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Sat-Na Monday August 4 1997
Sat-Na
August, 4
1997
Discovery Communications Joins PanAmSat
Telesat To Play Key Role In Next Philippine Satellite
The Golf Channel Cleared For Cable Distribution
Launch of HGTV Canada Set For September 26
CBS TeleNoticias And StarMedia Network
Sci-Fi Channel Success Continues
More non-Canadian satellite services
PRIMESTAR Adds Nine New Channels
Hungary becomes Inmarsat's 81st member
Orion Opens Asia Pacific Gateway at Kapolei Teleport
Inmarsat-3 F4 enters service
PanAmSat's PAS-5 and PAS-6 Satellites Ready
Upcoming Launches
Gary Torrens
Editor
Discovery Communications Joins PanAmSat
PanAmSat reports that Discovery Communications, Inc. has joined the growing line-up of
international television programmers on the PAS-5 Atlantic Ocean Region satellite, PanAmSat's
third cable television satellite for Latin America. PAS-5, scheduled for launch on August 22, will
provide DCI with additional capacity to reach cable television audiences throughout the Americas
with access to Europe as well.
Under the long-term agreement, DCI will use an entire transponder on the PAS-5 C-band
Americas beam to distribute Animal Planet and People & Arts, two new channels created by a
joint venture between DCI and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Both Discovery and
the BBC currently broadcast programming globally over PanAmSat.
Telesat To Play Key Role In Next Philippine Satellite
At an official ceremony held in Manila Telesat Canada signed a Memorandum of
Agreement with the Mabuhay Philippines Satellite Corporation (MPSC) for project management
and engineering consulting services and the provision of Telesat's Flight Dynamics System (FDS)
for the Agila-3 broadcast and communications satellite. Over the next few weeks the companies
will meet to work out the details of the consulting agreement
Telesat Canada was awarded a contract in 1995 to provide technical consulting services
for the design, construction, launch and in-orbit testing of the Agila-2 satellite including technical
training to MPSC engineers in the area of satellite operations and control. The Agila-2 satellite,
an FS1300 spacecraft, will be launched this week on-board a Chinese Long March Vehicle. Agila-
2 will be the largest spacecraft in the FS1300 series both in overall dimension and total number of
active communications transponders. After two years of working intensively on the program,
Telesat and Mabuhay engineers are looking forward to the successful launch of the Agila-2.
``Agila-3 will be the third multi-purpose communications satellite already on the drawing
boards of MPSC together with a series of satellites planned up to the year 2000. On the eve of the
launching of Agila-2, we are already moving ahead to provide the critical support structure for
Agila-3. We look forward to having Telesat Canada aboard on this project,'' said Cesar G. Reyes,
President of MPSC.
The Golf Channel Cleared For Cable Distribution
A request for Canadian distribution of The Golf Channel by the Canadian Cable Systems
Alliance has been approved by Canada's broadcast regulator. The Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission added The Golf Channel to what is known as the "A List" of
eligible satellite services, authorising cable companies to distribute The Golf Channel to Canadian
golf enthusiasts throughout the country. The CCSA, representing a subscriber base of nearly
900,000 Canadian households sponsored the request for The Golf Channel by actively seeking
TGC interest-level input from Canada's nearly 8 million cable households.
Discussions with cable operators for broad Canadian analogue distribution of the network
are underway, including packaging The Golf Channel with the four Canadian specialty services
that are required to be launched this year.
Launch of HGTV Canada Set For September 26
Home & Garden Television (HGTV), in partnership with Life Network, has reached an
agreement with vision.com, a consortium of Canada's largest cable companies, to launch HGTV
Canada Inc. on September 26, 1997 for analogue cable distribution. HGTV Canada will become
part of a package of six new English specialty channels that will be launching this fall.
Sci-Fi Channel Success Continues
Effective September 1, Sci-Fi Channel becomes a 7-day-a week DTH service to UK and
Eire satellite homes, broadcasting from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. The move enables the channel to
broadcast an additional 20 hours of sci-fi programming per week to Sky DTH subscribers.
At present, the Channel is available from 20:00 to 04:00 Monday to Wednesday, and from
1:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. Thursday to Sunday. In order to extend its satellite time, Sci-Fi Channel
will switch from transponder 47 on Astra 1C to transponder 24 on Astra 1B. On cable, Sci-Fi
Channel remains available to subscribers from 7:30 a.m. to 4.00 a.m. daily, as it has been since
launch nearly two years ago.
