Satellite Today articles from October 2004

Satellite Today archives from October 2004

The Big Deal Of The Day: NextView Award Goes To Orbimage.
October 1, 2004... Bethesda, Md.-based National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) chose Dulles, Va.-based Orbimage to receive a NextView contract that calls for the company to provide the U.S. government with high-resolution imagery from nextgeneration U.S....

BSkyB Marketing Push Targets New Subs.
October 1, 2004... BSkyB announced plans of a fresh marketing drive as it bids to increase its subscriber numbers still further in the UK and Ireland. The carrier, which has around 7.4 million subscribers in Britain and Ireland, says it wants more. The pivotal...

Lions' Gate Taps Satellite For Film Distribution.
October 1, 2004... Satellite Today has learned that "The Final Cut," a new science-fiction film starring Robin Williams, will be distributed exclusively to 115 AMC Theaters in 27 markets via satellite technology instead of sending physical copies to each theater....

Intelsat's Romm Predicts North American HD Leadership.
October 11, 2004... Jon Romm, president of Intelsat's Media and Entertainment Business Unit, believes the progress of high-definition TV (HDTV) in North America will stimulate other markets around the world. Romm told Satellite Today, "HD is definitely moving...

PTA Schools Illegal Satphone Users.
October 11, 2004... The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) is concerned about the rise in illegal satellite-phone usage in that country, and it has asked legitimate satellite service providers like Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company and Inmarsat...

XM Pays Out Stock Dividend.
October 11, 2004... XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. [XMSR] announced a quarterly dividend on its 8.25- percent Series B Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock, payable in shares of the company's Class A Common Stock at a rate of $1.0313 per share of Series B...

Anik F2 Up And Flying.
October 11, 2004... Telesat said its Anik F2 satellite now is fully operational, ushering in what the company hopes will be a new era in satellite broadband communications. The satellite will provide a number of services, including high-speed satellite Internet...

SES Americom Satellite Readied For Launch.
October 11, 2004... The AMC-15 telecommunications satellite, designed and built for Princeton, N.J.-based satellite operator SES Americom by Bethesda, Md.'s Lockheed Martin [LMT], is entering the final stages of preparation for an Oct. 15 launch from the Baikonur...

Satellite Deals Of The Day.
October 11, 2004... * The DirecTV Group Inc. [DTV] and News Corp [NWS] announced plans to combine their Latin American satellite TV operations. The arrangement will give DirecTV control of the surviving operation while eliminating a competitor that had both...

SUIRG: Cost-Cutting Leads To Interference.
October 12, 2004... According to the Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG), the continual drive by satellite network operators to cut or control costs is contributing to a rise in radio frequency interference (RFI) incidents that are impacting the...

Andrew Creates Satellite Product Group.
October 12, 2004... Orland Park, Ill.-based Andrew Corporation, a communications-systems equipment supplier, formed one new product group focused on satellites and a second new group that combines antennas and cable products. The move reportedly will help the...

Foxtel Pursues Pre-Holiday Boost.
October 12, 2004... Foxtel, the Australian pay-TV operator, is targeting a pre-holiday subscriber boost by offering new and existing customers free installation of its digital service, including those who opt for just the basic offering. However, customers will be...

Iridium Names New Executive VP.
October 12, 2004... Greg Ewert is Iridium Satellite LLC's new executive vice president for sales, marketing and business development. Ewert comes to Iridium with 19 years of telecom-industry experience, recently serving as executive vice president for marketing,...

Satellite Deals of the Day.
October 12, 2004... * Iridium Satellite LLC said the U.S. Department of Defense has exercised an option on its airtime contract, giving military personnel and other authorized users unlimited airtime on Iridium's satellite-based communications network. The...

ILS Touts Another Successful Launch.
October 15, 2004... International Launch Services today said the launch of the AMC-15 satellite for SES Americom on board a Russian Proton launch vehicle was successful. The launch took place at 3:23 a.m., local time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan....

Want Rural Broadband? WTB, USDA Has Cash.
October 15, 2004... The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) is teaming with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to launch and maintain the Rural Wireless Community VISION Program aimed at promoting more broadband wireless services in rural America....

Satellite Phone Source Shuffles Board.
October 15, 2004... Nashville, Tenn.-based Satellite Phone Source [SPHI] said Jon Aldrich, who joined the company's board of directors earlier this month, has resigned. Aldrich will remain with the company as a consultant. Satellite Phone Service is publicly...

