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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Globalstar Telecommunications Limited GSAT -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ok2Launch who wrote (2830)	2/8/1999 11:08:00 AM
From: Jim Parkinson	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29987

Do we have a damn launch tonight or not? IR hasn't said a word. I went to a Rolling Stones concert Sat night in Sacramento. We could have launched the damn birds from there! Sorry for my foul langauge but I would sure like to see something come out of IR regarding what the hell is going on!!!

To: Ok2Launch who wrote (2830)	2/8/1999 3:13:00 PM
From: djane	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

2/8/99 article. Globalstar Gears Up For Launch While SS/L Moves Ahead With 20.20 Vision satellitetoday.com Monday, Feb 8 by Amy Hellickson If there is one thing Bernard Schwartz knows for sure about the market for global mobile satellite services, it's that there is room for everybody. With Globalstar LP's [GSTRF] Soyuz launch set for Feb. 9 to boost four birds into low-Earth-orbit, Schwartz, the CEO of Loral Space and Communications [LOR] said at a SATELLITE 99 news conference yesterday (2/5) that he's confident the high demand for satellite service will be driven by the market once that service is up and running. "If you add the total capacity of Iridium, ICO, Globalstar and others, and you add in the total capacity available [for mobile satellite services], it will only add up to be a fraction of the demand that's out there," he said. Schwartz said in order for Globalstar to meet the demands of its projected 7.5 million subscribers in the first generation of service, scheduled to start Oct. 1, Globalstar is focusing on getting handsets to customers and providing a low-cost service. Schwartz also responded to a question regarding whether he had placed a call on arch-rival Iridium LLC's [IRIDF] system. With tongue in cheek, Schwartz said he had not but would love to if someone gave him a phone. That response prompted Loral president and chief operating officer Greg Clark to chime in: "We can't afford the handset." Globalstar plans to have 32 birds operational to complete its constellation and 48 birds flying by its service launch date. Schwartz said that handset manufacturers Qualcomm [QCOM], Ericsson [ERICY] and Telital are ahead of schedule and will produce between 10,000 to 15,000 phones per week, then ramp up to an output of 40,000 by December. Schwartz said Globalstar will continue financing the project at $200 million per quarter. However, fear of another launch failure has led the company to factor in the use of the Delta and Ariane rockets. The company lost the one that claimed 12 Globalstar birds in September when the Zenit rocket exploded. "Launching is a risky business, and we've factored in enough redundencies that if we don't use the [Soyuz], we can still meet schedule using only the Ariane and Delta and not be dependant on any one rocket," Schwartz said. Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) is also moving ahead with its approximate $100 million development of the 20.20 commercial communications satellite platform — a satellite that will be twice the size of existing birds and 25 percent more expensive. The company is currently in discussion with three potential customers, including subsidiary Loral Skynet, said Robert Berry, president of SS/L. With a target delivery date in first quarter 2002 and a shelf life of 15 years, Berry said the 20.20 will offer the lowest cost on a per-transponder basis due to its ability to deliver up to 25 kilowatts of total satellite power and carry more than 150 transponders. The 20.20 will be completely financed internally by SS/L, Berry said. Amy Hellickson is assistant editor of Mobile Satellite News.

To: Ok2Launch who wrote (2830)	2/8/1999 3:24:00 PM
From: djane	Respond to of 29987

