Satellite Today articles from October 2003

Satellite Today archives from October 2003

Digital Globe Wins $500 Million Contract From NIMA.
October 1, 2003... DigitalGlobe, of Longmont, Colo., won a huge $500 million, five-year contract from the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) to provide highresolution imagery from the next series of U.S. commercial imagery satellites. Digital Globe won...

$22B.
October 1, 2003... Emerging applications using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and renewed growth in existing markets will help to expand the global GPS market beyond $22 billion by 2008, predicted New York-based technology market research firm ABI. New...

Globecomm Awarded $4.4 Million In Contracts.
October 1, 2003... Hauppauge, NY-based Globecomm Systems [Nasdaq: GCOM] has been awarded multiple satellite infrastructure contracts and a service contract worth a combined value of approximately $4.4 million. The names of the customers were not disclosed. Under...

Eagle Broadband Restructures.
October 1, 2003... League City, Texas-based Eagle Broadband [AMEX: EAG], a manufacturer of products that use the Iridium satellite constellation to provide communication services, has restructured its operations to increase revenue and become cash flow positive...

SES Astra, IDC Invest In African Broadband Venture.
October 1, 2003... SES Astra, a Luxembourg-based unit of SES Global [Luxembourg: SESG], and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa have agreed to invest in IP Direct, a satellite broadband venture started by Africa Venture Partners (AVP). SES...

Sea Launch Blasts Galaxy XIII/Horizons-1 Satellite Into Orbit.
October 1, 2003... Sea Launch, a joint of Boeing [NYSE: BA] and foreign partners, successfully launched the Galaxy XIII/Horizons-1, a Boeing 601HP satellite, for PanAmSat [Nasdaq: SPOT] and JSAT of Japan. The satellite will provide coverage over North America,...

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Rainbow DBS Targets HDTV Market.
October 2, 2003... Rainbow DBS, the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) division of Cablevision Systems [NYSE: CVC], announced plans this week to become the first satellite TV service to offer a comprehensive array of high-definition television (HDTV) programming to...

Space Systems/Loral To Build DirecTV Satellites.
October 2, 2003... Space Systems Loral (SS/L), a Palo Alto, Calif.-based satellite manufacturing subsidiary of Loral Space and Communications [OTCBB: LRLSQ], has received a welcome order from DirecTV, an El Segundo, Calif.-based satellite TV unit of Hughes...

Iridium Chairman To Retire, New Chief Named.
October 2, 2003... Arlington, Va.-based Iridium Holdings, the holding company for global satellite communications provider Iridium Satellite, has announced that Dan Colussy will retire as chairman of the board. Colussy, who shepherded the company from its...

EchoStar Extends Local Channels To Tennessee, Oregon.
October 2, 2003... Littleton, Colo.-based EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH] has agreed to offer local TV channels via satellite to Eugene, Ore., and Memphis, Tenn. Local channels at the two locations will be offered at a $1 per month discount to the regular...

Alaska Communications Systems Reaches Settlement With State.
October 2, 2003... Anchorage, Alaska-based Alaska Communications Systems Group [Nasdaq: ALSK] has reached a voluntary settlement with the state of Alaska regarding the comprehensive telecommunications service agreement signed by both parties in December 2001. As...

STMicroelectronics Shipments To XM Total 2 Million.
October 2, 2003... STMicroelectronics' [NYSE: STM] total chipset shipments to XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR] now exceeds two million kits, according to the company. STMicroelectronics also has delivered samples of a one-chip receiver to replace the existing...

Connexion By Boeing Appoints Europe-based Communications Manager.
October 2, 2003... Connexion By Boeing, a business unit of Boeing [NYSE: BA], has appointed Elissaveta Ivanova as communications manager for Europe. She will be based in London and will manage Connexion by Boeing's media relations and communications efforts in...

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XM's Subscriber Total Passes 929,000.
October 3, 2003... Washington D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR], the largest U.S. satellite radio service provider, reported this week that it reached 929,648 subscribers after adding 237,395 during the third quarter. That performance marked the...

EchoStar Completes $2.5B Debt Offering.
October 3, 2003... EchoStar DBS, a subsidiary of EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH], has closed its previously announced offering of $2.5 billion aggregate principal amount of senior notes. Littleton, Colo.-based EchoStar is the second-largest DBS operator...

