Satellite News back issues from July 1999:
DIRECTV, NAB REACH DEAL ON SATELLITE TV BILL TO GUIDE LAWMAKERS.
Jul 05, 1999 ... DirecTv Inc. [GMH] took an end run around the rest of the satellite industry by striking a deal with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) last week to gain heightened clout for its views when satellite TV legislation is expected to be taken up by House-Senate conferees later this ...
LEO WOES LIKELY TO CUT DEMAND FOR LAUNCHES, EXECUTIVES SAY.(Brief Article)
Jul 05, 1999 ... Launch demand is strong in the geostationary satellite market, but late spacecraft deliveries and financial woes at low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite companies are smudging the outlook for launch providers, industry officials said at a recent Society of Satellite Professionals International ...
SATELLITE SPOTLIGHT: HITACHI EYES 2002 START OF BROADCAST SERVICE.(Brief Article)
Jul 05, 1999 ... Japanese industrial giant Hitachi Ltd. confirmed it is pressing ahead with the construction of a digital satellite broadcasting service for automobiles. The service is scheduled to launch in 2002 and will use three satellites. Hitachi said the project would cost about 100 billion yen ...
CLINTON ADMINISTRATION OPPOSES HANDING DOD SPECTRUM PRIORITY.
Jul 05, 1999 ... Senior officials in the Clinton administration are joining with key members of Congress to block provisions in the House and Senate versions of the Defense Department (DoD) authorization bill that would give the DoD priority in using spectrum that is supposed to be shared with commercial ...
REP. DINGELL GAINS OMB PLEDGE TO FIGHT SPECTRUM PROVISIONS.
Jul 05, 1999 ... Defense Department (DoD) authorization bill provisions that would imperil a host of proposed new telecommunications services have spurred strong opposition from powerful Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), Ranking Minority leader of the House Commerce Committee, and from the Clinton ...
ELLIPSO EYES BOEING FOR FURTHER FUNDING AFTER ARIANESPACE DEAL.(Brief Article)
Jul 05, 1999 ... Ellipso Inc. took another step toward moving from a paper system to a real global, mobile voice service provider when it picked up $200 million in vendor financing and equity last week from Frenchbased launcher Arianespace. The deal gives Ellipso backing from a respected ...
ASTROLINK RECEIVES EUROPEAN COMMISSION REGULATORY OKAY.
Jul 05, 1999 ... The European Commission (EC) granted regulatory approval to the proposed $3.6 billion Astrolink LLC project. The satellite-based venture, involving Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT], Telecom Italia SpA and TRW Inc. [TRW], needed the nod to proceed with its plan to provide global wireless ...
WEEKLY UPDATE.(Brief Article)(Column)
Jul 05, 1999 ... DBS moved one step closer toward final resolution of the local-into-local issue when DirecTv and the NAB reached an accord regarding copyright issues and beaming distant network signals. Once again, we believe that DirecTv's very powerful parent, Hughes, has paid dividends for the ...
THE SATELLITE NEWS FINANCIAL TICKER.(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 05, 1999 ... Table follows. Week of Jun 28 - Jul 2 Percentage Change Symbol July 2 OneOne Three Year PriceWeek Month Month to Date Operators AMERICAN MOBILE SAT SKYC17.125 0.713.7...
SATELLITE CIRCUIT.(multiple brief articles)
Jul 05, 1999 ... U.S. Senate Passes Intelsat Privatization Bill A bill, S. 376, aimed at spurring the privatization of Intelsat won unanimous approval from the U.S. Senate Thursday. The bill requires Intelsat and its U.S. Signatory Comsat Corp. [CQ] to give up certain privileges and immunities ...
IRIDIUM NEARS DEAL TO REFINANCE DEBT AFTER KEEPING CREDIT LINE.(Brief Article)
Jul 05, 1999 ... Iridium LLC [IRID] is expected to finalize a financing restructuring deal during the next six weeks that will give the world's first commercial global, mobile satellite phone service a chance to implement its new marketing plan in an attempt to find a sizable customer base among industrial ...
PROTON FAILS IN MILITARY LAUNCH; GLOBALSTAR ADDS FOUR MORE BIRDS.
Jul 12, 1999 ... The usually reliable Russian-built Proton rocket failed in a July 5 mission to lift a Russian military satellite into orbit. Instead, the launch vehicle and payload fell back to Earth in a remote region of Siberia. The Raguda-1 spacecraft was found still attached to the Proton's upper ...
SATELLITE PRODUCTION WOES DELAY DELIVERIES AND HURT LAUNCHERS.
Jul 12, 1999 ... Launchers around the world are suffering due to late satellite deliveries from Matra Marconi and Hughes Space and Communications [GMH], coupled with launch failures that are keeping launch sites uncharacteristically idle. Satellite manufacturing problems are causing Arianespace ...
SATELLITE SPOTLIGHT: HELIUS SUCCEEDS THROUGH VERTICAL MARKETS.
