Focus: Telecom

[Satellite Today 07-15-08] BT plans to invest up to 1.5 billion British pounds ($3 billion) to upgrade its terrestrial broadband network, the company announced July 15.     The invest is intended to give up to 10 million homes access to fiber by 2012. BT will be able to deliver a range of services with top...

[Satellite Today 07-15-08] Astrium has become the majority owner of Spot Image, buying additional sharesof the imagery satellite operator from the French Space Agency, CNES, Astrium announced July 15.     Astrium now controls 81 percent of Spot Image and will work with Infoterra Group, Astrium’s geo-information products and services unit, within the Earth Observation division...

[Satellite Today 07-15-08] Comtech Telecommunications Corp. extended the deadline for its tender offer for shares of Radyne Corp. to Aug. 1, Comtech announced July 14.     Based on a preliminary count July 11, Comtech has acquired 11.5 million shares of Radyne, or about 61 percent of available shares.     Comtech announced in May plans to...

[Satellite Today 07-15-08] Globecomm Systems Inc. has been awarded a mobile infrastructure contract from First Networks Operations Inc., a Canadian mobile telecommunications operator, Globecomm announced July 15.     Globecomm will provide First a combination of services and systems bsed on its SatCell technology that will be used to extend a GSM wireless network to unserved...

[Satellite Today 07-15-08] Saab AB reached an agreement to sell Saab Space to Swiss aerospace and defense company Ruag Holding AG, the companies announced July 15.     Saab announced in December that it was looking to sell its space division, which manufactures digital and microwave electronics and antennas for satellite manufacturers and also supplies payload...

[Satellite Today 07-15-08] SES Astra awarded a contract to Astrium for the construction of the Astra 1N satellite, SES Astra announced July 15.        The satellite, based on a Eurostar E3000 platform, will carry 55 Ku-band transponders to serve the German, French and Spanish markets and provide customers with continuous operating and backup satellite capacity...

[Satellite Today 07-14-08] Broadcast International announced that the Mexican Patent Office granted the company a patent for its multi-codec video compression technology, CodecSys.     The technology lowers bandwidth requirements for video transmitted over satellite, cable, IP, and wireless media. Patents for the core CodecSys multi-codec switching technology also have been granted in the United States,...

[Satellite Today 07-14-08] After multiple delays, the approval and merger of the Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio should be approved by the end of July, Tom Watts, an analyst with Cowen and Co., said in a July 14 research report.     The combination was approved in March by the U.S. Department of Justice,...

[Satellite Today 07-14-08] BSkyB signed a new contract with one of the U.K.’s top telcos, Thus, to continue to carry calls for BSkyB’s SkyTalk service, the satellite operator said July 14.     BSkyB signed an extension contract with Thus for the existing carrier pre-selection service supporting the SkyTalk service. Thus has been carrying calls for...

[Satellite Today 07-11-08] Eutelsat is to play a key role in reducing the digital divide in the Piedmont region of Italy, the company said July 10.     Under a memorandum of understanding signed with regional authorities, Eutelsat’s satellite technology will be used to accelerate the availability of digital services for all of Piedmont’s citizens. The...