Satellite News back issues from August 1998:
Zenit rocket successfully launches Comos satellite.
Aug 03, 1998; ... A Zenit 2 rocket lifted the Comos 2360 satellite into space last Tuesday (7/28) after a launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch is particularly good news for the launch-hungry satellite industry because the Zenit historically has had a lower success rate than the Ariane, Delta and ...
Satellite regulators need to move cautiously on Internet services.
Aug 03, 1998; ... Regulators around the world need to resist the temptation tb interfere with the rollout of satellite-based Internet services, a one-time top U.S. satellite regulator warned last week. A current U.S. regulator shared the same concern about needing to regulate satellite-based ...
AMSC suffers deepened loss in latest quarter. (American Mobile Satellite Corp.; 2nd quarter 1988)
Aug 03, 1998; ... American Mobile Satellite Corp.'s [SKYC] (AMSC) March acquisition of the Ardis wireless data network caused the company to suffer a heightened net loss of $39 million, or $1.39 a share, for the second quarter ended June 30. This results compares with a net loss of $26.8 million, or $1.07 ...
Satellite spotlight: pachyderm patrol prevents poachers. (Lotek Engineering Inc.'s global positioning system)
Aug 03, 1998; ... The long-term future of one of the world's most endangered species now is a little more secure, thanks to the global positioning system (GPS) network of satellites. Rangers in the Kenya Wildlife Service, whose job it is to protect elephants, have turned to space technology in their battle ...
SIA, AIA try to stop State Department from regaining launch authority. (Satellite Industry Association; Aerospace Industries Association)
Aug 03, 1998; ... The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) and the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) are attacking the defense authorization bill, H.R. 3616, due to a provision that would switch responsibility for approving foreign launches of U.S. commercial satellites from the Commerce Department ...
Hughes executive tells Senate panel to revamp launch failure reviews. (Hughes Electronics Corp. Vice Chmn. Steve Dorfman)
Aug 03, 1998; ... Further action on the technology transfer issue occurred last week before a key Senate subcommittee when a senior executive with the parent company of the world's largest satellite builder recommended that the State Department be given authority to coordinate the review of launch failures ...
British Telecom upgrades D.C. broadcast center and plans others. (BT Broadcast Services)
Aug 03, 1998; ... The goal of becoming an elite broadcast services provider that can offer one-stop shopping for all its customers worldwide has spurred British Telecom (BTY) to spend close to $10 million to revamp and expand its Washington teleport. The enhanced service is part of an ...
Burns unveils satellite bill to spur Intelsat and Inmarsat privatization.
Aug 03, 1998; ... An interest in enhancing satellite competition led Sen. Conrad Burns (R-mont.) to introduce a long-awaited bill last week aimed at directing Comsat Corp. [CQ] to speed the privatization of Intelsat and Inmarsat. Intelsat is owned by 143 signatories, while Inmarsat is controlled by 84, but ...
ICO Global signs roaming agreement with Singapore Telecom subsidiary SingTel Mobile. (ICO Global Communications)
Aug 03, 1998; ... ICO Global Communications signed its second roaming agreement with an Asia-Pacific company in the past four months when it reached a pact with Singapore Telecom's SingTel Mobile subsidiary. The deal with SingTel, the leading cellular network operator in the Asia Pacific, follows a similar ...
PanAmSat signs Deutsche Welle as newest PAS 5 customer.
Aug 03, 1998; ... PanAmSat Corp. picked up a new customer last week when it signed Deutsche Welle, an international broadcasting service in Germany, to use the PAS 5 satellite for beaming digital video and audio programming to the Americans. The ...
Williams Vyvx Services acquires capacity on Intelsat 806.
Aug 03, 1998; ... Williams Vyvx Services acquired a permanent lease of 9 MHz capacity on Intelsat's satellites located at 319.5 degrees E to strengthen Vyvx's data communications, Internet, video and interactive very small aperture terminal (VSAT) service. The bird's footprint covers most of Western ...
BSkyB prepares to go digital Oct. 1. (1998)
Aug 03, 1998; ... BSkyB, a British-based pay-television broadcasting group, plans to begin offering digital service to new customers Oct. 1. That launch date will ensure Sky Digital Satellite service is available in time for the Christmas selling season. Existing BSkyB ...
Lockheed Martin tests powerful Russian rocket in Alabama. (Lockheed Martin Astronautics)
Aug 03, 1998; ... Lockheed Martin Astronautics [LMT] successfully has conducted the first test of a Russian rocket engine at a U.S. government facility. A Russian-built RD-180 engine was used to power an Atlas IIIA booster for 10 seconds at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The ...