Jul 12, 1999 ... Utah-based Helius Inc., has answered President Clinton's call for connecting every school and library to the Internet by 2000 as a way to provide a seamless solution to serve vertical markets. Besides education, other markets Helius will serve are real estate and accounting, ...
NRTC BLASTS DIRECTV-NAB PACT ON MAJOR SATELLITE TV LEGISLATION.
Jul 12, 1999 ... Satellite TV viewers, especially in rural areas, will lose if the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and DirecTv Inc. [GMH] are successful in winning congressional approval for a compromise they negotiated on their own, according to the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative ...
SATELLITE OPERATORS GAIN NODS TO EXPAND INTO BRAZIL, MEXICO.
Jul 12, 1999 ... Latin America is becoming an increasingly enticing area for satellite operators to offer far more than broadcast services. Satellite-based telephony and Internet capabilities are in demand and satellite companies are moving into individual markets. New Skies Satellites N.V., ICO ...
ICO WINS REGULATORY NOD AT FCC, EYES WAY TO WRAP UP FINANCING.
Jul 12, 1999 ... ICO Global Communications Corp. [ICOGF] gained ground with regulators last week, but lost stature on Wall Street as it struggled to retain investors that previously pledged support for a yet-to-be closed $500 million financing. On the regulatory side, the FCC temporarily ...
WEEKLY UPDATE.
Jul 12, 1999 ... In the latest war of the VSATs, Hughes Network Systems (HNS) showed its strength by squeezing out Gilat Satellite Networks for the much-publicized BP Amoco contract. This contract was fiercely fought, especially since BP Amoco was Gilat's customer and Amoco was HNS's customer before the ...
SATELLITE CIRCUIT.
Jul 12, 1999 ... Teledesic Inks Launch, Bird Building Pacts Teledesic LLC signed a deal with Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] to use heavy-lift Proton M and the Atlas V rockets to launch a major portion of Teledesic's global satellite constellation, while also inking a deal with Motorola to build ...
HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS BEATS GILAT TO WIN BIG VSAT CONTRACT.
Jul 12, 1999 ... Wall Street analysts were caught by surprise last week when Hughes Network Systems [GMH] swooped in to take a potential $50 million VSAT contract away from Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., of Petah Tikva, Israel. Reports that Gilat would win the pact convinced William Kidd, of ...
PROTON READIED FOR NEXT LAUNCH AFTER KAZAKHSTAN LIFTS BAN.
Jul 19, 1999 ... Kazakhstan lifted its Baikonur Cosmodrome launch ban to let a rocket carry out a vital supply mission to the Mir space station, according to Russian news reports. A Soyuz-U carrying the Progress-M42 cargo payload awaited liftoff at press time July 16 after Russian ...
DBS SUBSCRIBERS SHOULD DOUBLE TO 20 MILLION BY 2003, EXPERTS PREDICT.
Jul 19, 1999 ... Direct broadcast satellite television services, the fastestgrowing consumer electronics product in history, could grow by another 10 million during the next four years, top satellite TV consultants predict. The 10 million DBS subscriber base achieved in June also could zoom to ...
IRIDIUM PLANS TO FINALIZE DEAL WITH CREDITORS IN NEXT 30 DAYS.
Jul 19, 1999 ... As part of an ongoing effort to restructure its financing and avoid a costly bankruptcy, Iridium LLC [IRID] surprised no one by announcing July 15 that it would invoke the 30-day grace period allowed for payment of the $90 million in interest due on its $1.45 billion outstanding senior ...
SATELLITE SPOTLIGHT: GILAT OFFERS INTERACTIVE DISTANCE LEARNING.
Jul 19, 1999 ... Spacenet Inc., a subsidiary of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. [GILTF], will provide a satellite-based network to PeopleSoft Knowledge Broadcasts [PSFT], an interactive distance learning program designed to train customers on PeopleSoft's products. With 1998 revenues of $1.3 billion, ...
ARIANESPACE PLANS BRISK PACE TO LAUNCH STREAM OF DELAYED BIRDS.
Jul 19, 1999 ... France-based Arianespace finally is receiving satellites to launch after a frustrating four-month period of idleness that leaves company officials scurrying to complete eight missions in the last five months of the year. Arianespace also suffered a four-month gap in launches ...
LOCKHEED MARTIN RECEIVES BUY RATING FROM WALL STREET FIRM.
Jul 19, 1999 ... Financially struggling Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] was given a vote of confidence last week when C.E. Unterberg, Towbin initiated coverage of the company with a long-term "buy" rating. Lockheed Martin is "an elite aerospace company in the midst of transition," said William Kidd, ...
SATELLITE RADIO INDUSTRY GAINS NEW PLEDGE FROM RADIO SUPPLIER.
