Focus: Telecom

Northrop Grumman Corp. has appointed three new vice presidents in its Space Technology sector, the company announced. Steve Hixson has been named vice president of the newly created Advanced Concepts organization, which was established to meet the growing need for a quick turnaround capability for lower-cost demonstration programs. Hixson has been with Northrop Grumman 24...

BSkyB has made a deal with Google to bring a number of Web-based services to BSkyB’s broadband customer base, the companies announced. BSkyB will deploy Google’s suite of search, advertising, communications and video services, which will be tailored and branded for BSkyB’s broadband offering. BSkyB, which has more than 8 million direct-to-home subscribers, is targeting...

Dominion Video Satellite Inc. has signed an agreement to offer HughesNet high-speed satellite Internet service, Hughes Network Systems LLC announced. Dominion provides the Sky Angel service, which delivers more than 30 Christian inspirational, family and TV and radio channels to homes and churches throughout the continental United States.

Orbital Sciences Corp. has formed a partnership with Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology of Alexandria, Va., to develop a small satellite that will be built entirely by high school students, Orbital announced Dec. 6. The mission for TJ-Sat will be determined by the students, who will be responsible for design and integration...

Quake Global announced Dec. 6 that Volvo Trucks North America will install Quake Global’s Q2000+ satellite communicator as standard equipment in all Volvo trucks manufactured with US’07 engines. The Q2000+ and the Volvo Link Sentry remote performance monitoring system have been standard equipment since late 2005 on the Volvo VT 880 and VT 830 tractors.

SAT Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems Inc., will provide a carrier monitoring and interference detection system to SES Sirius for the company’s Stockholm teleport, SAT announced. The SAT-DSA allows users to automatically detect, characterize and display interfering signals as well as support remote user access and carrier lineup activities. SAT has provided...

Leoterra LLC, a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, and Terrestar Networks Inc., a subsidiary of Motient Corp., announced Dec. 5 they will perform a joint feasibility study toward providing interoperable, advanced global mobile broadband communication services from their respective LEO and geostationary-based satellite networks. The interoperability of the satellite communication systems would provide global...

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. has been selected by Alef Soluciones Integrales and Corporative Lanix to provide a Skyedge VSAT network to more than 7,700 Mexican public-school classrooms, Gilat announced Dec. 4. Deployment of the network hub and 4,400 terminals has begun in the middle-school phase of the Mexican Ministry of Education’s computer-based Enciclomedia program, which...

Emerging Markets Communications (EMC) has been contracted to provide Internet protocol (IP) capacity via satellite to South Africa-based Internet Solutions, EMC announced. Internet Solutions, owned by Dimension Data, is the largest Cisco distributor outside the United States and offers services to about 80 percent of South Africa’s top 250 companies. EMC will provide a link...

Spanish industrial group Abertis will pay more than 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) to become the single largest shareholder in European satellite operator Eutelsat, Abertis announced Dec. 5. Abertis, through its telecom subsidiary Abertis Telecom, reached an agreement with investment funds Texas Pacific Group, Spectrum, Cinven and Goldman Sachs — all of which are minority...