People
BTV+ Names VP Finance And Administration
BTV+, provider of digital signage networks, interactive distance learning, studios and related secure, IP satellite-based services, announced the appointment of Robert Caputo as vice president of finance and administration.
Prior to joining BTV+ Caputo has provided capital structuring expertise and, as a commercial lender from 1997 to 2002, has assisted hundreds of companies meet their financial requirements. He is conversant in Canadian and U.S. securities and accounting regulations.
EMS Names Senior Account Manager For Satcom Division
EMS Technologies said it appointed Candy Cunningham to the position of senior account manager for the company’s Satcom division. Cunningham will focus on growing the Satcom division’s government and military business. Cunningham most recently worked for Thrane & Thrane and has nearly 20 years of experience in wireless communications and computer peripheral industry sales.
MODULUS Names General Manager, Japan Operations
Modulus Video opened a new office in Tokyo, Japan to support the growing demand from satellite, telecommunications and cable service providers for MPEG-4 AVC video encoding systems. Broadcast industry veteran Shigeru Nakayama was hired as the general manager for Japan operations to lead the Modulus expansion into the Japanese market.
SES AMERICOM Names Senior VP and General Counsel
SES Americom, an SES Global Company, announced the appointment of Jack Friedman as senior vice president and general counsel. In this role, Friedman is responsible for all SES Americom legal and regulatory operations.
Friedman has extensive legal and media industry experience. His background includes consulting assignments for Sony and the Tennis Channel, and senior executive roles in business, legal and technology affairs with e-Citi, Viacom and Capital Cities/ABC.
TACHYON NETWORKS INC. Names President and CEO
Tachyon Networks Inc., a satellite broadband solutions provider to multinational enterprises and government agencies, announced that it has appointed Peter Carides as president, chief executive officer and a member of the company’s board of directors. The company delivers IP access via satellite to service providers and customers in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Mexico.
Carides has had a distinguished career in senior leadership positions with telecommunications companies serving the private and public market sectors. Most recently, he was vice president at Equant, Inc., where he led the company’s global satellite and wireless division. As chief operating officer with Advanced Remote Communications Solutions, Carides spearheaded strategic planning, aggressively grew revenues and achieved market expansion through multi-national partnerships.
Services
CAPROCK Expands IPxpress Global Network
CapRock Communications completed the expansion of its IPxpress core network to its Macae, Brazil teleport. IPxpress is CapRock’s Internet Protocol (IP)-based core network architecture that employs multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) to enable secure transmission of corporate data, digital telephony and real-time video over its managed satellite communications services.
ECHOSTAR Launch Interactive Horseracing Channel
EchoStar Communications Corp., along with TVG Network, launched the nation’s first interactive horseracing television channel. The new channel will allow viewers to access the latest horseracing news and information and, in certain markets, to participate in pari-mutuel wagering on horse races through their televisions.
Wagering will be available to residents in 12 states. Viewers can place wages via their Dish set top box on races at any of TVG’s exclusive partner tracks.
MULTICHOICE Announces Channel Launch
Multichoice, a pay-TV provider announced that MTV Base, the first pan-African music channel, was launched on its DStv platform. The channel will be broadcast via satellite to 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa reaching more than 1.3 million households. MTV Base is uniquely aimed at young Africans between 15 and 34. At launch, about 30 percent of music content will be sourced from African musicians and artists, with the intention to grow this to approximately 50 percent.
NERA To Launch New Maritime Communications System
Nera is planning to launch a communications system targeting the maritime market. The new system, named Nera SatLink Marine, combines the DVB-RCS (Digital Video Broadcast– Return Channel via Satellite) standard with a unique antenna for use at sea. Nera claims the system offers the performance of a terrestrial broadband solution. The Nera SatLink Marine delivers a host of communications services, including voice-over-IP telephony, file transfer and Internet browsing. Vessels also can make use of videoconferencing or stream Internet radio while at sea.
PLANETSKY Launches Service On Gascom’s Yamal 200 Satellite
PlanetSky Ltd. signed a long-term agreement for the use of capacity on Gascom’s Yamal 200 satellite located at 49 degreesEast. PlanetSky intends to load up to four transponders on the satellite.
With the addition of the Yamal satellite, PlanetSky intends to further increase its foothold in the Middle East and SAARC (Southeast Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) regions.
TACHYON Expands Reach Of Satellite Broadband Network
Tachyon Networks Inc. is expanding the delivery of its IP-based satellite broadband access services to Asia, the Pacific Rim, Latin America and Africa in the coming year, in response to customer demand. The first new service area to be added will enable satellite broadband services in Afghanistan, China and Southeast Asia.
