Channel 0209 Commercial Satellite

FedEx to Transport Giant Pandas from United States to China Onboard Its New 777F Aircraft

2010-02-07T05:26:00.000-08:00

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world's largest express transportation company, is donating its logistical services to transport two giant pandas from the United States to China on February 4, 2010. Working in conjunction with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. and Zoo Atlanta, FedEx Express will fly the pandas non-stop from Washington’s Dulles International Airport to Chengdu, China.

Tai Shan, a 4-and-a-half-year-old male panda born at the National Zoo, and Mei Lan, a 3-year-old female panda born at Zoo Atlanta, will travel onboard a custom-decaled FedEx Express 777 Freighter (777F) – known as the “FedEx Panda Express.”

“The FedEx global network, our unparalleled service to and from China and our long history transporting some of the world’s most precious cargo makes FedEx uniquely suited for this special delivery,” said David L. Cunningham Jr., president, Asia Pacific, FedEx Express. “We are honored to serve as the trusted carrier for Tai Shan and Mei Lan’s journey to Chengdu and to play a role in supporting the preservation of this endangered species.”

Currently, conservationists estimate that only 1,600 pandas remain in the wild. Both Tai Shan and Mei Lan are part of global, giant panda conservation programs.

FedEx Express will fly Mei Lan from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., where she will join Tai Shan in preparation for the trans-Atlantic flight. Onboard the 777F aircraft – which is solely dedicated to the pandas’ journey – Tai Shan and Mei Lan will travel in two custom-built transport containers provided by FedEx Express. The pandas will depart Washington, D.C. late morning on February 4 and arrive in Chengdu late afternoon on February 5, approximately14 ½ hours between take-off and landing.

The pandas’ flight will be shorter than ever before possible as a result of the fuel-efficient 777F aircraft, the world’s largest twin-engine cargo aircraft and the newest addition to the FedEx global fleet. In early January 2010, FedEx launched the 777F into international service with a direct connection from Shanghai to the U.S.

In addition to donating all the necessary air transportation, FedEx Express is also providing ground and logistical support in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. In both cities, caravans of FedEx vehicles will deliver the pandas to the airport. Local law enforcement will be on hand to ensure a smooth ride for the pandas. FedEx pilots and drivers selected to transport the pandas are some of the company’s most seasoned team members.

FedEx Express, the National Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, and the China organizers in Chengdu have worked collaboratively to ensure all necessary precautions have been taken to provide a safe and comfortable flight for the pandas. Animal care experts from both zoos have been granted special flight privileges to accompany the pandas onboard the aircraft.

Upon arriving in Chengdu, Tai Shan will be received by the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens will take delivery of Mei Lan. Tai Shan will reside at the China Conservation and Research Center’s Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, China and Mei Lan will reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Due to security regulations, the departure and arrival events for both pandas will be closed to the general public. However, FedEx will provide updates about the pandas’ journey online at news.fedex.com/pandas.
FedEx Provides Unparalleled Service to China

FedEx Express initiated operations in China in 1984, and today, China is one of the fastest-growing markets for FedEx. FedEx currently employs more than 7,000 employees in China and serves 400 cities throughout the country. FedEx Express is also approaching the one-year anniversary of its new Asia Pacific hub in Guangzhou, China, opened on February 6, 2009.
FedEx Express Transports Many Unusual Shipments

FedEx Express has a long history of transporting rare and delicate cargo. In 2000, FedEx transported Tai Shan’s parents from China to Washington D.C.’s National Zoo and in 2003, FedEx transported a giant panda from China to the Memphis Zoo.

In addition, FedEx has transported polar bears, white tigers, elephants, penguins, lions, gorillas, eagles and even a 13-foot tiger shark used in filming the movie “Jaws.”

Other unusual international cargo transported by FedEx includes a windmill from Denmark, an 11,000-pound helicopter, and a five-ton communications satellite.
About FedEx Express

FedEx Express is the world's largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to every U.S. address and to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date with a money-back guarantee Subject to relevant terms and conditions.

Avaya Unveils Roadmap for Future of Business Communications

2010-01-30T02:07:00.000-08:00

Integration of former Nortel Enterprise Solutions portfolio accelerates company’s vision of communications powering enhanced business effectiveness

Avaya today unveiled its vision for the future of communications and a roadmap that integrates products and services from the recently acquired Nortel Enterprise Solutions (NES) to create a new standard for business communications.

Avaya’s vision is based on open standards, communications-enabled business systems and effective, contextual, real-time communications. Using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) organizations, large to small, can make smooth transitions to new capabilities at their own pace while protecting existing communications investments. Avaya’s communications-enabled business systems streamline business processes by injecting real-time communications where they can provide value. Users are able to be more effective by having access to information based on the context of the task at hand.

