Industry At Large
People
BOEING
Fills Key Satellite Positions
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), a unit of The Boeing Co., selected Charles Toups as vice president of programs at Boeing Satellite Systems. He will be replaced in his former position by Chris Stephens, currently vice president of business operations at Boeing IDS’ offices in Seal Beach, CA.
In his new role, Toups will be responsible for the execution of all Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) programs. Toups previously headed Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices (EDD) in Torrance, CA.
Stephens is named vice president and general manager of EDD. Prior to his post at Boeing IDS, Stephens served as vice president and chief financial officer of BSS.
CHANNEL MASTER
Names President And CEO
Bill Currer has been named president and CEO of Channel Master LLC. As president, Currer will work with Channel Master’s customers and employees to further grow the company. He most recently served as Cogent Communication’s president and CEO.
COMTECH EF DATA
Appoints Senior Vice President
Comtech EF Data Corp. appointed Bob Hansen to senior vice president of global sales and marketing. Hansen assumes responsibility for expanding the sales and marketing efforts in the company’s regional and worldwide centers of operation.
Hansen was formerly senior vice president of sales for Leitch, a Canadian company specializing in professional video products for the television broadcast industry.
ENCODA SYSTEMS
Promotes President Of Broadband
Encoda Systems Inc. appointed John Sorensen president of the company’s broadband division. As President, he will oversee Encoda’s continued development of solutions for cable ad sales, traffic and accounting systems.
Sorensen joined Encoda 14 years ago as the principal design and development architect for the company’s traffic management and billing software systems.
INTELSAT
Selects Head Of New Business Unit
Intelsat Ltd. created a video services business unit and appointed Jon Romm as its new vice president.
Intelsat’s new unit will streamline the video operations of Intelsat, in order to accelerate response times to broadcasters and other video customers.
Romm will be responsible for the leadership and management of the new business unit. Before joining the company, he worked at BT Broadcast Services for seven years, where most recently he oversaw product development and marketing.
PBI MEDIA
Expands Executive Team
Scott Chase has returned to PBI Media LLC as executive vice president of sales and marketing. His primary focus will be identifying opportunities for organic growth, new revenue initiatives and acquisitions.
Chase left PBI in August 2000 to become CEO for the Strategis Group, a global telecommunications market research and proprietary consulting firm. During his previous tenure with PBI, he most recently held the position of senior vice president and group publisher, Satellite and Space Group.
SPECTRUM ASTRO
Names Executive VP And COO
Spectrum Astro promoted Patricia Oleson to executive vice president and COO. In this role she will be responsible for all day-to-day operations of the company, including financial, engineering and other business areas.
She was formerly Spectrum Astro’s senior vice president and CFO.
SPOT IMAGE CORP.
Chooses COO
Diana Clemente has been named to the new position of COO of SPOT Image Corp. She will be responsible for day-to-day operations, management of North American Channel Partners and coordination with Spot Image S.A., the parent company in Toulouse, France. Most recently Clemente was director of customer support.
Services
INTELSAT
Provides DTH To AFRTS
Intelsat Ltd., working with Artel Inc., a business solutions provider, is delivering satellite direct-to-home services through the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) to individuals living in more than 15,000 households in South Korea and Japan.
Intelsat’s solution enables AFRTS to deliver four services on six television channels, a program guide and 11 radio programming services through the American Forces Network.
SATAMATICS
Enters U.S. Market
Satamatics-Americas, a global operator of satellite-based telematics information services, has gone live with its services in the U.S. market, following the Federal Communications Commission’s authorization to provide mobile satellite services across the United States.
Satamatics is one of the first licensees in the United States for telematics services utilizing the Inmarsat D+ satellite network. Satamatics delivers a range of solutions, including supervisory control and data acquisition.
Contracts
AIRTV
Signs Deal With Bloomberg TV
AirTV signed a licensing agreement with Bloomberg Television to distribute Bloomberg Financial News programming to commercial airlines around the world.
AirTV plans to implement a direct-to-aircraft service to transmit Bloomberg Television live to airborne aircraft through AirTV’s network of four geostationary S-band satellites. This dedicated network is to offer airlines 60 channels of live satellite television plus e-mail and Internet connectivity.
ALCATEL
Wins Satellite Contract With China
Alcatel signed a contract with the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) for the development and construction of a new high capacity telecommunications satellite.
Alcatel will provide the payload module to CAST for the integration of a high capacity communication platform, DFH4, into a complete satellite. The new satellite, which will be delivered to Asia Pacific Telecom, is tailored to provide communications, radio and TV broadcasting services to telecom operators and to radio and TV stations.
GILAT
Selected By JSAT Corp.