Satellite Business Opportunities For 2005 And Beyond.
October 15, 2004... What's next for the satellite communications industry? Get exclusive insight into the risks and rewards awaiting firms involved in the satellite marketplace. Join Satellite News and financial experts on Nov. 18 for an exclusive Webcast: "Follow...

C-Com Launches New Mobile High-bandwidth Service.
October 19, 2004... Ottawa, Canada-based C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. [CMI], has teamed with fellow Ottawa company RAMTelecom to deliver high-speed, satellite-based mobile Internet services using the LinkStar equipment of Carlsbad, Calif.-based Viasat [VSAT]. ...

Best Month Ever For Sirius Subscriber Additions.
October 19, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] said today that it has surpassed the 700,000-subscriber mark and had its best month ever for new subscribers in September, with the addition of 69,000 subs. The company attributed the growth last month to a variety...

SBCA Files Comments With FCC About Blocking Violent Programs From Children.
October 19, 2004... Alexandria, Va.-based Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA) filed comments last Friday with the FCC about the commission's Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on violent television programming and its impact on children. The SBCA...

NASA To Launch DART Later This Month.
October 19, 2004... NASA late yesterday said its DART, or Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology, spacecraft will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Oct. 26 at 2:13 p.m. EDT. DART will demonstrate key technologies required for...

Satellite Deal Of The Day.
October 19, 2004... * Hughes Network Systems Inc. has inked a deal with Ukrainian-based information technology and telecommunications company Datasat to extend Datasat's existing satellite business network. Under the contract, Hughes will supply Datasat with a...

XM Tries For Home Run With $650 Million Pact To Air Major League Baseball.
October 20, 2004... XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] is taking a swing at enticing new subscribers through the American pastime by signing an 11-year, $650 million contract to air every Major League Baseball game beginning with the 2005 regular season. XM already has...

DirecTV/News Corp. Deal Challenged.
October 20, 2004... Satellite Today has learned that Darlene Investments LLC, which owns 14 percent of DirecTV's [DTV] Latin American operations, has filed suit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in Florida to block the announced plans by News Corp. and DirecTV to...

Loral Skynet, Remote Work Central Team Up For Telecommuters.
October 20, 2004... Bedminster, N.J.-based Loral Skynet and Remote Work Central, a provider of telecommuting and teleworking solutions, agreed to provide secure telecommuting and remote access connectivity services to small and medium enterprises worldwide. ...

China Launches Weather Satellite.
October 20, 2004... Satellite Today has learned that China yesterday successfully launched a meteorological satellite that will be used to monitor natural disasters. The No. 2 Fengyun C satellite was launched into orbit onboard a Long March 3A rocket from the...

Frost & Sullivan Honors Lockheed Martin With Reliability Award.
October 20, 2004... Frost & Sullivan has given its 2004 Satellite Reliability Award to Lockheed Martin [LMT] for the lowest rate of anomalies resulting in insurance claims per percentage of satellites in service for Lockheed Martin's A2100 commercial satellite...

Intelsat Shareholders Approve Proposed Acquisition by Zeus Holdings.
October 21, 2004... Pembroke, Bermuda-based Intelsat announced that its shareholders approved the purchase of the company by Zeus Holdings Ltd. during the company's annual general meeting held in Paris this week. Zeus Holdings is a Bermuda company formed by...

Telenor Makes Profit on Intelsat Shares.
October 21, 2004... Norwegian telco Telenor has announced that it will make a book profit of around $62 million from the sale of its four percent share in Intelsat. The deal will see Telenor receive $129 million in cash. Telenor has fewer than 7 million shares in...

ITV Gets Interactive.
October 21, 2004... Leading UK broadcaster ITV is officially launching its ITV Interactive ITVi 24/7 service this week. While there previously have been interactive services on ITV1 and ITV2, this launch will increase dramatically the range of interactive services...

Satellite Deal Of The Day.
October 21, 2004... * Bedminster, N.J.-based Loral Skynet signed an agreement with Hawaii Pacific Teleport (HPT), a provider of teleport services between North America and Asia, to use Loral's recently launched Telstar 18 satellite. Aside from HPT's regular...

Quarterly Financials.
October 21, 2004... * Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] reported third quarter 2004 revenues to be $171.7 million, up 33 percent from the $128.6 million earned during the same period one year ago. Operating income for the just completed third quarter rose to $14.3...

