9 June 2002
Earth
Observation
ImageSat
Reduces Prices of Archived Satellite Imagery by 50%
Manned
Space
ISS Space Agencies
Make Statement
Technology
Cooling Hubble’s Infrared Camera
Rocketdyne Designing First Large
Reusable Hydrocarbon Rocket Engine
Launches
Intelsat 905
STS 111 - ISS UF 2 (Multi Purpose
Logistics Module)
Business
Helius Announces Broadband Partnerships
SES Global and Gilat Satellite
Networks Complete Formation Of Satlynx
StarBand Declares Bankruptcy
Products and Services
Foundation Telecoms Introduces SatLink Mobile Satellite
Trailer
High Power
Ku Band GaAs FET from Toshiba
TriQuint Semiconductor Introduces High Power Amp for VSAT
Terminals
People
European Satellite Operators Association Appoints Secretary
General
Kingston
inmedia Appoints New Director of Sales
ImageSat Reduces Prices of Archived Satellite Imagery by 50%
(3 June
2002) ImageSat has announced that it is slashing its prices by 50% in an effort
to put high-resolution EROS A imagery in the hands of commercial organisations
and private individuals.
The new commercial promotion
enables customers to sub-select portions of archived imagery as small as five
square kilometres for a minimum fee of US$ 25.
Commercial customers
find ImageSat's panchromatic images especially suitable for such applications
as infrastructure planning and management, mapping, 3D models, simulation,
environmental monitoring, and search and rescue operations.
For the
year and a half since EROS A has been in orbit, ImageSat has primarily served
the National Security market, which relies heavily on high-resolution,
panchromatic imagery.
High-resolution imagery, which is generally
considered to be 2 meters or better, is offered commercially by only a few
vendors world-wide. ImageSat offers imagery from its Earth Resources
Observation Satellite, known as EROS A, in standard 1.8-meter and oversampled
1-meter resolutions.
ImageSat International NV is an international
provider of high-resolution earth imagery for commercial applications. The
Company's global network of Acquisition, Archiving and Distribution Ground
Stations enable ImageSat to provide world-wide coverage and Internet access to
imagery collected by its EROS A satellite. Established in 1997, the Company
maintains its headquarters and primary Internet transaction hub in Cyprus. The
EROS B1 satellite, which will offer higher quality resolution and a
significantly higher data link rate than EROS A, as well as multispectral
capabilities, is due to be operational in 2004
ISS Space Agencies Make Statement
(3 June
2002) The space agencies involved in the construction of the International
Space Station (ISS) met this week to discuss the way forward on the project
which has been compromised by budget cuts and cost overruns at NASA.
The participating space agencies issued the following joint
statement:
“The leaders of the space agencies taking part in the
International Space Station (ISS) programme, including the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States, the Canadian Space Agency
(CSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), National Space Development Agency of
Japan (NASDA) and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos), met
today at ESA's Headquarters to discuss the status of the ISS programme.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the ISS International Partners
reaffirmed their commitment to working together on the development, assembly
and use of the ISS for scientific and applied research. In particular, they
noted the tremendous achievements that have already been accomplished through
their cooperation on the ISS, which has so far been assembled with nearly
flawless precision.
During their meeting the ISS International
Partners discussed and agreed upon a timeline for next steps to assure that the
ISS can be assembled and operated in a way that meets its unique world-class
research objectives, while not compromising the basic requirements of sound
system engineering and safety.”
Considering the scale of the
problems faced by the ISS project which has seen cost overruns of billions of
dollars and essential modules cut from the structure to such an extent that
much of the science that would have been performed on the station (and which is
the whole official reason for the existence of the station) has been postponed
to the distant future, the lack of content in the statement is astonishing. I
hope the self congratulatory tone of the statement satisfies the taxpayers who
are pouring billions upon billions of dollars a year into the project every
year.
Cooling Hubble’s Infrared Camera
(5 June 2002) After more than
three years of inactivity, and thanks to a new cryogenic refrigerator, the
Hubble Space Telescope's Near Infrared Camera and Multi Object Spectrometer
(NICMOS) is now operational again.
