Focus: Telecom

Fresh off a better-than-expected 2007 second quarter, Eutelsat has revealed plans to take its Ka-band strategy to the next level. The operator intends to launch a dedicated Ka-band satellite with multiple spot beams to 13° East by 2010, hoping to nudge the market to make the jump from Ku- to Ka-band. “We think we can...

BSkyB Sees Profits Fall As Broadband Investments Take Bite BSkyB saw a double-digit increase in overall revenues for the year that closed June 30, the company announced July 27. BSkyB posted revenues 4.6 billion British pounds ($9.3 billion), an increase of 10 percent compared to 2006. However, profits of 815 million pounds ($1.7 billion) in...

Aided by a competitor’s woes, Iridium Satellite LLC picked up 44,000 subscribers to reach 203,000 at the end of June, a 28 percent increase in the past year, the company announced July 27. At the end of June 2006, Iridium reported 159,000 total subscribers. The satellite telephone provider posted revenues of $66.7 million in the...

SES Americom and partner Hiwire have launched a test of a digital video broadcast-handheld (DVB-H) mobile TV service they claim will deliver twice the channels and higher-quality pictures than other mobile TV services. SES Americom and Hiwire, a subsidiary of Aloha Partners, are coordinating Hiwire’s 12-megahertz capacity of UHF spectrum and wireless expertise with SES...

Middle East satellite operator Nilesat is judging bids to manufacture its new 201 satellite and expects to make a decision “imminently,” possibly before the end of August. “We still have clients waiting, so we need to have this new satellite very soon,” said Chairman Amin Bassiouny. “That means that we hope in the next year...

Middle East satellite operator Nilesat is judging bids to manufacture its new 201 satellite and expects to make a decision “imminently,” possibly before the end of August. “We still have clients waiting, so we need to have this new satellite very soon,” said Chairman Amin Bassiouny. “That means that we hope in the next year...

Lockheed Martin Corp. reported second quarter 2007 earnings of $778 million, a 34 percent increase over profits of  $580 million for the same period of 2006, the company announced July 24. Revenues improved from $10 billion to $10.7 billion in the same period. Net sales for Lockheed Martin’s space systems segment slipped 2 percent to...

SES Americom and partner Hiwire have launched a test of a digital video broadcast-handheld (DVB-H) mobile TV service they claim will deliver twice the channels and higher-quality pictures than other mobile TV services. SES Americom and Hiwire, a subsidiary of Aloha Partners, are coordinating Hiwire’s 12-megahertz capacity of UHF spectrum and wireless expertise with SES...

Analyst: Satellite Industry Could Find Opportunity In Working With WiMax While many in the satellite industry fear the potential loss of some C-band spectrum to terrestrial providers, by working together satellite and WiMax technologies can produce a variety of “distinct opportunities, highly dependent on the frequency band in use and regional competitive considerations,” research firm...

Strengthened by increased revenues in its satellites and related space systems segment and the launch vehicles segment, Orbital Sciences Corp saw second quarter revenues increase to $273.3 million, up 39 percent over the same period a year ago, the company announced July 18. Based on the record revenues, Dulles, Va.-based Orbital recorded record earnings of...