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. was selected by JSAT Corp. to install a Skystar Advantage hub and two-way satellite communications network.
JSAT intends to use the VSAT equipment to provide shared-hub services to companies in a variety of industries throughout Japan. JSAT, one of Japan’s satellite operators, supplies communications and broadcasting services through eight satellites positioned in seven orbital slots.
INTELSAT
Partners With BT
Intelsat Ltd. and BT Broadcast Services have formed an alliance to provide video solutions and extended video distribution networks. BT secured a 10-year lease for additional capacity on the Intelsat 902 satellite at 62 degreesE. The two companies have agreed to combine their occasional use television networks on the satellite to provide end-to-end service to customers via a jointly managed network, where both partners will sell satellite capacity and terrestrial infrastructure elements.
L-3 COMMUNICATIONS
Chosen By Shin Satellite
Storm Control Systems Inc. (L-3 Storm), a wholly-owned subsidiary of L-3 Communications, was selected by Shin Satellite of Bangkok, Thailand, to supply the command and control software for the iPSTAR program.
L-3 Storm will deliver a turnkey software suite, including its InControl-NextGeneration (InControl-NG) software, that supports satellite telemetry, commanding, ranging, orbit analysis and planning and data management.
LORAL CYBERSTAR
Provides Solution To University
Loral Cyberstar has signed a three-year contract with the University of San Martin, in Bogota, Colombia. Cyberstar will provide the university with a pan-regional network that integrates broadband Internet access, videoconferencing, telephony and data transfer capabilities for campuses throughout Colombia, Peru, Panama, Aruba and Brazil.
NEW SKIES
Signs Contract With Data Access
New Skies Satellites N.V. and Data Access have signed an agreement for capacity on two New Skies satellites. The agreements have an aggregate value in excess of $100 million.
The long term contracts provide Data Access with multiple, high-power transponders on the NSS 6 satellite for a 10-year period and on the existing NSS 703 satellite for the transmission, primarily of international voice traffic between India and the Middleast, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe.
PANAMSAT
Selected By Telespazio Brasil
Telespazio Brasil, a provider of network communications services in Latin America, selected Panamsat’s PAS 1R Atlantic Ocean Region satellite to support its VSAT services throughout the region. Telespazio Brasil will leverage the power of PAS 1R to facilitate and improve long-distance transactions and inventory control conducted through its VSAT network for financial institutions.
SCOPUS
Selected By NTI
Scopus Network Technologies was selected by Network Teleport Italy (NTI) and Deutsche Telekom to supply a complete satellite digital broadcasting system to be stationed in Milan.
The complete multi-channel per carrier platform enables NTI to strengthen Deutsche Telekom’s transmission reach in Italy and improve its capabilities to reach more Italian broadcasters and content providers. In addition to video channels, the system supports multimedia applications for various Internet-based services.
SED SYSTEMS
Wins Contract From Inmarsat
SED Systems has been awarded a contract from Inmarsat Ltd. of London, England. Under the terms of the contract, SED will provide Inmarsat with a satellite communications frequency planning system. The system will be used by Inmarsat to do capacity planning and to develop frequency plans for its entire fleet of communications satellites, including its new Inmarsat 4 series that is scheduled for launch in 2003.
SES GLOBAL
Forms New Company With Gilat
SES Global has teamed up with Gilat Satellite Networks to form Satlynx, a new company that will provide two-way satellite broadband communications services to enterprises, consumers and SoHo users throughout Europe. Satlynx is fully operational and has incorporated Gilat’s existing European operations and enterprise customer base. Corporate customers will use Gilat’s Skystar Advantage R VSAT platform, as well as SES Global’s high speed BBI technology.
STM WIRELESS
Receives Order From Etisalat
STM Wireless Inc. (STM) has signed a contract valued at approximately $0.6 million with Emirates Telecommunications Corp. (Etisalat), located in the United Arab Emirates, for the supply of a broadband VSAT network for high-speed connectivity to customers in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
The broadband platform currently being installed by STM will complement the mesh platform, offering voice and data connectivity to closed user groups and private network customers. The new broadband VSAT hub will be interconnected to Etisalat’s high-speed fiber backbone for IP access.
VIASAT
Chosen By ITT Industries
Viasat Inc. was selected by ITT Industries to provide the antenna systems for the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) Ka-band terminals program.
Contract work will be performed by ITT’s Systems Division, located in Colorado Springs, CO, with significant support from Viasat’s Satellite Ground Systems Division, located in Norcross, GA. Through a subcontract with ITT, Viasat is expected to provide the critical Ka-band satellite antenna systems for the primary strategic terminals that the United States Department of Defense will use to communicate over the WGS satellites scheduled for initial launch in mid 2004.