The first NICMOS test
images demonstrate its powerful new capability for making remarkable
discoveries unique to space-based near-infrared astronomy. The NICMOS'
penetrating vision sliced through the edge-on dusty disk of a galaxy, NGC 4013,
to peer all the way into the galaxy's core. Astronomers were surprised to see
what appears to be an edge-on ring of stars, 720 light-years across, encircling
the nucleus. Though such star-rings are not uncommon in barred-spiral galaxies,
only NICMOS has the resolution to see the ring buried deep inside an edge-on
galaxy.
Installed on Hubble in February 1997, NICMOS used infrared
vision to probe dark, dusty, never-before-seen regions of space with the
optical clarity that only Hubble can provide. Its infrared detectors operated
at a very cold temperature of minus 213 degrees Celsius.
To keep the
detectors cold, NICMOS was encased in a thermos- like container filled with
solid nitrogen ice. It was expected that the solid nitrogen ice would last
approximately four years. However, the ice evaporated about twice as fast as
planned and was depleted after only 23 months of NICMOS science operations. In
1999 - with its supply of ice exhausted - NICMOS became dormant.
Determined not to be defeated, NASA scientists and engineers devised a plan to
restore NICMOS to life. They turned to a new mechanical cooling technology,
jointly developed by NASA and the US Air Force. The NICMOS Cooling System (NCS)
was built by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Creare Corporation
The mechanical cooler operates on principles similar to a modern home
refrigerator. It pumps ultra-cold neon gas through the internal plumbing of the
instrument. At its core are three miniature, high-tech turbines that spin at
rates up to about 430,000 rpm. Since the speed of the turbines can be adjusted
at will, the NICMOS light sensors can be operated at a more optimal temperature
than was possible before, about 77 degrees Kelvin.
The NICMOS cooling
system is virtually vibration-free, an important aspect for Hubble since
vibrations can affect image quality in much the same way that a shaky camera
produces blurred pictures.
Astronauts installed the NCS inside Hubble
during the fifth and final spacewalk of Servicing Mission 3B on March 8, 2002.
On March 18, the NCS was turned on via commands sent from the Space Telescope
Operations Control Center at Goddard. It has continued to operate flawlessly
ever since. The deep interior of the NICMOS reached the target temperature of
70 degrees Kelvin on April 11. Most of the internal heat had been removed from
the instrument, and the NCS stabilised itself at this temperature. On April 19,
NICMOS was brought up to a fully operational state and testing of its internal
condition began. Since then, fine adjustments have been made to the settings of
the NCS to optimise the instrument for best performance.
Rocketdyne Designing First Large Reusable Hydrocarbon
Rocket Engine
(5 June 2002) The Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power
business of The Boeing Company is deep into design work on a new reusable
rocket engine that will generate more than one million pounds of thrust (at sea
level) and could be the first-ever multi-mission booster to use oxygen-rich
gases in combination with kerosene fuel.
Design of the
new engine - the RS-84 - is currently in its first phase under funding from
NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI). This initial phase was initiated with a
US$ 34 million award to Boeing Rocketdyne and will ultimately involve a team of
100 engineers and technicians by the end of the phase next May.
Pending NASA acceptance of the design, the program could move into a second
phase in 2003 for an additional award of more than US$ 24 million. A prototype
RS-84 could emerge by 2006.
The principle behind the RS-84 is that
gaseous oxygen - which also functions as the combustion oxidiser - will be used
to drive the propellant turbopumps. In most engines the fuel, such as gaseous
hydrogen or kerosene, is used to drive the turbines.
Some unmanned
Russian engines have traditionally operated as oxygen-rich. But those engines
have always been expendables, and further, have required protective coatings on
engine parts, which means less reliability and durability. Using
Boeing-proprietary metals, the design now eliminates these coatings and their
attendant penalties. That, in turn, allows Rocketdyne to use kerosene in a
reusable rocket engine as the fuel, which offers higher thrust density than
hydrogen.
The RS-84 joins the RS-83 as two engine concepts being
investigated under the SLI effort. The RS-83 is a hydrogen-powered booster.
While both target future vehicles that have yet to be selected, the RS-84 is
also noteworthy for the power it would produce: more than one million pounds of
thrust. Rocketdyne engines have not been in that range since the Rocketdyne F-1
engine delivered 1.5 million pounds of thrust for the Saturn V vehicle of the
Apollo lunar program.