Sarantel Offers Small GPS Antenna.
October 3, 2003... U.K.-based Sarantel announced the availability of a small surface-mount version of its GeoHelix GPS antennas for applications requiring internal or tightly integrated surface mount antennas. The company said its GeoHelix-SMP antenna requires...

Inforetech Becomes GPS Industries.
October 3, 2003... Inforetech Wireless Technology, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based provider of GPS products for the golf industry, has changed its name to GPS Industries [OTC BB: GPSN] to reflect its broader market focus and additional market opportunities it...

Diamond Aircraft Adds Garmin's G1000 To DA40.
October 3, 2003... Diamond Aircraft has selected Garmin International's G1000 integrated avionics system for the 2004 DA40 Diamond Star aircraft. The DA40 features a dual-display G1000 system, a 10-inch primary flight display (PFD) and 10-inch multi-function...

Auto-Q Gets $125,000 Order from U.K. Furniture Chain.
October 3, 2003... Auto-Q International [OTC BB: AUTQ], a London-based provider of vehicle tracking and monitoring systems for trucking fleets and consumers, received an additional purchase order totaling $125,000 from U.K. furniture and housewares chain MFI....

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SATELLITE TODAY's Company Profile.
October 3, 2003... This week, we take a closer look at a company that is proving it can "Dish" it out as well as take a little competition in the direct broadcast satellite industry: EchoStar Communications. For more in-depth competitive intelligence reports...

SES Global Gets $1 Billion In Financing.
October 6, 2003... Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES Global [Luxembourg: SESG] has closed a private placement of more than $1 billion with a group of 29 investors. The satellite service operator's advisors to the transaction were Barclays Capital and HSBC...

SPOT Image Signs Partnership Accord with Turkish Company.
October 6, 2003... Toulouse, France-based SPOT Image has signed a channel partnership agreement with Inta SpaceTurk, granting the exclusive rights to distribute SPOT 5 satellite image products and services within Turkey, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia,...

Paradise Datacom, LynuxWorks Team On Satellite Modems.
October 6, 2003... Paradise Datacom, a satellite equipment provider with operations in the U.K. and U.S., has chosen San Jose, Calif.-based LynuxWorks to provide software for its next-generation satellite data modems. Financial terms of the deal weren't...

Xybernaut, TeleType Link Up.
October 6, 2003... Fairfax, Va.-based Xybernaut [Nasdaq: XYBR] has announced that the company is offering GPS receivers from Boston, Mass.-based Teletype as a valueadd component for its mobile/wearable computers. Xybernaut said the initial deployments of the...

ARINC's SKYLink Enters Production.
October 6, 2003... Orlando, Fla.-based ARINC said its SKYLink satellite broadband data system for business aircraft is in production following successful flight trials and final conformance testing. ARINC developed the SKYLink system with investment and...

NASA's ICESat Lasers Online.
October 6, 2003... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) has resumed measurements of the Earth's polar ice sheets, clouds, mountains and forests with the second of its three lasers. The principal...

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New Skies, Intertrade Brasil Ink Deal.
October 7, 2003... New Skies Satellites [NYSE: NSK], the Netherlands-based satellite communications company, has inked an agreement with Intertrade Brasil to expand broadband communication services throughout Brazil and Latin America using New Skies' NSS-806...

MDA To Upgrade Asian Satellite Ground Station.
October 7, 2003... Canadian firm MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates [Toronto: MDA] has been awarded a C$1.15 million (US$864,000) contract to upgrade a satellite ground station in Asia for an undisclosed customer. Information processed by the ground station from...

MobiApps Resells ORBCOMM Mobile Service.
October 7, 2003... MobiApps, a provider of hybrid terrestrial and satellite technologies for commercial communications, has signed a reseller and manufacturing agreement with Dulles, Va.-based satellite communications provider ORBCOMM. Financial terms of the...

Sky Frames Deploys Satellite Wi-Fi Networks For Canadian Group.
October 7, 2003... Sky Frames [OTC BB: SKYU] a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based provider of satellite broadband Internet service, has signed a letter of intent with the Canadian Hearing Society to deploy satellite-enabled Wi-Fi hotspots that will provide Internet...

