Discovery is extending its HD network outside the U.S., focusing on markets where HDTV is gaining a foothold, such as Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico and the U.K. The international network will be offered as a standalone channel or in programming packages.
Exports to China
Discovery is extending its HD network outside the U.S., focusing on markets where HDTV is gaining a foothold: Canada, Mexico, Korea, China, Japan, Germany and the U.K. The international network will be offered as a standalone channel or in programming blocks.
Ericsson said it had won a $805 million contract to expand Guangdong Mobile’s GSM network in China. It said delivery of equipment started this year, and it expected the contract to be fulfilled before April.
China had a banner year in 2004, sending 10 satellites into orbit, the China Aerospace Science & Technology Corp. told the People’s Daily. The country launched an array of satellites for meteorological and scientific exploration, the newspaper said. Next year, China plans to launch Apstar 6, which will have an Asia Pacific footprint, and Shenzhou 6, the country’s 2nd manned trip into space.
GENEVA -- Chaired by FCC Comr. Abernathy, the 5th Global Symposium for Regulators Dec. 8-10 here unanimously adopted a “Best Practice Guidelines for the Promotion of Low Cost Broadband and Internet Connectivity.” The publication “is viewed as the key to providing greater access to the information society,” said ITU spokesman Gary Fowlie. The symposium included 350 participants from 106 countries, including officials from regulatory agencies in 77 countries and ministry officials from 29 countries.
A handful of World Trade Organization member countries have policies unfriendly toward the U.S. satellite industry, according to a new Satellite Industry Assn. (SIA) report. The document, which some experts said could have some influence, also singled out several countries not part of WTO but with membership offers on the table.
REDWOOD CITY, Cal. -- Most of the world action in communications technology and devices is in northern Asia, Intel’s senior executive in that sphere said. “I get 75% of my ideas over there,” Sean Maloney, exec. vp-gen. mgr., communications group, told the Microventures investment conference here Wed.
ChinaSatcom and Skylogic, the broadband affiliate of Eutelsat, signed an agreement Mon. to establish a 2-way satellite communications network to link businesses, trade and govt. agencies in China and Italy. The system is scheduled to start in Jan. More than 1,000 Italian businesses with offices, joint ventures and production units in China, as well as Chinese companies operating in Europe, will benefit from this partnership, the companies said.
Iran and China signed a memorandum of understanding Nov. 30 aimed at improving aerospace and satellite cooperation between the 2 countries, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported. The accord was signed in Beijing by Iranian Space Agency Dir. Hassan Shafti and Chinese National Space Agency Dir. Lae-on Soon, IRNA said.
The market for cable set-top boxes is bouncing back after a bad 2003, according to In-Stat/MDR. It said shipments are expected to grow 11% this year to 10.87 million, as cable operators increase their orders for boxes equipped with PVRs and for HDTV. Motorola remains the market leader, the report said, though Scientific- Atlanta has narrowed the lead. Those companies accounted for 85% of set-top sales in the first half of 2004, it said. Other findings: (1) 20% of digital set-tops this year have been PVR-enabled. (2) More than 2 million HDTV- capable boxes are expected to ship this year. (3) Big growth is predicted in the China market.