Intelsat 905
Launched: 5 June 2002
Site: CSG
Kourou, French Guiana
Launcher: Ariane 44L
Orbit: GEO, 24.5° W
International Number: 2002-027A
Name: Intelsat 905
Owner: Intelsat
Contractor: Space Systems/Loral
Intelsat 905 is a commercial
communications satellite. It will provide capacity for telephony, corporate
networks, Internet, video and hybrid space/terrestrial solutions to customers
on its 72 C band and 22 Ku band transponders (measured in 36 MHz equivalent
units). The satellite will provide high power Ku band spot beam coverage for
Western Europe and much of North America and additional C band capacity to
customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America and South America.
It weighed 4,723 kg at lift-off.
Intelsat 905 is based on
SS/Loral’s 1300 platform and has a design life in orbit of over 13 years.
The satellite is expected to be operational in July.
Intelsat's next
launch, the Intelsat 906 satellite, is scheduled to take place from French
Guiana, aboard an Ariane 44L launch vehicle, during the third quarter of this
year.
STS 111 - ISS UF 2 (Multi Purpose Logistics Module)
Launched: 5
June 2002
Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Launcher: Shuttle
Endeavour (STS-111)
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 226 km, perigee: 226 km:
inclination: 51.6°
International Number: 2002-028A
Name: STS 111 -
ISS UF 2 (Multi Purpose Logistics Module)
Owner: NASA
This shuttle
mission (Utility Flight 2) will carry the Expedition 5 crew to the
International Space Station (ISS) and will return with the Expedition 4 crew.
Mission duration will be 12 days.
During the mission the crewmembers
will attach a Canadian-built mobile base system to the Station that will enable
the Canadarm2 robotic arm to move along a railway on the Station's truss to
build and maintain the outpost. The crew will also will replace a faulty joint
on the Station's robotic arm and unload almost three tons of experiments and
supplies from the Italian-built Leonardo logistics carrier, making its third
visit to the Station aboard the shuttle.
Crew:
Commander: Ken
Cockrell
Pilot: Paul Lockhart
Mission Specialist 1: Franklin
Chang-Diaz
Mission Specialist 2: Philippe Perrin
Expedition Five (up):
Valery Korzun
Expedition Five (up): Peggy Whitson
Expedition Five (up):
Sergei Treschev
Expedition Four (down): Carl Walz
Expedition Four
(down): Yuri Onufrienko
Expedition Four (down): Daniel Bursch
Helius Announces Broadband Partnerships
(4 June
2002) Helius Inc has announced several strategic partnerships that enable
satellite-based business communication networks to be established more rapidly
and efficiently than ever before.
By integrating
products and services from world-class satellite technology companies, the
Helius Strategic Alliance Program offers customers the opportunity to obtain
network components that best meet their needs without the time consuming and
costly process of establishing multiple contracts and vendor relationships. The
time necessary to create a satellite network is minimised as experts from
Helius and Alliance companies combine expertise on behalf of the client.
The business advantages of a satellite-integrated network are diverse and
include services such as simultaneously providing training to hundreds of
remote sales representatives. The network allows live interaction between
corporate trainers and the sales representatives without the travel costs and
unproductive time that results from regional meetings. Broadcasting live video
via satellite eliminates numerous problems that occur when broadband content is
sent from a single source to multiple remote locations served by varying
routers, switches and bandwidth. A stable and secure broadband network is
established by integrating Helius hardware and software with satellite service
offered by Alliance members.
In addition to creating numerous customer
benefits, the Helius Alliance Program offers participating partner companies
the opportunity to share sales leads and benefit from joint marketing efforts.
The program also offers comprehensive customer service and support options. The
Strategic Alliance Program is focused on helping service providers, hardware
and software developers, system integrators, content providers, resellers/VARs,
and consultants create and sell products and services that complement or are
integrated with Helius products.