U.K. Fire-Rescue Unit Adding Satellite Internet Access.
October 7, 2003... The Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Incident Command unit has signed a contract with Excelerate, a U.K. reseller for C-COM Satellite Systems [Toronto: CMI], to install satellite antennas and provide two-way high-speed Internet access. Financial...

Chung Heads New Skies' North Asia Sales.
October 7, 2003... New Skies Satellites [AEX, NYSE: NSK] , has named Max Chung as its sale director for North Asia. Chung will be based in Hong Kong and will oversee the sale of Netherlands-based New Skies' satellite capacity and associated valueadded service in...

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Canada To Participate In Europe's Galileo Satellite Navigation Program.
October 8, 2003... The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed an agreement that enables Canada to participate in the development and validation phase of Europe's Galileo satellite navigation program, a competing systems to the...

Afghanistan Gets $22 Million Credit To Rebuild Telecom Infrastructure.
October 8, 2003... The World Bank this week agreed to provide the Afghanistan government with a $22 million credit to rebuild its telecommunications infrastructure and improve telecom access and services for the Afghani population. The World Bank financing will...

Microspace Expands Government Sales Force.
October 8, 2003... Microspace Communications, a Raleigh, N.C.-based business satellite broadcast operator, is stepping up its efforts to go after the government market by expanding its sales efforts to meet the growing demand for satellite services there....

Gabon Telecom Selects HNS To Connect Gabon Railway System.
October 8, 2003... Hughes Network Systems, a Germantown, Md.-based broadband satellite unit of Hughes Electronics [NYSE: GMH], has received a contract to provide a satellite telephony network for Gabon Telecom to connect all the railway stations in the African...

Rockwell Collins Introduces Satellite Broadband For Business Aircraft.
October 8, 2003... Rockwell Collins [NYSE:COL] has introduced its Collins eXchange, a global broadband connectivity solution for business aircraft. The capability is made possible through a strategic agreement with Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of Boeing...

Geospatial Institute Buys Integral Systems' Satellite Downlink System.
October 8, 2003... Lanham, Md.-based Integral Systems [Nasdaq: ISYS] is installing a direct broadcast ground terminal at the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT) at Cayuga Community College in Auburn, New York. The terminal will receive...

SPACECONNECTION Promotes Crawford, Shaffer-Shelby.
October 8, 2003... SPACECONNECTION, a North Hollywood, Calif.-based satellite services provider, has promoted Jonathan Crawford to vice president of broadcast sales and satellite services and Cate Shaffer-Shelby to vice president of marketing and program media...

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Loral Rejects EchoStar's Conditional, $1.85 Billion Offer.
October 9, 2003... Loral Space & Communication's [OTC BB: LRLSQ] board of directors has rejected the latest attempt by EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH] to enter the bidding process for Loral's assets. The board acknowledged that it had received a letter...

Gilat, Telkom SA Launches South African Broadband Service.
October 9, 2003... Israel-based Gilat Satellite Networks [Nasdaq: GILTF] and Telkom SA are launching a satellite-based broadband VSAT service in South Africa. The offering, called Spacestream Express, will provide available Internet and data connectivity for...

Verdisys, Noble Ink Satellite Deal.
October 9, 2003... Houston, Texas-based Verdisys [OTC: VDYS.OB], a lateral drilling oil service company and satellite solutions provider, and energy company Noble Energy [NYSE: NBL] have signed an agreement for Verdisys to supply 20 additional satellite units to...

XM, Delphi Offering 'Roady'.
October 9, 2003... Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR] and Troy, Mich.-based Delphi Product & Service Solutions have jointly introduced the Delphi XM "Roady," a satellite radio unit for the vehicle priced at under $120. The product, which is...

France Telecom, Launches Satellite-Based VPN.
October 9, 2003... France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications, a unit of Paris-based telecom carrier France Telecom [NYSE: FTE], is enhancing its range of valueadded services with a satellite based VPN solution. The new VPN service enables customers to...

Tandberg Television Transmits Discoveries from Black Sea.
October 9, 2003... Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and MCI IDB Systems, an EDS sub-contractor, selected Tandberg Television's satellite equipment to broadcast footage of Black Sea exploration conducted by renowned undersea explorer Robert Ballard from the USS...

