People

ESOA Appoints Secretary General

The European Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) announced the appointment of Aarti Holla-Maini as the association’s new secretary general, in ESOA’s Brussels office. Holla- Maini will manage and represent the association on a day-to-day basis, succeeding Fulvio Sansone. Holla-Maini will work to generate and strengthen awareness of the benefits of satellite-delivered services with decision makers, fostering the necessary political, industrial, trade and regulatory environments to ensure the global availability of these services.

Holla-Maini most recently represented the joint-venture company Galileo Industries and worked with European institutions in preparing the partnership scheme for the 1.6 billion euro Galileo project. Prior to this, Holla-Maini was a project manager working on new satellites ventures at EADS in Munich, Germany.

 

iDirect technologies Appoints Regional Sales Director

iDirect announced the appointment of Felipe Gomez as the regional sales director for Latin America. He will be responsible for selling broadband access solutions to the Latin American markets and continue iDiresct’s growth in remote areas. In his new role Gomez will focus on developing the markets in the region, setting up distribution channels and establishing partnerships.

With 15 years of satellite telecommunications experience, Gomez was most recently with Gilat Satellite Networks as the vice president of sales for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Additional experience with Gilat included technical marketing and business development. Prior to his role at Gilat, Gomez was with Scientific Atlanta in a lead engineering role involved in the design and implementation of voice and data VSAT networks.

 

Orbital Names Divisional Vice President

Orbital Sciences Corp. announced that David Low has been named vice president of its Technical Services Division (TSD), headquartered in Greenbelt, MD, succeeding Richard Hicks. Low has served with Orbital for the past eight years, joining the company’s Launch Systems Group in 1996 as vice president of Safety and Mission Assurance, spearheading the Group’s ISO qualification effort. In addition to holding several other senior positions in the company, Low most recently served as vice president and deputy general manager of Orbital’s Advanced Programs Group.

Prior to joining Orbital, Low was a NASA astronaut from 1984 until 1996.

 

Tachyon Networks Appoints Vice President and General Counsel

Tachyon Networks named Daniel Connors, Jr., vice president and general counsel succeeding F. Thomas Tuttle. Connors is responsible for protecting the legal interests of the company and corporate governance matters. He will also serve as secretary to Tachyon’s Board of Directors.

Connors’ commercial and regulatory satellite industry legal experience will help Tachyon’s business growth and expansion since Tachyon serves both commercial and government customers in the United States and abroad, since as a communications technology company, Tachyon is subject to regulation by U.S. and foreign governments. Most recently, he was acting general counsel to Orbimage, Inc., a remote sensing satellite company.

Services

Globecast and Panamsat Launch PanGlobal TV

Panamsat Corp. and Globecast teamed up to launch PanGlobal TV. Hosted on the PAS 8 satellite, this new Australian DTH platform will target international broadcasters looking to distribute their programming to Australia’s Pay TV market. They will be able to reach Australia’s 5 million multicultural viewers and to access an established DTH neighborhood of more than 60,000 homes, where the necessary antennas have already been deployed.

The service will transmit channel signals from either Globecast Australia’s Sydney teleport or the Panamsat Napa Valley teleport. In addition to digital encoding, signal processing and transport, Panamsat and Globecast Australia will uplink the space segment to the PAS 8 Ku-band Australia beam. PanGlobal TV offers backhaul to either the Napa teleport or the Sydney teleport by satellite, fiber or hybrid satellite/fiber contribution.

 

LORAL Starts Service On Telstar 18

Loral Space and Communications announced that Telstar 18, its satellite designed to provide communication services across Asia, has completed its in-orbit testing and is now operational. Built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) and operated by Loral Skynet, Telstar 18 was launched June 28, 2004, and is expected to exceed its specified 13-year life. Telstar 18 carries a total of 54 active transponders, of which 16 are Ku-band and 38 are C-band.

In addition to transmitting new applications, cable programming and direct-to-home broadcasting services, Telstar 18 is scheduled to begin hosting Skynet’s SkyReach two-way IP- based networking solution in 2005. Telstar 18’s users include regional video and data providers, such as Smart Digital Communications Bhd, of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and PSVN, Inc., which is based at the Hawaii Pacific Teleport.

 

PanAmsat Launches Galaxy Gateway

For broadcasters, Panamsat launched its Galaxy gateway, providing access to a global hybrid satellite and fiber network able to reach more than 98 percent of the world’s population.

The 24-satellite fleet, 22,000 miles of video fiber and 34 Points of Presence (POPs) in Asia, Europe, Australia and North America, create a platform for the delivery of international full-time television and video programming, specifically designed to support bandwidth-intensive transmissions. The Galaxy gateway is a seamless, end-to-end delivery service to the Galaxy cable neighborhood, including the HD neighborhood in the Americas.

