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Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Moderated Thread - please read rules before posting -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Paul V. who wrote (66108)	7/13/2007 12:23:02 AM
From: golfinvestor	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 197214

Globalstar. QCOM manufactures phones for Globalstar. Here is a thread if you are interested: Subject 17382

To: Paul V. who wrote (66108)	7/13/2007 7:21:58 AM
From: quartersawyer	Respond to of 197214

re: satellite companies, and possible conflict in Q's position as competition develops between cellular and hybridized satellite carriers, but more likely to have a multimode resolution. Eventually. from Zweig/Shosteck SATELLITES - REACHING FOR THE SDARS? The pending acquisition by British Private equity firm BC partners of a majority stake in satellite network operator Intelsat values the business at just over $16 billion dollars. Founded in 1965, Intelsat was sold in 2004 for $3 billion dollars. By any standards this represents an impressive gain in corporate value in just three years. In the US, the proposed merger of XM and Sirius presently being scrutinized by the FCC, values the combined business at $13 billion dollars. Both companies started just ten years ago. XM and Sirius claim to have 14 million subscribers between them. Intelsat is a traditional satellite property with 51 satellites in geostationary orbit providing transponder (backhaul) services to the broadcast, cable and network operator community. XM/Sirius are non-traditional satellite companies in that they provide radio service,192 audio broadcast channels, from a combination of geostationary satellites and terrestrial repeaters using a US developed standard known as SDARS (Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service). This is officially a satellite network with Ancillary Terrestrial Components (ATC)- a hybrid satellite/terrestrial SDARS ATC network. The valuation or rather re-valuation of Intelsat is based on the assumption that high- definition TV combined with a growing demand for broadband Internet access and data traffic will create new business opportunities. The valuation or rather re-valuation of XM/Sirius is based on a combination of perceived subscriber asset value and spectral asset value. The assumption is that the spectral assets acquired in 1997 have substantially increased in value over the past ten years. XM and Sirius have 12.5 MHz of spectrum between 2332.5 and 2345 MHz acquired at nominal cost. XM has built a network of 1500 terrestrial repeaters to provide urban coverage. An in-car XM receiver can process either the satellite signal or the terrestrial signal or both signals combined. Although the present dominant market is in-car audio, the network can be used to provide other broadband services which can be localized to the nearest repeater. The terrestrial broadcasters, in particular the National Association of Broadcasters in the US are unhappy about this. This is new competition for the traditional terrestrial broadcast community. Similarly cellular operators need to be aware that this is potentially potent competition for other ‘to mobile’ radio and TV delivery options including Media FLO and Modeo. Most of the present satellite operators established to deliver mobile services either in L band (1.6 GHZ) or S band (2 GHZ) were given or gifted spectrum in 1997. These networks are therefore being deployed into spectrum acquired at a fraction of the price of recent (past seven year) cellular spectral investments. XM/Sirius are not alone in realizing the profit potential of this legacy. World Space have plans to enhance their present services delivered from their Afristar and Asia Star satellites together with a planned satellite launch to cover Europe. They presently have terrestrial repeater licenses for Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Mobile Satellite Ventures are proposing to implement an ATC terrestrial network to complement the 34 MHz of L band spectrum at 1525 and 1625 MHz to which they presently have access. Globalstar have ATC plans aimed at revaluing their L band and S band spectrum. Iridium could potentially follow a similar route to revalue their L band spectrum. Mobaho in Japan and S DMB in Korea use terrestrial repeaters to deliver TV, audio and data channels to mobile users in subways and tunnels combines with a satellite service at 2.6 GHz. ICO have 25 MHz of bandwidth presently allocated to them in the S UMTS band in Europe and 20 MHz in S band in the US which they share with Terrestar and Orbcomm. The European spectrum could be serviced using repurposed MEO satellites one of which is in orbit with the remainder (bar one that exploded at launch) still in storage. The US spectrum could be serviced from geostationary satellites with an ATC network possibly based on the DVB SH standard. As with XM/Sirius, this would be direct competition for Media FLO and other terrestrial-only mobile TV service providers. China has similar hybrid network plans described as China Multi Media Broadcasting using Satellite and Terrestrial Interactive Infrastructure. Eutelsat and SES Astra have plans to launch S band payloads on GSO satellites being launched in 2008. Eutelsat and SES Astra between them own nearly 60 geostationary satellites delivering over three thousand TV stations and 2000 radio stations to 200 million cable and satellite homes. Their engineering and market investment is therefore already well amortized over a substantial and largely captive subscriber base. The S band payload essentially comes for free. Implications for Traditional Cellular Service Providers Hybrid satellite terrestrial networks