Nice piece by Frank Roylance in the Baltimore Sun on Voyager-1. Love the closing…
Sometime around 2025, the two craft will fall silent. In 40,000 years, Voyager 1 will sail as Earth’s ambassador among the stars of the constellation Camelopardalis — the Giraffe — in the northern sky. Voyager 2 is headed for Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. It should arrive in 296,000 years.
Awesome.
LightSquared wireless network plan could interfere with systems such as Defense Department communications according to a U.S. agency that manages federal use of airwaves.
[Reuters =- 01/14/2011]
A radical new US military drone aircraft, able to fly for days in the stratosphere while providing satellite-like communications, completes test flight on hydrogen fuel.
[The Register – 01/14/2011]
Launch of ViaSat’s first high-capacity broadband communications Ka-band satellite to be delayed several months after receiving damage while being moved inside a factory in California,
[Spaceflight Now – 01/14/2011]
As recovered "Zombie satellite" Galaxy 15 undergoes tests and company officials consider placing it back into service, investigators now blame a build-up of static electricity for the failure.
[Spaceflight Now – 01/14/2011]
GMV Space Systems is selected as part of General Dynamics team to modernize NASA’s TDRS satellite constellation’s ground system.
[SatNews – 01/14/2011]
T-Hrvatski Telekom (T-HT) Selects Eutelsat’s 16 Degrees East Neighbourhood to Roll-out MAXtv Pay-TV Platform to Viewers Across Croatia.
[PR Newswire – 01/14/2011]
Sun Direct leases two additional Measat-3 Ku-band transponders.
[Satellite today – 01/14/2011]
Lines of communication between the U.S. Government and the commercial satellite communications industry deteriorate, contrary to spirit of the National Space Policy.
[SIGNAL – 01/13/2011]
Eutelsat’s KASAT satellite successfully on station at 9 degrees East and undergoing in-orbit tests.
[PR Newswire – 01/13/2011]
Iran plans to put into orbit a new domestically manufactured satellite named Fajr (Dawn) in the current Iranian calendar year, which will end on March 20 this year.
[Tehran Times – 01/13/2011]
Russia to launch oceanography satellite in March to keep track of vast amount of data to improve weather, climate, and ocean forecasts.
[SatNews – 01/13/2011]
SES WORLD SKIES U.S. Government Solutions wins two new contract vehicles through the FCSA that broaden government access to the company’s global satellite bandwidth and services.
[Business Wire = 01/13/2011]
Intelsat S.A. borrows $3.75 billion from a consortium of banks and securities in an effort to reorganize its assets and simplify operations.
[Satellite Today – 01/13/2011]
U.S. Space LLC and ATK announce creation of ViviSat, a new satellite life extension venture whose services can add several years to revenue-producing life of a satellite.
[SatNews = 01/13/2011]
Astrium Reports Modest Growth in 2010; Plans Military Focus in 2011
[Satellite Today – 01/13/2011]
Shocking disaster images dominating news bulletins and major global sporting events combine to create an unprecedented demand for live transmissions from Australia to the World in early 2011.
[SatNews = 01/13/2011]
Space Tourism Company to Sell Three Russian Soyuz Seats to International Space Station.
[Satellite Today – 01/13/2011]
Mayflower Communications is awarded patent for "Antijam Filter system and Method for high Fidelity High Data Rate Wireless Communication" that can filter out interfering signals.
[Satellite Spotlight – 01/12/2011]\
Hughes HX broadband satellite system enables remote monitoring of forest fires in Russia.
[PR Newswire = 01/12/2011]
Thrane & Thrane’s Aviator 200 Wi-Fi Service Certified for Cessna Aircraft.
[Satellite Today – 01/11/2011]
British earth station at Goonhilly, once the world’s largest, whose satellite communications operation shut down in 2006, to be refurbished and used for space radio telescopes.
[Space Business and Industry – 01/11/2011]
Morgan Stanley analysts expect the satellite industry’s strong 2010 overall performance to continue in 2011.
[Satellite Today – 01/11/2011]
Spirit Wireless of Portland, OR, provides critical satellite communications devices for hunters.
[AmmoLand – 01/11/2011]
Frequency Electronics, Inc. is awarded a follow-on contract of approximately $12 million for a U.S. Government high capacity, secure communications satellite program.
