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Sat-na Monday August 25,1997
Sat-na
August, 25
1997
Successful Launch of Mabuhay
Delta II launch
COMSAT Wins Regulatory Relief From FCC
KITV-TV, Honolulu, to Begin Digital Transmission
Landscape starts in Spain
Sweden's Telia to carry two new BSkyB channels
Orbital's Indostar
Free DSS
Koreasat 3
Universal Studios
Skylink America Switches to DIRECTV
DigiCipher II System to Double
DBSI Reaches Settlement Agreement With Loral
Philips To Provide Decoders to Poland
Upcoming Launches
Gary Torrens
Editor
Successful Launch of Mabuhay
Agila 2, the first high-powered telecommunications
satellite built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) for Mabuhay
Philippines Satellite Corporation (MPSC), was successfully
launched in orbit August 20 at 1:50 a.m. local time from
Sichuan Province, China.
The Agila satellite was built by SS/L in Palo Alto, and
launched aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang
Satellite Launch Centre.
The Agila satellite operates 30 C-band transponders at
27 watts, and 24 Ku-band transponders at 110 watts that are
combinable to 12 high-power transponders at 220 watts. The
satellite features the largest number of active transponders
of any satellite in the region and has a high power-to-mass
ratio, making it one of the most efficient satellites in the
industry. Agila 2 has an expected service life of over 12
years. The Agila 2 design uses SS/L's three-axis, body-
stabilised FS-1300 bus.
PSN Increases Satellite Capacity
With the successful launch of the Agila-2, Pasifik
Satelit Nusantara has added two more extended C-Band
transponders to its available capacity, now at 14
transponders
PSN will either use the two new transponders for
wholesale telecommunications or retain them for the
expansion of PSN's Xpress Connection network. The
Philippines, among others, has expressed an interest in
tapping into the Xpress Connection service as a solution to
the telecommunications needs of its remote and rural areas
Delta II launch
The first Delta II launch by Boeing since the merger
with McDonnell Douglas placed five satellites in space this
week completing one-third of the IRIDIUM communications
system constellation.
The successful launch brings the total of orbiting
IRIDIUM satellites to 22, one-third of the planned 66-
satellite network. Engineers co-ordinated the placement of
the satellites launched with 17 satellites already in orbit
and the planned orbits of the final 44.
COMSAT Wins Regulatory Relief From FCC
The FCC has granted COMSAT's request for regulatory
relief of its international video broadcast services. The
FCC based its decision on the fact that substantial
competition has developed in international television
broadcast markets rendering certain tariff regulations
unnecessary. The FCC ruling reduces the notice period for
filing full-time video tariffs from 45 days to 14 days.
KITV-TV, Honolulu, to Begin Digital Transmission
Argyle Television Inc. announced that KITV-TV, its ABC
affiliate in Honolulu, in December will move into what is
believed to be the first facility in the country designed
and built from the ground up as an entirely digital
television station and will, at that time, begin
transmitting Digital Advanced Television (ATV).
Pending the receipt of all necessary permits, the
Hawaii stations will begin transmission of a digital-quality
television signal on Dec. 1, 1997. The stations will offer
digital high- definition television (HDTV) as soon as the
ABC network can deliver a high-definition signal.
Landscape starts in Spain
The Landscape Channel instrumental and classical music
channel starts broadcasting in Spain on 15 September in the
Via Digital bouquet of programs. Via Digital broadcast to
the Direct to Home market in Spain on the Hispasat
satellite. The deal will give Landscape access to the
growing Spanish cable and satellite market, currently
estimated to be worth in the region of 2 million homes in
the coming five years.
At the end of July 199 7 Landscape was connected to
1,193,000 homes in the UK and France.
Sweden's Telia to carry two new BSkyB channels
Telia Infomedia, Television, the largest cable operator
in Scandinavia, will add British Sky Broadcasting Ltd.'s two
new 24 hour channels, `Sky News & National Geographic
Channel,' and `Sky Entertainment.'
Telia, which has 1.4 million connected households in
Sweden, will carry both channels in its new digital package
scheduled to launch in the Autumn.
Telia's analogue cable package currently has 39
channels. Once digitalized, it will have the capacity to
carry up to six times as many. In Addition to launching
BSkyB's two new channels, Telia will also offer customers
the full 24-hour services of Sky News and CMT as a la carte
channels in their digital package.
