications Committee (FCC) Chairman Michael K. Powell urged industry executives to continue their role as a vital competitor in the communications marketplace. In his remarks earlier this week, Chairman Powell asked industry...

Amstrad Wins BSkyB Set-Top OK.
March 5, 2004... Amstrad just received technical approval from UK pay-TV operator BSkyB [BSY.L] for its Sky+ set-top box. Sky+ is a combined digital satellite receiver and digital video recorder (DVR). Deliveries to BSkyB have begun this week. Simon Sugar,...

Voom Adds Further HDTV Programming.
March 5, 2004... Jericho, N.Y.-based Voom, the first comprehensive high-definition (HD) television service, beefed up its programming by adding NBC Cable Networks, featuring Bravo HD+, Bravo, MSNBC and CNBC. Voom customers now have access to more than 30 HD...

Correction.
March 5, 2004... In the March 3 issue of Satellite Today, two news items were combined into one. The following two stories now appear in their corrected forms. We regret any confusion this error may have caused. [Copyright 2004 PBI Media, LLC. All rights...

WorldSpace Intros Multinational Subscription Plan.
March 5, 2004... WorldSpace Corp. introduced what it calls the first multinational satellite radio subscription plan available across the WorldSpace Satellite Radio footprint, which covers Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. WorldSpace said the...

HNS Goes IP.
March 5, 2004... Hughes Network Systems Inc. will promote the implementation of the IP-over-satellite (IPoS) standard through a multi-tiered licensing program available to all industry applications and systems providers. "IPoS is the only air interface...

Luxsat Ready For Key VOD Role.
March 8, 2004... Luxsat expects to play a key role in making Video-On Demand (VOD) a reality across Europe. It aims to help satellite, cable and terrestrial players bring a rich VOD service to consumers. The company's patented IP-DVB (Internet Protocol -...

New Multi-Beam Antenna Wins "Industry Innovators" Award.
March 8, 2004... A multi-beam antenna design that simultaneously communicates with as many as 20 satellites - compared with one antenna for one satellite in conventional systems -- was awarded the 2004 "Industry Innovators Award" by the Society of Satellite...

Sirius, XM Win Audi Dealer Commitments.
March 8, 2004... New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] and XM Satellite Radio [XMSR], two U.S. satellite radio service providers, announced their services will be available as factory-installed equipment or dealer-installed options beginning this June on...

ISECUREtrac, Beaver County Ink Adult Probation, Parole Agreement.
March 8, 2004... ISECUREtrac [ISRE], an Omaha, Neb.-based Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking service, signed a three-year agreement with Pennsylvania Adult Probation and Parole to supply the county with its tracNET24 criminal-justice tracking units. The...

Good Guys Retailer Offers KVH Satellite TV In Cars.
March 8, 2004... West Coast retail customers who shop at Good Guys have been enjoying incar TV via the TracVision5, made by KVH Industries [KVHI], a Middletown, R.I.-based satellite company. KVH used a hybrid phased-array technology to create an antenna rugged...

GDT, TeleType Turn GPS Phones Into Tracking Devices.
March 8, 2004... Geographic Data Technology (GDT), a Lebanon, N.H.-based map database company, and Boston's Teletype, a GPS technology provider, have teamed to turn GPS/Java-enabled wireless phones into tracking devices, giving both families and fleet managers...

EchoStar Loses Rights To Viacom Programming.
March 9, 2004... EchoStar Communications [DISH] confirmed its refusal to meet Viacom's [VIA] demands for rate hikes and other contract terms forced the satellite TV service provider to stop carrying 16 Viacom owned-and-operated CBS local stations and 10 of its...

Gilat Satellite Networks Unit, New Edge Networks Ink Wholesale Deal.
March 9, 2004... Petah Tikva, Israel-based Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. [GILTF] announced its U.S. subsidiary, Spacenet, signed a wholesale agreement that allows New Edge Networks to offer Spacenet's Connexstar satellite service as its newest broadband...