Spotlight Shines On Globalstar, DTH Gains satellitetoday.com Monday, Feb 8 by Paul Dykewicz The planned deployment of Globalstar and the continued emergence of satellite television providers as a competitive threat to cable TV operators will rank among the hottest stories of 1999, a host of satellite industry consultants and leaders predict. One of the biggest dramas of the year will be whether the low-earth-orbit satellite systems such as Iridium LLC, Globalstar and Orbcomm will find the lucrative customer base that they expect for their mobile satellite services. The answer will determine whether Wall Street investors and analysts will back the plans of other companies to collectively raise billions of dollars to introduce broadband and other proposed satellite services. For the direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television market, the legislative and regulatory arenas will become key battlegrounds to further the cause of offering competition to cable television monopolies in locales throughout the United States. Consolidation in the DTH industry late last year with the merger between DirecTv Inc. and U.S. Satellite Broadcasting and the acquisition of prime direct broadcast satellite service orbital slots from News Corp. by Echostar Communications Corp. strengthen those providers for the market place skirmishes ahead. Medium-power DTH provider Primestar is showing signs of reducing its high rate of customer churn, but its plans to offer a limited high-power option may prove unable to compete effectively with existing high-power rivals DirecTv and EchoStar. The top story of 1999 likely will be the full-scale deployment of Globalstar, following a year when the planned venture suffered the industry's biggest setback when it lost 12 satellites during a Zenit launch failure, said Vijay Jayant, a satellite analyst with New York-based investment firm Bear Stearns. The financial markets will take a cue from the next Globalstar launch about whether such fledgling systems are worth financing, despite the risk of launch and in-orbit satellite failures. "Once a Globalstar launch is successful in early 1999, it could help the financial market's receptiveness," Jayant said. Even more launches are planned for 1999 than in 1998, so the next year also could see a heightened number of launch failures and in-orbit anomalies, Jayant said. The Leonid storm and further solar activity are expected to recur next year and pose additional in-orbit risk for satellites, he added. Tim Logue, a satellite consultant with the law firm Coudert Brothers, said the rash of in-orbit and pre-launch satellite problems appear to be traceable to building satellites faster without testing them sufficiently. The problem seems to be getting worse and affects all three major American manufacturers. One major bright spot last year was the successful launch by Washington, D.C.-based WorldSpace of the first dedicated satellite for Africa. The Alcatel-built bird is expected to offer digital audio radio (DARs) services this spring. Two additional birds will be launched by this fall for Asia and Latin America. Is The Phrase 'Show Me the Money' Passé? While Wall Street analysts and observers acknowledge that the availability of financing became limited for many satellite ventures late last summer after high-profile, in-orbit and launch failures, the markets are opening up again. Increased availability of equity and debt financing will be dependent upon overall economic conditions and early successes for Iridium, Orbcomm and other new generation of satellite systems, Logue said. "The dependence on the public markets for debt and equity means that companies are going to have to spend a lot more time on Wall Street distinguishing themselves from each other," Logue said. satellite TV providers are an exception to the financing crunch, said Chuck Hewitt, president of the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association. Financing in the satellite TV industry has become easier as its subscriber base topped 10 million during 1998, Hewitt said. Satellite TV providers should be able to find funding as long subscriber growth continues and profits follow. On the legislative and regulatory front, the satellite industry failed to win passage of several key bills that would even the playing field between satellite TV and cable TV providers. However, progress is expected this year. "While it was disappointing not to see comprehensive satellite legislation passed by the end of the 1998 congressional calendar, the industry stands ready to pick up where it left off in 1999," Hewitt said. The industry will try again to win the rollback of copyright fee hikes and to gain the right to offer local channels. Expect price hikes on cable TV bills when a cap ends early this year. "For 1999, the DBS industry stands poised to deliver both high-definition (HDTV) and standard-definition television to satellite dish owners nationwide," Hewitt said. Satellite retailers will work to design efficient combinations of digital television, high-speed Internet, HDTV, home theater and other services. National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative President Bob Phillips said his group will redouble its efforts to give rural consumers access to network signals via satellite. A unified industry campaign may win passage of satellite legislation to bring parity between cable, broadcasters and satellite providers. The top launch-related stories of 1999 will be the first three commercial flights of Ariane 5 and the qualification flights of Sea Launch and Delta III, Arianespace officials said. Launchers increasingly will need to show they can provide reliable heavy-lift vehicles on a regular, competitive commercial basis. On the European front, the consolidation and privatization trends within the aerospace industry will heighten, European satellite industry officials said. The reluctance of U.S. government officials to allow launches aboard the Chinese Long March vehicles due to technology transfer concerns could steer more satellite contracts to European manufacturers for political reasons, they added. Paul Dykewicz is senior analyst of Satellite News. SATELLITE 99 Show Coverage \| Home \| Register \| Today's News \| Market Snapshot \| Newsstand \| Search \| Company Intelligence \| \| Satellite Database \| Launches \| Transponder Guide \| Research Reports \| Government \| \| Industry Links \| Calendar \| Catalog \| About this Site \| Career Center \| Helpdesk \| Copyright © 1999 Phillips Publishing International, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Phillips Publishing International, Inc. is prohibited. Phillips and the Phillips logo are trademarks of Phillips Publishing International, Inc.

