Focus: Telecom

[Satellite News – 7-1-08] A proposed deal that could see News Corp. give up its majority ownership of conditional access and middleware vendor NDS could be the first step that leads to NDS being acquired by a major technology player, according to one industry analyst.     Under a proposed transaction unveiled June 27, News Corp....

 [Satellite Today – 7-01-08] Research and consulting firm CFI Group has found that customers who have called satellite TV companies for help rate their satisfaction with cable and satellite service desks at a score of 66 out of 100, according to the results of its March Contact Center Satisfaction Index Study.     Down 3 percent...

[Satellite Today – 7-01-08] Satlynx has completed a 300-site supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) network for Electrictie De France (EDF) Energy Networks in the United Kingdom, Satlynx announced June 30.     The network is part of a larger improvement program to monitor and control electricity distribution in the southeast of England. EDF and Satlynx...

[Satellite Today – 7-01-08] International Launch Services (ILS) is aiming for an August. 14 launch of its Proton-M, the company’s first mission since a March launch failure, ILS announced July 1.     The Russian rocket will carry the Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite, which will complete Inmarsat’s next-generation global satellite network.     “Having participated in the failure...

After a very active tenure in the satellite industry, Joseph Wright resigned as chairman and director of Intelsat Ltd. and has moved on to a different business, but his impact will be felt in the satellite field for years to come. “I spent 12 years with PanAmSat and Intelsat, from the time I joined the...

[Satellite Today – 7-01-08] The European Commission reopened the procurement process for the Galileo satellite navigation systems, The European Space Agency (ESA) announced July 1.     The program, initially envisioned as a public-private partnership, was restructured after a consortium of eight private companies charged with developing Galileo failed to agree on a funding plan. In...

The importance of the launch sector to the growth of the global satellite communications industry was highlighted in 2007, as two of the three major providers suffered failures, forcing some operators to adjust their launch plans or delay some key business plans. Via Satellite takes a closer look at the industry developments that shaped business...

America’s commercial space industry holds a dominant position in the global market, but due to a number of factors, other countries are beginning to gain more market share. Many small suppliers maintain that the primary problem is the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which threatens their survival while protecting the position of larger suppliers....

[Satellite Today – 6-30-08] The global satellite communications sector has asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) not to allow terrestrial fixed services to operate in the 14.0-14.5 gigahertz band citing potential interference to fixed and mobile satellite-based services provided using the band.     The Global VSAT Forum (GVF) and European Satellite Operators Association (ESOA)...

[Satellite Today – 6-30-08] Under a proposed transaction News Corp. will no longer be the majority shareholder of NDS Group, News Corp. announced June 27.     News Corp. and a pair of newly incorporated companies formed by funds advised by Permira Advisers LLP have proposed a transaction that would result in NDS ceasing to be...