[Globe Newswire – 01/11/2011]
Avanti established as credible operator in broadband satellite communications as growth is forecast to be substantial, and it moves forward with HYLAS-2 and HYLAS-03.
[Sharecast = 01/11/2010]
Orbital-Built Glory Earth Science Satellite Arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base Launch Site.
[Business Wire – 01/11/2011]
Key elements of Ariane 5 launcher arrive in Korou as preparations go forward for its second launch of 2011, to carry the Yahsat 1A and Intelsat New Dawn satellites into orbit.
[SatNews – 01/10/2011]
iDirect Government Technologies forges partnership with Integral Systems in order to help the U.S. Coast Guard modernize its large cutter fleet.
[TMCnet – 01/10/2011]
Central & Eastern European Video Markets Continue Strong Gains.
[NSR Report – January 2011]
Clooney-sponsored Satellite Sentinel Project to monitor election proceedings in volatile Sudan.
[CBN News – 01/07/2011]
New Israeli military technology speeds up warfare, harnessing digital and satellite technology to enable response to battlefield changes in seconds.
[msnbc – 01/07/2011]
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. wins contract from the European Space Agency to provide spectrometer as part on instrumentation for Sentinel 5 Precursor atmospheric monitoring mission.
[Satellite Today – 01/07/2011]
GeoEye wins contact from Republic of the Maldives for vessel monitoring system for fisheries management and safety.
[SatNews – 01/07/2011]
Colorado Springs military contractor Infinity Systems Engineering wins $17.4M 5 1/2 year contract from Air Force Space Command for communications and engineering support on three military communications satellite systems.
[Colorado Springs Gazette – 01/07/2011]
EchoStar Advance Technologies acquires Utah-based Moved Networks, a technology innovator delivering advanced solutions for large scale streaming of quality video on the internet.
[SatNews – 01/07/2011]
Newcom International of Miami is ranked fourth fastest growing teleport in the world for 2010 by the World Teleport Association.
[Satellite Spotlight – 01/07/2011]
ARTEL wins first contract award for satellite services under the new $5B General Services Administration and Defense Information Services Agency joint-contract vehicle.
[PR Newswire – 01/06/2011]
Spot Connect lets Bluetooth phones communicate with satellites.
[Mobile Magazine – 01/06/2011]
Comtech wins $27.2M order to provide satellite communications equipment to U.S. Army.
[M2M – 01/06/2011]
Shares of Gilat Satellite Networks surge after contracts with Colombia’s Ministry of Information Technology and Communications are extended.
[Bloomberg – 01/06/2011]
Albania’s DigitAlb pay-TV platform extends to 2020 its satellite capacity at Eutelsat’s 16 degrees East neighborhood.
[PR Newswire – 01/06/2011]
Iridium’s Direct Internet software package makes it easier and faster to connect to the Internet using the 9555 and 9505A satellite phones.
[SatNews – 01/05/2011]
RapidEye signs partnership agreement with NiK Insaat Ticaret of Turkey to add the company to its distributor team in Turkey.
[SatNews – 01/05/2011]
ISRO plans to launch at least two large communications satellites this year to mitigate shortage of transponders due to failure of two consecutive GSLV missions.
[Economic Times – 01/05/2011]
Integral Systems Inc. wins $10M five-year IDIQ contract to modernize U.S. Coast Guard’s satellite communications for its large cutters.
[Satellite Spotlight – 01/05/2011]
DTH and the drive towards Hybrid – even though terrestrial networks seem to be the more logical source, there is not dearth of satellite-enabled solutions.
[NSR – 01/05/2011]
GlobaLogix acquires Blast Energy Services satellite division, adding fully integrated satellite services to its comprehensive suite of services supporting recovery and analysis of data for its energy industry customers.
[Business Wire – 01/05/2011]
Lubbock County Texas plans to integrate Spacenet’s satellite equipment and services into its mobile command vehicle that is used across state to maintain data, voice, and video communications during emergency situations.
[TMCnet – 01/05/2011]
Lockheed Martin Space Systems wins sole source contract from NASA for Systems Engineering for In-Space Servicing.
[SatNews – 01/04/2011]
Thales Alenia Space signs contract with French space agency CNES to produce Surface Waves Investigation and Monitoring instrument for teh China France Oceanography Satellite.
[SatNews – 01/04/2011]
Voice of Russia reports plans for about 50 space launches from three launching pads and 10 combat training and test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2011.