XATA Awarded Orders for Its OpCenter Solutions.
October 9, 2003... XATA, [Nasdaq: XATA] a Burnsville, Minn.-based fleet management company, has been awarded two orders from unidentified customers totaling approximately $1.5 million, including a $970,000 order from a major grocer and a $500,000 order from a...

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EchoStar Bids For DirecTV-Ordered Satellites.
October 10, 2003... The unpredictability of EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH] was exhibited late Thursday when the company asked a U.S. bankruptcy court judge to allow it to buy three satellites that archrival DirecTV has ordered from bankrupt Loral Space and...

Space Communications Markets Satellite Phones in Japan.
October 10, 2003... Japan-based Space Communications Corp. (SCC) has begun marketing a portable satellite phone that it developed with Tokyo-based electronics company Hitachi [NYSE: HIT]. The phone enables users to make calls from anywhere in Japan using...

SK Telecom To Build Up Satellite DMB Unit.
October 10, 2003... South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom [NYSE: SKM] has decided to invest 316 billion won ($274.9 million) by 2010 in its new satellite-based digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) business. The satellite DMB service allows subscribers to watch...

Delphi Ships 1.2M Satellite Radios.
October 10, 2003... Automotive technology products provider, Delphi Corp. [NYSE: DPH] said it has produced and shipped more than 1.2 million factory-installed and retail satellite radios. The Troy, Mich.-based company has produced and shipped 475,000 retail units...

GlobeCast Extends Fiber Reach To Australia.
October 10, 2003... GlobeCast, satellite service subsidiary of France Telecom [NYSE: FTE], has extended the reach of its global ATM fiber network to Sydney, providing connectivity between Australia and points of presence in media hubs of Europe, the Americas and...

EchoStar Offers Local Channels In Yakima, Washington.
October 10, 2003... EchoStar Communications [Nasdaq: DISH] announced Friday that its DISH Network is now offering local TV channels via satellite to Yakima, Wash., and the Tri-Cities area. Local channels will be offered at a $1 per month discount to the regular...

Raytheon To Design Anti-Jam GPS Capability for U.S. Air Force.
October 10, 2003... Raytheon [NYSE: RTN] has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a miniaturized Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator device with an adaptive anti-jam capability for the miniature navigator demonstration...

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Globecomm Awarded $3.5 Million Thuraya Contract.
October 13, 2003... Hauppauge, N.Y.-based Globecomm Systems [Nasdaq: GCOM] has won a $3.5 million contract from the Middle Eastern mobile satellite operator Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications to provide a telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C) system. Under the...

Net2Phone, Afsat Team Up On VoIP.
October 13, 2003... Net2Phone Global Services, a subsidiary of Newark, N.J.-based Net2Phone [Nasdaq: NTOP], has signed a deal with Africa-based Afsat Communications to provide Afsat customers with voice-over-IP (VoIP) services via satellite broadband. Financial...

SES Americom, Iris Gateway Link Up in Europe.
October 13, 2003... SES Americom, the U.S. subsidiary of Luxembourg-based SES Global [Luxembourg: SESG], and Cyprus-based Iris Gateway Satellite Services have signed a joint agreement to provide pan-European digital satellite services through its SIRIUS 2...

Military Weather Satellite Set for Wednesday Launch.
October 13, 2003... A Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Block 5D-3 spacecraft, built under contract for the U.S. Air Force by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Oct. 15. A Titan II launch...

Skycasters, E Consulting To Offer Satellite Internet in Honduras.
October 13, 2003... Virginia Beach, Va.-based Skycasters has agreed to team with E Consulting to offer Hughes Network Systems' DirecWay broadband satellite Internet service in Honduras. This is the first license issued by the Comision Nacional de...

ILC To Provide Software For Military Satellite Communications Network.
October 13, 2003... Atlanta, Ga.-based ILC will supply its MaxView network control software to White Plains, N.Y.-based ITT Industries [NYSE: ITT] to manage parts of the U.S. military's satellite communications network. MaxView will automate the monitoring,...