`Sky News & National Geographic Channel' and `Sky
Entertainment' will be transmitted through Telenor's
satellite capacity at 1 deg W.
Orbital's Indostar
Orbital Sciences Corporation reports that its first
geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellite, INDOSTAR-1, has
been shipped to Kourou, French Guiana, where it will be
launched aboard an Ariane 4 rocket this October. INDOSTAR-1
is being built and launched for PT MediaCitra Indostar of
Jakarta, Indonesia to provide high-power S-band direct-to-
home (DTH) INDOVISION television programming. Orbital's
satellite will broadcast 40 digital television channels on
five 70-watt transponders to the Republic of Indonesia's
14,000 islands when it is put in service at its 107.7
degrees East longitude GEO orbital location.
The INDOSTAR-1 is the first GEO satellite to use S-band
frequencies for a direct-to-home television broadcast
service, providing high-quality transmissions to small-
diameter antennas (70 cm.) in a region of heavy rainfall.
Similar performance is not economically feasible with
comparable Ku- or C-band DTH satellite systems since more
power is required in these bands to penetrate the moist
atmosphere. The INDOSTAR-1 satellite generates 1.5
kilowatts of electrical power and has a 12-year design life,
yet its many advanced design features results in lower
manufacturing and launch costs than other spacecraft in its
class.
Over the past several months, the satellite
successfully completed the final integration and
environmental testing phase of its development. Conducted at
Canada's David Florida Laboratories in Ottawa, the final
integration process included the alignment of the
satellite's direct broadcast antennas, the installation and
testing of its solar arrays, and the completion of its
dynamic balancing. The satellite was also subjected to a
series of environmental tests that included exposure to
simulated thermal, vacuum, vibration, shock and acoustic
conditions that the satellite may encounter during launch
and while in orbit. The INDOSTAR-1 satellite is based on the
lightweight STARBus satellite..
Under the $175 million contract Orbital is providing PT
MediaCitra Indostar with a turn-key solution for Indonesia's
television broadcast requirements. Orbital is providing the
complete INDOVISION satellite television broadcast system,
including end-to-end DTH system engineering; the ground
station for spacecraft telemetry, tracking, control and
monitoring; co-ordination of activities for the Ariane-4
launch; design and engineering management of the integrated
receiver and decoder units; subscriber management and
conditional access security systems; and complete program
risk management, system operations and maintenance, and
international and domestic regulatory management.
Free DSS
Thomson Consumer Electronics has begun offering a free
Digital Satellite System to consumers who purchase a new
large screen television receiver. The RCA-brand receivers,
14 in total, range in screen size from 32- to 61-inches
(diagonal).
Effective August 21 through October 27, purchasers of
qualified RCA brand colour TVs in screen sizes ranging from
32 inches to 61 inches (diagonal) will receive a coupon
which can be redeemed for a DS4430RA (suggested retail value
$399) system.
Koreasat 3
The Republic of Korea has chosen the European launcher
for its latest telecommunications satellite. An Ariane
rocket will boost Koreasat 3 into orbit in mid-1999.
Koreasat 3, the third telecommunications satellite
operated by Korea Telecom, will ensure the continuity and
expansion of telecom services offered by this operator.
Built by Lockheed Martin Telecommunications in the United
States, Koreasat 3 will weigh 2,790 kg (6,138 lb.) at lift-
off, and will have 46 Ka and Ku-band transponders.
Universal Studios
Universal Studios has concluded multiple agreements
with Sogecable, Spain's largest private film and television
company..
These agreements include an exclusive motion picture
and long-form television product output deal for Sogecable
pay television movie services, as well as a significant non-
exclusive pay-per-view license and a deal for carriage of
Universal's action and suspense channel.
Sogecable operates the terrestrial pay television
channel, Canal+ Spain, which saw its subscriber count rise
to 1,417,000 by the end of May and has recently launched
Spain's first satellite delivered DTH digital platform,
CanalSatelite Digital to 110,000 homes. Sogecable's largest
shareholders include Spain's leading media conglomerate,
Prisa and French paybox giant Canal+ France.