[SatNews – 01/04/2011]
Globecomm Systems wins $7.3M managed services contract from a Government prime contractor.
[TMCnet – 01/04/2011]
Blue Marble Network announces new Maritime VSAT service for Asia Pacific market.
[SAT PR News – 01/04/2011]
Perla Group International procures $4.5M of satellite and teleport infrastructure and plans to build world class teleport in the Mediterranean, likely in Cyprus.
[Marketwire – 01/04/2011]
Intelsat plans to immobilize "Zombiesat" Galaxy 15 following communications shutdown and equipment reset caused by loss of power – considers moving it to one of Intelsat’s orbital slots and fully testing the satellite’s communications capabilities.
[Aviation Week – 01/04/2011]
Indian developer Tripura launches Geo-Spatial 3D satellite-based imagery system to track terrorists and curb crime.
[Satellite Today – 01/03/2011]
Failure of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle on December 25 caused by snapped connectors.
[Spaceflight Now – 12/31/2010]
Orbital-built KOREASAT-6 launched from European space center in French Guiana.
[BusinessWire – 12/30/2010]
Charles Ergen of Echostar and Dish Network accumulates debt of bankrupt satellite operators TerreStar Networks and DBSD North America in challenge to Harbinger Capital, pursuing broadband spectrum owned by the bankrupt companies.
[The Wall Street Journal – 12/30/2010]
ILS to launch Satmex 8 in 2012.
[Satellite Today – 12/30/2010]
ImageSat settles spy satellite dispute with Serbia.
[Satellite Today – 12/30/2010]
India’s NRSC plans to launch 30 satellites by 2020.
[Satellite Today – 12/29/2010]
Turkey’s test satellite 3USAT debut set for September 2011.
[Satellite Today – 12/29/2010]
Satellite optimization enhances service delivery in a 4G world.
[TMCnet – 12/29/2010]
Upcoming NSR webinar – The Satellite Industry Year in Review . . . and a Look Ahead to 2011.
[gotomeeting.com]
Last week’s on-target Ariane 5 launch occurred at sunset in French Guiana, providing an excellent view of the vehicle’s ascent – including the separation of its two solid boosters at an altitude of some 67 km., and the payload fairing’s jettisoning at 106 km. Estimated orbital parameters at the injection of its cryogenic upper stage:
– Perigee: 249.4 km. for a target of 249.4 km.
– Apogee: 35,922 km. for a target of 35,907 km.
– Inclination: 2.99 deg. for a target of 3.00 deg.
"Zombie" satellite Galaxy 15 finally tamed – following loss of earth lock the satellite’s batteries drained; the Baseband Equipment command unit reset, and the satellite began accepting commands.
[Space Ref – 12/28/2010]
Arane 5 scheduled to launch Hispasat 1E and Koreasat 6 from Kourou on December 28.
[Space Ref – 12/28/2010]
KA-SAT successfully launched from Baikonur spaceport by Russia’s Proton-M carrier rocket.
[ITAR-TASS – 12/27/2010]
TerreStar creditors agree to reorganization plan, allowing EchoStar to buy $125M of preferred stock as part of plan.
[Satellite Today – 12/27/2010]
German broadcaster ARD leases capacity from Eutelsat and SES to bring programming to German soldiers in Afghanistan.
[Satellite Today – 12/27/2010]
Pakistan to launch its first indigenously developed communications satellite in 2011 from a launch site in China.
[Associated Press of Pakistan – 12/27/2010]
An Indian Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle carrying a telecommunications satellite is destroyed after veering off course.
[Space News – 12/27/2010]
Ahumanright.org wants to buy commercial satellite Terrestar-1 from its bankrupt operator to bring affordable internet to the World’s poor.
[Fast Company – 12/27/2010]
Six-ton Ka-Sat, bigger than recently launched Hylas, to serve customers in the so-called "hot-spots" of Europe, providing tens of millions of households with speeds generally up to 10Mbps.
[Press TVG – 12/26/2010]
Another NASA spinoff – inflatable antennas can be installed and de-installed quickly and support emergency satellite communication.
[Space Ref – 12/24/2010]
ViaSat receives $13.8M delivery orders from PM Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below that include installation and test of satellite ground station and control center equipment.
[Trading Markets – 12/24/2010]
China helps Bolivia fund its first communications satellite.