SEC Asks Boeing For More Accounting Information.
October 22, 2004... The Boeing Company [BA] says it is complying with a request from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to provide information in connection with an inquiry about its accounting for pension and other post-retirement benefit plans....

Garmin Unveils Remote Sensor For In-flight Weather Information.
October 22, 2004... Olathe, Kan.-based Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. [GRMN], introduced the a new remote sensor that receives broadcast weather data from the satellite weather service of XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] and then delivers the data to...

ONO Strengthens Competitive Position.
October 22, 2004... ONO, the Spanish cable operator and one of the main competitors to DTH operator Digital+, completed the purchase of Retecal, the cable operator based in the region of Castilla y Leon; ONO now fully owns Retecal. ONO is a key player in the...

Foxtel Launches New Service.
October 22, 2004... Australian DTH operator Foxtel launched a new service aimed at two million deaf and hearing-impaired Australians. These consumers will now have access to a wide range of subscription programming for the first time. The 'closed captioning'...

Eumetsat Marks Next-Gen Satellite Launch With Contest.
October 22, 2004... Eumetsat will be offering 15- and 16-year-old winners of a forthcoming contest a trip to next year's launch of Meteosat-9, the next generation of Eumetsat's geostationary meteorological satellite. This second-generation satellite design will...

Satellite Deal Of The Day.
October 22, 2004... * Corus Entertainment Inc. inked a deal to take on an ownership interest in Canadian Satellite Radio (CSR), Satellite Today learned. Corus would provide content to CSR, assuming the satellite radio station receives approval from Canadian...

Quarterly Financials.
October 22, 2004... * Stratos Global Corp. reported net earnings for the third quarter ended Sept. 30 of $9.2 million, up from the net earnings of $7.1 million earned in the third quarter of 2003. The increase was reported despite a 4-percent dip in the company's...

BT Claims Satellite Technology Breakthrough.
October 25, 2004... BT hopes a new technology development could help companies maximize their use of satellite capacity. It has developed a satellite modulation technology, which it states can triple the capacity of existing satellite communication links. The...

FCC Investigates TV Trigger Of Satellite Rescue System.
October 25, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reportedly is looking into an incident in which a Toshiba television triggered an international search and rescue signal Oct. 4. The federal agency is looking into whether the trigger resulted from an...

Bad Weather Doesn't Deter Sat-TV Subs.
October 25, 2004... A recent survey of more than 600 current satellite television subscribers reveals that while they are concerned with a loss of signal, also known as rain fade, that occurs during bad weather, they are not likely to drop satellite in favor of...

XM Satellite Nominated For Billboard Awards.
October 25, 2004... XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] was included on the list of finalists in a number of categories in the first annual Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards. XM CEO Hugh Panero is in contention in the "Innovator of the Year" category, and the satellite...

Chinese Sat-TV Provider Readies For Second Stock Listing.
October 25, 2004... According to company officials, the Hunan Satellite Television in China may list a part of its operation on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, although they did not provide any potential dates. Its executives say this listing is the first of its...

Satellite Deal Of The Day.
October 25, 2004... * Peribit Networks and iDirect Technologies entered into a joint technology and marketing partnership. The companies will combine Peribit's SR-15 Sequence Reducer product with iDirect's iNFINITI series hub and remote satellite networking...

Military Spending On Commercial Satellite Capacity To Remain Constant.
October 26, 2004... NEW YORK--Military use of commercial satellite capacity will continue at a substantial pace for at least the next five years, even as the U.S Department of Defense races to develop four dedicated satellite systems of its own. "The demand...

Space Imaging Unit Protests NextView Award To Orbimage.
October 26, 2004... Thornton, Colo.-based Space Imaging is protesting the $500 million contract for commercial remote sensing imagery recently awarded to Dulles, Va.-based Orbimage by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The Sept. 30 award...

GPS Satellite Launch Delayed Again.
October 26, 2004... Satellite Today has learned the launch of a Delta 2 rocket carrying a GPS satellite scheduled for launch this weekend has been delayed again due to unspecified problems. This launch has been delayed several times, with some hang-ups due to...

New European HD Forecasts.
October 26, 2004... IMS Research unveiled its latest forecasts for High-Definition TV (HDTV) in Europe, predicting a significant upsurge in HD takeup. Ian Weightman, senior vice president at IMS Research, said, "We are forecasting that the number of European homes...

Iridium Names New VP.
October 26, 2004... Iridium Satellite LLC named Greg Ewert executive vice president for sales, marketing and business development. He comes to Iridium with more than 19 years of experience in the global telecom sector, and he most recently served as executive vice...

