Intelsat agreed to buy from Astrium Ku-band satellite, which China Great Wall Industry will launch in spring 2002 toward orbital location at 85 degrees E for corporate VSAT networks, video distribution to cable, Internet connections. Sinosat acquired right to use 6 transponders on satellite, which will be known as Intelsat APR-3, and two C-band transponders on Intelsat satellite at 178 degrees E scheduled to be operational by Oct. 2003.
Exports to China
Intelsat and American Tower subsidiary Verestar announced start of satellite-based OC-3 duplex Internet service between U.S. and China. Service uses Brewster facilities in Washington state that provides access to Intelsat space segment as well as connectivity to U.S. fiber backbone.
Promotions at FCC Comr. Furchtgott-Roth’s office: Rebecca Benyon to senior counsel, Bryan Tramont to senior legal advisor… Promoted to senior dir. at NCTA: David Pierce, dir.-public affairs, and Richard Cimerman, dir.-state telecom policy… Added as members Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand shareholders board: Michael Berg, Marla Grossman, Julian Shepard, David Siddall… Changes at Terra Lycos: Robert Davis resigns as CEO, becomes nonexec. vice chmn.; Theodore Philip, CFO, moves to senior vp-strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions; Elias Rodriguez-Vina, ex-GE Capital Europe, named CFO… Judith Harris, ex-Discovery Communications, appointed exec. vp-PBS Businesses… Changes at Advanced Wireless Systems board: Resigned: Monte Julius, Demetrios Tsoutsas and David Schlueter; elected: Stanley Wilson, pres., who becomes chmn.; Thomas Howard, CFO; Jeffrey Schneider, pres.-RAP Group… Michael Kwan, Qingdao Telecom Systems, moves to COO, Lucent’s China operations… Judith Carlough, ex-Broadcastspots.com, named vp-advertiser services, Arbitron Web cast ratings division… Erin Hand advanced to dir.- learning & talent development, Cox… Carl Harnick, ex-Ernst & Young, elected to Classic Communications board… Suzanne Hutchings promoted to senior regulatory counsel, Teledisc… Christine Castro advanced to vp-corporate communications, Disney… Richard Turner promoted to vp-business affairs, programming, Starz Encore Group.
While countries such as Japan and Mexico are starting to remove obstacles to competition, serious problems persist, telecom companies and equipment makers told U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office. USTR sought comments in Jan. as part of annual review on effectiveness of U.S. trade agreements involving telecom products and services, including World Trade Organization’s (WTO) basic telecom agreement. Commenters also pointed frequently to competition hurdles in European Union (EU) member states, urging U.S. in some cases to seek stricter implementation of existing EU directives. Concerns raised by telecom companies, which in part centered on interconnection rates, provide road map of lingering telecom market-opening issues that would face USTR under Bush nominee Robert Zoellick.
Nokia Neu CommTech, joint venture of Nokia in China, and Beijing and Hubei arms of China Mobile Communications (CMM), reached agreement for delivery of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology, terms not announced. Companies said gear would be used to start wireless Internet services to northern, central and western regions of China. Nokia said deliveries had begun and system would start operating next month. CMM plans to offer WAP- based services to more than 1 million customers. Separately, Nokia signed $160 million pact to deliver GSM 900 MHz and 1800 MHz network equipment to China’s Yunnan Mobile Communications Co. Nokia said it would provide high-capacity mobile switching equipment and base station controllers. Companies said network upgrade would increase capacity of network for Yunnan’s nearly 2 million subscribers in southern China.
Nokia will supply and install GSM 900 MHz wireless equipment to expand network of China’s Shanxi Mobile Communications, which plans to increase network capacity by 230,000 subscribers in Taiyuan City, terms not announced. Nokia said agreement was reached with one of its joint ventures in China, Beijing Nokia Hangxing Telecommunications Systems.
SAN JOSE, Cal. - Telecom leaders need to develop regulatory strategy and regulators should become more flexible and less prescriptive, panelists said at Wireless Communications Assn. annual technology symposium here Wed. Regulators can help improve Internet broadband access and promote innovation by imposing regulations that are “technology-neutral,” said Industry Canada Spectrum Engineering Deputy Dir. Gen. Veena Rawat. Canadian regulatory agencies, she said, were moving away from “prescriptive, detailed technical standards” in favor of minimum constraints and only “essential technical rules.”
Lucent Technologies is to supply fiber network to China’s Liaoning Province for subsidiary of China Telecom under $15 million contract announced Wed. Equipment is to be deployed by May. Lucent’s WaveStar OLS-400G has capacity of 400 Gbps, is capable of handling 5 million simultaneous phone calls or 80 one- page e-mails per sec., company said.