[News24 – 12/23/2010]
Globalstar takes delivery of two satellites from Thales Alenia Space.
[SatNews – 12/22/2010]
Harris to supply SAR military satellite payload.
[Satellite Today – 12/22/2010]
Norsat Ka-band BUC is used in antimatter study at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland.
[SatNews – 12/22/2010]
RapidEye’s first large scale mosaic, depicting all of Germany, is now for sale.
[SatNews – 12/22/2010]
Mexico pays Boeing $1B to build satellites for communications and security; Boeing to team with Orbital Sciences in meeting requirements.
[Fox Business – 12/21/2010]
Intelsat selects SatLink of Israel for iDirect VNO solution to provide its clients with managed hub services.
[Digital Producer Magazine – 12/20/1010]
Scientists hope to use Iridium satellite network, whose satellies carry magnetometers, to help predict solar storms and provide advisories to satellite operators.
[Scientific American – 12/20/2010]
I can almost see this as a new TV show on Discovery Channel: Planet Hunters. Not as easy as you think…
Finding Earth-size planets is a difficult task because the transit-signals, the dimming of the star’s light caused be a planet moving in front of the star, are so shallow. For a Jupiter-size planet, the transit depth is ~1% of the star’s brightness. For an Earth-size planet transiting a Sun-like star the decrease in brightness is less than .001%. Ground-based surveys have not reached the sensitivity to detect such planets around stars similar to our Sun, but with NASA’s space-based Kepler mission, launched in March 2009, astronomers are primed to start a new era in the study of exoplanets. Even with the exceptional data from the Kepler telescope, finding these Earth-sized planets will be extremely difficult, but in the age of Kepler, the first rocky planets will likely be detected including the potential to find Earth-like planets residing in the habitable zone, warm enough to harbor liquid water and potentially life on their surfaces.
Get started here, rocket scientist.
Be vewy, vewy quiet. I’m hunting pwanets!
Russian State Commission states that Proton M not at fault in loss of GLONASS satellites, but ILS, Khrunichev, Eutelsat, and Astrium KA-SAT mission team stands down for a week to review report.
[SatNews – 12/10/2010]
Obama administration proposes export control modernization.
[Satellite Today – 12/810/2010]
SatMAX Corporation announces master teaming agreement with Nsite which will provide another government contract avenue.
[SYS-CON Media – 12/10/2010]
MeshTV, experienced provider of end-to-end satellite transmission, upgrades streaming content service to allow multiple live streams to mobile devices.
[Satellite Spotlight – 12/10/2010]
Mobexx adds satellite communications to Mentor Ranger in vehicle work alone system.
[MHW Magazine – 12/10/2010]
South Australian satellite ground station supports NASA mission, tracking SpaceX Dragon’s descent from low-earth orbit.
[IT News – 12/10/2010]
Marlink will provide Sealink VSAT service to GC Rieber Shipping, a global operator of vessels within the subsea, polar expedition, and marine seismic segments.
[SatNews – 12/10/2010]
IDC wins Supterflex receiver order worth $1.15M from unnamed pan-European content distribution company.
[Satellite Today – 12/10/2010]
BIG CBS Networks launches BIG CBS {Prime, first of three new English entertainment channels, on AsiaSat 3S.
[SatNews – 12/10/2010]
Cheese for Monty Python is mystery civilian payload carried by SpaceX Dragon in successful launch.
[SatNews – 12/09/2010]
The Army’s first satellite in 50 years rides into orbit aboard the Falcon SpaceX vehicle.
[al.com – 12/09/2010]
Milestone 200th Ariane under preparation for February Automated Transfer Vehicle mission, which will service International Space Station.
[SatNews – 12/09/2010]
FCC plans to seek greater role in disputes between programmers and cable and satellite distributors.
[LA Times – 12/09/2010]
Inmarsat names Globe Wireless’ Globe iFusion the 2010 Maritime Solution of the Year.
[SatNews – 12/09/2010]
LA Police department selects Spacenet satelllite service to help manage emergency situations across the city.
[Trading Markets – 12/09/2010]
OmniGlobe Networks EMEA is first company to receive full MENOS certification for Fast News Gathering terminal developed in close cooperation with Newtec and the Arab States Broadcasting Union.
[SatNews – 12/09/2010]
Geoeye to acquire Spadac, a geospatial predictive analytics company, for $46M.
