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SERVICES: DirecTV looks to raise US$2.5bn in debt
DirecTV, via its subsidiaries DirecTV Holdings and DirecTV Financing Co., is to raise approximately US$2.5bn in a debt financing. DirecTV expects to complete the offering by the end of May 2008 with the first investor call taking place on May 7....
OPERATORS: ProtoStar-1 launch causes friction in Asia
Confusion has broken out in the Asian satellite industry as Protostar-1 nears its launch at the end of June. Other Asian operators have expressed fears that Protostar-1 has not been properly configured to avoid interfering with the signals of other s...
SERVICES: WorldSpace looks to add UK spectrum to German and Swiss gains
WorldSpace has continued to work diligently towards its goal of launching its own hybrid satellite/terrestrial network across Europe, securing vital licences in the last few months to broadcast in Germany and Switzerland, and launching a bid to obtai...
INSURANCE: Eutelsat nets jumbo package deal
Eutelsat has finally secured an estimated US$2.5bn insurance package deal for eight satellites. The package, which has the option of insuring a ninth satellite, is said to be the largest insurance package ever placed for a satellite operator in the s...
OPERATORS: Globalstar looks to worldwide ATC licences
Globalstar has grand plans to apply for ATC, or ATC equivalent, spectrum licences worldwide. Having secured approval from the FCC to use up to approximately 20MHz of our L and S-band spectrums for ATC in the US back in March, Globalstar is now lookin...
LAUNCHPAD: Putin demands return of Russian space glory
On the eve of his departure from the office of president, Vladimir Putin signed a new law into effect that will restrict foreign investors from taking stakes in what have been deemed key national assets, and Russia's space industry is included in the...
SERVICES: SES Astra cuts back on marketing and investment in Entavio
The satellite operator SES Astra has ceased marketing its Entavio DTH platform to the general public due to continuous lower than expected uptake. Astra will also substantially reduce Entavio related start up costs and general investment....
GROUNDSEGMENT: PBI snapped up by blank cheque company
Satellite antenna and RF developer Pro Brand International (PBI) has signed a definitive merger agreement with Granahan McCourt Acquisition Corp whereby the latter will acquire PBI for approximately US$75m, US$20m of which will be in Granahan McCourt...
GPS: Garmin continues distributor consolidation
Satellite navigation handset developer Garmin has signed letters of intent to acquire the Austrian and Portuguese distributors of its consumer products. The acquisitions continue Garmin's strategy of snapping up its European distribution network and ...
LAUNCHPAD: Arianespace aims to launch majority of Galileo satellites
The first shots were fired in the competition to secure lucrative contracts to work on the Galileo system as Arianespace president Jean Yves Le Galles announced that the launch provider would be bidding to launch 26 of the 30 satellites required for ...
SERVICES: SatCom makes move for SDN
The consolidation amongst smaller VSAT players continues unabated with UK based satellite broadband services reseller SatCom Group snapping up SDN Group, a VSAT product and solutions firm, for up to US$5m. The transaction sees SatCom pay an initial U...
SERVICES: Cyfrowy Polsat raises US$380m in IPO
The Polish payTV operator Cyfrowy Polsat has finally completed its long awaited IPO. The group, majority owned by Polish mogul Zygmuny Solorz-Zak, raised Z837.5m(US$380m) through the offering of 67 million secondary shares on the Warsaw Bourse....
OPERATORS: Ondas shows willingness to diversify with Dutch orbital slot deal
The start-up European satellite radio operator Ondas Media has secured the rights to place two satellites at two different geostationary orbital slots owned by the Netherlands. The move is indicative of a desire on Ondas' part to expand the scope of ...
LAUNCHPAD: ILS and Khrunichev Space Centre announce quality initiative
ILS and the Khrunichev Space Centre have announced that they are initiating a wide-ranging quality initiative to monitor and improve efficiency at Khrunichev and amongst its sub-contractors....
SERVICES: Dish TV board approves Rs1200 crore rights issue
The board of directors at the Indian DTH provider DishTV has authorised the company to proceed with an Rs1200 crore (US$300m) rights issue to raise the funds necessary to compete in an increasingly competitive market....
OPERATORS: SPAC believed to amongst potential Iridium investors
With mobile satellite services operator Iridium's funding round understood to be close to completion, one banking source told SatelliteFinance that amongst the potential investors is believed to be a special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC), op...
OPERATORS: Satmex looks to sell Solidaridad 2 to fund next bird
Mexican satellite operator Satmex is currently in the middle of negotiations with Telecomm Mexico, a decentralized public body controlled by the Mexican ministry of Transport and Communications, to sell its ageing satellite Solidaridad 2. According t...
NETWORKS: Major changes at the top for Terrestar
Nascent mobile satellite services operator Terrestar Corp has made some major changes to both its management team and workforce. Robert Brumley, TerreStar's president and chief executive officer, has resigned from the company, as have COO Michael Ree...
REMOTESENSING: DigitalGlobe plans 2008 IPO
Satellite imaging operator DigitalGlobe is planning to raise approximately US$250m via an IPO on the NYSE in 2008. Proceeds from the listing will be used to fund the construction of WorldView 2, due to be launched in mid-2009, as well as pay down its...
SPACESEGMENT: Orbital sells Transportation Management Systems
Orbital Sciences has announced that it has agreed to sell its Transportation Management Systems (TMS) unit to the Dallas based technology services provider Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) for US$42.5m....