E-letter: News Feed

Pegasus Communications Corp. [PGTV] said it plans to launch its two-way, broadband Internet access service for its rural subscribers, based on Hughes Network Systems DirecPC service, in the first quarter […]

Content protection and management company Irdeto Access has started legal proceedings in the UK against an alleged counterfeiter accused of selling fake pay-TV smart cards over the Internet, writes Steven […]

Media Most’s flamboyant CEO Vladimir Gusinsky is still on Moscow prosecutor general’s ‘most wanted’ list of alleged financial fugitives, according to local Russian reports. This legal threat plus associated financial […]

D – Digital A – Analogue 90 degreesE: Yamal 102 D – Tumen TV from Russia is new on 3575MHz LHCP, SR 4355, FEC 3/4, VPID 308, APID 256 in […]

The Israeli cabinet approved on November 20 the launching of five thematic commercial channels – Russian/Amharic, Arabic, Israeli heritage, news, and Israeli/Middle Eastern music. The free-to-air channels, which will be […]

Hong Kong-based AsiaSat (half-controlled by Astra) has negotiated a US$250 million (E297.97m) syndicated loan to part-finance the building of AsiaSat 4 and 5. AsiaSat 4 will be positioned at the […]

The Czech Republic has approved draft legislation that sees it harmonise local regulations that affect satellite and cable broadcasters. Jan Pelcova from the government office press department says various amendments […]

Intersputnik (international organisation for space communications) revealed in Moscow that it intends to launch some 100 small telecommunication satellites, each of 500kg in weight. These satellites will be used for […]

Saudi financier Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, nephew of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, has said that he is potentially interested in becoming an investor in News Corp’s satellite television spin-off, Sky […]

Loral Space & Communications has acquired all of a bank credit facility under which Globalstar had borrowed $500 million (E593.02 million). The purchase was financed by a new $500 million […]

BSkyB will shortly add two new dimensions to its Sky News Active channel. The first, BSkyB’s WAP-based on-screen service will start within the next two weeks, according to Dave Sparks, […]

A new satellite battle is set to ignite the Italian market, but this time it will not involve pay-TV operators Tele+ and Stream. Internet via satellite pioneer Netsystem.com is set […]

The Federal German Cartel Office, Bundeskartellamt, has launched an intensified investigation into Deutsche Telekom’s plan to acquire 51 per cent in Beta Research, Kirch Group’s d-box technology subsidiary. In a […]

New Skies Satellites NV, the satellite communications company, reported record revenue, operating income and net income in its third quarter 2000 results. Revenues for the three-month period ended September 30, […]

Revenues at satellite service provider Kingston Mediastream (KMS) rose 46 per cent year-on-year (up GBP13.2m) in its half-yearly results declared on November 28. The figures were released as part of […]

TF6, the 24 hour general entertainment channel for under 50s formed when French terrestrial channels TF1 and M6 merged their projects last September, is to launch on December 18. The […]

Two remote sensing satellites, and a nanosatellite designed to gather space weather data, were launched into orbit Nov. 21 aboard a Boeing Co. [BA]- built Delta 2 rocket. The rocket […]

The Boeing Co. [BA] and Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] won Air Force contracts to conduct architectural studies for GPS 3, the system that will keep U.S. satellite-based navigation services operational […]

On Nov. 17, Russian officials gave their first decree to a proposal that aims to deorbit the Russian Space Station Mir in February. The general director of the Russian Space […]

SpaceBridge announce the completion of $17 million in second round financing led by RBC Dominion Securities. Principal investors in this round include Royal Bank Capital Partners, TRW Inc. [TRW], MWI […]

TRW Space and Electronics Group within TRW Inc. [TRW] said it has developed a miniature frequency upconverter for the communications payload on the Ka-band satellites it is building as its […]

While industry leaders were gathered in San Diego last week discussing the potential of the Internet via satellite Starband Communications Inc. was busy launching its direct-to-home service. StarBand initially will […]

Conexion by Boeing, the satellite-based aero-mobile Internet, broadband data and TV system being built by The Boeing Co. [BA], said it will lease 14 transponders on a Brazilian satellite in […]

Integral Technologies Inc. [ITKG] of Bellingham, Wash., said the second-generation, flat-panel, dual-satellite antenna developed by its Antek Wireless Inc. subsidiary has been selected by Orbital Communications Corp. (Orbcomm) for use […]

The stock price of Hong Kong-based AsiaSat has fallen again dramatically despite the company (which is 50 per cent owned by SES/Astra) reporting improved sales and profits. “We report the […]

Star TV has been granted Pakistan’s first pay-TV licence. It means Star is able to distribute its full bouquet of pay TV services to viewers in Pakistan. James Murdoch, chairman […]

Italian pay-TV operator Stream has reported that losses almost doubled in the first half of 2000 to L302 billion from L152 billion (E78.50m) in the same period last year, despite […]

The Astra 2B satellite has entered active service for operator Société Européenne des Satellites (SES) at the Luxembourg-based company’s orbital slot at 28.2 degrees East. SES said Astra 2B features […]

Middle East platform Arab Radio & Television (ART) has started to call itself Arab Digital Distribution (ADD) and last week relaunched its Arabic bouquet (Firstnet) with additional channels for ArabSat […]

The size and mass of geostationary communications/broadcasting/broadband satellites is increasing sharply over the near term. Thuraya-1’s lift-off mass of 5,108kg might have been the world’s heaviest single payload when it […]