Andrew Corp. will sell GigaSat flyaway antennas exclusively in China, Hong Kong, Japan, S. Korea and Taiwan, the firms said. Andrew already markets the flyaways in N. America, mainly to govt. customers. No terms disclosed.
Exports to China
Malfunctioning solar panels are causing Chinese communications satellite SinoSat 2 to fail after less than a month in orbit, Chinese news reports said. The satellite, launched from China on Oct. 29, is designed for TV broadcasting and broadband applications.
China’s satellite newsgathering market looks “promising” for specialist equipment manufacturers, integrators and component suppliers, according to a Research & Markets report released Tues. Prompted mainly by Western businesses the past 15 years, local satellite news gathering equipment suppliers and integrators have sprung up in China the past 5 years, the report said. Tandberg, Swe-Dish, Vertex, Advent, Harmonic, Thomson, Andrew, Xicom and others do business there, it said.
Hanoi Telecom and China Unicom signed an MOU to work together, Vietnamese media reported. The 2 major Asian telecom firms will cooperate in data card and wireless device acquisition and developing CDMA 1000 technology.
Jeff Lanning, ex-USTelecom, joins Embarq Corp. as dir.- regulatory affairs… New members of Comverse Technology board: Susan Bowick, ex-Hewlett-Packard; Charles Burdick, ex-HIT Entertainment; Richard Nottenburg, Motorola; Joseph O'Donnell, ex-Artesyn Technologies; Theodore Schell, Liberty Associated Partners… Lt. Gen. John Campbell, U.S.A.F. (Ret.), becomes Iridium exec. vp-govt. affairs… Cedar Point Communications names Michael Brunsveld, ex-Nortel, managing dir.-Europe, heading new Europe subsidiary… Arris names Hubert Wo, ex-UTStarcom, to head technical operations in China… Cingular moves Chris Penrose to vp-gen. mgr., south Tex.
STANFORD, Cal. -- Asked if the U.S. should have had a broadband-promotion policy as some E. Asian countries devised, Microsoft Chmn. Bill Gates said “our broadband penetration is sort of middle of pack.” But much regulation -- including Telecom Act facilities-sharing requirements -- “actually holds us back,” he said Wed. in an interview with Charlie Rose at TechNet’s Innovation Summit here. As the Internet continues to absorb TV and landline voice, broadband penetration will improve, Gates said.
ProtoStar said it’s $210 million closer to launching a 3-satellite Asian DTH service, after selling $160 million in senior secured notes to institutional investors and receiving $50 million in venture capital. Proceeds will go toward purchase and launch of ProtoStar’s first geostationary satellite -- largely built already for China Telecom Broadcast Satellite (CTBS), ProtoStar officials said. ProtoStar plans to buy the satellite from CTBS and rename it ProtoStar 1 after manufacturer Space Systems/Loral tailors the craft for Asian DTH service. ProtoStar said it’s aiming for a 2008 launch.
STANFORD, Cal. -- The U.S. should eliminate or at least rationalize telecom regulation and liberalize the H1-B visa program for admitting foreign professionals, senior Silicon Valley executives said Wed. “We'd settle for enlightened policy or no policy, just not the confused policy” flowing from application of decades-old telecom rules to new tools, said Charlie Giancarlo, Cisco senior vp-chief development officer, at the TechNet Innovation Summit here.
Congress is turning a “deaf ear to reality” by not passing a permanent, “strengthened” R&D tax credit that can keep America competitive with other nations for innovative research, outgoing Rep. Johnson (R-Conn.) said Tues. Speaking with returning Rep. Tiahrt (R-Kan.) and several tech trade groups, Johnson called herself “very hopeful the next Congress will have the guts” to pass a credit that doesn’t need annual renewal and that keeps U.S. research competitive with those of R&D-friendly places like India and Ireland.
Lucent should show a “modest increase” in 2007 revenue, given high spending on its “Rev A” products and uncertainty around U.S. CDMA trends and 3G licenses in China, UBS analyst Nikos Theodosopoulos said in a Wed. report. Potential drops in legacy equipment sales will be offset at least partly by “meaningful” IMS technology revenue, he said. Theodosopoulos maintained UBS’s “Buy 2” rating for Lucent.