PanAmSat's Galaxy 13 Carries Encore HD.
March 9, 2004... Wilton, Conn.-based PanAmSat Corp. [SPOT] signed a 15-year transponder deal for the satellite delivery of the Starz Encore Group's Encore HD high definition premium movie channel via PanAmSat's Galaxy 13/Horizon-1 satellite. Encore HD will...

Boeing Buys Emcore Solar Cells, Panels.
March 9, 2004... Emcore [EMKR] has been selected to provide Boeing [BA] with advanced triple-junction high-efficiency solar cells and panels for use on Boeing's latest model 702 satellite. Boeing also has an option for a follow-on satellite. Emcore officials...

Atmel GPS Chip Set Features V3.0 SBAS Signal.
March 9, 2004... Atmel [ATML], a San Jose, Calif.-based manufacturer of chipsets, has placed its technology in a new Global Positioning System (GPS) product to improve navigation accuracy and integrity as well as to provide higher sensitivity. A new Atmel...

Eutelsat Announces Feierbach Appointment.
March 9, 2004... Eutelsat has boosted its executive team by appointing Robert Feierbach executive director of its wholly owned IP services affiliate, Skylogic Italia. Feierbach will be responsible for the company's overall commercial, operational and financial...

Finkleman Joins CSSI.
March 9, 2004... Analytical Graphics hired David Finkleman, a "leading authority on military space systems and strategic defense resources," to join its Center for Space Standards and Innovation (CSSI). Finkleman will serve as CSSI's senior scientist, and...

Nera Hopeful About Broadband.
March 10, 2004... Nera expects broadband revenues to show steady progress during the next couple of years. The company recently signed a deal with Telenor Satellite Broadcasting for the delivery of a broadband satellite gateway, the Nera Satlink Hub. "We...

ViaSat Provides LinkStar Broadband VSATs To Velconet Argentina Expansion.
March 10, 2004... Norcross, Ga.-based ViaSat [VSAT] recently supplied a LinkStar broadband satellite communications system for Velconet S.A., a privately owned Argentine company. Velconet will use the LinkStar networking platform to expand the reach of broadband...

Hughes, Gtech Ink Deals Worth $34 Million.
March 10, 2004... Hughes Network Systems signed three new contracts with Gtech [GTK] worth more than $34 million to deliver and install two new DirecWay hubs. The hubs will be located in Austin, Texas, and in West Greenwich, R.I. Additionally, Hughes will...

Visteon Supplies Nissan With DARS Systems.
March 10, 2004... Visteon [VC] won a contract from Nissan Motor Co. to supply that car manufacturer with satellite radio systems for future Nissan models. Visteon said the system would accommodate either Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] or New...

FAA Certifies XM WX Weather Service.
March 10, 2004... XM Satellite Radio [XMSR], a Washington D.C.-based provider of satellite radio and Heads Up Technology of the aviation industry have announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified the XM Aviation Data Receiver that delivers...

Flash Acquires GPS Provider Navicom.
March 10, 2004... Flash Automotive Acceptance [FAAC], a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based automotive holding company, has acquired another Scottsdale company, Navicom, a GPS tracking device company. Navicom GPS devices are can be used for any vehicle fleet in need of...

DirecTV Names New General Counsel.
March 10, 2004... Dan Fawcett has joined DirecTV's executive team as executive vice president and general counsel to oversee all legal and business affairs of the domestic DirecTV business. "The breadth of Dan's background and expertise in the multichannel...

DirecTV Carries NBA TV High-Definition Programming.
March 10, 2004... El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV has entered into an agreement with the National Basketball Association to offer a four-hour block of High-Definition (HD) programming from NBA TV, the league's 24-hour television channel. NBA TV programming...

EchoStar Settles Dispute With Viacom.
March 11, 2004... Englewood, Colo.-based satellite TV service provider EchoStar Communications [DISH] managed to reach a settlement with New York City-based programming giant Viacom [VIA] late Wednesday to restore carriage of the broadcaster's owned-and-operated...