 

Skystream Networks Introduces zBand 4.5

SkyStream Networks unveiled a new version of its content delivery platform for IPTV, Media-on-Demand (MoD) and Business TV services. zBand 4.5 integrates encryption from Certicom to prevent signal theft and adds automation of key features to make it easier for telco, satellite or cable operators to roll out MoD or other time-shifted content delivery services and for businesses to create their own TV networks.

The SkyStream’s zBand service is able to protect content owner copyright, corporate intellectual property and third-party information from theft during transmission over any multicast network to the user play-out device, which eliminates the need to purchase third-party conditional access software. zBand 4.5 also now automates user registration, targeting and scheduling of media delivery, which gives telco, cable and satellite operators an integrated, one-step management platform for media-on-demand service deployments. In addition, zBand also adds support for the MPEG-4 AVC advanced video codec, and provides automation and scheduling enhancements including a toolkit for service providers to generate customized user interfaces.

Contracts

Caprock Contracts With Intelsat

CapRock Communications, a satellite communications service provider focused on remote industrial markets–including oilfield, construction, maritime, mining and disaster relief, selected Intelsat to provide satellite services in North America and signed a new contract for capacity on the IA-6TM satellite. CapRock has more than two decades of experience delivering business communications, including secure corporate networking and telephony services to companies with operations in hard to reach places.

CapRock will provide access to the IA-6 satellite via one of its six international teleports, with managed services controlled through its 24/7 global network operations center headquartered in Houston, TX.

 

Comtech EF Data Partners With PETREX

Comtech EF Data Corp. entered a sales representation agreement with Petrex International. The New York-based company is a manufacturers’ representative firm specializing in the satellite infrastructure marketplace.

The agreement allows Petrex International to sell Comtech EF Data’s satellite communications equipment across the Northeast corridor of the United States. Through this agreement, Petrex will provide support services on Comtech EF Data’s products, including first-level technical support, product solutions and order fulfillment.

 

EADS Astrium Wins Satellite Control Center Bid

EADS Astrium, a Europe satellite system manufacturer, will deliver a multi-mission Satellite Control Center (SCC) to control the Arabsat 2B and Arabsat 3A Alcatel Spacebus 3000 satellites, and the Arabsat 4A and Arabsat 4B Eurostar satellites.

EADS Astrium will design, integrate, validate, install and deploy the Opsware-based SCC on Arabsat sites in Dirad (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and in Tunis (Tunisia), where it will provide operations automation and unification in order to keep the highest availability of service and to consolidate the operations of the fleet. Astrium has subcontracted the TM/TC layer to GMV with its HiflyTM product based in SCOS 2000, ESA’s next-generation control system kernel.

 

Gilat Contracts With Optus

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. announced an agreement to supply Australia’s telecommunications company, SingTel-Optus, with a SkyEdge hub and remote sites for the expansion of Optus’ existing Gilat networks, which will also be upgraded to SkyEdge. SkyEdge is Gilat’s unified platform supporting applications and topologies including mesh, star and multistar.

Optus operates two-way satellite services throughout Australia and New Zealand based predominantly on Gilat’s systems, which will now be expanded to SkyEdge as well. The existing Gilat network is already being used by Optus to deliver distance learning services to small rural towns and isolated homesteads in New South Wales and across the Northern Territory. The network will now be expanded to support additional distance learning applications, health, and rural broadband for SOHO and SMEs as well as for corporations throughout Australia.

 

Hughes Network Systems Signs With Broadnet Czech

Hughes Network Systems Inc. (HNS), announced the signature of its first contract with Broadnet Czech, to supply the HNS AB9400 28 GHz LMDS point-to-multipoint system in Prague, Czech Republic. The initial network began commercial service in late September.

The AB9400 28 GHz LMDS product line has features and capabilities that enable clients to provide IP services. HNS delivered the system that offers QoS (quality of service) support for IP and ATM traffic, as well as supporting simultaneous TDM, ATM and IP traffic at both the subscriber and hub sites. With this product, Broadnet is targeting a segment of the IP services market that DSL cannot reach.

 

Integral Systems Inc. Signs With SingTel

Integral Systems Inc. inked a contract with SingTel Optus to expand the Optus C1 satellite control system to include support for the Optus D1 and D2 satellites. Under the contract, Integral will provide the primary and backup control center software used to operate those satellites when they are launched. The satellites are being constructed by Orbital Sciences Corp.

 

Norsat Wins Transceiver Order

Norsat International Inc. won Dynamic Engineers Inc.’s $940,000 order for the company’s satellite transceivers. The first half of the order will be shipped by the end of this year, and the balance will be shipped in 2005.

 

Radyne Comstream Selected By Alabama Public TV

Radyne ComStream announced that its Armer Division has been selected by Alabama Public TV to provide and install a digital satellite distribution system for state-wide satellite transmission of HDTV and SDTV PBS programming.

