BETHESDA, Md.-Lockheed Martin Corp. and Comsat Corp. agreed to merge in a two-phase deal valued at about $2.7 billion, said the companies.During the first phase of the transaction, Lockheed Martin will begin a cash tender offer to purchase 49 percent of the outstanding common...
WASHINGTON-The House Judiciary Committee, amid legislation to shift satellite export licensing from the Commerce Department to the State Department and new signs that China plans to curtail wireless telecom trade, last week downplayed the prospect of including alleged technology transfers in any impeachment inquiry...
WASHINGTON-Manufacturers and fixed wireless users are poised to launch a campaign on Capitol Hill and at the Federal Communications Commission to advocate "spectrum-impact studies" as a prerequisite to frequency reallocations and other actions that impact the wireless landscape of today and tomorrow.Spectrum-impact studies, a...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission, in moves that will largely wipe out the huge wireless backlog and automate future licensing, dismissed 50,000 multiple address system applications and approved rules implementing the universal licensing system last week."Implementation of the wireless bureau's universal licensing system will literally...
RICHARDSON, Texas-TransData announced it has created an electric meter that integrates national two-way automatic meter reading technology completely under glass using American Mobile Satellite Corp.'s Ardis data network.The MARK-V AMR DATA-PRO platform communicates billing data, load profiles, power quality and outage-notification reports. It integrates...
Iridium announced last week it does not plan to meet its commercial launch goal of Sept. 23 because the mobile satellite service provider needs to tinker a bit more with its network. However, the company by Sept. 23 hopes to have 2,000 people using...
News that Globalstar L.L.P. lost 12 satellites late last week in a failed rocket launch left mobile satellite service investors uneasy. An announcement from Iridium L.L.C. indicating it plans to postpone commercial service because of technical delays didn't help investors' confidence either.The glitches are...
MOBILEMEDIAMobileMedia Corp., dba MobileComm, promoted several people in management positions. Steven Gross was named executive vice president of sales and marketing. He joined MobileComm as senior vice president of sales and marketing in 1996, and since has been responsible for new product introductions, including...
Iridium L.L.C. announced it will delay its initial Sept. 23 service launch date to Nov. 1, citing the need to "improve operational stability of the network," according to Ed Staiano, the company's vice chairman and chief executive officer.In a briefing with reporters last week,...
WASHINGTON-The World Radiocommunication Conference is a lot like the Olympics: preparations for the next one start almost before the current event has ended. And, like the athletes who competed earlier this year in Nagano, Japan, are preparing for the 2000 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake...
If all goes as planned, Iridium L.L.C.'s vision of a global wireless phone network-based on a constellation of 66 low-earth-orbit satellites interconnected to several terrestrial-based networks-will begin commercial service on 23 September.While the company continues to put the finishing touches on the satellite network,...
TOKYO-The Japanese government is funding research for a 1 trillion yen (US$6.85 billion) Skynet project, scheduled to be ready for commercial launch in 2002, that would use up to 200 airships floating in the stratosphere as base stations for cellular networks.While the Iridium mobile...
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is seeking comment from the mobile phone and mobile satellite service industry on whether additional spectrum is needed in the United States for third-generation mobile phone services. The Notice of Inquiry comes at the same time the International Telecommunication...
VLSIVLSI Technology Inc. said its president and chief operating officer, Richard M. Beyer, left the company for personal reasons. "We have a very solid team that can weather the current semiconductor industry downturn while we continue to invest in the strategic technologies that position...
NEW YORK-The Federal Communications Commission could propose by early next year rules governing eligibility for applicants seeking access to the part of the 2 GHz spectrum allocated for mobile satellite systems in this country.The commission set a late-August deadline for comments on a petition...
NEW YORK-After significantly reducing the size and price of its offering, ICO Global Communications Ltd., London, went public July 31, selling 10 million common stock shares at $12 each.Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corp., New York, lead managed the initial public offering, which had...
WASHINGTON-Hughes Electronics Co., under fire in Congress for heavy-handed lobbying on satellite exports to China, again is pushing the Clinton administration to relicense a $500 million Asia-Pacific Mobile Telecommunications satellite system to the Communist giant."If this contract were to be terminated for cause at...
TORONTO-Stratos Global Corp. announced it has entered into definitive agreements with ICG Communications Inc. to acquire its subsidiaries Nova-Net Communications Inc. of Englewood, Colo., and MarineSat Communications Inc. of Jupiter, Fla.Stratos will pay a combined price of $7.6 million for the companies, absent closing...
Satellite-based communications is all the buzz in the telecom industry today, with hopeful mobile satellite services providers and terrestrial-based telcos alike shooting satellites into orbit with unprecedented regularity.Yet the rush of commercial satellite launches has placed the current presidential administration in hot water with...
RESTON, Va.-American Mobile Satellite Corp. said it will provide network services and solution development to Checkpoint Systems Inc. for a nationwide wireless field-service application.Under the terms of the agreement, Checkpoint will deploy more than 200 customer service engineers on AMSC's Ardis wireless data network.
NEW YORK-Teleglobe Inc., Montreal, has been on the move in a big way lately.The company announced July 6 it has so far provided 100 Global System for Mobile communications network operators with worldwide signaling conversion services, which allow their personal communications services customers to...
RESTON, Va.-Checkpoint Systems Inc. will use the Ardis network to deploy Checkpoint's network services and solution development support for a nationwide wireless field-service application, according to American Mobile Satellite Corp. AMSC owns the Ardis system.Checkpoint plans to deploy more than 200 customer-service engineers on...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-High on the agenda of issues raised by African ministers at Africa Telecom '98 held here in May was using satellite technology for boosting African economies and low telephone-penetration rates.Africa presents an ideal candidate for Mobile Satellite Services (MSS). The continent is...
WASHINGTON-In an unexpected development that could further complicate President Clinton's China visit this week and hurt him when he returns home, U.S. officials last week disclosed security concerns prompting them to temporarily block export approval of a $750 million satellite built by Hughes Electronics...