Skylink America Switches to DIRECTV
DIRECTV has signed an agreement with Skylink America,
Inc. to provide free-to-guest programming to more than 200
hotel properties in the United States that previously
received satellite television programming from AlphaStar.
DIRECTV will work with Skylink to expedite the shipment and
installation of DSS equipment to Skylink hotel properties
currently outfitted with AlphaStar systems.
DigiCipher II System to Double
NextLevel Systems, Inc's Satellite Data Networks Group
reports that Mexico City- based Instituto Latinoamericano de
la Communicacion Educativa (ILCE) has purchased a DigiCipher
II digital uplink encoding system and 6,000 receivers for
Mexico's Red Edusat, the world's largest public education
satellite network.
The order for a 16-channel DigiCipher II uplink
encoding system and the Series 400 integrated receiver-
decoders will greatly enhance the capacity of the present
system which currently transmits six channels of educational
programming using the DigiCipher I system, to more than
16,000 junior high school sites throughout Mexico.
With this order, Edusat is migrating to the MPEG-2-
based DigiCipher II system which will more than double the
network's digital transmission capacity, facilitating the
Mexican Government's goal of reaching more than 100,000
schools within the next two years.
DBSI Reaches Settlement Agreement With Loral
DBS Industries, Inc.has reached a binding settlement
agreement in Loral Aerospace Holdings, Inc. v. Continental
Satellite Corporation, Santa Clara (California) County
Superior Court Action CV 755366, that disposes of the claims
between DBSI, certain subsidiaries of Loral Space &
Communications Ltd. (Loral) and Continental Satellite
Corporation (Continental). Under the terms of the
Settlement Agreement, Continental shall pay to the benefit
of DBSI $3,573,678.00 in exchange for mutual releases of all
claims by DBSI, Loral and Continental and vacation of DBSI's
judgement against Loral and Continental.
Philips To Provide Decoders to Poland
@ Entertainment Inc. reports a binding Memorandum of
Understanding was concluded between @ Entertainment and
Philips Business Electronics B.V. under which Philips will
supply 500,000 digital consumer decoder systems, including a
smart card and out-door-unit for @ Entertainment's digital
direct-to-home television service in Poland.
In addition to the consumer receivers/decoders, Philips
will supply the entire satellite broadcast distribution
centre, including the CryptoWorks conditional access system.
The decoders will be distributed and serviced in Poland
by Philips Polska through the company's major network of
affiliated retailers.
@ Entertainment, Inc. operates the largest multi-
channel pay television business in Poland. The company
intends to expand its activities and develop a complementary
digital direct-to-home broadcasting service with its own
branded platform of proprietary Polish-language programming.
Earlier this month, @ Entertainment completed a successful
initial public offering of its common stock and sold 9.5
million shares for a total of almost 200 million US dollars.
Upcoming Launches
Next Ariane Launch Next Atlas/Delta Launch
Hotbird 3 -September 2, 1997 GE - 3 - Early September 1997
" Reports this week from Wall Street indicate that Orion
Network Systems Inc may be the target of a takeover. It is
rumoured that GE Americom may be preparing a bid for Orion
" Wegener has received an order for its DV2000 Digital
Video Transmission Products from Indian International
Telecommunications carrier Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. of
Bombay. The equipment will be used to transmit MCPC
(Multiple Channels Per Carrier) digital video between New
Delhi-Dehradun and Madras-Ambatur. Wegener said that the
order is in excess of one million dollars.
" Home & Garden Television (HGTV) expects to top the 30-
million subscriber mark next month, less than three years
after it was launched.
" The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC) has approved the application of Consortium
TQS for effective control of Television Quatre Saisons Inc.
(TQS) and granted it a license for four years.
" CBS Cable has entered into an affiliation agreement
with Tele-Communications Inc.for CBS Eye On People. To date,
CBS Eye On People has signed agreements with the top three
MSOs_TCI, Time Warner, and Media One_as well as five of the
top ten, including Adelphia and Jones Intercable. In
addition, CBS Eye On People launched on DirecTV on July 24.
" Canadian Tire, one of Canada's largest consumer product
retailers, and Star Choice Television Network have signed an
exclusive retail distribution agreement that will make
Canadian Tire one of the first major retailers in Canada to
offer a Canadian DTH satellite television service.
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