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Sat-ND, 27.08.97

Sat-ND, 27.08.97 -- Es geht voran


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BUSINESS
Hughes to build Thuraya
SATELLITES
Lewis in trouble
Indostar becomes Cakrawarta
Fengyun 2 still working
DELAY OF THE DAY
GE-3 is late
LAUNCHES
Yet another new launch site
CHANNELS
No more soccer for you
DIGITAL
U.S. commands Japan to let digital service on air
Bertelsmann, Kirch claim digital stakes
RUPERTWATCH
EU probes BIB plans
Finally: Rupert's New Zealand Sky
FEEDBACK
Porn ferry scandal: Illegal $ky reception? (20.8.97)


BUSINESS

Hughes to build Thuraya

"The Thuraya Satellite Telecommunication company decided to enter into final negotiations with Hughes as the preferred bidder out of three leading satellite manufacturers competing for this prestigious project." (Mohammed Omran, chairman of Thuraya)
Hughes Electronics has in effect won the bid for the US$850-million contract leaving behind U.S. rival Lockheed Martin as well as France's Aerospatiale, which so far held a quasi-monopoly in supplying the Middle East with satellites. The company built five Arabsats and will deliver the sixth next year.
However, the deal isn't quite done yet. The contract is to be signed on September 11. should there be any difficulty in finalising the agreement with the preferred bidder, then one of the two remaining bidders will be considered for further negotiations aiming at concluding a final agreement," said Omran.


SATELLITES

Lewis in trouble

The US$64.8-million Earth-observation satellite Lewis, which was launched just last Friday, has developed a life of its own that will probably render it useless.
NASA officials reported the satellite has started spinning at a mission-threatening rate of two revolutions per minute yesterday, probably owing to "excessive firing of a thruster on one side of the satellite." The problem persisted today.
As a consequence, "the solar arrays on Lewis were unable to generate full power due to the spinning motion, and the batteries were discharged below operational levels. Four subsequent attempts to contact the spacecraft were unsuccessful," NASA said in a statement.
NASA and satellite manufacturer TRW were "working hard to assess and better understand the situation, in order to establish a recovery plan and try to resume the mission." NASA pointed out that there were also on board automatic systems that might be able to correct the problem and recharge the batteries.
The 412-kilogram satellite carries three advanced Earth observation instruments and was to have operated for a minimum of three years.
[As I expected in a recent edition of this so-called newsletter, the satellite was by no means named after Carl Lewis but for 19th century explorer Meriwether Lewis. Remember the Lewis and Clark Expedition, an exploratory enterprise that lasted from 1804-1806 and mapped the northern part of the new territory west of the Mississippi River acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803? No? Neither do I.]

Indostar becomes Cakrawarta

There's some confusion over the upcoming launch of Indonesia's first national "multimedia" satellite, Indostar-1, aboard an Ariane rocket in October (Sat-ND 12./21./22.08.97.)
No, the launch hasn't been postponed -- the satellite has been renamed. Joop Ave, minister for tourism, post and telecommunication told reporters after meeting with President Soeharto that the President himself had named the satellite "Cakrawarta", which was translated as "news weapon." [Oh yeah... I guess news do hurt sometimes ;-]

Fengyun 2 still working

Fengyun 2 (FY-2) is just another satellite that just won't leave the news although nothing exciting is happening with it. It just works fine, and that's what China's news Agency Xinhua has kept telling the world for months.
Just today, Xinhua let it be known that "Orbital testing has been completed with satisfactory technological results." It added that "the FY-2 has fulfilled all predetermined functional and technological requirements and will go into commercial operations in the near future." Of course, Xinhua did not miss the opportunity to point out that a "Long March 3 carrier rocket accurately positioned the FY-2 in its correct orbit." Now that seems to be really newsworthy,, doesn't it?


DELAY OF THE DAY

GE-3 is late

GE Americom has re-scheduled the launch of GE-3 aboard an Atlas IIAS vehicle from Cape Canaveral for September 3.
The launch window will be open from 8:03 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. ET. Coverage of the launch will be on GE-1/13 C band, beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET, and also on Telstar 4/Ku in analogue format on the PBS Schedule 8 channel.