represent new competition for traditional terrestrial cellular service providers. The ability to deliver full duplex voice, TV, video and broadband data services to mobile users either from terrestrial repeaters or a satellite and/or simultaneously from both provides a measure of additional flexibility not available to terrestrial cellular operators. Conversely most of the hybrid satellite terrestrial operators require access to terrestrial sites and terrestrial subscribers many of whom are under the control or influence of the incumbent traditional cellular community. Summary There have been rumblings of discontent in the cellular and terrestrial broadcast community that new generation hybrid satellite terrestrial networks are really terrestrial networks with an ancillary satellite component rather than satellite networks with an ancillary terrestrial component. These networks are being deployed into spectrum that was acquired at a fraction of the price of recent (past 7 year) cellular spectral investments. A number of the operators have emerged from Chapter 11 with engineering and launch investments largely paid for by their creditors rather than consumers. This would seem to confer an unfair advantage to these companies. This may of course be true but pragmatically there will be a high level of interdependency between satellite/terrestrial ATC networks, terrestrial broadcast and terrestrial cellular networks at infrastructure, subscriber and device level. Interdependency implies collaborative profit opportunity. More tellingly, a number of the propositions mentioned above will have to be closely coupled with already established terrestrial service providers in order to achieve long term financial viability. This factor combined with other positive satellite technology and cost trends including lower launch costs, larger more efficient pay loads and improved uplink and downlink performance suggest that satellites may play an increasingly positive role in unidirectional and bi-directional mobile broadband service provision. At the very least the satellite sector needs to be more actively factored in to present and future cellular and terrestrial broadcast business plans. =============================== WCA: Globalstar's rule change could cause interference The wireless broadband industry opposes on interference grounds Globalstar Inc.’s push to have federal regulators consider an ancillary terrestrial component rule change that the mobile satellite service operator claims would put it on equal footing with competitors. Globalstar last year petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to open a rulemaking to remove a limitation preventing ATC integration in certain MSS frequencies—2483.5-2500 MHz—in which it is licensed. Globalstar said competitors are not saddled with ATC restrictions. The Wireless Communications Association International said MSS-ATC operations in that band would cause harmful interference to wireless broadband radio service licensees. WCA rejected Globalstar’s assertion that its petition largely did not attract fire, noting the trade group’s own opposition as well as that of the WiMAX Forum, Sprint Nextel Corp., cellphone association CTIA, the Society of Broadcast Engineers and Iridium Satellite L.L.C. WCA also said the FCC previously rejected sharing in the band at issue. “There is no equity in exposing BRS to even a possibility that they will be at greater risk of suffering interference from ATC,” WCA told the FCC. “Globalstar would have the commission believe that BRS operators will lose nothing if ATC operations are launched in their spectrum, so long as those operations are terminated once BRS service because available in the same market. That is a fallacy. It should be obvious even to Globalstar that the process of transitioning markets, designing networks and launching new BRS service cannot proceed smoothly within the required deadlines if ATC operations already occupy the spectrum to which BRS licenses are being transitioned.” Globalstar Chairman James Monroe III did not mince words in urging FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to move forward on the year-old petition for rulemaking. “The sharing proceeding (a separate, but related FCC mobile satellite initiative) has been pending for three years, and is consuming my senior staff’s time and effort, not to mention many thousands of dollars in legal and consulting fees,” Monroe stated. “I must tell you candidly, as a businessman and chief executive officer, that three years is an unconsciously long period of regulatory uncertainty for my company.” Monroe said Globalstar is the only MSS operator currently capable of integrating ATC services into its existing satellite constellation, adding the company is about a year into the $1.2 billion design and construction of its second-generation constellation and associated ground equipment. The Bush administration has emphasized redundant telecom infrastructure since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. rcrnews.com

To: Paul V. who wrote (66108)	7/13/2007 10:46:54 AM
From: seti	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 197214

Threaders, last night at our investment club, a Colonel, indicated that they are using satillite phones..I was recently told the same thng by a telecommunication engineer.. Are these statement correct? If one wants worldwide coverage without worrying about proximity to cell towers and without regard to gsm-cdma-wcdma / frequencies / roaming agreement, then you need a satellite phone. Remember most of the Earth's surface is out any carrier's coverage area! US carriers don't have roaming agreements with N Korea. All those rich people floating around in their yachts also need it.