Hewlett Packard signs multimillion dollar deal to offer video servers to DirecTv.
Aug 03, 1998; ... A pioneer in MPEG compression technology, Hewlett-Packard Co., reached a multimillion-dollar agreement with DirecTV Inc. [GMH] to provide on-air digital storage and playback video-server systems for a new Los Angeles Broadcast ...
NASA takes options for two additional Atlas launches.
Aug 03, 1998; ... NASA has exercised options to conduct two more Atlas rocket launches under its existing agreement with Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services [LMT]. Atlas was chosen to lift two tracking and data relay satellites-TDRS I and TDRS J-in December 2001 and June 2002, ...
DirecTv sues publisher for allegedly aiding programming piracy. (Morgan Aerospace Inc.; Satellite Watch News)
Aug 03, 1998; ... DirecTV Inc. [GMH] and NDS Americas Inc. filed a civil lawsuit in federal court against the editor and publisher of Satellite Watch News, a publication that allegedly advertises satellite signal theft devices. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of ...
C-Band Industry unites in marketing campaign to stop subscriber losses.
Aug 03, 1998; ... NASHVILLE-The C-Band Industry Group is forming to combat erosion in the C-band subscriber base. The number of C-band customers fell by 55,050 in the first quarter this year, following a loss of 163,762 subscribers during 1997, according to the latest figures of the Satellite Broadcasting ...
SBCA plans to launch new e-mail/fax publication for satellite dish retailers. (Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association)
Aug 03, 1998; ... The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA) will speed the information flow to its satellite and consumer electronics membership by increasing the frequency of its publication SBCA Retail ...
PrimeTime 24 court ruling could cut service to millions of DBS viewers. (direct broadcast satellite)
Aug 03, 1998; ... NASHVILLE -- DBS providers are looking for alternative ways to offer network signals to their subscribers in the wake of a recent injunction by a U.S. district court judge in Miami against PrimeTime 24. The satellite program provider has 90 days to disconnect the distant network signals ...
ZENIT ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES COMOS SATELLITE
Aug 03, 1998 ... A Zenit 2 rocket lifted the Comos 2360 satellite into space last Tuesday (7/28) after a launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch is particularly good news for the launch-hungry satellite industry because the Zenit historically has had a lower success rate than the Ariane, Delta and ...
SATELLITE REGULATORS NEED TO MOVE CAUTIOUSLY ON INTERNET SERVICES
Aug 03, 1998 ... Regulators around the world need to resist the temptation to interfere with the rollout of satellite-based Internet services, a one-time top U.S. satellite regulator warned last week.A current U.S. regulator shared the same concern about needing to regulate satellite-based Internet ...
AMSC SUFFERS DEEPENED LOSS IN LATEST QUARTER
Aug 03, 1998 ... American Mobile Satellite Corp.'s [SKYC] (AMSC) March acquisition of the Ardis wireless data network caused the company to suffer a heightened net loss of $39 million, or $1.39 a share, for the second quarter ended June 30. This results compares with a net loss of $26.8 million, or $1.07 a ...
SATELLITE SPOTLIGHT: PACHYDERM PATROL PREVENTS POACHERS
Aug 03, 1998 ... The long-term future of one of the world's most endangered species now is a little more secure, thanks to the global positioning system (GPS) network of satellites. Rangers in the Kenya Wildlife Service, whose job it is to protect elephants, have turned to space technology in their battle to ...
SIA, AIA TRY TO STOP STATE DEPARTMENT FROM REGAINING LAUNCH AUTHORITY
Aug 03, 1998 ... The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) and the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) are attacking the defense authorization bill, H.R. 3616, due to a provision that would switch responsibility for approving foreign launches of U.S. commercial satellites from the Commerce Department back ...
HUGHES EXECUTIVE TELLS SENATE PANEL TO REVAMP LAUNCH FAILURE REVIEWS
Aug 03, 1998 ... Further action on the technology transfer issue occurred last week before a key Senate subcommittee when a senior executive with the parent company of the world's largest satellite builder recommended that the State Department be given authority to coordinate the review of launch failures ...
BRITISH TELECOM UPGRADES D.C. BROADCAST CENTER AND PLANS OTHERS
Aug 03, 1998 ... The goal of becoming an elite broadcast services provider that can offer one-stop shopping for all its customers worldwide has spurred British Telecom [BTY] (BT) to spend close to $10 million to revamp and expand its Washington teleport.The enhanced service is part of an ...