To: Ok2Launch who wrote (2830)	2/8/1999 3:35:00 PM
From: djane	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

Analysts Name Echostar, Panamsat Their Top 1999 Picks [GSTRF pick] satellitetoday.com Monday, Feb 8 by Paul Dykewicz, Senior Analyst, Satellite News The star performers among satellite stocks this year are expected to be EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] and PanAmSat Corp. [SPOT] due to their prospects for strong revenue and subscriber growth, according to a panel of top Wall Street analysts who spoke at the SATELLITE 99 Conference in Washington yesterday (2/2). Satellite companies in the development stage previously had been viewed as the industry's darlings by Wall Street, but that trend is changing and the next stocks to benefit will be those with operations that clearly are on the ascent, said Eric Weinstein, a vice president with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service providers such as EchoStar and DirecTv Inc. [GMH], once lumped together with humdrum cable companies, now are companies on the rise as they stand poised to become cash positive. Tension has been building in the investment community as many satellite companies move from the dream world of concept to the risks and cold reality of commercialization, Weinstein said. Little bad news is ever heard about a business that is not yet operational since there is not much that can go wrong, he said. "My guess is there is probably a flight to safety, marked by a return to the established carriers now that most of the technical and political issues appear to be dead," Weinstein said. Short term, expect further volatility among many satellite stocks, while longer term there is plenty of room for upside, he predicted. Tom Watts, a satellite analyst and first vice president with New York-based investment firm Merrill Lynch [MER], said, said he also expects EchoStar to rise further this year after its stock price led the industry by soaring 229 percent last year. "DBS is finally paying off," Watts said. Earnings before interest taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) took longer than expected to reach due to the high cost of acquiring subscribers and the subsidies offered by DBS providers to reduce the cost of satellite receiving equipment. The industry's consolidation in recent months has set the stage for EchoStar to achieve positive cash flow by the end of this year, Watts said. Marc Nabi, an analyst with New York-based Morgan Stanley, said DBS is positioned to continue flourishing with new subscriber growth this year. EchoStar's proposed acquisition of precious orbital slots from News Corp. [NWS] and MCI Worldcom [WCOM] and DirecTv's recent moves to buy United States Satellite Broadcasting [USSB] have positioned both providers to offer up to 500 channels and 370 channels, respectively, Nabi said. "The cable TV industry doesn't have that kind of channel capacity yet," Nabi said. EchoStar's strength is reflected in its recent refinancing of $2 billion that allowed the company to cut $50 million to $60 million in annual interest costs, Nabi said. Strong performance also is expected from PanAmSat [SPOT], the analysts agreed. A series of in-orbit anomalies and the failed launch of the Galaxy X hindered the company's stock price gains last year, but rosier times are ahead for the world's largest commercial provider of satellite broadcast services, Nabi said. The trend toward offering high definition signals that allow a compression rate of 2 channels for each transponder instead of the current rate of 8 channels for each transponder will boost the demand for fixed satellite services, Nabi said. "My recommendation is to buy satellite operators today that have proven track records," Nabi said. James Linnehan, a senior satellite analyst at NationsBanc Montgomery Securities, said the valuation of satellite companies is a bit restrained because far fewer analysts cover the industry and urge the purchase of such stocks than in the telecommunications industry. Still, satellite companies offer advantages over other telecommunications technologies for providing bandwidth on demand, end-to-end connectivity and global service, he added. Vijay Jayant, a satellite analyst with Bear Stearns, said the ability of Iridium LLC [IRIDF] and Orbcomm [ORB] to achieve their subscriber growth targets this year will be important for the other low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite systems that follow them. A failure to attain those subscriber goals could cause investors to lose confidence in those systems as well as similar ones that have yet to begin commercial service, he added. Despite that risk, Globalstar [GSTRF] is a stock worth buying, Jayant said. The company will be the next so-called Big LEO besides Iridium, and its outlook can only improve after the stock was beaten down last year following the failed launch of 12 of its satellites aboard a Zenit rocket. Globalstar since then has raised additional capital, obtained more reliable launchers to fully deploy its system and plan to introduce commercial service during the third quarter this year. SATELLITE 99 Show Coverage Copyright © 1999 Phillips Publishing International, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Phillips Publishing International, Inc. is prohibited. Phillips and the Phillips logo are trademarks of Phillips Publishing International, Inc.