Satellite Deals of The Day.
October 26, 2004... * Australian telco Optus signed a key deal with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) to manage satellite communication links from Canberra to Australian embassies and high commissions throughout the world. Optus will provide...

DART Launch Postponed.
October 27, 2004... Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration postponed the launch of the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft yesterday after the mission's target satellite, the Multiple...

Satellites To Continue Critical Role In Military, Commercial Markets.
October 27, 2004... NEW YORK-- Satellite technology will continue to play a crucial role in defense applications, broadcasting infrastructure and the fast-growing enterprise segment of the marketplace. "In television, satellites are a critical part of the...

Tandberg Hires New Execs.
October 27, 2004... Tandberg Television made some new executive appointments as it looks to strengthen its presence in the North American broadband and cable sector. The company, which provides solutions in digital television across different platforms, hired...

Automakers Get 'Sirius' About Satellite Radio.
October 27, 2004... BMW Of North America LLC will make available Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] equipment as a factory installed option on the 2006 model year BMW 3 Series sedans, starting next summer. The receiver will come with a $595 suggested price tag and will...

Satellite Deals Of The Day.
October 27, 2004... * Irdeto Access secured a key deal with Philippine broadcasting giant ABS-CBN, which cements a relationship first started in 1999. As part of the deal, ABS-CBN will use Irdeto to secure pay-TV content to more than 150,000 settop boxes in North...

Quarterly Financials.
October 27, 2004... * Lockheed Martin [LMT] reported net earnings increases of 41 percent to $307 million during the third quarter of 2004, compared with $217 million in net earnings reported during the third quarter of 2003. Net sales of $8.4 billion were...

Orbimage Defends $500 Million NextView Award.
October 28, 2004... Dulles, Va.-based Orbimage Inc. plans to vigorously defend its recent award of a $500 million NextView imagery contract from the U.S. government, in response to protest filed by a business unit of rival Space Imaging of Thornton, Colo. The...

Pre-Election Day, EchoStar Offers PPV Political Documentaries.
October 28, 2004... EchoStar Communications Corporation [DISH] and its DISH Network [DISH] satellite TV service will broadcast separate documentaries favorable to both front-running U.S. presidential candidates. "George W. Bush: Faith in the White House" and...

Industry Group Names New Board Members.
October 28, 2004... The Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group named new officers and directors for 2004-05, selecting R. James Budden, vice president of operations at New Skies Satellites NV, as chairman. Key priorities identified by the group for 2004-05...

TF1 Ups Advertising Growth Guidance.
October 28, 2004... Advertising revenues appear to be on the upswing in France. French Broadcasting giant the TF1 Group, which has a stake in the direct-to-home (DTH) platform TPS, says its latest financial results show encouraging trends in advertising revenues....

Satellite Deal Of The Day.
October 28, 2004... * Sky Television in New Zealand signed a deal with Telecom New Zealand to offer an online movie rental service, called "DVD Unlimited." The deal is an indication of Sky Television's plans to push ahead with its effort to be the top online...

Frost & Sullivan Lauds Lockheed Martin's A2100...Again.
October 29, 2004... The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] A2100 telecommunications satellite series received an award for reliability for the second consecutive year from research group Frost & Sullivan, which said the satellite series merited a "2004 Satellite...

Arabsat Confident Of Revenue Growth.
October 29, 2004... Arabsat, one of the largest satellite operators in the Middle East, could report double-digit percentage revenue growth this year. Arabsat's Director General Khalid Balkheyour told Satellite Today, "In 2003, our net revenue was $54 million. We...

India Doctors Watch U.S. 3-D Surgery Via Satellite.
October 29, 2004... Shades of the 1950s and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon!" Next Tuesday, a real-time, 3-D transmission of a surgical procedure will be broadcast via satellite from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit to a medical meeting in Mumbai, India. The...

Move Over Neiman Marcus: RoadPost Has 'The' Holiday Gift.
October 29, 2004... Those going somewhere off the beaten path for the holidays have an option for staying in touch. Roadpost, a Canadian vendor that sells satellite and cellular services, has reduced the price of its Iridium 9505 model satellite phone it sells to...

Satellite Deals Of The Day.
October 29, 2004... * Pembroke, Bermuda-based Intelsat Ltd. just completed its acquisition of the customer contracts and other assets of end-to-end communications services integrator Comsat General Corporation for approximately $90 million in cash. The deal...