BURNS UNVEILS SATELLITE BILL TO SPUR INTELSAT AND INMARSAT PRIVATIZATION
Aug 03, 1998 ... An interest in enhancing satellite competition led Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) to introduce a long-awaited bill last week aimed at directing Comsat Corp. [CQ] to speed the privatization of Intelsat and Inmarsat. Intelsat is owned by 143 signatories, while Inmarsat is controlled by 84, but ...
WEEKLY UPDATE
Aug 03, 1998 ... Senator Conrad Burns intro-duced a new satel-lite bill last week that we believe is positive for Comsat. The legislation is much less restrictive for Comsat than a previously passed House bill. With Congress finishing up by Oct. 9th for elections, we believe that the timing will get too ...
SATELLITE CIRCUIT
Aug 03, 1998 ... ICO Global Signs Roaming Agreement With Singapore Telecom Subsidiary SingTel MobileICO Global Communications signed its second roaming agreement with an Asia-Pacific company in the past four months when it reached a pact with Singapore Telecom's SingTel Mobile subsidiary. The deal ...
PRIMETIME 24 COURT RULING COULD CUT SERVICE TO MILLIONS OF DBS VIEWERS
Aug 03, 1998 ... NASHVILLE--DBS providers are looking for alternative ways to offer network signals to their subscribers in the wake of a recent injunction by a U.S. district court judge in Miami against PrimeTime 24. The satellite program provider has 90 days to disconnect the distant network signals of ...
ORBCOMM MOVES TO WITHIN ONE LAUNCH OF COMPLETING GLOBAL NETWORK
Aug 10, 1998 ... A Pegasus rocket successfully deployed eight low-Earth-orbit satellites for Orbcomm Global L.P. in a mission out of NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility, Va., Aug. 2. The Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] rocket was released from Orbital's Stargazer L-1011 aircraft at a predetermined point over ...
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE'S AMENDMENTS IMPERIL COPYRIGHT FEE RELIEF
Aug 10, 1998 ... Legislation aimed at blocking the proposed hike in satellite copyright fees was amended with five new provisions during a markup last Tuesday (8/4) before the House Judiciary Committee. Congressional sources predict the amendments will hurt the bill's chances of becoming law.The ...
SATELLITE SPOTLIGHT: DBS TELEVISION GOES MOBILE
Aug 10, 1998 ... The direct broadcasting satellite (DBS) industry has a chance to further persuade consumers to make the switch from cable television, thanks to a range of new products that enable viewers to receive satellite TV while traveling. The breakthrough equipment is produced by FutureTrak ...
COMSAT SUES FORMER SALES EXECUTIVES WHO BOLTED TO RIVAL STRATOS MOBILE
Aug 10, 1998 ... Comsat Corp. [CQ] filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Md., against three former executives who recently left to join a competitor, Stratos Mobile Networks. The lawsuit alleges the former employees misappropriated confidential, sensitive and proprietary business ...
ICO INITIAL PUBLIC STOCK OFFERING FALLS WELL SHORT OF PRICE TARGET
Aug 10, 1998 ... ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Ltd. [ICOGF] added a further $690 million to its coffers through the sale of senior notes and an initial public stock offering (IPO), but the stock's $12 price per share fell well below expectations.The targeted offering price of between $16 and ...
DIRECTV, THOMSON MULTIMEDIA ALLY ON ADVANCED DBS SERVICES, EQUIPMENT
Aug 10, 1998 ... DirecTv Inc. [GMH] and Thomson Multimedia will cooperate on the development and distribution of advanced direct broadcast satellite (DBS) receivers and digital television services. The joint effort is designed to upgrade DBS receiver technology for emerging services and speed the launch of ...
PRIMESTAR TRIMS 275 JOBS IN MOVE TO REVAMP OPERATIONS AND CUT COSTS
Aug 10, 1998 ... Primestar's new CEO, Carl Vogel, moved quickly to restructure the company he began leading June 10 with his recent decision to cut 275 out of 2,200 corporate jobs. Three senior vice presidents are among the departing employees: Denny Wilkinson, marketing/programming; Joel Ginsparg, ...
ECHOSTAR BOOSTS 2ND QUARTER REVENUE BY 149 PERCENT, CUTS NET LOSSES
Aug 10, 1998 ... EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] rode strong subscriber growth to reach $246 million in revenue for the second quarter ended June 30, a 149 percent increase compared with the same quarter a year ago.Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) during ...
WEEKLY UPDATE
Aug 10, 1998 ... Proposed low-Earth-orbit (LEO) operators Globalstar and Iridium fell over 5% and 8%, respectively, versus a week ago. Globalstar and Iridium have slid 18% and 31%, respectively, during the past month due largely to Iridium's satellite failures and doubts about its Sept. 23 commercial start ....