The order is valued at approximately $1 million. The network combines technology and products from Radyne’s Tiernan Video subsidiary and Radyne’s Satellite and Microwave operation. Radyne’s Tiernan Video subsidiary will provide SDTV encoders and both HDTV and SDTV decoders. Video signals will be distributed via satellite using Radyne’s satellite modulators and converters.

 

Spacenet Wins Contract With Buffet

Gilat’s subsidiary, Spacenet, was selected by Buffet Inc., to deploy a Connexstar broadband VSAT network, offering services to 350 restaurants in 35 states nationwide. The network will be used to support its networking applications such as high-speed credit authorization and corporate intranet connection.

Spacenet’s Connexstar provides commercial-grade, two-way broadband networking solutions to enterprises, and supports a wide range of business applications through a single, compact remote access device incorporating networking and routing functionality.

 

Swe-dish Wins Contract With TVP

Swe-Dish Satellite Systems signed a contract with Telewizja Polska (TVP), a broadcaster in Poland, for five complete DA150K drive-away satellite systems, adding to a previous order for the Swe-Dish IPT Suitcase system. The two orders combined are more than 1.2 million euros. TVP will use the drive-away systems to strengthen its satellite newsgathering operations and its coverage of major events. The IPT Suitcase will be used to cover breaking news as well as for overseas news.

The Swe-Dish DA150K drive-away antenna system is designed for high antenna performance. At site, the antenna deploys and automatically points to the selected satellite. The Swe-Dish IPT Suitcase is compact and a quick-to-air satellite terminal. The IPT Suitcase with its one-person operation allows live transmission of up to 6 Mbps from site locations worldwide.

Technology

Advantech Offers New DVB-RCS Solution

Advantech AMT, a Canadian manufacturer of satellite and terrestrial wireless communication equipment, announced the launch of its DVB-RCS compliant product. This indoor terminal provides an upgrade path from DVB-SCPC networking architectures for IP network operating customers with smaller networks who may want to step up to large-scale network operations.

The DVB-RCS is the large scale satellite data networking standard, developed by the DVB Project and standardized by the ETSI as EN 301 790. It can provide high-speed Internet access regardless of geographic location or terrestrial cabling. (Advantech, 657 Orly Avenue, Dorval, Quebec Canada H9P 1G1; Tel.: +1 514/420-0045; Fax : +1 514/420-0073; http://www.advantechAMT.com)

 

ATCi Introduces VSAT Transceivers

Antenna Technology Communications, Inc., (ATCi) introduced its new family of solid-state C- and Ku-band VSAT transceivers designed for indoor and outdoor use. ATCi’s new line of RF products is designed for continuous operation in the harshest outdoor environments and is tested through the full range of operating temperatures to reliability.

Available in C- and Ku-band, in a range of power outputs, ATCi’s transceivers provide technical performance, enhanced phase noise and linearity in a modular configuration that minimizes failure and downtime. (ATCi, 450 North McKemy; Chandler, AZ 85226; Tel: 480/844-8501; Fax: 480/898-7667; http://www.atci.com)

 

Comtech EF Data Introduces New Products

Comtech EF Data announced the introduction of a new Forward Error Correction (FEC) codec, based on Low-Density Parity-Check Codes (LDPC), for its CDM-600 Satellite Modem.

In addition, Comtech released an integrated IP-enabled satellite modem and network capacity management system that delivers network efficiency benefits to users, including the ability to adjust satellite bandwidth based on application, load or schedule plus enabling the network to more effectively handle connection-oriented applications.

The CDM-570L modem with IP module can now be integrated with the Vipersat Management System (VMS) to provide an automated network and capacity management tool designed for satellite networks. VMS also allows the CDM -570L satellite modem to switch from shared to dedicated mode. Inbound transmissions from remotes can be switched from a shared selective time division multiple access (STDMA) mode to a dedicated single carrier per channel (SCPC) connection manually or automatically, triggered by application or load or on a scheduled basis.

Through VMS, point-to-point mesh connections can be established between remotes. The result enables bandwidth to be shared and directed where it is needed for any mix of IP voice, video or data traffic.(Comtech EF Data, 2114 W 7th Street, Tempe , AZ 85281; Tel: 480/333-2200, Fax: 480/333-2540, http://www.comtechefdata.com)

 

Irdeto Access Introduces The Epsilon Card

Irdeto Access, a provider of content security and a subsidiary of Naspers, announced the release of the Epsilon Card with FlexiFlash technology. This technology allows for security and functionality changes over the air, reducing update costs associated with physical smart card swap and speeds up the deployment of piracy countermeasures.