“The integrated roadmap we’re outlining today supports Avaya’s commitment to providing customers with the advanced communications capabilities they need to manage and grow their organizations,” said Alan Baratz, senior vice president and president, Global Communications Solutions, Avaya. “In developing the portfolio, our guiding principle was to deliver the most compelling and cost-effective systems and services to customers and partners.”
Roadmap Highlights

The new roadmap builds on the existing Avaya portfolio with capabilities integrated from Nortel Enterprise Solutions. The roadmap highlights include:
Unified Communications

The centerpiece of the unified communications (UC) portfolio is Avaya Aura, a SIP-based communication platform that unifies complex communications networks. With proven abilities to reduce infrastructure costs and easily deploy centralized collaboration and customer service applications, Avaya Aura provides an upgrade path for all existing Nortel voice and UC customers. The roadmap expands the value of Avaya Aura with the addition of Avaya (formerly Nortel) Agile Communications Environment (ACE). ACE uses Service-Oriented Architecture and Web Services to facilitate the rapid development of communications enabled applications.
Contact Center

Avaya Aura is also be at the center of Avaya’s contact center portfolio. With this foundation, contact centers will move to a SIP-based, service-oriented architecture, simultaneously supporting multiple modes of communication. The new contact center solution will be based on a new and collaborative work assignment model that will connect customers, agents, and information. The new capabilities will enable businesses and organizations to stay ahead of growing customer care demands for tighter integration and lower costs. The integrated roadmap will seamlessly extend the combined Avaya and Nortel Enterprise Solutions market-leading portfolio with capabilities for agent desktop, work assignment, experience management, and analytics that will scale from mid-range to large contact centers.
Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Communications

Avaya IP Office, BCM, Norstar, PARTNER and Integral 5 all remain for sale with a plan to converge the platforms to the company’s flagship hybrid IP offering, IP Office. Avaya will blend Nortel features, interfaces and phones with IP Office to create a richer solution with strong investment protection benefits. This approach follows the model Avaya has successfully implemented with other systems into IP Office.

The company also now offers the Avaya Software Communication System, a SIP-based offer from NES for small and medium enterprise customers who want to manage unified communications from their data center.
Data Products

As previously announced, Avaya will adopt the current roadmap of NES data products in its entirety. Avaya believes that the technology, customer base and innovative product roadmap represent a compelling value proposition for global customers. A key component of plug and play communications is the underlying, enabling network and the new Avaya data portfolio brings significant advantages of "Always-On" reliability, network efficiency and scalability to grow with customers’ business needs. Included in the Avaya data portfolio are solutions for Ethernet Switching, Routers, Wireless Networking, Access Control and Unified Management.
About Avaya

Avaya is a global leader in enterprise communications systems. The company provides unified communications, contact centers, and related services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses and organizations around the world. Enterprises of all sizes depend on Avaya for state-of-the-art communications that improve efficiency, collaboration, customer service and competitiveness. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

Iridium Unveils Smaller, Lower-Cost Satellite Data Transceiver

2010-01-24T05:35:00.001-08:00

New Product Will Provide Global Two-Way Data Links for Remote
Tracking and Monitoring Devices

Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) today unveiled its next-generation "Iridium 9602" satellite data transceiver at its annual Partners Conference in Phoenix, Ariz.

The Iridium 9602 is a full-duplex short-burst data (SBD) transceiver designed for embedded applications in the rapidly growing market for remote asset tracking and monitoring solutions. The product, which is the culmination of a two-year R&D program, has completed prototype testing, and Iridium expects to begin commercial deliveries in June.

"The smaller, lower-cost Iridium 9602 will serve as the data communication engine for a wide range of portable tracking and monitoring devices, leveraging Iridium's global coverage and low-latency, two-way data links," said Don Thoma, executive vice president for marketing at Iridium. "Our service partners are already testing prototypes in their Iridium 9602-based solutions for applications such as tracking soldiers and military vehicles in the field, telemetry from unattended sensors, fleet management, enterprise logistics and supply-chain visibility, as well as personal two-way navigation and mapping devices."

"The matchbox-sized Iridium 9602 is 69 percent smaller, 74 percent lighter and considerably less expensive than the first-generation Iridium 9601 SBD modem, which we designed the Iridium 9602 to replace," said Thoma. "The very small form factor and low power consumption will offer greater flexibility to value-added manufacturers (VAM) and resellers (VAR) embedding the Iridium 9602 into their products."

