Focus: Telecom

[8/22/07 – Satellite Today] EMS Technologies Inc. signed an agreement to design the next-generation satellite phones for Inmarsat Global Ltd., EMS announced Aug. 22. The EMS Satcom division will design the dual-mode phones will support terrestrial GSM and GMR-2+ satellite operation and will detect whether a user is in a cellular coverage area and, if...

[8/22/07 – Satellite Today] The European Commission believes the best way for the mobile satellite services (MSS) market to reach its potential is putting mechanisms in place so these services can be offered in a uniform fashion across Europe and said Aug. 22 it had adopted a proposal to select systems for MSS at the...

[8/21/07 – Satellite Today] Satellite operators use C-band to provide essential services such as TV transmissions, distance learning, telemedicine and disaster recovery, and in some countries C-band spectrum serves as the core communications network. But financially powerful telecoms players want to use part of C-band to provide terrestrial services such as WiMax. This is a...

[8/21/07 – Satellite Today] Australian satellite pay-TV operator Austar is returning 300 million Australian dollars ($239.9 million) to shareholders and will reorganize it debt structure as it looks to position itself for growth in the Australian television market, the company announced Aug. 20. The operator is refinancing and increasing its existing senior debt facilities to...

[8/20/07 – Satellite Today] The European Commission (EC) authorized the acquisition of Telenor Satellite Services by Apax Partners, concluding that the deal would not “significantly impede effective competition,” the EC announced Aug. 20. Telenor had been shopping its satellite communications unit since 2002 and announced in October it would sell Telenor Satellite Services to Apax...

[8/20/07 – Satellite Today] Glentel Inc. has acquired and installed a new satellite hub to bring pipeline monitoring and other control services to its oil and gas customers throughout Canada and the United States, Glentel announced. Glentel has provided fixed satellite services for customers since 1997, and the new hub at its Edmonton, Alberta, facility...

[08/17/07 – Satellite News] Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) is aiming to become a major force on the satellite landscape in the Middle East. The satellite operator, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, a UAE-based company, is spending big to rival other satellite operators in the Middle East. On August 8, it...

[08/17/07 – Satellite Today] Orbcomm Inc. recorded a revenue gain of about 5 percent to $6.6 million in its 2007 second quarter, the company announced. The growth helped Orbcomm cut its loss from $2.3 million in the 2006 second quarter to $1.3 million in the most recent quarter. Service revenue improved nearly 61 percent to...

[08/17/07 – Satellite Today] International Communications Group Inc. (ICG) has appointed Darrell Andregg director of engineering, the company announced Aug. 16. Along with overseeing the engineering department, Andregg will monitor and improve development processes and develop a plan to increase ICG’s presence in the aviation sector. Andregg previously was director of firmware development at Axxcelera...

[08/16/07 – Satellite News] Hughes Communications, a provider of broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses and consumers is ready for a new chapter after the successful launch of the Spaceway-3 satellite. The satellite was successfully placed into orbit on August 14 by an Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana. Grant...