EchoStar Discloses Accounting Problems, New Subscriber Gains.
March 11, 2004... A 15-day extension for filing its annual report could be requested by EchoStar Communications [DISH] to report its 2003 full-year and fourth quarter results, after the company disclosed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) found an...

ILS Postpones MBSAT Satellite Launch.
March 11, 2004... International Launch Services (ILS) delayed the launch of the MBSAT satellite on an Atlas III rocket, AC-202, for one day. It now is scheduled for 12:40 a.m. EST Saturday. ILS granted the delay at the request of Space Systems/Loral, the...

FCC Clears Its Part Of Globalstar Acquisition.
March 11, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) formally approved a request to transfer control of Globalstar's operating license and regulatory authorizations to a new Globalstar operating company majority-owned by Thermo Capital Partners. ...

Magellan Winnipeg Wins Satellite-Development Contract.
March 11, 2004... Magellan Aerospace, a Winnipeg, Canada-based space company, received a $1.5 million contract for the preliminary design of a generic small satellite platform to meet the future needs of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Work will begin...

Intuicom, NextBus Ink Strategic Partnership.
March 11, 2004... Intuicom, a Boulder, Colo.-based wireless-networking company, and Emeryville, Calif.-based NextBus entered into a strategic relationship to pursue projects in mass transit. Intuicom brings its GPS-enabled wireless communication to the table,...

Moore Joins Segovia As XVP/COO.
March 11, 2004... Segovia, a Herndon, Va.-based global voice and data provider, appointed Mark Moore as executive vice president and COO. Moore will oversee day-to-day operations for engineering, network operations, program management and finance administration,...

Space Imaging Needs To Compete For NextView Contract.
March 12, 2004... Denver-based Space Imaging received bad news from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) of Bethesda, Md., in a March 10 letter informing the company negotiations for the possible award of a $500 million NextView satellite imaging...

iDTV Sales Set To Ramp Up.
March 12, 2004... A new report from IMS Research estimates the sales of iDTVs (integrated digital televisions) will start to increase significantly from 2005 onwards. IMS predicts there will be more than 115 million units globally in 2015. Most will include a...

iSECUREtrac Tapped For Washington State GPS Services.
March 12, 2004... iSECUREtrac [ISRE] signed a deal with the U.S. Pretrial Services Office for the western district of Washington to provide GPS-based tracking and monitoring services. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed. [Copyright 2004 PBI Media,...

General Dynamics Gets $6.7 Million Delivery Order From U.S. Army.
March 12, 2004... General Dynamics C4 Systems (GDC4) received a $6.7 million order for a baseband node (BBN) large extension node (LEN) configuration and a BBN-LEN configuration from the Fort Monmouth, N.J.-based U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. ...

Sun Microsystems, Inmarsat Ink Mobile Deal.
March 12, 2004... Sun Microsystems [SUNW], a Santa Clara, Calif.-based provider of Java technology, has been chosen by Inmarsat to provide its Sun Java Enterprise System as the business support infrastructure for a new broadband satellite communications network....

Intelsat Files IPO Registration Statement.
March 15, 2004... Intelsat Ltd. filed a preliminary prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to conduct the company's initial public stock offering (IPO). The offering, managed by Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, would be priced in a...

MBSAT Satellite Off The Ground.
March 15, 2004... The Space Systems/Loral (SSL)-built MBSAT broadcast communications satellite launched successfully at 12:40 EST March 13. The satellite was carried on an International Launch Services Atlas III rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. ...

Digital Angel Reports Revenue Increase.
March 15, 2004... Digital Angel Corp. [DOC], a developer of GPS-based tracking technologies, today reported revenues of $8.6 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2003, up 15.3 percent compared with the same period one year ago. For the quarter, Digital...

TransCore Purchases Vistar Assets.
March 15, 2004... Harrisburg, Pa.-based TransCore purchased satellite tracking, monitoring and GPS technology assets belonging to Ottawa-based Vistar Telecommunications. The acquisition will allow TransCore to offer fleet, rail/intermodal and shipper customers a...