Technology
ADVANTECH
Launches New Indoor Amplifier
Advantech has launched a 1,000 watt C-band indoor amplifier in a single rack-mount package. In addition, Advantech has also announced its multiband solid-state outdoor line of amplifiers providing service for either two bands (C- and Ku-band) or three (C-, X- and Ku-band). Designed for operation in harsh environments, these units are useful to mobile users in flyaway or transportable applications. (Advantech, 657 Orly Ave., Dorval, PQ, H9P 1G1, Canada; Tel: 514/420-0045 Fax: 514/420-0073; Web: http://www.advantech.ca)
ARINC
Tests Ku-Band Inflight Receiver
ARINC Inc. has successfully tested a broadband communications receiver for aircraft that has the potential to receive data at rates of 8 to 10 Mbps. The ARINC system uses Ku- band satellite technology at ultra high frequencies, achieving an order of magnitude higher performance than other systems, according to ARINC.
ARINC is marketing its system as Skylink broadband, targeted at manufacturers of business jets and other aviation aircraft whose customers want high-speed inflight connectivity. (ARINC Inc., 2551 Riva Rd., Annapolis, MD 21401-7465; Tel: 410/266-4000; Web: http://www.arinc.com)
GHZ TECHNOLOGIES
Expands Product Line
GHZ Technologies Inc. introduced a high-power, four-way quadrature splitter/ combiner integrated with RX/TX Duplexer. Designed for L-band communications systems with circular polarization, this unit integrates a high power cavity transmitter filter, receiver filter, and four-way splitter/combiner with distribution 0-90 degrees-180 degrees-270 degrees between the outputs. The product is also available for the S- and C- frequency bands. (GHZ Technologies Inc., 6602 Van Den Abeele, St. Laurent, Quebec, Canada H4S 1Y3; Tel: 514/335-6090; Fax: 514/335-9297; Web: http://www.ghztech.com)
IRDETO ACCESS
Releases Yearly Smart Cards
Irdeto Access will introduce a new smart card approximately once per year. The smart card will be released irrespective of whether the existing card has been hacked or not.
Benefits of a new smart card each year include increased profit for the operator, predictable costs and avoidance of capital expenditure peaks for smart card swap outs.
In addition, Irdeto Access will continue to apply its three-pronged approach to piracy using encryption technology, extensive investigation of suspected fraud and counterfeit operations, and close cooperation with international bodies. (Irdeto Access, 15070 Avenue of Science, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92128; Tel: 858/618-3500; Fax: 858/618-3550; Web: http://www.irdetoaccess.com)
ORBITAL RECOVERY CORP.
Develops Space “Tug”
The Geosynch Spacecraft Life Extension System (SLES) is a concept that could prolong the operating lifetimes of telecommunications satellites by 10 years or more.
The SLES will operate as an orbital “tugboat,” supplying the propulsion, navigation and guidance to keep a telecom satellite in its proper orbital slot for many years. Another application is the rescue of spacecraft that have been placed in a wrong orbit by their launch vehicles, or which have become stranded in an incorrect orbital location during positioning maneuvers. The SLES is designed to easily mate with all telecommunications satellites now in space or on the drawing boards. (Orbital Recovery Corp., 1054 31st St. NW, Suite 420, Washington, DC 20007; Tel: 202/736-5060; Fax: 202/736-5095; Web: http://www.orbitalrecovery.com)
STANDARD COMMUNICATIONS
Expands Encoder Line
Standard Communications has added two new encoders to its L1000 line of MPEG 2 professional encoders.
The L1009 is a full MPEG 2 encoder with composite video input, stereo sound and two ASI outputs.
The L1008 has all the features of the L1009 plus an internal DVB-S QPSK modulator. Its small size and low power requirement make it useful for outside broadcast, sports and DSNG applications. (Standard Communications, P.O. Box 92151, Los Angeles, CA 90009-2151; Tel: 310/532-5300; Fax: 310/532-0397; Web: http://www.standardcomm.com)
SWEDISH MICROWAVE
Introduces Single Band LNB
Swedish Microwave released a new light weight (220g) single band LNB in a completely new design. Main applications for this product are broadband via satellite, VSAT systems and commercial satellite headends.
The extremely low phase noise ensures the lowest possible bit error rate. The new LNB comes standard with low noise figure, F-connector and a two-year warranty. Options include N- or SMA-connector, high stability LO, customized gain or customized specification by request. (Swedish Microwave AB, Box 230, S-591 23 Motala, Sweden; Tel: +46 141 21 61 35; Fax: +46 141 21 52 24; Web: http://www.smw.se)