ArabSat, NileSat Broadcast Channel for Turkish Government

ArabSat and NileSat have agreed to help the Turkish government launch an Arabic language television station as part of an initiative from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to improve Turkey’s relations with the Arab world.

TRT, the state-owned broadcasting authority, began broadcasting the channel early this year. Sifir Touran, a Turkish journalist recognized in the Arab region, will manage the channel.

Arinc, Vizada RollOut Voice Services Via Inmarsat I-4 Network

Arinc and Vizada Americas have launched voice and data services using the Inmarsat I-4 satellite constellation.

The companies will provide Inmarsat Classic Aero H, Aero H+, Aero I, and Aero L packet data services, and Aero H+ voice services for commercial air transport aircraft, business jets and military aircraft for operational and safety-critical applications. The I-4 service will complement those already available on the Inmarsat I-3 satellite network and be integrated with Arinc’s aviation media suite, which also uses GlobalLink, VHF, HFDL and Iridium platforms.

Arinc managed the service’s data link engineering efforts and Vizada integrating the voice system capability. In 2009, the companies established internetworking connections to Inmarsat satellite access stations located in Hawaii, and Fucino, Italy.

ASE Provides Maritime Data for Whale Watchers

Chrisar Software Technologies, an information technology company specializing in software systems engineering and signal processing in the marine environment, issued a contract to Applied Satellite Engineering (ASE) to develop a satellite data solution for a whale reporting program.

ASE will provide a solution using the Iridium global satellite network and a customized Iridium short-burst data modem. Ship crews will use the system to record and transmit reports of whale sightings through the Iridium network to a central server, which will save it into a database and transmit warnings via Iridium to all subscribing ships whose tracks are likely to take them close to the animals. The centralized system server-client architecture and database, along with Iridium’s global coverage, will lead to the deployment of the service in other regions of the globe.

Bharti Moves to Replace WorldSpace Channels

Bharti Airtel has struck a deal with All India Radio to replace the 10 WorldSpace satellite radio channels on its DTH platform in India with 10 All India Radio Channels, Bharti announced.

Bharti said that the replacement channels would come at no extra cost for subscribers who were already receiving the WorldSpace channels as part of their subscription pack.

WorldSpace announced in December that it had closed down its Indian operation.

MGM Enters U.K. HD Market Via BSkyB Satellite

Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios (MGM) has launched its first branded channel in the United Kingdom on the BSkyB satellite DTH platform.

The channel, a joint venture between Sky and MGM, is part of MGM’s strategy to extend its reach of branded network broadcasting. MGM recently launched HD channels in the United States, Latin America, Poland and Israel.