Helius develops routers, software and
custom engineered solutions that enable efficient, secure and reliable delivery
of broadband content over satellites and local area networks. The Company's
portfolio of broadband satellite and land-based routing solutions includes
products that enable a full range of video, voice and data to be distributed
across corporate computer networks and desktops. The enterprise-wide business
TV systems powered by Helius products give employees easy access to live or
stored content such as corporate broadcasts, distance learning courses,
training programs, software updates, databases and the Internet. Founded in
1995, Helius is a world-wide leader in combining IP, satellite, broadcast,
video and digital networking technologies.
SES Global and Gilat Satellite Networks Complete Formation
Of Satlynx
(5 June 2002) SES Global and Gilat Satellite Networks
Ltd have announced the closing of definitive agreements and the formation of
Satlynx, a new company that will provide two-way satellite broadband
communications services to enterprises, consumers and small office/home office
(SOHO) users throughout Europe. Following definitive agreements and regulatory
approval, Alcatel Space and SkyBridge, subsidiaries of Alcatel will join
Satlynx as a 20% shareholder.
Satlynx is fully
operational and has incorporated Gilat’s existing European operations and
enterprise customer base. Satlynx also services the wholesale contracts with BT
Openworld and with Tiscali for the provision of broadband satellite
connectivity to SOHO and consumer subscribers in Europe. The Company offers
consumer broadband services with Gilat’s 360 platform. Corporate customers
will use Gilat’s Skystar Advantage VSAT platform, as well as SES
Global’s high speed BBI technology, which is based on the DVB-RCS
standard.
Satlynx will be managed by an Executive Committee consisting
of:
Mr. Yves Elsen, President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Niki
Bassat, COO
Mr. Ami Samuels, CFO and SVP Corporate Development
Yves Elsen, Chief Executive Officer joins Satlynx from SES Global. He joined
SES in 1986 and currently serves as Senior Vice President, European Broadband
of SES Global and Chairman of SES Multimedia. Mr Elsen has 15 years of
satellite communications experience in various positions of general management,
business development and sales and marketing, among other serving in the
Management Committee of SES Astra. Before joining SES Mr Elsen worked for
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). Mr Elsen has an MBA from INSEAD and a
Master of Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
Niki
Bassat, Chief Operations Officer joins Satlynx from Gilat Satellite Networks
where he served as Vice President Operations, since 1995. At Gilat, he headed
several departments including engineering, production, technical support and
customer education. Before joining Gilat Satellite Networks, Mr Bassat worked
as Manager, Operations in Tadiran Telecommunication (1985-1995). He studied at
the Technion in Haifa (BSc Industrial Engineering) and Hebrew University in
Jerusalem (MBA).
Ami Samuels, CFO and SVP Corporate Development has
served for the past 4 years as Vice President, Broadband Networks of Gilat
Satellite Networks Ltd. Prior to joining Gilat, Mr Samuels spent nearly 10
years working on various financing, M&A and other Investment Banking
transactions with Lehman Brothers in New York and Tel Aviv. Mr Samuels’
most recent position at Lehman Brothers was Senior Vice President of Investment
Banking in the high technology sector. Mr Samuels has an MBA from Yale
University School of Management and a BA from Haifa University.
StarBand Declares Bankruptcy
(3 June 2002) StarBand,
America's leading consumer high-speed, two-way satellite Internet provider, has
filed a petition for Chapter 11 reorganisation with the US Bankruptcy Court in
Delaware.
As part of the reorganisation, StarBand has a
US$ 2.8 million commitment for debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing from
founding partner Gilat Satellite Networks.
StarBand has applied for
immediate court approval of the DIP financing. The company also announced that
ongoing customer and dealer operations are up and running and expects them to
be unaffected by the filing. StarBand intends to implement a number of
cost-saving programs during the reorganisation.
StarBand's Chapter 11
reorganisation petition includes motions that permit the company to continue
such operations as selling and commissioning StarBand service and providing
customer and technical support services to its customers, installers and
dealers.
The motions also permit StarBand to continue payments for
employee payroll and health benefits, obtain interim financing, and retain
legal, financial and other professional services to support the company's
reorganisation efforts. The motions were also filed to help StarBand preserve
cash on hand, continue ongoing operations and enhance its ability to pay
creditors.
A week before StarBand's bankruptcy reorganisation filing,
the company filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia,
charging that EchoStar Communications has not forwarded millions of dollars in
fees it has collected and is collecting as its billing agent.