Contracts
BSKYB Selects Thomson For HDTV Launch
BSkyB took another significant step toward its launch of High-Definition TV (HDTV) services in the United Kingdom. It is working with Thomson as the initial Set-Top Box (STB) manufacturer for its HDTV service. The Sky HDTV box will also feature a similar PVR (personal video recorder) capability to the existing Sky+ box.
COMTECH Inks Contract In Latin America
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. said its Comtech EF Data Corp. subsidiary won a $2.3 million contract to provide integrated digital satellite terminals for an unnamed satellite operator in Latin America. The installation of Comtech EF Data equipment will facilitate GSM cellular backhaul efforts in the region.
CPI SATCOM Receives Contract from General Dynamics
CPI Satcom Division was awarded a contract by VertexRSI (a General Dynamics C4 Systems company), San Jose Division, to provide 32 Ka-band traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) for integration into a ground based satellite system designed to support High-Definition television (HDTV) services in North America. The 250 watt TWTAs will be installed in General Dynamics antenna hubs to provide final amplification of the uplink signal before it is fed to the transmit antenna.
DIGITALGLOBE Signs With Apache For Satellite Imagery
Apache Corp. joined Digitalglobe’s Enterprise Partners Program, a mechanism that streamlines access to geospatial products and provides data viewing and ordering capabilities at the desktop. Apache will use the satellite imagery to enhance its oil and gas operations.
Apache will use the QuickBird satellite’s 2-foot pixel size providing high-resolution imagery for its global operations. It will utilize the data for evaluating regional geologic features, locating well spots, planning seismic operations and mapping facilities.
GLOBECOMM Signs With NANSC
The National Air Navigation Services Co. (NANSC) in Egypt awarded Globecomm Systems Inc. an $8.1 million contract to install a next generation satellite-based network connecting 19 remote NANSC sites in Egypt to the Cairo Air Navigation Center. The network will provide a connection between the sites allowing for the transfer of voice, data and video at high data rates, thus enhancing the efficiency of NANSC’s aviation operations.
HNS Taps Sandvine For Network Security Application
Hughes Network Systems Inc. selected the Sandvine Inc. Sandvine Attack Mitigation solution for operation on its Direcway broadband satellite network. The HNS Direcway service will deploy Sandvine’s multi-layer worm/denial of service and zombie PC solution to build self-defending capability into its network. The solution also will be used to identify infected subscribers and contact them via e-mail with recommendations on how best to disinfect their PCs.
HUMAX Signs With DirecTV
Humax entered into development and supply agreements with DirecTV Inc. The agreements encompass various set top box models, including a portion of the entry-level receivers that will feature interactive services and a High-Definition TV receiver capable of receiving MPEG-4 broadcasts. Humax also will produce the new DirecTV digital video recorder.
NDS Wins Key Contract Renewal
NDS Group won a contract renewal in Asia with leading Korean pay-TV operator SkyLife. The two parties signed a new five-year contract, which sees the operator use NDS’ VideoGuard Conditional Access (CA) solution for its digital broadcast satellite operations. NDS had been the exclusive supplier of CA solutions to SkyLife since its commercial launch in 2002.
SkyLife already has 1.5 million subscribers. It has a number of advanced services such as SkyHD HDTV service, SkyChoice NVOD service, SkyTouch interactive TV service, and most recently the retransmission of terrestrial channels per region.
ROBERTS Taps Wegener To Aid In DTH Equipment Expansion
Wegener Corp. recently received a $700,000 order from Roberts Communications Network for equipment to expand its direct-to-home (DTH) small dish satellite delivery platform. The equipment is being used to upgrade Roberts’ capacity to 50 channels. The DTH platform provides channel capacity for live retransmission of greyhound, harness and thoroughbred racing events throughout the United States, as well as other niche programming.
VIASAT Signs With Pegaso Banda Ancha
ViaSat finalized a contract to supply its SurfBeam broadband satellite networking system to Mexico-based content and Internet applications provider Pegaso Banda Ancha for consumer Internet access services in Latin America. The initial service rollout will cover Mexico, but plans include marketing the service to all of Central and South America. The terms of the $4.9 million contract call for deliveries of the network hub and terminals.
TVN ENTERTAINMENT Signs with WWE
TVN Entertainment Corp. signed a wide-ranging video-on-demand (VoD) preferred partner services agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. The agreement covers satellite VoD services and distribution for WWE’s new subscription VoD service, WWE 24/7, which will feature pay-per-view, cable and syndicated broadcast content, home videos and new original programming from the WWE and other acquired national and regional wrestling brands.