More non-Canadian satellite services
The CRTC published its revised lists of eligible satellite services to which have been added
a number of non-Canadian services. These additions will provide more choice and variety with
respect to the non-Canadian satellite services that may be packaged with Canadian specialty and
pay services.
These non-Canadian services will not be subject to any additional requirement concerning
the Canadian services they may be packaged with, other than the existing packaging rules, or
concerning the technology used for their distribution. Distributors will be provided with maximum
flexibility to add non-Canadian services to discretionary tiers, without placing at a competitive
disadvantage distributors that have yet to roll out digital technology.
Services added to the lists
The following services will be added to Section A of the Part II list and to the Part III non-
Canadian list:
America's Health Network
ART America
BBC World
Court TV
Deutsche Welle
The Filipino Channel
Fit TV
The Golf Channel
Speedvision
TV Food Network
TV Japan
TV Polonia
WMNB-TV: Russian-American Broadcasting Company
The following services will be added to Section B of the Part II list and to the Part III non-
Canadian list:
American Movie Classics
Game Show Network
KWGN (Denver)
Turner Classic Movies
Services denied
The request to add Bloomberg Information Television was denied since this service would
be competitive with the Canadian specialty service, ROBTv.
The request to add Newsworld International also was denied. The sponsor of this request
failed to convince the Commission that the service does not fall within the definition of a
"programming undertaking", and therefore requires a licence. The Commission directed
Newsworld International to file a licence application or apply for an exemption from licensing.
The requests to add Cornerstone TeleVision, Eternal Word Television Network, The
Inspirational Network and Three Angels Broadcasting Network were denied. The Commission's
policy is that non-Canadian religious services may be distributed exclusively in a package with
Canadian single-faith discretionary religious services. However, no such Canadian service is
licensed at the moment
PRIMESTAR Adds Nine New Channels
PRIMESTAR will add five pay-per-view channels to its PrimeCinema line-up in August and
HBO Family West, Showtime 3 East, Starz! 2 West and Animal Planet to its line-up in September
to complete "The Big Switch" to 160 channels which the company began in April. Animal Planet
will be added to PRIMESTAR's basic package, PrimeValue, at no extra cost.
Hungary becomes Inmarsat's 81st member
Hungary has joined Inmarsat, the global mobile satellite organisation. In Hungary,
Inmarsat has developed a pilot project with national haulage company Hungarocamion, fitting 50
of their fleet with Inmarsat-C data messaging systems.
Inmarsat is working with other local partners in the region to enhance and extend
communications services. A new generation of satellites, Inmarsat-3, has enabled the introduction
of smaller, lighter, cheaper satellite communications. The Inmarsat-phone, a range of satellite
phones smaller than an A4 laptop computer, offers voice, 2.4 kbit/s data and fax services and
weighs only 2.2 kgs including the battery.
Later this year will see the introduction of satellite phones specially developed for use in
remote rural communities, bringing communications to areas which previously had minimal or no
links to the rest of the world.
Using high-gain antennas, these Inmarsat-phones will offer voice, 2.4 kbit/s data and fax
services with provisions for extensions such as a payphone or PABX..
Orion Opens Asia Pacific Gateway at Kapolei Teleport
Orion Network Systems, Inc. has acquired a gateway operating site located at the
Kapolei Teleport to support its satellite communications services for the Asia Pacific region.
The land leased to Orion for the gateway on the island of Oahu, Hawaii will allow Orion to
deliver its services including direct transmission of data, Internet and video services for
multinational corporations, Internet service providers (ISPs) and video programmers through its
Asia Pacific satellite.
The gateway will also serve as Orion's telemetry tracking and control (TT&C) centre for
its Asia Pacific satellite which is scheduled for launch in October 1998. A new Ku-band antenna
to be constructed for TT&C services will be operational by August 1998.
The facility includes one 9 meter C-band antenna and one 13 meter C-band antenna
which will be used for communications services. Through the gateway, Orion will access its Asia
Pacific satellite for Ku-band and C-band services to Asia, Australia, Oceania and India. Access
to U.S. domestic and other Pacific region satellites as well as fibre will also be available through
this gateway.
Orion will install an 11 meter Ku-band antenna and associated electronics for TT&C
support at the Kapolei facility. This will provide continuous 24-hour manoeuvre and telemetry
tracking of the Orion 3 satellite and in-orbit testing and analysis of all circuits and leased
transponders on Orion 3.
