8 September 2002
Satcoms
Bringing Connectivity to Intelsat's GlobalConnex Solutions
Casey's General
Stores Signs 5-Year Contract with HNS for 1,100 Site Broadband Network
HNS Provides
Datasat with Broadband Network for Ukraine Market
Inmarsat Awards Satellite
Terminal Development Contract To HNS
Intelsat Provides DTH to
AFRTS
Intercom
Online and ITC^DeltaCom Sign As Immeon Satellite Service Provider
Iridium Satellite and
Blue Sky Network Enhance Communications for Aviation Customers
Navigation
North Carolina Transit Agency Tracks Vehicle Fleet Using
GPS System From Radio Satellite Integrators
Military
Space
BAe Systems
Receives Satellite Computer Contract From Lockheed Martin
ViaSat to Provide Earth Terminal
Antenna Systems for Wideband Gapfiller Ka Band Satellite
Business
Integral Systems to Acquire RT Logic
Loral to Combine CyberStar and Skynet
Units
Products and Services
Kingston inmedia Introduces iTV Services That Lower the Barrier to
Entry
People
Space Imaging Names John Deal as Chief Marketing
Officer
Bringing Connectivity to Intelsat's GlobalConnex Solutions
(3 September 2002)
Tandberg Television has been retained by AF Associates to provide Intelsat with
three digital video systems designed to create a hybrid satellite and
terrestrial service for Intelsat GlobalConnex customers.
Announced earlier this year, Intelsat's GlobalConnex Solutions is a portfolio
of bundled services that combine Intelsat's global satellite fleet with
terrestrial capabilities to offer tailored end-to-end services including
Internet Trunking, International Private Line (IPL) and Video solutions. As
part of GlobalConnex, Intelsat is expanding its video solutions and deploying
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) telco usage to meet its customers' evolving
and diverse needs.
The Tandberg Television systems will be used to
provide satellite and terrestrial transmission and will encompass digital
switching, routing, multiplexing and encoding equipment for an ATM network,
with support for up to at least six audio/video channels over any combination
of terrestrial and/or satellite connectivity. AF Associates, a long-time
business partner of Tandberg Television, recommended and procured the equipment
and is providing design and integration services for the three systems.
The complete systems, scheduled for launch during the third quarter of
2002, will feature Tandberg Television E5710 encoders with MPEG-2 4:2:2MP@ML
encoding options, MA5300 MPEG adapters for ATM connectivity and TT6120
MediaLinks. Each system will be constructed to provide both teleport and Video
PoP solutions to allow for encoding capability, transmission and reception.
Simultaneously, two Tandberg Television integrated nCompass monitoring
systems will be installed for complete system monitoring at the Intelsat
network operations centre in Washington along with the completely redundant
system at Intelsat's secondary network operations facility.
Casey's General Stores Signs 5-Year Contract with HNS for 1,100
Site Broadband Network
(3 September 2002) Hughes Network Systems (HNS) Inc
has signed a five-year contract with Casey's General Stores, Inc, an Iowa-based
convenience store operation, for the provision of its comprehensive satellite
network solution to 1,100 Casey's sites across the Midwest of the USA.
The HNS satellite network solution offers a diverse range of
applications including multimedia delivery, point-of-sales transactions,
inventory control and Internet/intranet access. Casey's will use the network to
improve the speed of credit card transactions and back-office
polling.
HNS
Provides Datasat with
Broadband Network for Ukraine Market
(5 September 2002) Hughes Network Systems Inc (HNS)
has signed a contract with Datasat Inc, a Ukrainian satellite communications
company, to provide Datasat with a comprehensive broadband satellite network,
including a network operations centre (NOC) and remote user terminals.
The new broadband satellite network allows Datasat to expand
its service offerings throughout all of Ukraine to include high-speed Internet
access and broadband intranet, interactive distance learning, business
television, broadcast video, micro-advertising in stores, telemedicine,
telephony (facsimile) and interactive data transmission. This will be the first
offering of two-way broadband by satellite services in Ukraine.
Installation has already begun and the network is expected to become
operational by the end of September.
Datasat is a leading mobile and
fixed satellite communications provider in Ukraine, and part of the Incom
Corporation. Datasat provides voice, facsimile, data, short messaging services
(SMS) and GPS using EMSAT (the European mobile satellite communication system).
The D-Sat satellite communication system offers the best solution for customers
requiring fast deployment of a flexible, effective communications network in
remote, geographically scattered locations with difficult terrain or in regions
with a poor terrestrial infrastructure. The D-Sat system provides data, voice
and video applications.