"The Iridium 9602 focuses on highest overall value of price and performance offering global, real-time service combined with new lower pricing," said Patrick Shay, vice president, data services, Iridium. "The Iridium 9602 is the highest value in the industry."

A unique feature of the Iridium 9602 is its built-in GPS input/output ports which will permit system integrators to interface with an external GPS receiver, using a single dual-mode L-Band antenna for GPS and Iridium SBD, saving the cost of an antenna in their applications.

The duplex data links provided by the Iridium 9602 will permit two-way communications to and from the remote devices, allowing users to reprogram the unit, adjust its reporting intervals and send on-demand queries for specific data updates. It will also enable first responders and search-and-rescue authorities to respond to emergency distress signals from personal location and tracking devices.

"Prototype evaluations from Iridium's service partners have been positive," Thoma said. "More than 90 companies are working on plans to embed the Iridium 9602 in their next-generation products."

"Our phase-out program for the Iridium 9601 will allow for ample overlap with the Iridium 9602, to ensure that our VAMs and VARs will be able to transition seamlessly to the new technology," said Thoma.

According to a November 2009 report by TMF Associates, the number of low data rate mobile satellite service (MSS) devices is projected to grow from 1.5 million active terminals at the end of 2009 to more than 3.1 million active terminals by the end of 2013, a compound annual growth rate of 21 percent. Tim Farrar, a satellite industry analyst and author of the report, said, "Low-cost portable satellite tracking and messaging devices are an important new opportunity, and represent one of the fastest growing parts of the low data rate MSS market. The introduction of two-way connectivity will further stimulate market growth, particularly among professional users who may have been reluctant to rely on one-way satellite devices offering no assurance that a message has been received."
About Iridium Communications Inc.

Iridium Communications Inc. (www.iridium.com) is the only mobile satellite service (MSS) company offering coverage over the entire globe. The Iridium constellation of low-earth orbiting (LEO) cross-linked satellites provides critical voice and data services for areas not served by terrestrial communication networks. Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of distributors, and provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. and international government agencies. The Company's customers represent a broad spectrum of industry, including maritime, aeronautical, government/defense, public safety, utilities, oil/gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation. Iridium has launched a major development program for its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., U.S.A. and trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbols IRDM (common stock), IRDMW ($7.00 warrants), IRDMZ ($11.50 warrants) and IRDMU (units).

Full Tilt Poker's FTOPS XIV Starts Today

2009-11-20T23:11:00.000-08:00

- Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) Offers More Than $16 Million in Guaranteed Prize Money Over 25 Pro-Hosted Events

FTOPS XIV, the fourteenth running of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series,begins today, Wednesday November 4th. Featuring 25 pro-hosted events, FTOPS XIV offers more than $16 million in total guaranteed prize money. There are six events that will guarantee at least $1 million in prize money:

- Event #1, a $200 + $16 buy-in No-Limit Hold 'em tournament with $1 million guaranteed, starting at 21:00 ET on Wednesday, November 4th

- Event #10, a $300 + $22 buy-in No-Limit Hold 'em tournament with $1.5 million guaranteed, starting at 18:00 ET on Sunday, November 8th

- Event #12, a $1,000 + $60 No-Limit Hold 'em 6-max tournament with $1.5 million guaranteed, starting at 21:00 ET on Monday, November 9th

- Event #17, a $300 + $22 buy-in No-Limit Hold 'em 6-max Rebuy tournament with $1 million guaranteed, starting at 21:00 ET on Wednesday, November 11th

- Event #22, the $2,500 Two-Day Event, a No-Limit Hold 'em tournament with a $2 million guarantee, with antes from the start, beginning at 14:00 ET on Saturday, November 14th

- The FTOPS Main Event, a massive No-Limit Hold 'em tournament with $2.5 million guaranteed, starting at 18:00 ET on Sunday, November 15th View the full schedule at

http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/promotions/full-tilt-online-poker-series/schedule.php .

(Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove the space if one exists.)

Two new events have been added to FTOPS XIV. Event #2 is a 7-Game tournament at 14:00 ET on November 5th, designed to test all-around poker skills. Event #18 is a cashout tournament at 14:00 ET on November 12th, giving players the option to cash out their chips while the tournament is still running. Each event offers a guaranteed prize pool of at least $150K.

Buy-in to either tournament directly for $200 + $16 or satellite into any FTOPS event for as little as $0.50 or 50 Full Tilt Points.

FTOPS XIV precedes MiniFTOPS, which will feature the same 25 FTOPS XIV events at only 1/10th of the buy-in. More than $3 million in guaranteed prize money will be won when MiniFTOPS runs between December 9th - December 20th.
See the full MiniFTOPS schedule at
http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/mini-full-tilt-online-poker-series/schedule .