Delphi Introduces Mobile Navigation For Consumer Market.
October 13, 2003... Delphi Product & Service Solutions, a unit of Troy, Mich.-based Delphi [NYSE: DPH], has launched the Delphi Mobile Navigation product, a GPS navigation unit for the consumer market. The hand-held device offers a visual interface, voice prompts,...

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DoD Expects $1.5 Billion In Commercial Satellite Service Orders.
October 14, 2003... BOSTON -- The Department of Defense expects to order $200 million to $300 million per year worth of commercial satellite communication services, or a total of close to $1.5 billion over the next five years, said John P. Stenbit, assistant...

Terrorism Fears To Drive Military Satellite Deployment, Study Says.
October 14, 2003... Spending on next-generation satellite programs for the military will spur satellite industry revenues for the next five years, according to market research and consulting firm Northern Sky Research. The firm's study, "Global Demand for...

PanAmSat Overcomes Industry Transponder Glut To Notch Profitable Quarter.
October 14, 2003... Wilton, Conn.-based PanAmSat [Nasdaq: SPOT] boosted its third quarter 2003 revenues and profits, compared to the same quarter last year, despite a lingering industry-wide transponder glut in many regions of the world. The satellite...

Lockheed Martin Teams with Orbital Sciences To Bid For Space Plane Pact.
October 14, 2003... Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and Dulles, Va.-based Orbital Sciences will join forces to compete for a contract to build NASA's Orbital Space Plane. Lockheed Martin will lead the team as the prime contractor. Northrop Grumman...

Marlink adds Telenor's E-mail to Portfolio.
October 14, 2003... Marlink will add Telenor's new E-mail Advanced service to its portfolio of e-mail, value-added services designed for communicating from remote land locations or at sea. The new service can cut costs up to 80 percent by reducing the time needed...

Comtech Awarded $1 Million Satellite Equipment Contract.
October 14, 2003... Tempe, Ariz.-based Comtech EF Data Corp., a subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. [Nasdaq: CMTL], has received a $1 million follow-on order for satellite equipment from a cellular operator in Southeast Asia. The company did not...

Gilat Satellite Networks Announces Exchange Offer.
October 14, 2003... Israel-based Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. [Nasdaq: GILTF] has commenced an offer to exchange its outstanding 4 percent convertible subordinated notes due 2012 for its ordinary shares, with a par value of 20 cents per share. Gilat is offering...

Call For Entries - Late Deadline - November 7, 2003 2003 Telecom Marketing Awards.
October 14, 2003... Presented by PBI Media's Telecom Group The Telecom Marketing Awards are among the telecommunications industry's most privileged honors, recognizing the best telecom marketing campaigns and programs of the past year. Choose from 17...

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Satellites Have Key Role in Battlefield of the Future.
October 15, 2003... BOSTON--Satellite communications will play a key role in the U.S. Army's Future Combat System (FCS), according to Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes. Byrnes, commanding general of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), spoke with SATELLITE TODAY...

U.S. Military's UWB Plans Could Create Problems for GPS-based Weapons.
October 15, 2003... BOSTON--The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is scrutinizing the issue of whether the U.S. military's plans to expand the use of ultra-wideband (UWB) communications could pose an interference problem for Global Positioning...

GPS Service Will Link Ocean-going Rower To Potential Rescuers.
October 15, 2003... A rower planning to travel across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans will be tracked by Global Positioning System capabilities. Satamatics Ltd., a U.K. operator of global satellite-based telematics information services, is providing its location...

XM Launches XMCommander.
October 15, 2003... XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR] has introduced the XMCommander, a XM receiver that works with any AM/FM car stereo. The Washington, D.C.-based company has selected antenna manufacturer Terk Technologies to distribute the product to retailers...

Proxim, Hughes Ink Wi-Fi Deal.
October 15, 2003... Proxim Corp., a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based wireless network equipment provider, and Hughes Network Systems have signed an agreement for Proxim to provide its ORiNOCO access points to Hughes. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. ...

Hispanic Engineer Association Honors Boeing's Simpson.
October 15, 2003... The Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corp. will honor Boeing [NYSE: BA] employee Mona Simpson with a professional achievement award at its 15th Anniversary HENAAC Awards Show on Friday in Austin, Texas. Simpson, who began her...