To: Ok2Launch who wrote (2830)	2/8/1999 3:41:00 PM
From: djane	Read Replies (5) \| Respond to of 29987

Launch Services Providers Focus On Building Larger Rockets, Faster [Info on Baikonour] satellitetoday.com Monday, Feb 8 by Paul Dykewicz, Senior Analyst, Satellite News Pressure is mounting for commercial launch companies to build rockets bigger and faster - within 12 months to 18 months rather than the more typical 24 months-36 months, to match the swifter production cycles of satellite builders. The change requires huge investments by the launch companies, industry executives agreed at the recent Pacific Telecommunications Conference. The upgrades in upgrading rockets and launch facilities over the last ten years or so already have cost billions of dollars. "We've invested more than $1 billion since 1987, and we've invested well over $100 million in facility improvements and commercialization of the launch facilities at the Baikonour Cosmodrome for the Proton rocket, said Ed Ward, vice president of commercial business development at International Launch Services (ILS), which markets the Atlas and Proton commercial launch vehicles. Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] builds the Atlas. The company's Russian partners, Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, manufactures the Proton launch vehicle while RSC Space Energia builds the Block D-M upper stage of the Proton. The ever-shortening procurement cycle is "the most dramatic change [of] the past ten years," Ward said. "People who would literally plan ahead for 36 months [have] become people who plan ahead for 24 months... We are seeing clients who want to launch 12 months from the day they sign the contract." Launchers are investing in the deployment of larger, more powerful and increasingly efficient launch vehicles to meet the turnaround demand, said Tom Parkinson, division director of Boeing Expendable Launch Services [BA]. The planned Delta IV rocket is a case in point. It is designed to reduce the costs associated with putting birds into geostationary transfer orbit, Parkinson said. Parkinson is confident the cost of building launchers will fall. He pointed to the lower costs associated with launching a Delta II today compared with eight years ago. Without identifying the cost, Parkinson said Boeing is redesigning its existing launch pads and planning to build new ones to accommodate its various new launch vehicles. A downsized Delta IV to replace the Delta II is one possibility, but no decision has yet to be made. The Delta II has been one of the industry's top performers since 1960 with a 94.7 percent launch success rate. It has recorded a 97.7 percent success rate since October 1997. Arianespace successfully introduced the Ariane 5 last year. The proven Ariane 4 launcher family has been in operation since 1988 and can carry payloads of up to 4,500 kg. (9,900 lb.) into geostationary transfer orbit in a dual-payload configuration. To date, Ariane 4s have placed a combined total payload weight of more than 260,000 kg. (573,000 lb.) into orbit, said Chuck Burch, an Arianespace executive. The Ariane 5 is designed to be a highly versatile launcher that offers the industry's first 5 meter fairing to handle larger satellites, such as the proposed Space Systems/Loral [LOR] 20.20 satellite that will be available in 2003. Amy Buhrig, vice president of marketing for the Boeing-backed Sea Launch, said her organization's proposed first launch remains on schedule for liftoff in March. Two previous launch dates were pushed back for a variety of technical and regulatory reasons. The first satellite that the rocket will launch is a Loral Orion bird. The Sea Launch, a joint venture of Boeing Commercial Space Company, Kvaerner Maritime a.s, RSC Energia, and KB Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash, is based on a barge that can be moved by sea to the equator cost-effectively to carry payloads into geosynchroneous transfer orbit. The rocket can carry 5,000 kg. Delta III Program Summary Address launch vehicle market for spacecraft of up to 3.8 metric tons Enhance the Delta II to maximize the use of existing technology and minimize production costs Introduce enhanced cryogenic upper stage and fairing Modify the Delta's launch base Combine the expertise of partners Alliant Techsystems, Boeing Rocketdyne, Pratt & Whitney and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries SATELLITE 99 Show Coverage Copyright © 1999 Phillips Publishing International, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Phillips Publishing International, Inc. is prohibited. Phillips and the Phillips logo are trademarks of Phillips Publishing International, Inc.