LAUNCHES

Yet another new launch site

Soon there may be satellite launches from Guyana. Wait a minute, I hear you moan, but that's where those Ariane rockets go off from.
Wrong. I won't delve into historical or geographical details, but the European launch centre is in French Guiana (notice the difference in spelling) which, as the name might indicate, was and indeed still is a French colony. The Cooperative Republic of Guyana is a former British colony that achieved independence in 1966. Just as French Guiana, the country is located close to the equator, which makes it an ideal place for satellite launches: the closer the launch site is to the equator, the more payload can be carried.
At the height of the current general election campaign, the country's president Samuel Hinds said that Beal Aerospace Inc. of Dallas, Texas (USA) had submitted a proposal to set up a launching site on the Guyana coastland. Under the plan, the firm would manufacture rocket components in Texas, then ship them to Guyana and assemble them on the launch pad. The first launch could take place at the end of next year. [All that indicates that, at least initially, smaller satellites will be launched, probably to low-Earth orbits -- an educated guess supported by the fact that those LEO satellites tend to come in vast numbers. The current launch capacity of all well-established providers probably would not suffice to launch all planned projects of that kind.]
Hinds was quoted as saying he was "half-expecting, half-hoping that such an idea would come to us, given our nearness to the equator. We just hope that the firm is serious and we presume that they are, so that we can begin negotiations as soon as possible." He added that the government would move quickly to check out the firm's bona fides before it seals any deal.
By the way: Guyana is not, as you may have expected, bordering to French Guiana -- there's a country by the name of Suriname (formerly Dutch Guiana) between them. Another candidate for a new launch site?


CHANNELS

No more soccer for you

According to news reports, Polish TV viewers won't be able to watch first division football [soccer] anymore unless they subscribe to Canal+ Polska.
Starting next year, the pay-TV channel will exclusively broadcast the matches following the recent acquisition of the TV rights until 2003. The deal was estimated at US$20 million. Officials of pubcaster TVP, which holds the rights until 1998, said they were surprised with the swift decision.
Canal+ Polska said it had 171,000 subscribers (while Poland has a population of some 40 million.)


DIGITAL

U.S. commands Japan to let digital service on air

According to Japanese officials, the United States have urged Japan to ensure a smooth launch of the DirecTV satellite broadcasting venture, partially controlled by Hughes Electronics Corp. of the U.S. [Not what I would call polite.]
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Hisao Horinouchi recently received a letter to that effect signed jointly by U.S. Secretary of Commerce William Daley and U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky, reported news agency Kyodo.
One of the problems seems to be that the one existing (PerfecTV) and two planned digital DTH services (among hem DirecTV) will offer not only more of the same as usual but actually some identical channels. Industry officials have estimated that one-third of the programs offered by those multichannel broadcasters will overlap. [You might for instance expect CNN to be carried on any of these services.] This may be the rule in the U.S. where digital DTH services more or less serve as wireless cable providers. In many other countries, not only Japan, things are a bit more complicated.
U.S. officials now reportedly urged that program suppliers be allowed to carry some of the channels PerfecTV already offers without any modification. Under current laws, this would be illegal -- however, the law was passed in 1950 when nobody had any idea of DBS and digital TV.
[More educated guesses: what's a 'modification?' More colour saturation in the picture, or a delay of some tenths of a second, which is inevitable in satellite and especially digital broadcast environments anyway?]

Bertelsmann, Kirch claim digital stakes

German TV giants Bertelsmann and Kirch are making progress on their way to establish a common digital TV platform, reports "Berliner Zeitung."
The newspaper said that Bertelsmann's subsidiary CLT-Ufa will take over 50 percent of Kirch's stake in sports channel DSF which is regarded as one of the most important parts of Kirch's digital platform DF1. DSF offers a free-to-air channel as well as some pay-TV niche channels within DF1 and, by the way, also markets DF1 advertising space.
CLT/Ufa reportedly is expected to take stakes in Kirch's units Beta Research und Beta Digital, both of which deal with digital TV operations. Beta Research will equally divided between Kirch, CKT/Ufa, and Germany's cable giant Deutsche Telekom. Beta Digital will be owned by Kirch and CLT/Ufa on a 50/50 basis.
Kirch's fledling digital TV service DF1 will not survive as a stand-alone service. Instead, it will according to press reports become a part of CLT/Ufa's digital bouquet while retaining its brand name [and I write this just to keep all those DF1 lawyers happy who seem to have nothing better to do than threatening mailing list owners. Up yours, you slimeballs!]