[Satellite Today – 12/09/2010]
GeoSpatial Experts, developer of firs photo-mapping software package, introduces three new GPS Camera bundles designed for geotagging and mapping digital photographs.
[SatNews – 12/09/2010]
Thales Alenia Space will build W3D satellite for Eutelsat Communications.
[Satellite Spotlight – 12/08/2010]
Cisco uses satellite router to make first VoIP call without the support of any terrestrial infrastructure to route the call.
[Urgent Communications – 12/08/2010]
NASA selects small business research and tech projects, including small satellite construction companies.
[NASA.gov – 12/08/2010]
Thuraya expands commercial partnership with Etilisat to provide IP and maritime service in the UAE.
[Zawya – 12/08/2010]
Vizada to supply VSAT equipment and lease Ku-band satellite capacity to European Union Rule of Law mission in Kosovo.
[Satellite Today – 12/08/2010]
Lockheed Martin-build BSAT-3b satellite begins service for Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation of Japan.
[PR Newswire – 12/08/2010]
Frequency Electronics contract for providing timing and frequency sources for satellites could exceed $30M with options.
[Satellite Spotlight – 12/08/2010]
FCC regulation of internet providers, allowing companies to bill customers according to amount of internet usage, could put brakes on online video industry, handing cable and satellite providers a victory.
[Washington Post – 12/08/2010]
Malfunction preventing deployment of antenna on LightSquared’s new satellite launched Nov. 14 may imperil discussions with companies for capacity on its new network.
[Bloomberg – 12/08/2010]
Newtec satellite modulators deployed in fleet of one of largest European public broadcasters, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR).
[SatNews – 12/08/2010]
NASA ejects NanoSail-D nanosatellite from its Fast, Affordable Science and Technology satellite.
[Satellite Today – 12/08/2010]
OnAir has agreement with Solar Impulse to supply satellite broadband connectivity during its attempt to become first solar powered aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth.
[SatNews – 12/08/2010]
Three GLONASS-M satellites launched earlier this week to complete Russia’s Global Navigation System failed to reach orbit, presumably falling into Pacific Ocean.
[Russia beyond the headlines – 12/07/2010]
Telespazio selects Arianbespace to launch Sicral 2 satellite in 2013.
[Satellite today – 12/07/2010]
Inmarsat launches satellite phones into Vietnam.
[DZ Times – 12/07/2010]
Echostar meets highest department of defense security requirements for satellite services.
[Marketwire – 12/07/2010]
Thrane & Thrane releases Aviator 200 airborne solution in Middle East.
[Satellite Today – 12/07/2010]
Comtech Telecommunications receives second 6-month contract extension to Movement Tracking System program with U.S. Army, to provide satellite airtime and equipment through July 2011.
[Globe Newswire – 12/07/2010]
Inmarsat reports that 30% of some 11,000 satcom terminals providing satellite services to government, commercial, and corporate aircraft are in business aircraft.
[Aviation Week – 12/07/2010]
Encompass Digital buys Ascebnt Media’s content distribution business.
[Satellite Today – 12/06/2010]
Thales Australia signs deal to supply satellite communications for Australia’s three new air-warfare destroyers.
[smh.com – 12/06/2010]
Sirius XM-5 satellite ready for service.
[Satellite Today – 12/06/2010]
Orbcomm declares new ground station at Hartebeeshoewk, west of Pretoria New Zealand, operational.
[engineering news – 12/06/2010]
Arianspace to launch Franco-Italian Milcom satellite in 2013.
[Space News – 12/06/2010]
The DEMETER spacecraft’s instruments assisted geophysicists with their analysis of ultra-low frequency electromagnetic waves before and after the Haiti earthquake in January, 2010. DEMETER stands for Detection of Electro-Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions.
You can download the paper here and read for yourself. Personally, I like MIT’s Technology Review and how they explain it to us…
The anecdotal evidence of electromagnetic effects associated with earthquakes is legion. Various accounts link earthquakes with mysterious light and heating effects. Then there is the widespread evidence that certain animals can sense impending quakea, possibly because of a sensitivity to low frequency electric fields.
But good data is hard to come by. Geoscientists have been measuring the currents that flow through Earth beneath our feet for over 100 years. These so-called telluric currents are thought to be generated by friction and piezoelectric effects within rock. And the flow of electrons they cause has been linked to various atmospheric phenomena such as thunderstorms.
