"It isn't the first digital satellite system ever launched but it is the first that allows delivery of programming direct to a small portable receiver," said Michael Whitener, managing director of WorldSpace Asia at a news briefing in Singapore.

The launch of the 250 million-US dollar AsiaStar satellite aboard an Arianespace Ariane-5 rocket at 1057 GMT Tuesday was broadcast live here from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Whitener said they hoped to begin commercial operations of AsiaStar by June.

"A broadcaster that was previously limited to a terrestrial area can now reach 14 million square kilometers (5.6 million square miles) of area by delivering their signal via satellite," he said.

International broadcasters such as the British Broadcasting Corp. and Cable News Network are among the content providers of AsiaStar, said Whitener, adding that discussions with other regional broadcasters were taking place.

The satellite will have three beams, one delivering signals to northern Asia, another to India, and the third to the rest of Southeast Asia.

WorldSpace expected as many as 50 channels of crystal clear digital audio programming to be carried on the AsiaStar satellite and transmitted directly into portable receivers containing small built-in four-inch (10-centimeter) dish antennas, he added.

The receivers are being manufactured by four Japanese companies, JVC Corp., Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., Matsushita Electric, and Hitachi Ltd., and are priced between 250 to 350 dollars, although Whitener said he expected "the prices to come down very quickly" with economies of scale and further technological advancements.

WorldSpace is now working on technology that will allow the satellite to provide multimedia programming.

"What we are working on currently is a PC (personal computer) card that will fit directly into computer and be able to directly receive multimedia service," with content ranging from financial news to weather reports, said Whitener.

He said at present an adapter is needed between a receiver and PC to receive satellite transmissions.

AsiaStar was one of two telecom satellites launched by Arianespace from Kourou, the other being the INSAT-3B of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

WorldSpace already has one other satellite covering Africa and the Middle East already in operation since October last year, and will launch another for the Latin American region in the first half of 2001.

Alcatel Space based in Toulouse, France is the prime contractor for the WorldSpace satellites.

WorldSpace Corp. headquartered in Washington, D.C. was founded in 1990 to provide direct satellite delivery of digital audio communications and multimedia services to emerging markets.

ArianeSpace

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Satellite Launch To Boost DTH In India
Calcutta, India (SPX) Dec 28, 2005
The successful launch Thursday of India's heaviest satellite from spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana may have boosted the country's space research efforts to yet another level, but it has also lifted the spirits of at least three Direct-To-Home televisions broadcasters, one of which has been waiting for years to launch its services in India.