Boeing Combines Satellite, Radar For Air Traffic Management.
March 15, 2004... Boeing [BA] Air Traffic Management demonstrated new flight-surveillance technology that uses processors to combine radar- and satellite-derived location and identity data for display on a single screen. "Rather than three potentially...

Systech, EchoSat Ink Satellite-Based IP Payment Solution.
March 15, 2004... San Diego-based Systech Corp. today formed an alliance with EchoSat to deploy Systech Internet Payment Gateways over EchoSat's satellite network, thus moving payment transactions from the conventional dial-up network to the faster satellite...

Eutelsat W3A Satellite Successfully Launched.
March 16, 2004... Eutelsat announced its W3A communication satellite was launched successfully by a Proton rocket marketed by International Launch Services (ILS). The flawless mission from the Baikonur Cosmodrome will allow Eutelsat to bring its new satellite...

Telefonica Adds VoIP To Its DirecWay Offering.
March 16, 2004... Hughes Network Systems Europe signed a contract with Telefonica de Espana to further expand its DirecWay satellite service. The agreement adds VoIP service to the existing Telefonica DirecWay network. Also, as part of the agreement, HNS Europe...

Gilat's Spacenet Gains MegaPath As A Connexstar Partner.
March 16, 2004... Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.'s [GILTF] Spacenet subsidiary today added MegaPath Networks to its channel-partners program. Under the agreement, MegaPath will offer Spacenet's Connexstar satellite connectivity service to customers seeking...

DirecTV Renews NDS Conditional Access Contract.
March 16, 2004... DirectTV, a unit of Hughes Electronics [HS], renewed its contract with NDS Group plc [NNDS] to continue receiving the NDS VideoGuard conditional access system and services to support the satellite TV provider's service for the next six years....

Triangle Broadcasts Gay Network.
March 16, 2004... Triangle MultiMedia [QBID], a Palm Springs, Calif.-based satellite TV network, is creating a 24-hour channel aimed at gay and lesbian audiences. The channel will air original plays, movies and documentaries as well as sports, travel and...

AT&T Wireless, Maritime Telecommunications Network Go Cruising.
March 17, 2004... AT&T Wireless [AWE] and Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN) plan to give cruise- ship passengers the convenience of using their wireless phones while at sea. The companies are working with several cruise lines to introduce the service...

Hughes Changes Name To DirecTV Group.
March 17, 2004... El Segundo, Calif.-based Hughes Electronics [HS] changed its name Tuesday to "The DirecTV Group." In addition, DirecTV Group will use the ticker DTV on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) rather than the HS symbol used by Hughes. The company...

Pace CEO Confident About PVR Impact.
March 17, 2004... Pace Micro Technology CEO John Dyson is convinced the PVR/DVR (Personal Video Recorder/Digital Video Recorder) will at some point become the main STB (Set-Top Box) in consumers' homes. Pace is one of the key suppliers of digital STBs to TV...

Russian Satellite Communications Leases Transponders To Eutelsat.
March 17, 2004... The Russian Satellite Communications Co. yesterday said Eutelsat has signed a long-term contract to lease 12 transponders on the new Russian communications and broadcasting satellite, Express-AM22. The satellite is located at 53 degrees East...

Accelon Selects DirecWay For Communications Offering.
March 17, 2004... Hughes Network Systems, a business unit of The DirecTV Group Inc. [DTV], announced today that pan-African satellite Internet access provider Accelon has selected Hughes' DirecWay to provide satellite broadband connectivity for data, Internet...

WorldSpace Announces Availability Of Fox News Channel.
March 17, 2004... WorldSpace Satellite Radio says Fox News Channel would be available to international subscribers of WorldSpace's digital audio radio service (DARS). WorldSpace offers satellite radio to subscribers in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa....

FastWeb Selects Optibase's MGW 5100.
March 17, 2004... FastWeb, an Italian based broadband telecommunications company, chose Israel based-Optibase's [OBAS] MGW 5100 to stream satellite channels in multicast mode over a fiber and DSL network for 110,000 residential end users. FastWeb TV allows...