But the role these currents play in earthquake physics is unknown. It makes sense that any currents generated by friction and piezoelectric effects should be dramatically influenced by the relative movement of different parts of the crust.
But these effects occur over vast distances and at frequencies that are hard to measure and difficult to separate from background noise. Which is why DEMETER was launched , (DEMETER stands for Detection of Electro-Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions).
Now Michael Athanasiou at the Technical University of Serres in Greece and a few buddies say that DEMETER spotted good of evidence of a change in ultralow frequency radio waves in the ionosphere above Haiti in the run up to the quake. "The results reveal a significant increase of the energy of ULF waves, up to 360%, for a period of one month before the main earthquake compared with the energy of the background," they say. That’s a dramatic increase. These emissions dropped gradually in the month after the quake.
The implications are interesting. Athanasiou and co say: "The results of this paper clearly indicate that ULF electromagnetic waves can be very useful in revealing possible precursor seismic phenomena."
That’s carefully worded and for good reason. Any talk of earthquake prediction needs to be qualified with a good deal of hedging. It may well be that the crust generates more low frequency waves in the build up to an earthquake but there may be other mechanisms that produce a similar signal but are not linked to quakes.
These effects would have to be teased apart before a forecast of any use could be made.
Then there is the problem of the timescale over which these emissions are produced. The increase in pressure that causes earthquakes occurs over geological timescales. It’s not yet clear how this process changes the emission of low frequency em waves.
That means the predictions from this kind of data may be never be any better than the ones geophysicists already make, ie giving the percentage likelihood of a big ‘un in the next 50 years, for example. That helps with things like building standards (in developed countries that can afford to implement them) but it is not much use in preventing the kind of catastrophe that hit Haiti in January.
(a) The average energy of the pre-earthquake signals recorded by the satellite during night-passing, for 100 days before the main earthquake as well as for the aftershock signals for 50 days. (b) The average energy per 25 days of the observed signal during the night, for 100 days before and 50 days after the earthquake.
Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat, Telesat — all big satellite operators who continually try to get their stories out and reported on by the general business media, and, if they’re lucky, some broader medium. Doesn’t happen much, unless there’s a catastrophic failure during launch or in-orbit.
Along comes Kosta Grammatis with an idea to buy the Terrestar-1 spacecraft and move it from 111 West to a location assigned to Papua New Guinea, possibly 31.5 West over West Africa or something closer to home. So guess what happens. They put up a Web site to raise $150,000 to get it started.
Futurismic’s Paul Raven posts something on it yesterday, Boing Boing picks it up, then Gizmodo. Expect this to go viral in a way the major satcoms can only dream of.
But seriously, I doubt secured debtors such as EchoStar will let this baby go to another location. It’s in a good spot for broadcasting in the S-band. Free Internet? Good luck building modems for the masses. And each modem needs electricity, so get busy with power generation, too.
Let’s see just how big this gets.
IP-PRIME was killed by SES two years ago. Was that a smart move or not? Talk to the people out in the field and they think it could have worked. It was a solid technological solution to many video service providers in "the fly-over states." So you think the other remaining big IPTV enablers are making their "bucket lists" these days? Not quite.
Avail-TVN recently announced a deal with Verizon FiOS TV, so their wholesale model has gotten stronger over the last couple of years. As for FiOS TV, they apparently have stopped their fiber build-out altogether, focusing instead on turning up service for their current market of homes-passed. That doesn’t include neighborhood, unfortunately. No problem: I dumped DirecTV for DISH Network and I love the new offering from the 61.5 West orbital location.
So what’s FiOS TV up to? How will they expand? The likely answer is wireless. Not on their current CDMA network, but rather on the new LTE service, being turned up on Sunday. As it won’t be for phone traffic, figure it will eventually carry IPTV. Considering the Seattle market is expected to benefit from a 16 Mbps throughput, that’s just about perfect for HDTV channels (MPEG-4 H.264). Hey, they’re switched at the C.O., so why not? Customers don’t care whether it’s satcom, coax, fiber or wireless — as long as the signal comes through in HD, they’re good to go.
Perhaps Verizon has it right in stopping fiber builds and focusing instead on using LTE for video services. Hey, if DISH Network can stream live TV to iPads today, the future can surely rely on wireless.
Just don’t call me "Shirley."
