Focus: Telecom

Intelsat Corp. awarded a contract to Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) to manufacture the Intelsat 14 satellite, SS/L announced Jan. 19. Based on SS/L’s 1300 platform, Intelsat 14 will carry 40 C-band and 22 Ku-band transponders. The spacecraft will replace the PAS-1R satellite and provide service to the Americas, Europe and Africa from its orbital slot at...

Spacehab Inc., which provides commercial space services to NASA, has eliminated 36 jobs as the company’s contract to support space shuttle operations nears completion, Spacehab announced Jan. 18. The elimination of redundant capabilities will save the company $3.9 million per year, Spacehab said. Costs and planned cash expenditures associated with the restructuring are estimated at...

International Datacasting Corp. (IDC) has been awarded a contract by Shin Broadband Internet of Thailand to provide software for a next-generation Internet protocol TV service in Asia, IDC announced Jan. 16. Shin Broadband Internet pushes high-definition movies over Shin Satellite’s IPStar to customers throughout Asia. IDC’s Datacast XD Content Management and Distribution software will be...

Eagle Broadband Inc. lost $3.5 million in its 2007 first quarter, up from a loss of $2.6 million in the same period a year ago, the company announced Jan. 16. The higher net loss primarily was due to $695,000 in interest expense, while revenues also slipped over the period, from $1.3 million in the 2006...

ViaSat Inc. will supply its LinkStar DVB-S2 satellite networking system to Unete Telecomunicaciones SA of Bolivia to expand enterprise broadband services in Ecuador and the surrounding region, ViaSat announced Jan. 17. The contract includes ViaSat’s recently awarded Telecentros Comunitarios Ecuador contract, issued by the national organizations Conam and Conatel. Valued at about $6 million, the...

U-blox America Inc. delivered its 5 millionth GPS receiver to Mobile Crossing Inc., a manufacturer of rugged handheld GPS computers and personal navigation devices, u-blox announced Jan. 15.

Camping World will sell and service King Controls’  new King-Dome line of high definition-ready automatic and in-motion satellite television antennas, King Controls announced Jan. 15. King Controls is a Bloomington, Minn.-based manufacturer of mobile satellite antenna systems for the recreational vehicles industry. Camping World, of Bowling Green, Ky., is a direct marketer and specialty retailer...

Final preparations are underway for the launch of the NSS-8 satellite, SES New Skies announced. Sea Launch is scheduled to place the satellite into orbit Jan. 25 using a Zenit-3SL rocket. NSS-8 is a Boeing 702 spacecraft carrying 56 C-band and 36 Ku-band transponders and is designed to replace NSS-703 at 57° East longitude.

Norsat International Inc. has issued 1 million common shares of stock and nearly 533,000 non-transferable common share purchase warrants in connection with its Employee Share Ownership Plan that was unveiled in December, the company announced. Norsat generated gross proceeds of nearly $480,000 through the transaction. Subscribers received one-half of one non-transferable share purchase warrant for...

RAMTelecom Inc. and SkyPort International Inc. have formed a strategic alliance to serve the North American market, the companies announced Jan. 10. SkyPort’s Houston-based network operations center and RamTelecom’s Ottawa-based network operations center will be connected by fiber-optic cable. This will provide full backup for each facility and further secure communications service offerings by providing...