RUPERTWATCH

by Dr Sarmaz

EU probes BIB plans

The European Commission will scrutinise plans by British Telecom, pay-TV giant BSkyB, Midland Bank Plc and Matsushita Electric Europe to set up British Interactive Broadcasting Ltd (BIB,) a joint venture that would supply services such as home banking and home shopping through television sets.
It said in a notice published in the European Union's Official Journal that the deal had been submitted for clearance under rules which ban agreements restrictive of fair competition or abuse of dominant position.
In order to receive the services, which also include travel services and a collection of Internet sites, television viewers will have to buy a BIB compatible set-top-box and connect it to a telephone line, the notice said. The boxes will also allow reception of digital satellite television channels, including BSkyB's future digital platform.
The Commission also noted that BIB intended to subsidise the cost of manufacturing the set-top-boxes to maximise sales; that customers would be encouraged to apply for the Mondex smart card; and that although BIB's services would be "free," the company had reserved the right to charge a fee to customers who want to use the services without BSkyB's digital TV package.

Finally: Rupert's New Zealand Sky

It was just part of the truth when I reported yesterday that Ameritech has agreed to sell its 12.5 percent stake in Sky Network Television Limited of New Zealand to Mr Murdoch's Independent Newspapers Limited (INL.)
So have Bell Atlantic and Tele-Communications International, all three companies being investors in HKP Partnership which owns, or rather: owned a majority stake in the UHF pay-TV operator. All investors in HKP have agreed to sell their stakes to INL. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 1997 (in other words by the end of September) and will result in INL's total purchase of 51.1 percent of the company.
How much does it cost? TCI International said it will sell its 13-percent interest for an anticipated price of NZ$84 million (approximately US$54 million.)
News Corp. said its INL unit would purchase a 48-percent stake in Sky Network Television for NZ$308.9 million (US$199.7 million) and sell back 3.1 percent on a pro-rata basis to other existing shareholders.
Following the deal, state-owned Television New Zealand will hold 17.5 percent, family-owned investment concern Todd Corp. will hold 9 percent, private investment group Tappenden Construction will hold 8.1 percent and the interests of the founders of the company, Craig Heatley and Terry Jarvis, will hold 17 percent.


FEEDBACK

Porn ferry scandal: Illegal $ky reception? (20.8.97)

Geoff Toon has some more questions regarding Bugs Bunny, or rather what was shown instead on a ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe.
"Once out of British waters does the reception of $ky programmes, other than Sky News, cease as all subscribers must be in the UK or Eire??" [Good question... as far as I know, Stena is a Norwegian company, and the country's laws should apply. It's not British anyway, so I guess Mr Murdoch has no chance of suing them, wherever they got their smart card from. Same applies to the porn channel that reportedly was shown accidentally, although I still think it's much more likely that some really excited staff member, watching a video cassette, pressed a wrong button in the heat of the moment.]
"Do we know what was shown, the accidental switching to VOX or Pro7 would bring in programmes that would meet the UK media's definition of porn." [Come on -- I don't even wanna know! According to PA News, it was a 'hard-core film,' presumably of a heterosexual nature, although that alleged 'satellite glitch' lasted just ten seconds.]
"Note since $ky have upped their subscriptions plus forcing more PPVs on us many are now protesting by using the new spelling ;)" [Dow zat vould be zomzink: Ve von't pay vor zat sirvis anymoah! Doh vay Rupie, go 'lonk and pleh wiz yurselve. Na ja. Hehe!]



Copyright 08/97 by Peter C. Klanowski, pck@LyNet.De. All rights reserved.

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