FlexiFlash supports the company’s security strategy, which is to deliver a new smart card every 12 to 18 months to its customers to limit the potential impact of piracy by mixing card types within the network. (Irdeto Access, Jupiterstraat 42, 2132 HD Hoofddorp, The Netherlands; Tel: +31 23 556 2770, Fax: +31 23 556 2240; http://www.irdetoaccess.com)

 

Intorel Releases Visionic 2.0

The new Visionic 2.0 version was recently released. Keeping all the features of its predecessor, Visionic 2.0 has integrated in the new version capabilities that further optimize M&C systems including: synchronization of the project changes or synchronization of new projects deployed from the remote stations without interrupting the run of the server program; integration and execution of macros directly from Visionic elements, and deployment using the "macro button"; a scheduler feature that allows automatic start of operations and macros; and network optimizations, especially for reliable networks (faster execution) and slow networks where automatic reduction of the notification messages cuts the network traffic, to name a few. (INTOREL, Rue Philippe II, L-2340 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Tel: +352 26 37 05 01; Fax: +352 26 37 05 02; http://www.visionic-system.com)

 

ND Satcom Introduces SkyRAY Compact 1500

ND SatCom announced the introduction of its antenna subsystem SkyRAY Compact 1500 for broadcast and media customers. This addition to ND SatCom’s SkyRAY series line is catering to the SNG market.

The SkyRAY Compact 1500 combines uplink capabilities with the smart dimensions of a roof-top box. It accommodates a 1.5-meter antenna and, for example, a ND SatCom 400W TWT amplifier or a redundant SSPA configuration. (Graf-von-Soden-Strasse, 88090 Immenstaad,Germany; Tel: +49 7545 939 0, Fax:+49 7545 939 8780; http://www.ndsatcom.com)

 

Radyne Comstream Enhances Its DVB Modulator

Radyne ComStream’s DVB modulator is now DVB-S and DVB-S2 ready and field upgradeable. With an interface kit and the company’s PCMCIA EZ upgrade card, customers’ DVB uplink can operate all the benefits of DVB-S2. Some of the benefits include: 30 percent bandwidth efficiencies, carrier to noise figures below the noise floor and tighter BW spacing, to name a few. For current owners of a DM240 modulator, it is easy and inexpensive to upgrade the existing equipment. The DM240 also offers speeds up to 238 Mbps and flexible modulation schemes available (QPSK, 8PSK, 16QAM). (Radyne Comstream, 3138 E. Elwood St., Phoenix, AZ 85034; Tel: 800/858-2908; Fax: 602/437-4811; Web: http://www.radn.com)

 

Satservice Announces New Antenna Control System

SatService, a provider of satellite ground stations, satellite news gathering systems, in-orbit-test, monitoring and control systems, network management systems and VSAT networks, unveiled its new sat-nms antenna control system.

The antenna control system is used in satellite ground stations to position and track the parabolic antenna in azimuth, elevation and polarization reliable to the satellite. It is composed of an Outdoor Module (ODM), which has a Web-featured antenna positioner and an Indoor Unit (IDU), which enables the user to operate the antenna through a user interface based on sat-nms M and C System software technology. (SatService, Gesellschaft fur Kommunikationssysteme mbH, Hardstrasse 9 D, 78256 Steislingen, Germany; Tel: + 07738- 97003, Fax: +07738-97005; http://www.satservicegmbh.de)

 

SKywave Mobile Introduces Two New Terminals

SkyWave Mobile Communications, a provider of Inmarsat D+ satellite airtime, services and terminal equipment, introduced two Inmarsat D+ satellite terminals for tracking, monitoring and control of fixed and mobile assets such as ships or trucks, worldwide. SkyWave’s solutions allow companies to track their vehicles or assets via GPS, but also communicate using short message service (SMS) over the Inmarsat D+ satellite network to send security or event alerts from remote terminals, monitor the surrounding environment and control the asset.

SkyWave’s DMR200 satellite terminals are D+ satellite terminals with an integrated low-elevation antenna that enhances terminal performance, and have configuration and programming capabilities that allow them autonomous operation and reconfiguration either locally or over the air. (SkyWave Mobile Communications, 30 Edgewater Street Unit 110, Kanata Ontario, Canada; Tel: 613/836-4844, Fax: 613/836-1088; http://www.skywave.com)

 

Stratos Releases Messaging Solution

Stratos Global Corp. [SGB] launched its next-generation Stratos messaging solution that provides a platform for satellite-based maritime messaging and communications. Users now have access to a unified software solution that provides a single system to support e-mail, fax, telex and SMS messaging.

The service features an enhanced data-handling capability and, according to Stratos, it may lead to a reduction in time and costs for ship-to-shore communications. (Stratos Global, 6901 Rockledge Drive, Suite 900 Bethesda, MD 20817; Tel: 301/214-8800; Fax: 301/214-8801; http://www.stratosglobal.com)