To learn more about FTOPS XIV, go to http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/full-tilt-online-poker-series-gateway .
About Full Tilt Poker

Full Tilt Poker(TM) is the host of a worldwide virtual poker cardroom service. It is not in the business of betting or wagering and does not participate in the games as a player. It merely provides a service to those

who wish to test their skills against others for fun, prizes or money. It is duly regulated and licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and in the United Kingdom by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. With innovative graphics, superior customer service and a safe, secure interface, the software is geared to enhance and personalize the online poker experience.

Although virtual poker is legal where the games are hosted and played, it may not be legal where individual players are located. Players at all skill levels may download the software at www.fulltiltpoker.com but it is their responsibility to determine if participating in the games is permitted under the laws of the jurisdiction where they are located.

Thaicom proposes to use US satellite as replacement

2009-09-25T07:46:00.001-07:00

       Thaicom Plc wants to bid for an in-orbit American satellite to replace Thaicom 2, which will be retired in 2010.
       The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry is studying the request from the country's sole satellite operator, said Nimit Damrongrat,an adviser to the ICT minister.
       He said officials would have to review the company's concession agreement to determine whether it allows the purchase of an existing satellite to replace one that is going to expire.
       However, he said Thaicom's proposal was interesting and might be better than leasing transponders from other foreign satellites to provide services.
       The leasing option poses problems because questions arise about who owns the satellite, since the concession is con-sidered a national asset, he said.
       Mr Nimit said the purchase of an orbiting foreign satellite by bidding would require Thaicom to reposition the foreign satellite to the orbital slot of Thaicom 2 to continue servicing customers.
       But he said that purchasing an orbiting satellite also had limitations, especially if its specifications and materials did not fulfil actual needs.
       Constructing a new replacement sat-ellite remains the best choice, as it meets the original terms of the concession.
       The unnamed owner of the satellite Thaicom wants to buy is reportedly facing financial problems. An industry source added the unit was not functioning well in its current orbital slot because of interference from other satellites.
       Thaicom shares (THCOM) closed unchanged at 8.15 baht yesterday on the SET in trade worth 143 million baht.

ICT Minister defers Thaicom change

2009-09-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

       The satellite concession contract between the Information and Communication Technology Ministry and Thaicom Plc cannot be amended because it is long-term and was signed more than 12 years ago, said ICT Minister Ranongruk Suwunchwee.
       She expressed her view after Thaicom requested an amendment that will allow it to lease a foreign satellite instead of building a replacement before its satellite reaches the end of its lifespan.
       "The concession contract cannot be amended because it was signed more than 12 years ago. But if it is an attachment to the contract, it might be possible.However, this has to be reconsidered thoroughly," she said.
       She has assigned vice-minister Nimit Damrongrat to handle the issue and expects a solution by the end of this month, she said.
       In her view, Thaicom should build the satellites as it has many private and government clients.
       Meanwhile, Mr Nimit has suggested as an interim solution that Thaicom be permitted to lease foreign satellites. But he specified that the company should speed up building at least two satellites - one to replace the satellite due to cease operating next year and another as a backup.
       Thaicom chief executive Arak Chonlatanon said Thaicom can cope with existing and new demand next year as it is shifting some customers from Thaicom 2 to Thaicom 5.
       Thaicom already proposed to the ICT Ministry that in the transition period before its satellite is ready to launch, it would lease foreign satellites, he said.
       He also contradicted a report that Samart Corporation has approached Temasek about taking over Thaicom.Despite being on the Shin board, Mr Arak said he had never heard of this.
       If there were any interest in buying Thaicom shares, he could not answer on behalf of shareholders, he said. But as Temasek is not a direct shareholder of Thaicom, it could not sell Thaicom or any individual company to anyone,he said.
       Thaicom's total value in the market is about 10 billion baht, he said. Its satellite has no value but its orbiting right is valuable, he added.
       Samart's president Watchai Vilailuck gave the brief response "I didn't do that" when asked to comment on the company's approach to Temasek.
       Thaicom plans to launch Thaicom 6, which has more than 20 transponders in both the C and Ku bands, to replace Thaicom 2.
       The company's concession will expire in 12 years but Thaicom wants some clear direction now, as satellite contracts are long term, some up to 10 years.
       Shares of Thaicom (THCOM) closed on the SET at 7.85 baht, down five satang,in trade worth 299 million baht.