SATELLITE CIRCUIT
Aug 10, 1998 ... New Skies Names Consultant As First CEONew Skies Satellites N.V., the for-profit, Amsterdam-based company spun off by Intelsat to provide video and other telecommunication services via satellite, named broadcasting consultant Robert Ross as its first CEO. Since 1996, Ross had led ...
SATELLITE STOCKS SLIP LESS THAN BROAD INDEXES DURING LAST WEEK'S PRICE DROP
Aug 10, 1998 ... Satellite stocks proved to be more resilient than the rest of the stock market last week when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 299.43 points Tuesday before recovering a small portion of its loss with gains of 59.74 points Wednesday and 30.90 points Thursday.Operators and ...
Orbcomm moves to within one launch of completing global network. (Orbcomm Global L.P.)
Aug 10, 1998; ... A Pegasus rocket successfully deployed eight low-Earth-orbit satellites for Orbcomm Global L.P. in a mission out of NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility, Va., Aug. 2. The Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] rocket was released from Orbital's Stargazer L-1011 aircraft at a predetermined point over ...
House Judiciary Committee's amendments imperil copyright fee relief. (satellite copyright fees)
Aug 10, 1998; ... Legislation aimed at blocking the proposed hike in satellite copyright fees was amended with five new provisions during a markup last Tuesday (8/4) before the House Judiciary Committee. Congressional sources predict the amendments will hurt the bill's chances of becoming law.The ...
Satellite spotlight: DBS television goes mobile. (direct broadcast satellite)
Aug 10, 1998; ... The direct broadcasting satellite (DBS) industry has a chance to further persuade consumers to make the switch from cable television, thanks to a range of new products that enable viewers to receive satellite TV while traveling. The breakthrough equipment is produced by FutureTrak ...
Comsat sues former sales executives who bolted to rival Stratos Mobile. (Stratos Mobile Networks)
Aug 10, 1998; ... Comsat Corp. [CQ] filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Md., against three former executives who recently left to join a competitor, Stratos Mobile Networks. The lawsuit alleges the former employees misappropriated confidential, sensitive and proprietary business ...
ICO initial public stock offering falls well short of price target. (ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Ltd.)
Aug 10, 1998; ... ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Ltd. [ICOGF] added a further $690 million to its coffers through the sale of senior notes and an initial public stock offering (IPO), but the stock's $12 price per share fell well below expectations.The targeted offering price of between $16 and ...
DirecTv, Thomson Multimedia ally on advanced DBS services, equipment. (direct broadcast satellite)
Aug 10, 1998; ... DirecTv Inc. [GMH] and Thomson Multimedia will cooperate on the development and distribution of advanced direct broadcast satellite (DBS) receivers and digital television services. The joint effort is designed to upgrade DBS receiver technology for emerging services and speed the launch of ...
Primestar trims 275 jobs in move to revamp operations and cut costs.
Aug 10, 1998; ... Primestar's new CEO, Carl Vogel, moved quickly to restructure the company he began leading June 10 with his recent decision to cut 275 out or 2,200 corporate jobs. Three senior vice presidents are among the departing employees: Penny Wilkinson, marketing/programming; Joel Ginsparg, ...
EchoStar boosts 2nd quarter revenue by 149 percent, cuts net losses. (EchoStar Communications Corp.)
Aug 10, 1998; ... EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] rode strong subscriber growth to reach $246 million in revenue for the second quarter ended June 30, a 149 percent increase compared with the same quarter a year ago. <Pre> 2Q EchoStar Results (in millions $US) 1998 ...
New Skies names consultant as first CEO. (New Skies Satellites N.V.)
Aug 10, 1998; ... New Skies Satellites N.V., the for-profit, Amsterdam-based company spun off by Intelsat to provide video and other telecommunication services via satellite, named broadcasting consultant Robert Ross as its first CEO. Since 1996, Ross had led his own consultancy, Atlanta-based SatTeleNet ....
DirecTv expands commercial programming to bars and restaurants.
Aug 10, 1998; ... DirecTv Inc. [GMH], the nation's largest direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service provider, signed an agreement to deliver programming to 10 large restaurant and bar chains. The pacts will allow DirecTv to serve more than 500 locations nationwide and participate in marketing efforts to ...
SkyBridge demonstrates its service can share Ku-band spectrum with DBS. (direct broadcast satellite)
Aug 10, 1998; ... SkyBridge, a proposed satellite-based broadband service, conducted a demonstration recently before officials of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to show that the Ku-band it plans to use to offer its services starting in 2001 will not suffer from interference problems ....