As part
of the filing, StarBand sought immediate injunctive relief to direct EchoStar
to transfer back StarBand's customer base and to stop EchoStar from acting as
StarBand's billing agent.
The lawsuit and the related request for a
temporary restraining order (TRO) asserted that as a result of EchoStar's
conduct, StarBand would be irreparably harmed because it was denied its main
source of service revenue and access to its customer information.
The
District Court decided that the lawsuit was too complex to be decided at a
thirty minute TRO hearing and should be heard at trial, forcing StarBand to
seek protection under Chapter 11 reorganisation. StarBand has run out of cash
because, it claims, it has not been able to bill some 31,000 of its 41,000
customers for service. EchoStar is reported to owe StarBand more than US$ 2
million.
In its filing StarBand declared US$ 229 million in
liabilities and US$ 58 million in assets.
Foundation Telecoms Introduces SatLink Mobile Satellite
Trailer
(31 May 2002) Foundation Telecommunications has
introduced its Mobile Satellite Uplink Trailer: SatLink. The C or Ku band
SatLink offers a wide variety of optional features including two-way SCPC or
TDMA communications, high speed data link, moving map with USGS topographic
base linked with GPS and SatMaster Pro Software, pole mounted observation
camera system and three power systems - battery (up to 72 hours), propane
generator, and commercial power cabling.
Suggested
applications for the SatLink include: emergency disaster relief, rural economic
development, private state LAN/WAN communications, rural Internet
communications, state highway department, department of education, state parks
and recreation, interstate and intrastate secured communications.
The
State of South Dakota was the first to purchase the SatLink unit in the spring
of 2002, where it is being utilised for Rural Internet Communications.
The design goal of the SatLink was to provide a stable universal platform with
stable versatile power sub-systems capable of supporting any customer equipment
and satellite option. As designed, customers may purchase the basic SatLink and
add their own specialised electronics in the standard rack space provided.
Clients can choose from a wide variety of options including: antenna size, AC
power sub-system size, transmitter, lighting options, battery upgrades,
generator options, cellular phone communications package, air-conditioner,
heaters, wireless LAN and/or Free Space Optics and custom installation
kits.
High Power Ku Band GaAs FET from Toshiba
(3 June
2002) Toshiba America Electronic Components has announced an 18 W
internally-matched Ku band gallium arsenide field effect transistor (GaAs FET),
the highest power device currently available for operating in the 14.0 to 14.5
GHz range in satellite communications applications. Designated TIM1414-18L, the
new device developed by Toshiba Corp is targeted for use in solid-state power
amplifiers (SSPAs) for Ku band satellite communication transmitters and very
small aperture terminals (VSATs).
The first 18 W device
of its kind, the TIM1414-18L supports the highest output power from a single
device currently available and offers designers a solution for use in a smaller
high-power amplifier (HPA) design. Due to Toshiba's refinement of its gate
structure and fabrication process, the new device provides high linearity
performance to support the requirements of satcom applications.
The
TIM1414-18L is housed in a reliable, hermetically-sealed 2-11C1B package with a
small footprint measuring 21.5 mm x 12.9 mm. This allows designers to simplify
designs and lower total system cost by reducing device count. This device's
packaging is consistent with that of Toshiba's existing 10 W and 15 W Ku band
GaAs FETs, providing designers the ability to realise a higher output power
SSPA without requiring significant design changes.
The TIM1414-18L is
implemented in Toshiba's Heterojunction Field Effect Transistor (HFET) process
technology. The HFET process is ideal for high-power microwave devices due to
its high carrier concentration that enhances output power and gain. Since HFETs
have a higher Schottky Barrier height than GaAs Metal Semiconductor Field
Effect Transistors (MESFETs), HFETs achieve improved gate breakdown voltage
(BVgd) with reduced gate leakage current - a critical factor in higher-power
devices.
Key Features:
Product Specifications:
Part Number TIM1414-18L
Frequency Range 14.0 GHz to 14.5 GHz
P(1dB) (dBm) Typical 42.5
G(1dB) (dB) Typical 6.0
I(DS) (A) Maximum
6.0
IM(3) (dBc) Minimum -25
R(th (c-c)) (degrees C/W) Maximum/Typical
2.3/1.8
Package Type 2-11C1B
Pricing and Availability
Samples of the TIM1414-18L are scheduled to be available in September 2002,
priced at US$ 1,100 in quantities of 1,000. Full production is scheduled for
December.