Jul 19, 1999 ... CD Radio Inc. [CDRD], one of two companies licensed to offer satellite radio services in the United States, gave the industry another boost last week by gaining a major commitment from a radio receiver manufacturer. The design and development of CD Radio receivers will be ...
FAA PLANS TO STAY WITH LEO LAUNCH DEMAND FORECAST.
Jul 19, 1999 ... Threats of bankruptcy at Iridium LLC [IRID] and mounting difficulty for other proposed low-Earth-orbit satellite phone services will not spur a change in the Federal Aviation Administration's projected launch demand when agency officials provide an interagency briefing July 30. ...
THE SATELLITE NEWS FINANCIAL TICKER Week of Jul 12-16.
Jul 19, 1999 ... Table below. <Pre>Percentage ChangeSymbol July 15One One Three Year Price WeekMonth Month to Date Operators AMERICAN MOBILE SATSKYC 20.625 ...
SATELLITE CIRCUIT.
Jul 19, 1999 ... U.S. Officials Boost Russian Launch Quota U.S. negotiators have agreed to boost the existing quota of 16 launches of U.S.-built satellites to 20 launches, according to government and industry sources. The deal will help International Launch Services, a U.S.-based unit of ...
DIRECTV, ECHOSTAR EXCEED 100,000 MARK IN NEW SUBSCRIBERS IN JUNE.
Jul 19, 1999 ... DirecTv Inc. [GMH], a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp. [GMH], netted 117,000 new customers in June to boost its subscriber base to 7.4 million, including customers of the Primestar by DirecTv medium-power service. That strong growth was almost matched by Echostar Communications Corp ....
GLOBALSTAR PLANS TO BOOST CONSTELLATION TO 32 BIRDS WITH DELTA II.
Jul 26, 1999 ... If a Boeing Co. [BA] Delta II rocket launches four Globalstar [GSTRF] low-Earth-orbit satellites as scheduled July 24, it will share that date in history with the anniversary of the first satellite launch at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., where the Bumper #8 was lifted into space in ...
SATELLITE TV RIFT MAY SPLINTER INDUSTRY'S LOBBYING THRUST.(Editorial)
Jul 26, 1999 ... LAS VEGAS - If the enemy of the satellite TV providers is the cable industry, it was largely hidden by the critical rhetoric exchanged between the leaders of the last two surviving high-powered, satellite TV providers this week at the annual Satellite Broadcasting and Communications ...
RURAL SATELLITE TV PROVIDERS TRY RALLYING LEGISLATIVE SUPPORTERS.
Jul 26, 1999 ... LAS VEGAS - Rural satellite TV subscribers are at risk of not gaining access to local channels when U.S. House/Senate conferees meet to hammer out differences between separate satellite TV bills. The key now is for the satellite industry to urge lawmakers to support an amendment ...
SATELLITE SPOTLIGHT: DISEASE PREVENTION OCCURS VIA SATELLITE.(Brief Article)
Jul 26, 1999 ... NASA scientists may be able to help save thousands of East Africans from Rift Valley Fever, a mosquito-born disease that can kill humans and animals. "In the early 1980s, we discovered a cycle of Rift Valley Fever outbreaks that appeared to depend on rainfall," said Kenneth ...
EXCLUSIVE: THE DBS RACE ROLLS ON WITH DIRECTV WINNING IN JUNE.(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 26, 1999 ... Judged by the June 1999 net new subscriber additions for the U.S. duopoly comprised of DirecTv and Echostar, the DBS industry rivals are looking more and more like two kids on a classic see-saw. For March '99, Echostar beat DirecTv by a meager 2,000 net new subscribers, adding ...
ECHOSTAR'S ERGEN SLAMS DIRECTV FOR RENEGADE LEGISLATIVE MOVE.
Jul 26, 1999 ... LAS VEGAS - Echostar Communications Corp. [DISH] Chairman Charlie Ergen attacked industry rival DirecTv Inc. [GMH] for "selling the industry down the river" by unilaterally striking a deal with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) on satellite TV legislation. Ergen said that ...
THE SATELLITE NEWS FINANCIAL TICKER Weekly Update.(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 26, 1999 ... ICO Global Communications is set to release 2Q results in the next week. A conference call will not be held, however, unless its rights offering has been completed by its twice-extended July 27 deadline. We do not think the rights offering will be completed by then due to weak demand ...
SATELLITE CIRCUIT.
Jul 26, 1999 ... Astrolink Secures Lockheed Martin Commitment To Build Four To Nine Birds Astrolink LLC's broadband, Ka-band satellite system will use the Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] A2100 satellite bus. With a life span of about 15 years, the A2100 is compatible with a wide array of launch ...
INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS EVALUATE RUSSIAN LAUNCH QUOTA.
Jul 26, 1999 ... President Clinton's July 13 decision to boost the Russian launch quota to 20 and carry out four additional missions of launching U.S.-built satellites is raising concern among industry and congressional leaders. "Our government must insist that the Russian government exert its ...