Orion's first satellite, located at 37.5 West Longitude, has been in operation since
January 1995 and serves Europe, the United States to the Rocky Mountains and portions of
Canada and Mexico. Orion's Asia Pacific satellite, located at 139 East Longitude, is scheduled
for launch in October 1998 and will serve the Pacific Rim region including, Australia, China, India,
Japan, Korean, Eastern Russia and Hawaii.
A third satellite, scheduled for launch in mid-1999 and located at 12 West Longitude, will
supplement Orion's existing North American and European coverage and expand Orion's service
capabilities into Latin America, Russia, and the Middle East. These two additional satellites,
together with Orion's first satellite, will enable Orion to provide global communications services to
over 85% of the world's population.
Inmarsat-3 F4 enters service
The fourth satellite in the Inmarsat-3 series entered service on schedule this week
completing the third generation Inmarsat system.
Inmarsat-3 F4, launched aboard an Ariane 4 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana on June
3, has replaced Inmarsat's previous generation Atlantic Ocean West region satellite, now a
system backup
The spacecraft reached its on-station location of 54 degrees west on Thursday, July 24.
Inmarsat's network operations centre in London then spent two days making final adjustments to
the satellite to ensure a smooth transition into service.
On Saturday, the network operations centre directed each of the seven land earth
stations in the Atlantic Ocean West region to steer their antennas away from the former satellite
towards the new Inmarsat-3 F4. Stations at Goonhilly, England; Pleumer Bodou, France; and
Laurentides, Canada led the transition effort. Each land earth station acts as a gateway between
the Inmarsat satellites and the terrestrial communications network.
In 1996, Inmarsat-3 F1 was launched on April 3 on an Atlas IIA rocket from Cape
Canaveral and entered service over the Indian Ocean on May 11. Inmarsat-3 F2 entered service
over the Atlantic ocean East region on October 13, following a successful September 6 launch
from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, aboard a Proton rocket. Inmarsat-3 F3, launched December 18
aboard an Atlas IIA from Cape Canaveral, entered service on January 26 and serves the Pacific
ocean region.
The fifth and final satellite in the Inmarsat-3 series will also be launched on an Ariane 4
rocket from Kourou. The satellite will serve as a spare for the Inmarsat constellation, expanding
system capacity and enabling Inmarsat to lease any excess space segment. Lift-off is scheduled
for December.
PanAmSat's PAS-5 and PAS-6 Satellites Ready
PanAmSat reports that its PAS-5 and PAS-6 Atlantic Ocean Region satellites are
undergoing final preparations for August launches from opposite corners of the world. PAS-6 is
scheduled for an August 8 launch by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou,
French Guiana. PAS-5 arrived last week at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where it is
scheduled for an August 22 launch by International Launch Services on a Proton rocket.
Combined, PAS-5 and PAS-6 will increase PanAmSat's satellite capacity serving Latin
America by approximately 130 percent
PAS-6, a Space Systems/Loral FS-1300 satellite, contains 36 Ku-band transponders. The
satellite is sold out to Sky Latin America, the Latin America direct-to-home (DTH) television
partnership of News Corporation, Grupo Televisa, Organiza‡oes Globo and Tele-Communications
International, Inc. The satellite has the capability to deliver more than 360 digital television
channels in Latin America.
PAS-5, built by Hughes Space and Communications Co., contains 24 C-band and 24 Ku-
band transponders. It will be the first high-power HS 601 HP model satellite in PanAmSat's global
satellite fleet. The Sky DTH venture will use 12 Ku-band transponders on PAS-5 to provide DTH
services in Mexico. In addition, PAS-5 will provide a range of video distribution and
telecommunications services throughout the Americas with access to Europe. PAS-5 will also
offer connectivity to the Asia-Pacific Region via PanAmSat's teleport in Napa, California.
Upcoming Launches
" Check our web site for current listings of 1997 launches.
" Click on "Launch Info".
Next Ariane Launch Next Atlas/Delta Launch
PAS 6 --August 8, 1997 Iridium-- August 14, 1997
Flight98
Satellite PAS -6
Manufacturer Space Systems Loral
Type FS 1300
Stabilisation 3-axis
Payload 36 Ku Band
Coverage Argentina and Brasil
Orbital Position 43 East
Mission DBS Service
In Brief
" DirecTv has been officially introduced in Colombia. DIRECTV is offered by Galaxy
Entertainment de Colombia, S.A., a partnership which will include Carvajal, S.A., Grupo
Empresarial Bavaria and companies of the Cisneros Group of Companies of Venezuela and
Hughes Electronics Corporation of the United States. With the launch later this year of Galaxy
VIII-I, DIRECTV will provide up to 238 channels of digital video and audio programming.
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