XM SATELLITE RADIO Inks Broadcasting And Marketing Agreements
XM Satellite Radio signed a multi-year agreement with Indy Racing League (IRL) to broadcast the IndyCar Series races live over its satellite radio service. The first race to be broadcast was Indy 300 from the Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 6. XM will broadcast IRL races on its Extreme XM channel.
Technology
AMPLITECH Introduces Ka-Band SatCom LNA
Amplitech’s latest waveguide design is APTW4-18002650-2510-42. This waveguide (WR-42) amplifier has an operating frequency of 18.0 – 26.5 Ghz, an ultra low noise figure of 2.2 dB (191.3 degreesK) maximum and a minimum output power of +10 dBm (+20 dBm IP3). An optimized BW from 17.8 – 21.3 GHz can also be provided with noise figure as low as 135 oK. This design features a two-piece modular system that facilitates assembly, troubleshooting and field repair of the amplifier. This model can operate under intense weather conditions, temperatures (-55 degrees to +85 degreesC), shocks, and vibrations.
IDIRECT Unveils Web Compression Solutions For VSATs
iDirect Technologies introduced the latest addition to its product platform: the iDirect Compression and Acceleration Server (CAS) technology. The CAS solution compresses and accelerates static and dynamic data and content, in real time, using lossy compression algorithms.
This provides customers the ability to carry four times the IP traffic over the same available bandwidth as with current solutions.
MODULUS Unveils New MPEG-4 AVC Encoder
Modulus Video introduced its new ME6000 real-time, full-resolution high-definition MPEG-4 AVC encoder for broadcast and other quality driven video applications. The new system will enable satellite, telcos and cable service providers, particularly providers of the IP-based television services, to provide consumers the full visual impact of HDTV while using a lesser amount of bandwidth. The ME6000 delivers the processing power of more than 600 million operations per second needed to encode digital video at Main Profile @ Level 4 (the requirement for HD), delivering HD at about half the bit rate of existing MPEG-2 systems.
ORBIT COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS Introduces Ku-band Antenna
Orbit Communication Systems Inc., a developer of products and tracking systems for communications and control between satellites and mobile & static platforms, is launching the AL-7103 product, latest innovative addition to its Marine Stabilized Satellite Communication Systems.
AL-7103 is a dual offset Gregorian 1.15-meter Ku-band antenna, housed in a low-loss 1.28-meter Radome, delivering compact and cost-effective VSAT package for telephone, Internet, streaming video, fax, videoconference and other current capabilities available in satellite communication.
AL-7103 provides high-speed broadband communication up to 2 Mbps, 3 axis – ‘no keyhole’ and built-in RF packages, and ensures connectivity for comprehensive on-board communication & entertainment requirements and is suitable for a large variety of marine vessels.
RAYMARINE Unveils Marine Satellite TV System
Raymarine is launching a satellite television system designed for marine users to allow them to access satellite television while at sea. According to Raymarine, the new system, named 45 STV, will automatically identify, acquire and track compatible signals from all digital video broadcast satellites. The company said its system has dynamic beam tilting and wide range search technologies built in, giving 45 STV the ability to track satellite signals and conduct instantaneous search and location of nearby satellites while a marine craft is in motion, ensuring that the most reliable link is maintained. The Raymarine 45 STV will be available to North American customers in the spring and European customers in the summer.
Scopus Introduces Integrated Receivers/Decoders
Scopus Network Technologies’ new generation of professional integrated receivers/decoders is now in production and shipping. The Scopus IRD-2900 is targeted towards satellite and cable distribution as well as operators implementing digital turn- around applications. Furthermore, the IRD-2900 provides a superior solution for TV operators requiring professional descrambling and retransmission.
The IRD-2900 unit features a dual decoder that provides decoding of two programs within the same transport stream as well as built-in full transport stream descrambling capability. It features 10/100 BaseT Ethernet ports for high-speed IP data streaming (at up to 40 Mbps) and SNMP control support and includes genlock for professional studio applications.
The IRD-2900 supports a wide range of front-end options including ASI transport-stream input and output supporting rates over 155 Mbps, up to four QPSK L-Band inputs, and up to four pairs of balanced outputs.
VIRTUAL CONEXIONS Launches Skywide IP Networking Solution
Virtual Conexions, an emerging player in the broadband networking industry, announced it launched its VC-1000 satellite access modem last month. This high-performance product offers multi-site organizations the power to simply and securely access broadband IP networking solution for locations not served by land-based networks.
The VC-1000 modem is aimed at the markets of businesses, government agencies and other organizations seeking a cost-effective way to develop or extend broadband IP networks to remote locations. There are currently 60 million business sites or locations out of reach of land-based broadband connections around the world, for which there are presently no cost-efficient network solution available.
