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Sat-Na Monday July 7 1997
Sat-na
July, 7
1997
Ariane News
C&W To Buy BellSouth's Optus Stake
MCI on SBS 6
FCC Decision Grants License to MCHI
Warner Bros. Signs
FCC, approves purchase of IDB Mobile
TCM Plans Jimmy Stewart Tribute
Upcoming Launches
New files and documents at our WebStand
In Brief
YET ANOTHER NEW VERSION AVAILABLE
The news is short this week due to the July 1 holiday in
Canada and the July 4 holiday in the USA..
Ariane News
New Chairman Of Arianespace
The annual general meeting of shareholders of
Arianespace named Jean-Marie Luton as Director of
Arianespace.
An update on Ariane 5 Operations
Following the failure of the first demonstration
flight of Ariane 5, Arianespace has focused its efforts on
preparing the operational phase. The first launcher (Ariane
503) from the 14-launcher production contract awarded to the
European space industry in 1995 will be delivered to Kourou
towards the end of 1997.
Arianespace will take over operation of the ELA 3
launch complex two weeks after the second Ariane 5
demonstration flight, now scheduled for the end of
September.
Tenth Contract for 1997
Ariane has signed a launch contract for Mexico's fifth
communications satellite, Morelos III. The satellite will
be launched at the end of 1998.
Morelos III, Mexico's fifth telecommunications
satellite, will take over for Morelos II. Built by Hughes
Space Communications in El Segundo, Calif., for Telecomm de
Mexico, it will weigh 3,550 kg (7,810 lb) at lift-off. It
uses an HS 601HP platform, with 48 Ku- and C-band
transponders. Offering 10 times the power of Morelos II,
this new satellite will provide complete telecommunications
services for Mexico and Hispanic communications in Latin
America and North America.
C&W To Buy BellSouth's Optus Stake
OPTUS Communications unveiled a $A980 ($NZ1.097
billion) million-plus deal which will see UK
telecommunications giant Cable & Wireless (C&W) emerge as
its dominant shareholder with a 49 percent stake in the
carrier.
C&W will buy out US group BellSouth Corp's 24.5 percent
stake in OPTUS, representing 490 million shares, for $980
million, plus an interest in a mobile operator in Western
Colombia, Latin America.
MCI on SBS 6
MCI will use up to three Ku-band transponders on two
PanAmSat domestic U.S. satellites to build and deploy a
nation-wide satellite communications network for the U.S.
Federal Aviation Administration.
MCI will utilise one transponder on PanAmSat's SBS 6 Ku-
band satellite in August to start operation of the FAA
Telecommunications Satellite (FAATSAT) program, which was
awarded to MCI in 1996. The FAATSAT system will consist of a
nation-wide, satellite-based communications network designed
to enhance the transmission of radar information; computer,
navigational and weather data; and air traffic controller-to-
pilot communications throughout the United States. FAATSAT
operations later will migrate from SBS 6 to PanAmSat's
Galaxy X satellite, following that satellite's launch mid-
1998, and expand capacity to two Ku-band transponders with
an option for a third.
FCC Decision Grants License to MCHI
Federal regulators have granted another license for
mobile two-way communications, including phone, paging and
fax to Mobile Communications Holdings Inc.
The Ellipso project, the fourth Big LEO system to
obtain a U.S. license, will launch a constellation of 17
small satellites into a highly inclined and equatorial
elliptical orbits.
With a majority of the financing in place for its $910
million Ellipso system, MCHI is progressing toward an
expected launch date in 2000 and initial service later that
same year.
Employing the frequency-band sharing code division
multiple access (CDMA) call transmission technology, the
Ellipso system features a unique elliptical orbit design
with high line-of-sight angles to the satellites.
The satellite-based voice and data communications
system will employ 17 satellites, including spares, in two
sub- constellations_Borealis covering the northern
hemisphere and Concordia covering the equatorial region and
the southern hemisphere.
Warner Bros. Signs
Warner Bros. International Television has reached a
long-term agreement with Sogecable in Spain.