Inmarsat
Awards Satellite
Terminal Development Contract To HNS
(4 September 2002) Hughes Network Systems Inc has been
awarded a US$ 15M contract by Inmarsat Ltd to design and develop mobile
satellite terminals with voice and 3G-compatible broadband data capabilities
via Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN).
BGAN will provide a variety of 3G UMTS-based services via two geostationary
satellites. Inmarsat plans to launch the first of the Inmarsat 4 (I-4)
satellites late in 2003 with the aim to begin BGAN service in 2004. The BGAN
infrastructure is based on a 3G-compatible core network with a specially
designed Radio Access Network (RAN) implementing the second-generation Inmarsat
Air Interface (IAI2).
The HNS BGAN-terminal will be an IP-based LAN
access point that will support BGAN data rates up to 432 kb/s (bi-directional)
with UMTS compatibility. Standard interfaces to PCs will include Ethernet, USB,
ISDN and WLAN.
Intelsat
Provides DTH to
AFRTS
(3 September 2002)
Intelsat, working with Artel Inc is delivering satellite direct-to-home (DTH)
services through the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) to
individuals living in more than 15,000 households in Korea and Japan.
Intelsat's solution enables AFRTS to deliver four distinct services on six
television channels, a program guide and 11 radio programming services through
the American Forces Network (AFN), a world-wide radio and broadcast network, to
keep Americans outside the US informed of current events. The radio stations
include a primary news, talk and sports channel that broadcasts over 500 live
professional and collegiate sports each year, seven music stations, Fox Sports
Plus and ESPN Sport Plus. The television channels include a wide selection of
the network and cable programming that is seen daily in the US.
AFRTS
also utilises three other Intelsat satellites to distribute AFN and
Direct-to-Sailor (DTS) services to Americans located throughout the
world.
Intercom Online and ITC^DeltaCom Sign As Immeon Satellite Service
Providert
(5
September 2002) Immeon Networks LLC has announced Intercom Online and
ITC^DeltaCom Communications Inc as a resellers of Immeon bandwidth-on-demand
services.
Intercom Online will offer both Immeon
Peer-to-Peer and Access services. Peer-to-Peer service provides connections
directly between sites, while Access is a hub-spoke configuration with many
remote locations accessing a single data centre. Applications include backup
for terrestrial networks, Internet access, ISPs, service providers, service to
remote or temporary locations, and corporate networking.
ITC^DeltaCom
will offer Immeon Access bandwidth-on-demand services over an initial service
area which includes the United States plus portions of Canada and the
Caribbean.
Immeon Access provides a cost-effective service for fast,
two-way, bandwidth-on-demand between a network hub and hundreds of users for
Internet access, ISPs, service providers, and corporate networking. Access
customers share download capacity at rates up to 60 Mb/s, and return data to
the network hub at speeds up to 1.15 Mb/s to satisfy bandwidth-intensive
applications using IP data. Immeon offers committed information rates and
service level agreements to ensure that network performance levels and uptime
meet customer requirements.
Immeon users do not need to maintain
dedicated circuits, but instead can pay for broadband connections only as
needed. With the wide area coverage of satellite, cost is independent of the
length of the connection and virtually any location in North America is within
reach.
Immeon service plans include both always on and on-demand
capacity that enables customers to pay for data and voice bandwidth based on
monthly usage and data rate requirements. Customers pay only for the network
capacity they use making broadband affordable for applications such as wide
area networking, data continuity, network restoration, remote WAN access,
interim services, and network load balancing.
Immeon offers committed
information rates and service level agreements to ensure that network
performance levels and uptime meet customer requirements. With Immeon emergency
backup or capacity augmentation, data is automatically routed to the Immeon
network when terrestrial lines are full or inoperable.
ViaSat Inc and
Loral Skynet, a subsidiary of Loral Space and Communications, formed Immeon
Networks LLC to offer cost-effective, broadband-on-demand services. Immeon
service plans include both always-on and on-demand capacity that enables
customers to pay for data and voice bandwidth based on monthly usage and data
rate requirements. Customers pay only for the network capacity they use making
broadband affordable for applications such as wide area networking, data
continuity & network restoration, remote WAN access, interim services, and
network load balancing. The initial service area includes the United States
plus portions of Canada and the Caribbean.
Iridium Satellite and Blue Sky Network Enhance Communications for
Aviation Customers
(4 September 2002) Iridium Satellite LLC has announced
a service partner agreement with Blue Sky Network, a provider of satellite
communications solutions for the aviation industry. Combined, Iridium and Blue
Sky enable aviation customers to improve cockpit and cabin communications and
enhance overall flight safety.