DirecTv, NDS win $31 million judgment. (NDS Americas Inc.)
Aug 10, 1998; ... DirecTv Inc. [GMH] and NDS Americas Inc. (NDS) won $31 million in damages from 15 defendants whom the U.S. District Court in Seattle ruled had violated federal law by trafficking in counterfeit digital satellite system access cards. The decision stems from a June 1996 lawsuit by DirecTv and ...
Final Analysis wins first NASA Quick Ride contract.
Aug 10, 1998; ... Final Analysis Inc. was awarded the first NASA Quick Ride contract to carry up to 10 science and technology secondary payloads aboard the company's low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites. The maximum value of the pact is $49 million. The Quick ...
Inmarsat adds Kenya as 84th member; privatized company will keep headquarters in London.
Aug 10, 1998; ... Kenya recently became the 84th member country of the global mobile satellite organization Inmarsat. Jan Mural, managing director of Kenya Posts & Telecommunications Corp. (KPTC), signed the Inmarsat Convention and Operating Agreement at the International Maritime Organization's office in ...
Qualcomm introduces vehicle diagnostics via satellite.
Aug 10, 1998; ... Qualcomm Inc. [QCOM] is introducing its JTACS Pro Vehicle Data Gateway product to give the trucking industry access to real-time, on-board vehicle diagnostics and monitoring. JTRACS uses Qualcomm's satellite-based OmniTRACS network to create a communication path to vehicle systems while a ...
Telstra MobileNet and Iridium to deliver global roaming benefits to customers.
Aug 10, 1998; ... Telstra MobileNet will team up with Iridium LLC [IRIDF] to deliver global roaming services to its digital customers by October. The deal will allow MobileNet's digital customers to make and receive calls anywhere in the world using a dual-mode satellite and cellular ...
TMI announces new Satellite Facsimile Service. (TMI Communications and Company L.P.)
Aug 10, 1998; ... TMI Communications has introduced its Satellite Facsimile Service, a new wireless communications service for Canada, the Caribbean and, pending regulatory approval, all 50 states and Mexico. The service works on a store-and-forward ...
Satellite stocks slip less than broad indexes during last week's price drop.
Aug 10, 1998; ... Satellite stocks proved to be more resilient than the rest of the stock market last week when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 299.43 points Tuesday before recovering a small portion of its loss with gains of 59.74 points Wednesday and 30.90 points Thursday.Operators and ...
JCSAT-6 LAUNCH POSTPONED; TITAN 4A ROCKET EXPLODES IN FINAL LAUNCH
Aug 17, 1998 ... Last week was not a good one for satellite builders and launchers. The launch of the Hughes Space and Communications Co.- built [GMH] JCSAT-6 was postponed and the final mission of the Lockheed Martin Corp.-built Titan 4A rocket ended in a fiery explosion roughly 42 seconds into flight. ...
DIRECTV PLANS TO LAUNCH DBS-1 REPLACEMENT
Aug 17, 1998 ... DirecTv Inc. [GMH], the largest provider of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television services in the United States, will become an even more formidable competitor to its smaller rivals when it carries out the plan it announced last week to replace its DBS-1 satellite with an improved, new ...
SATELLITE SPOTLIGHT: ECHOSTAR WINS NEW FANS IN KEYSTONE STATE
Aug 17, 1998 ... EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] has scored a home run in the public relations stakes by choosing an economically depressed steel town in Pennsylvania as the site of its new customer service center. The 2,000-employee facility will be housed in the former U.S. Steel National Tube Works ...
TIN-PLATED RELAY SWITCHES BLAMED FOR THREE HUGHES PROCESSOR MISHAPS
Aug 17, 1998 ... Hughes Electronics Corp. [GMH] announced last week that its HS 601 communications satellite is ready to launch again after an extensive investigation of recent spacecraft control processor (SCP) failures pinned the cause on tin-plated relay switches.The problem appears to have been ...
LOCKHEED MARTIN FORMS NEW GLOBAL TELECOM UNIT, BACKS ASIAN SYSTEM
Aug 17, 1998 ... Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] is moving to broaden its scope and provide comprehensive global telecommunications solutions with two moves last week that are aimed at enhancing its competitiveness.Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications was created to combine several existing joint ...
DIRECTV SIGNS DEALS TO PARTNER WITH RURAL CABLE TV OPERATORS
Aug 17, 1998 ... DirecTv Inc. [GMH], the largest direct broadcast service (DBS) provider in the United States, teamed up with rural cable TV operators last week in an unprecedented alliance to combine DBS with the local analog channels of its cable competitors.The deals with three separate cable ...