As part of the agreement, Warner Bros., has licensed
pay television, pay-per-view and near-video-on-demand rights
in Spain for feature films to Sogecable's digital satellite
platform Canal Satelite Digital (CSD) and its premium pay
television service, Canal Plus Spain.
The films will premiere on CSD in pay-per-view,
followed by a pay television premiere on Canal Plus Spain.
In addition, current and library feature films will be
licensed to Cinemania, one of CSD's movie channels. The deal
will commence with feature films released in the United
States in 1995, and includes "The Bridges of Madison
County," "Batman Forever," "Eraser" and "Assassins."
The Warner Bros./Sogecable agreement also calls for the
carriage of three cable channels from Turner Broadcasting
International, including Cartoon Network, TNT and CNN
International.
FCC, approves purchase of IDB Mobile
The FCC approved the purchase of IDB Mobile
Communications Inc. by Stratos Mobile Networks, through its
holding company Stratos Wireless Inc.
IDB Mobile will change its name to Stratos Mobile
Networks (U.S.A.), based in Bethesda, Md., U.S.A.
This marks the conclusion of an acquisition process
that began in 1996, when NewEast Wireless Telecom, a
Canadian mobile satellite service provider entered into an
agreement with Teleglobe Canada for the management of
Teleglobe Canada's Inmarsat mobile satellite operations and
as part of this transaction acquired 50% of IDB Mobile.
The transaction led to the origin of a new species in
mobile satellite service providers: a multi-network operator
which owns, operates or manages satellite facilities around
the world providing international mobile satellite network
coverage. NewEast Wireless Telecom changed its name and
Stratos Mobile Networks was launched on March 4, 1997.
The purchase of the remaining 50% of IDB Mobile from
WorldCom Inc., was announced earlier this year, but was
subject to FCC approval. The FCC's decision now authorises
Stratos Wireless Inc. to complete the acquisition process.
Once completed, Stratos Mobile Networks (U.S.A.) will
provide global satellite services for both inbound (mobile-
to-fixed) and outbound (fixed-to-mobile) directions.
TCM Plans Jimmy Stewart Tribute
Turner Classic Movies, the cable network, will pay a
special tribute to the late legendary actor Jimmy Stewart:
Jimmy Stewart Weekend, July 12-13, featuring some 25 films,
including THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962), THE
GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952) and THE F.B.I. STORY (1959),
THE STRATTON STORY (1949), HARVEY (1945), THE PHILADELPHIA
STORY (1940), YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938), NO TIME FOR
COMEDY (1940), MALAYA (1949) and NAKED SPUR (1953). Dates
and times TBA.
In Brief
" GE Capital Spacenet Services Inc. has completed its
acquisition of Tridom Corp. of Marietta, Ga., from AT&T
Corp.
" Groupe AB reports that AB Sat's digital DTH service had
11,000 subscribers as of June 30, 1997, up from 4,600 as of
the end of March. In addition, more than 450,000 cable
subscribers in France, Switzerland and Belgium now receive
at least one AB Sat channel.
" Canal Plus has approved a stake swap with Leo Kirch.
Canal Plus said it will sell 37.5 percent stake in German
pay-television company Premiere to the Kirch group. It also
approved the acquisition from Kirch of 45 percent in Italy's
Telepiu.
" The Titan Corporation has been awarded a $2.8 million
contract from Motorola for production of satellite
communication modems to be installed in Motorola's LST-5D
UHF SATCOM radios. This is Titan's third order from Motorola
for LST-5D satellite communication modems, bringing the
total orders to date to $5.6 million.
" Scientists lost radio contact with the Advanced Earth
Observing Satellite (ADEOS),a Japanese Earth-observation
satellite, this week and suspect space debris may have hit
it, causing the on-board solar power system to malfunction.
" Bloomberg will begin Internet broadcasting next month,
airing on its home page the news program that is currently
broadcast on Bloomberg Television in about 20 countries.
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