Blue Sky's latest product
release is the FAA-certified C-1000 fixed console system which includes a full
featured Motorola satellite phone, TSO'd antenna and complete installation kit
for about one-fourth the price of comparable systems on the market
today.
North
Carolina Transit Agency
Tracks Vehicle Fleet Using GPS System From Radio Satellite Integrators
(4 September 2002)
Radio Satellite Integrators Inc. (RSI) has announced the completion of an
Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system for The Triangle Transit Authority
(TTA) of North Carolina.
The TTA is responsible for
regional public transportation within the area known as The Research Triangle
in North Carolina. Radio Satellite Integrators was selected to implement the
full AVL/Mobile Data system for 75 buses and other vehicles in their fixed
route transit fleet. Utilising Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) for the
wireless communications, the AVL/MDT system updates location and status every
thirty seconds. Using the real-time GPS position and status data, the system
provides the TTA administrators and dispatchers with valuable schedule
adherence information at the base. RSI also engineered the backend system to
provide the riders and general public access to view the vehicles' constantly
updated locations and schedules through a Web site on the Internet.
Each vehicle is equipped with a Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) and allows for
two-way text messaging between the drivers and base station. In addition, each
vehicle has a dash mounted driver emergency panic button that instantly alerts
the dispatcher when activated.
BAe
Systems Receives
Satellite Computer Contract From Lockheed Martin
(3 September 2002) BAe Systems has been awarded a US$
9.5 million contract from Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space to develop and
build radiation-hardened onboard computers for the Air Force's Advanced
Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellite system.
BAe Systems Information & Electronic Warfare Systems
(IEWS) will provide computers for the command and control subsystem of the AEHF
satellite bus. The computers will be based on the industry standard RAD6000
microprocessor built at IEWS' Manassas, Virginia, facility.
The
company is also providing radiation-hardened custom logic and memory components
and RAD750 single-board computers for the AEHF system payload under a separate
contract from TRW's Space & Electronics Group.
The BAe Systems
contract with Lockheed Martin will run through 2005. Engineering models will be
delivered in 2003 and final flight units in 2005. The contract includes options
for additional flight units.
The AEHF system will be a four-satellite,
cross-linked constellation in geosynchronous orbit that will provide secure,
survivable, and protected communications systems for the US military. The AEHF
system will replace the current Milstar-II communications system.
The
AEHF program is managed by the US Space Command's Milsatcom Joint Program
Office. Lockheed Martin is the AEHF prime contractor and will be providing the
spacecraft bus and mission control segment.
ViaSat to Provide Earth Terminal Antenna Systems for Wideband
Gapfiller Ka Band Satellite
(3 September 2002) ViaSat Inc has been selected by ITT
Industries to provide the antenna systems for the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite
(WGS) Ka band terminals program.
ITT Industries was
recently awarded the prime contract to provide the satellite earth terminals
and support to the US Army's Project Manager Defense Communications and Army
Transmission Systems (PM DCATS) for the WGS Ka band terminals program. The US$
17 million base contract for ITT includes a guaranteed buy of 2 Ka band
satellite earth terminals as well as first article testing, contract technical
documentation and associated spares. ITT's contract allows the Government to
procure up to 50 terminals over a 6-year period that could bring the total
contract with the PM DCATS to more than US$ 113 million. ITT's contract also
includes a 10-year provision to provide complete life cycle support of the
earth terminals. Contract work will be performed by ITT's Systems Division with
significant support from ViaSat's Satellite Ground Systems Division.
Through a subcontract with ITT, ViaSat is expected to provide the critical Ka
band satellite antenna systems for the primary strategic terminals that the
United States Department of Defense will use to communicate over the WGS
satellites scheduled for initial launch in mid 2004. The WGS system is a
high-capacity military satellite communications system that will service all
branches of the military.
Intelsat
906
Launched: 6
September 2002
Site: CSG Kourou, French Guiana
Launcher: Ariane 44L
Orbit: GEO, 64° E
International Number: 2002-041A
Name: Intelsat
906
Owner: Intelsat
Contractor: Space Systems/Loral
Intelsat
906 is a commercial communications satellite which is owned and operated by
Intelsat. It will replace Intelsat 804 at 64° E which will be moved to
176° once Intelsat 906 is on station in October this year.
Intelsat 906 carries 72 C band and 22 Ku band transponders. It weighed 4,723 kg
at lift-off and has a design life of 13 years. The satellite will provide high
power Ku band spot beam coverage for Western Europe and part of Asia and
additional C band capacity to customers in Europe, Asia, Africa and
Australia.
