BROWSING: ICO

GDPR threatens public safety companies, as facial recognition tech fails UK police

Europe’s incoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) could take public safety companies by surprise, and even force them to shut down. This was the view, as technology companies at Critical Communications World (CCW) in Berlin showed facial recognition technology (FRT) and biometric solutions for...

Stanton named chairman of Clearwire's board

Clearwire Corp. (CLWR) replaced one wireless industry legend with another today as it announced that John Stanton would replace Craig McCaw as chairman of its board of directors. McCaw left that position at the end of last year, with Clearwire noting that the move...

Broadband plan good for carriers, equipment makers: But spectrum battle could loom

Wireless carriers and equipment companies should benefit from the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan while smaller local exchange carriers and TV broadcasters may be vulnerable, according to consultants Global Medley Advisors L.L.C.However, the details of the plan – how it is implemented and...

Wolff named CEO, chairman at ICO

Satellite communications company ICO Global Communications Holdings Ltd. appointed former Clearwire Corp. CEO Benjamin Wolff chairman of its board of directions effective immediately and that Wolff would become CEO of ICO beginning Dec. 31. The appointment comes as ICO’s acting CEO, executive VP and...

VIDEO @ CES: Alcatel-Lucent and satellite-powered mobile TV

LAS VEGAS - During last week's Consumer Electronics Show, we planted ourselves at the Showstoppers Media Event. Oliver Coste from Alcatel-Lucent showed off the company's new satellite-based mobile TV product. // By use of this code snippet, I...

ICO wins $707M in Boeing court battle

ICO Global Communications said a Los Angeles Superior Court jury verdict could force Boeing Co. to pay up to $707 million in damages in a lawsuit brought by the mobile satellite service company."We appreciate the sacrifices made by the jury in performing their civic...

Sprint Nextel claims MSS operators delinquent on rebanding payments

Sprint Nextel Corp. has sued ICO Global Communications Ltd. and TerreStar Networks Inc. to force the mobile satellite service licensees to pay the No. 3 mobile-phone operator for relocation costs associated with a Federal Communications Commission rebanding plan to eliminate interference to 800 MHz...

To the moon!: ICO launching mobile video hopes into space

ICO Global Communications Holdings' half billion-dollar gamble leaves the launching pad this week.The Reston, Va.-based firm is slated to launch its $500 million satellite into space Monday, setting the stage for the nation's first space-to-mobile multimedia service. The three-pronged offering is expected to deliver...

ICO to partner with Alcatel-Lucent on DVB-SH

ICO Global Communications announced it will be launching a $500 million satellite into space April 14th that will eventually provide broadcast mobile TV service nationwide using digital video broadcast-satellite handheld (DVB-SH) technology. "It is the largest commercial satellite ever lifted into space by (Atlas...

SkyTerra, MSV, Inmarsat ink pact for hybrid mobile satellite services

SkyTerra Communications Inc., Mobile Satellite Ventures L.P. and Inmarsat plc said they reached a major pact to resolve complex technical, regulatory and business issues, a move they believe will better enable each to offer L-band hybrid mobile satellite services in North America. ...

Alcatel-Lucent powering Italian DVB-SH trial

Alcatel-Lucent has partnered with mobile operator 3 Italia and Italian public broadcaster RAI for a mobile TV trial based on the DVB-SH standard. The technology, which is an evolution of DVB-H, uses satellites to broadcast directly to mobile devices and integrates hybrid satellite and...

FCC set to rule on MSS’ terrestrial plans: Decision could bolster sagging sector

Federal regulators appear poised to take actions that could enable Globalstar Inc. to integrate terrestrial wireless facilities in most of its mobile satellite service frequencies and allow Iridium Satellite L.L.C. to share more of Globalstar's MSS frequencies, possible outcomes that could bolster both companies-as...

TV STAR: Clearwire, ICO partner for satellite-based mobile TV service

CLEARWIRE CORP. AND ICO GLOBAL Communications Ltd. are trying something new with broadcast mobile TV. The two Craig McCaw-backed companies are collaborating on a new mobile TV trial that will use satellites to broadcast directly to mobile devices.The trial marks the first time mobile...

Clearwire to partner with ICO on mobile TV trial

Broadcast mobile TV technology DVB-H scored another point stateside as Clearwire Corp. announced it has agreed to use the technology as it collaborates on a new mobile TV trial with ICO Global Communications Ltd.The trial, which is set to begin early next year in...

ITU taps ICO to support emergency satellite network

The International Telecommunication Union said it struck a pact with ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business Council to use satellite communications for improved emergency and humanitarian response to natural disasters."The partnership that we have established with ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business...

ITU taps ICO to support emergency satellite network

The International Telecommunication Union said it struck a pact with ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business Council to use satellite communications for improved emergency and humanitarian response to natural disasters."The partnership that we have established with ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business...

TerreStar snares more spectrum at 2 GHz

The Federal Communications Commission agreed to reserve a spectrum block for mobile satellite services provider TerreStar Networks Inc., one of a handful of firms trying to avoid past mistakes that nearly wiped out the MSS sector in the previous decade.How does TerreStar expect to...

Inmarsat: FCC should not reward ICO ‘manipulation’

Inmarsat Global Ltd. is fighting a request by New ICO Satellite Services G.P. for another deadline extension on its planned launch of a 2 GHz mobile satellite service spacecraft."Inmarsat fully supports the development and deployment of innovative new technologies, as demonstrated by the many...

Star Wars: MSS players exert force amid renewed interest from public safety, DBS

WASHINGTON-The unsuccessful proxy fight lodged by Highland Capital Management L.P. against Motient Corp. has given way to another nasty skirmish over proposed ownership changes in mobile satellite assets whose value may have been a factor in the exit of a high-rolling satellite TV bidding...

Revenues remain in steady orbit for mobile satellite industry

The satellite industry as a whole is rebounding, driven by new technologies and applications in the mobile satellite services space, plus consumer applications such as high definition television and satellite radio, according to the Satellite Industry Association, which recently reported revenue figures for 2005....

Inmarsat enters ‘broadband’ biz

Inmarsat plc may have raised the ante for mobile satellite services by launching land-based "broadband" voice and data service in the United States, close on the heels of launches in Europe and Asia. The London-based MSS provider's BGAN service, enabled by the launch of...

Satellite companies challenge FCC decision to give out 2 GHz channels

WASHINGTON-Two satellite firms last week challenged the Federal Communications Commission's decision to give reclaimed 2 GHz mobile satellite service spectrum to ICO Satellite Services and TMI Communications and Co. Globalstar L.L.C., which lost its 2 GHz MSS license but operates mobile satellite services in...

Public-safety card gives MSS industry more spectrum

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission late last week granted idle 2 GHz mobile satellite service spectrum to ICO Satellite Services and TMI Communications and Co., a stinging defeat with potential competitive implications for the mobile-phone industry. As part of its decision, the FCC agreed to...

Action on MSS auction

The Federal Communications Commission should auction the 24 megahertz of spectrum at 2 GHz that mobile satellite service companies gave back to the government. To do anything else would set a bad precedent for spectrum policy.The spectrum in question was returned to the FCC...