E-letter: News Feed

BSkyB launched its Sky News Active digital service Monday (June 27). The system uses the equivalent of two digital transmission streams to deliver up to five simultaneous channels on mini-screens. […]

Phoenix Satellite TV, the Hong Kong-based satellite and cable broadcaster part-owned by News Corp, says it intends raising HK$785.2 million ($100.8 million) in its upcoming IPO, offering stock at HK$1.08, […]

A new meeting between Telecom Italia president Roberto Colaninno and News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch regarding the future of Italian digital satellite TV platform Stream is planned for this week. […]

Giancaro Leone has taken up the post of director at Rai Uno replacing Agostino Sacca in one of a series of changes at the public broadcaster. Stefano Munafo has replaced […]

German digital pay-TV platform operator Premiere World is considering a return to retail sales in addition to the currently favoured rental model. According to industry sources, it is planned to […]

The Sky Digibox from fifth manufacturer Sony is about to be released following long delays and reported disagreements between Sony and Sky. Sony’s VTX-S760U is the first receiver for Sky’s […]

BBC Worldwide says its aggregated distribution count for its global channels now tops 300 million homes. Revealing details from BBC Worldwide’s Annual Report & Accounts (to March 31 this year), […]

Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] has launched successfully the TSX 5 satellite, which it built for the U.S. Air Force for a series of scientific experiments. The satellite was launched June […]

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced June 20 the launch of a broad-based effort to advance U.S. interests in commericial space development through the formation of a Space Enterprise Council. […]

In hopes of further helping organizations will be able to monitor, map and measure changes to the Earth’s surface more regularly and more affordably, Colorado-based Space Imaging significantly has reduced […]

NASA has awarded Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) launch contracts to The Boeing Co. [BA] and Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT]. The agency awarded three launches under the contracts to Boeing. NASA […]

The failure of Iridium LLC may have cost investors and bankers nearly $5 billion, but space ventures that are breaking ground through the Internet, broadband applications or multimedia content delivery […]

NEW YORK–Financiers urged space and satellite executives to pay closer attention to the details of their structured business plans if they want to gain financial backing for space ventures. Wall […]

NEW YORK–As consolidation sweeps the global economy, the satellite and space industry will continue to follow suit with the formation of new consortia and individual corporate streamlining in hopes of […]

Amsterdam-based MirCorp inaugurated its Citizen Explorer Program, which soon may provide the first commercial manned flight opportunity for private citizens. Dennis Tito, a 59-year-old California millionaire is slated to become […]

If one of the main complaints about Iridium was the size and weight of its phones – and they are invariably described as being the size and weight of “a […]

Jim Walz, president and CEO of Iridium North America, a private gateway operator that is still open for business to some non-commercial Iridium customers, recently sat down with Mobile Satellite […]

The mobiles satellite services (MSS) sector of the satellite industry posted some gains and losses at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC 2000). Tallies in the victory column included gains in […]

Cidera Inc. of Laurel, Md., which specializes in distributing Internet content by satellite, has been selected by Road Runner, a cable TV Internet service, to supply its service to Road […]

America Online Inc. [AOL] and Hughes Network Systems Inc. [GMH] plan to start Beta tests of their planned AOL Plus Powered by DirecPC service in about 16 markets, including New […]

Telenor AS, the Norwegian national telephone company, has won a license to provide satellite services in Morocco. It plans to invest about $2.7 million this year to install VSAT earth […]

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. [SIRI] said Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., a subsidiary of Lehman Brothers Inc. has agreed to provide it with a $150 million committed credit facility. Loans under […]

Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS) is wasting no time in developing additional services and promoting itself, several months in advance of the planned launch of its commercial service. ACeS has joined […]

Gene Curcio, a California-based telecommunications entrepreneur who is leading the $50 million (52.47) bid of Venture Partners. to acquire the assets of the failed Iridium LLC satellite constellation, said he […]

Zee TV will launch a bouquet of 15 television channels in C-Band later in June, Zee Telefilms chairman Subash Chandra said last Tuesday (June 6). The 15 channels would include […]

German music channel Viva is planning a major expansion into new business areas. The ambitious plans include a broadband Internet and e-commerce platform for young people, TV- over-the-Internet services and […]

Italian publisher L’Espresso, industrial group De Benedetti and rock star Vasco Rossi are contemplating the launch of new thematic digital TV channels for the Italian TV market. The administrative council […]

Stream has reached an agreement with leading Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset for the digital TV platform to acquire key Italian pay-TV rights to next season’s Champions League football tournament. The […]

The ITU did its best to please every last delegate at its World Radiocommunication Conference, writes Chris Bulloch The International Telecommunication Union held its first-ever World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) outside […]

Interspace’s in-depth study of European satellite activity, compiled by Mike Fallon Key: D – Digital A – Analogue 145 degreesE: Gorizont-21 & 33 D – The last of the Gorizont […]