Integral
Systems to Acquire RT
Logic
(3 September
2002) Integral Systems Inc has signed a Letter of Intent proposing to acquire
Real Time Logic Inc (RT Logic) of Colorado Springs, Colorado. RT Logic is a
privately held company that specialises in the real time satellite, ground,
test, and range computing markets. RT Logic provides software driver products,
hardware/firmware-based interface systems, engineering services, integrated
development platforms, and complete turnkey solutions.
Under the terms of the proposal, Integral Systems will pay RT Logic
shareholders consideration nominally valued at US$ 36.5 million, of which
approximately US$ 10.0 million will be in the form of a future earnout based on
RT Logic pre-tax income over the next three to four fiscal years. Payments are
expected to be made with 50% cash and 50% Integral common stock. The
acquisition of RT Logic is subject to the negotiation and execution of a
definitive purchase agreement and is expected to close on or about October 1,
2002.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002, RT Logic recorded US$
12.6 million in revenue and earned US$ 1.7 million of net income
(audited).
Loral to Combine CyberStar and Skynet Units
(5 September 2002)
Loral Space & Communications has announced that, effective immediately, it
is integrating the operations of two subsidiaries, Loral CyberStar and Loral
Skynet.
The combined units will report to Loral Skynet
president, Terry Hart.
As a provider of global data, voice, video and
Internet backbone services, CyberStar delivers private voice and data networks
and Internet Service Provider services, via its hybrid space/terrestrial
network, to more than 300 enterprises and service providers world-wide. Based
in Rockville, Maryland, and with offices in North America, Europe and Asia,
CyberStar generated 2001 data services revenues of US$ 98 million.
Skynet is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing operators of
telecommunications satellites, providing high-volume communications and data
transmission services to broadcasting, cable TV, Internet and industrial
companies around the world. Its fleet of seven satellites covers the globe, and
three more are in late stages of construction. Skynet is based in Bedminster,
New Jersey, and had 2001 revenues of US$ 389 million.
Kingston inmedia Introduces iTV Services That Lower the Barrier to
Entry
(4 September
2002) Kingston inmedia has announced that its services designed specifically
for interactive TV (iTV) producers and operators are being enhanced with new
offerings that lower the cost of entry, and are designed to drive the take-up
of interactive TV.
The services offered to interactive
and enhanced programme providers, include:
Hosting facility in Centre
K with direct connection to Astra uplinking services - With high levels of
redundancy and connectivity, including Tier 1 internet access provision, Centre
K is the ideal place to host revenue earning iTV data servers.
Interactive uplinking - Kingston inmedia is currently uplinking a transponder
for BBCi using fully redundant uplinks.
On site telco connectivity -
through direct access to the Kingston Communications' switch via high capacity
fibre routes. This also allows access to Interactive Voice Response platforms
essential for many of the most popular income generating iTV applications, such
as voting. In addition, Kingston inbusiness offers a comprehensive Premium Rate
Service number range that provides a choice of pricing levels to perfectly suit
these media applications and their requirements. This combination of IVR and
PRS enables Kingston inbusiness to handle the largest iTV projects.
Carousel hosting for streaming interactive content - Kingston offers hosting of
the video carousel necessary to ease the streaming of interactive content. The
co-location of a playout centre allows the synchronisation of interactive and
enhanced content with the main video stream.
Space
Imaging Names John Deal
as Chief Marketing Officer
(4 September 2002) Space Imaging has announced the
appointment of John R Grizz Deal to chief marketing officer. Deal's appointment
is effective immediately.
Deal reports to Jody Tedesco
chief operating officer and is responsible for Space Imaging's global marketing
efforts. He will focus on the company's brand development and corporate
positioning, market strategy, integrated marketing communications, marketing
research and product requirements, and business development. Deal has more than
15 years experience in the earth science, telecommunications and software
industries and is a nationally recognised authority on federal technology
commercialisation and science policy.
Before joining Space Imaging,
Deal was president, chief executive officer and founder of LizardTech Inc.
Prior to LizardTech, he was a consulting staff member for the Computer Research
and Applications group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Deal has more than 20
years entrepreneurial experience and has partnered with a wide variety of
market leaders including AT&T, ESRI, Apple, Microsoft, ERDAS, British
Telecom, Integraph, Mitsubishi, NIMA, USGS and mmO2. Deal holds a master's
degree in applied geographic systems from Texas A&M University and is a
frequent industry speaker.
