E-letter: Briefs

Soundexchange, the non-profit organization that collects and distributes royalties from digital music services on behalf of artists and record labels, is seeking higher fees from Sirius Satellite Radio and XM […]

The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $299.9 million contract change to further the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) program. This funding exercises an option for production of WGS Space Vehicle […]

ViaSat Inc. posted record revenues of $131.5 million in its 2007 second quarter, up from revenues of $104.1 million in the same period a year ago, the company announced Nov. […]

Cingular Wireless LLC and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. announced a partnership Nov. 2 to stream 25 XM music channels to Cingular handsets. Beginning Nov. 6, Cingular Wireless customers may […]

Globalstar Inc. priced its initial public offering at $17 per share, the company announced Nov. 2. The company has also added 1 million shares to the offering, bringing the total […]

Orange UK will launch a GPS navigation system for corporate customers that will be powered by Webraska, a provider of mobile GPS navigation systems and geospatial software for wireless carriers […]

Launch preparation is underway in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, for the launch of BADR-4, a Eurostar E2000+ satellite built by Astrium for the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat). Liftoff on a Proton […]

Apax Partners has completed the acquisition of France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications (FTMSC), a deal commenced in July. Apax also recently announced its acquisition of Telenor Satellite Services, bolstering its […]

International Datacasting Corp. and SES Americom announced Nov. 2 the integration of IDC’s next-generation DVB-S2 satellite receivers aboard the IP-Prime IPTV service. As part of the agreement, IDC will be […]

Patriot Antenna Systems unveiled Nov. 2 its 1-meter Back-Pack Flyaway Antenna system. The system provides transmit-and-receive operation in Ku- or Ka-band frequencies and is designed for frequent travel. The antenna […]

The People’s Republic of China has started to build its own satellite navigation system, Xinhua reported Nov. 2. The planned network, Compass — or Beidou, in Chinese — reportedly will […]

Qinetiq announced Nov. 1 it is launching a European satellite interference geolocation service intended to deter malicious or accidental disruption of satellite communications services while allowing customers to identify and […]

The demand for commercial C- and Ku-band capacity will grow globally at an average annual rate of 3.2 percent, Northern Sky Research (NSR) announced Oct. 31. Between 2005 and 2011, […]

The commercial geostationary satellite transponder market produced total revenues of $708.5 billion in Latin America in 2005, and that figure will reach more than $1 trillion by 2012, Frost & […]

The World Teleport Association (WTA) announced Nov. 1 its rankings of the Top Teleport Operators of 2006 in three categories. The Global Top 20 includes satellite and fiber carriers operating […]

Datapath Inc., a provider of satellite and wireless communications networks, announced Nov. 1 the appointment of David Helfgott as president and COO, effective Nov. 15. A 20-year industry veteran, Helfgott […]

GPSFlight, a provider of miniature wireless GPS telemetry, has been selected as a technology provider to Edwards Air Force Base for tracking base personnel and vehicles as they travel in […]

XM Satellite Radio and Sea Launch announced the Oct. 30 launch of the XM-4 satellite. Early data indicate the spacecraft is accurately positioned and in excellent condition. XM-4, built by […]

Technology ICG Introduces Cabin Telecommunications Unit For Business Jets International Communications Group (ICG) introduced its Aerocom 1100 cabin telecommunications unit, which provides an automated integrated package of telephone, fax and […]

MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. signed a strategic long-term agreement with Rocketplane Kistler to participate in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, MacDonald Dettwiler announced Oct. 31. Rocketplane Kistler […]

NDS, a supplier of middleware and conditional access services to direct-to-home operators, posted a 14 percent increase in revenues to $164 million in the third quarter, the company announced. Operating […]

Iridium Satellite has announced two new initiatives aimed toward the U.S. military market. The company has approval to provide its 9601 data modem to the U.S. Department of Defense and […]

C-Com Satellite Systems Inc. announced Oct. 31 it has signed a sales partnership agreement with Ottawa-based OrbitIQ, which will assist C-com in identifying strategically located global sales partners for the […]

Glowlink, a provider of satellite ground equipment, announced Oct. 31 that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was granting its patent for satellite uplink power control (UPC) technology. The technology […]

SES Global and Eutelsat plan to invest 130 million euros ($165.3 million) to develop a mobile broadcasting satellite service for Europe, the companies announced Oct. 30. The joint venture will […]

Iridium Satellite LLC announced Oct. 30 that it has launched products and service offerings in Brazil through an alliance with Omnilink. Anatel, the Brazilian telecommunications agency, has confirmed operational authority […]

Terrestar Networks Inc., a provider of 4G mobile communications networks, announced Oct. 30 a cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), part of the […]

Porsche Cars of North America Inc. has signed a deal with XM Satellite Radio, while Bentley Motors Inc. has added Sirius Satellite Radio, in a pair of exclusive deals announced […]

Rainbow Media continues to expand the global reach of its Voom high-definition (HD) channel, signing a distribution agreement with Zonemedia (Zone Vision Networks) to sell Voom throughout much of Europe, […]

Alamo Rent-A-Car has introduced portable GPS units at 51 of its locations across the United States, the company announced Oct. 30. Locations offering the GPS units include major American airports […]