TriQuint Semiconductor Introduces High Power Amp for VSAT
Terminals
(3 June 2002) TriQuint Semiconductor has announced a
new high power transmit amplifier for Satellite Ground Terminal and Microwave
Wave Digital Radio applications.
Satellite networks
provide signals for many consumer and commercial applications, including direct
broadcast television, high speed internet, and tracking for mobile navigation
systems. For two-way systems such as high speed Internet and mobile tracking,
transmit amplifiers are required for the uplink back to the orbital satellite.
Ground terminals (fixed or mobile) that operate in harsh environmental
conditions or deliver a high data rate with high linearity requirements,
generally require a multiwatt transmit amplifier.
The TGA2502 is
ideally suited for use as a transmit High Power Amplifier (HPA) in broadband
satellite ground terminal applications, mobile navigation systems, and digital
radio applications requiring high linear power. Due to the power and linearity
performance available from this single chip solution, subsystem integrators can
replace multi-chip modules thereby decreasing product complexity and cost.
The TGA2502 is fabricated using TriQuint's 0.5-micron gate length, power
pHEMT process. TriQuint's power pHEMT process delivers high frequency device
performance coupled with high device yields of a mature production process.
The TGA2502 is currently shipping in pre-production volumes, with an
expected ramp to full volume production in the second half of 2002. Parts are
currently available as die and soon will be offered in packaged form.
Technical specifications:
The TGA2502 bond pad and
backside metallisation is gold plated for compatibility with eutectic alloy
attachment methods as well as with thermocompression and thermosonic wire
bonding. Each chip is 100% DC and RF tested on-wafer to ensure performance
compliance.
Production pricing for 10,000 piece quantities is US$ 68
each. Delivery is available from stock to 12 weeks for higher volume
orders.
European Satellite Operators Association Appoints Secretary
General
(5 June 2002) The European Satellite Operators
Association (ESOA) has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Mr
Fulvio Sansone as ESOA's Secretary General.
Mr Sansone
will manage and represent the Association on a day-to-day basis to achieve its
objectives. As Secretary General of ESOA, Mr Sansone will work to ensure that
the views of the satellite operators are shared with key decision makers, so
that appropriate political, industrial, trade, and regulatory policies are
developed and implemented. The objective is to ensure that the benefits of
satellite-delivered services are available to everyone and that they will be an
important component of the upcoming e-society, based on their unique
characteristics, including extremely high reliability and ubiquitous
coverage.
Mr Sansone currently serves as Projects and Development
Manager for ERTICO, a private public partnership for the implementation of
Telematics. He was previously Branch Manager of SAG-Abel Belgium, a subsidiary
of the German RWE group, active in cellular networks deployment. He has
substantial experience in the satellite industry, gained while working with
SAIT-RadioHolland (now Zenitel) a Belgian provider of wireless solutions, where
his responsibilities included posts in the Business Development and Business
Unit Management and through an assignment in the Business Analysis Office at
the European Space Agency. Mr Sansone started his career in the technical field
with Ericsson, the well-known telecommunications company, and with Ansaldo
Trasporti, an Italian company active in railway systems. Mr Sansone obtained a
degree in Electrical Engineering at University of Naples and later on a Master
of Business Administration at CUOA Altavilla Vicentina. He lives in the
Brussels area.
Kingston inmedia Appoints New Director of Sales
(6 June
2002) Kingston inmedia has strengthened its management team with the
appointment of Paul Cook as its new Sales Director.
Paul
Cook joins Kingston inmedia from Gilat Europe, where for the past three years
as Sales Director he maintained impressive revenue growth year on year, and was
responsible for building the company's UK presence across both enterprise and
wholesale markets. His senior sales career has also seen him work for
organisations such as the GE Capital group and IBM.
Paul Cook will be
based at Kingston inmedia's Gerrard's Cross headquarters. He will be
responsible for leveraging the company's position to offer end-to-end solutions
for content owners, programme makers, broadcasters, corporations, carriers and
Internet service providers.