TEMASEK "WOOS" THAI FIRMS

2009-09-13T23:23:00.001-07:00

       Samart has reportedly been approached to take a stake
       Singapore's state investment arm Temasek Holdings is courting
       Thai firms, including telecom conglomerate Samart Corp, to buy a stake in its satellite operator Thaicom, an industry source said yesterday.
       The move would help dispel criticism that national security assets are being owned by foreign governments or corporations.
       Temasek took over Shin Corp, the holding company of Thaicom and other telecom interests, in 2006 through the purchase of shares from the family of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other shareholders.
       Temasek's subsidiaries Aspen Holdings and Cedar Holdings hold a combined 96 per cent of Shin Corp, which in turn owns 41 per
       cent of Thaicom and over 42 per cent of Shin's cellular flagship, Advanced Info Ser-vice.
       Thaicom runs the Thaicom 1, 2 and 5 broadcasting satellites and iPStar broadband satellite, but Thaicom 1 and 2 will reach the end of their life-span late this year and in the middle of next year, respectively.
       Thaicom has finished migrating Thaicom 1 customers to Thaicom 5. It has sought the Information and Communica-tion Technology Ministry's permission to lease a transponder from a foreign satellite to serve Thaicom 2's customers. The ministry is considering the request.
       The source said Temasek and Samart have yet to begin detailed talks, as it is just the initial phase.
       When contacted by The Nation last week to confirm the matter, Samart president Watchai Vilailuck declined to comment.
       Thaicom also operates cellular businesses in Laos and Cambodia, and runs an Internet service, while Samart distributes mobile phones in Thailand and the region and runs the air-traffic controller service in Cambodia.
       Thaicom's stock closed at Bt7.90 on Friday, up from Bt7.65 a day earlier. Samart closed unchanged at Bt6.20.

WHITE SHARKS TAGGED

2009-09-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

       Officials in the US state of Massachusetts are using hi-tech tags to track the movements of two great white sharks near Cape Cod. Its the first time the fearsome fish have ever been tagged in the Atlantic Ocean.
       The electronic tags use satellite technology to record the travels of the sharks, allowing scientists to better understand their migratory patterns.
       The sharks were spotted by scientists at the weekend and were tagged by a harpooner with help from a shark expert.
       Sharks are common in Cape waters during summer, although great white sharks are relatively rare around New England.
       Immediately after the sharks were sighted and tagged, state officials warned swimmers in the area to be on the lookout and state environmental police patrolled the area as a precaution.

Thaicom needs satellite during interim

2009-08-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

       Thaicom Plc says it needs to lease a foreign satellite to continue services during the transition period between the scheduled expiry of its Thaicom 2 satellite next year and the replacement Thaicom 6 coming on line.
       A company executive outlined the scenario after the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ministry said leasing a foreign satellite could breach the concession, which stipulates Thaicom must build new satellites as backups for others nearing the end of their service.
       He said Thaicom had planned to launch Thaicom 6, which has more than 20 transponders in both the C and Ku bands, to replace Thaicom 2.
       Building the new satellite and launching it would take at least three years,said the executive, who asked not to be named.
       However, the period could be shortened through buying a new satellite or acquiring an existing one and shifting it to Thaicom's orbit, which would take less than one year.
       He said that Thaicom 5 needed a year to fine-tune its antennae and launch into orbit.
       In any case, he said, there would be a transition period in which Thaicom could not service all its customers and would need to lease a satellite instead.But this does not preclude Thaicom from launching a new satellite under its con-cession during that period.
       Thaicom has leased transponders from Vina Sat of Vietnam to provide services to customers for several months to cope with demand, which now exceeds the potential of Thaicom 5(iPSTASR), which was fully used.
       He said Thaicom had sought advice from the ICT ministry on a lease but had received no reply.
       Thaicom previously leased a Malaysian satellite to provide services when its Thaicom 3 developed a power-supply problem and was de-orbited in 1995,and in 2003 it leased IntelSat for more than a year.
       The company's concession will expire in 12 years but Thaicom wants some clear direction now, as satellite contracts are long-term, some up to 10 years.
       Sue Lor-uthai, the ICT permanent secretary said the concession required Thaicom to build new satellites to back up old ones at least two years before the old units go out of service.
       He said leasing a foreign satellite to replace Thaicom 2 would breach the agreement.
       Thaicom has proposed to the ministry that if it has to build a new satellite, then it should be allowed to continue its local monopoly.
       That would require an amendment of the concession agreement and cabinet endorsement, he said.
       Shares of Thaicom (THCOM) closed on the SET at 7.50 baht, down 20 satang,in trade worth 37.6 million baht.

Magnificent seven

2009-08-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

       In the most important, most revered event since the invention of the brontosaurus trap,Microsoft shipped the most incredibly fabulous operating system ever made; the release of Windows 7 also spurred a new generation of personal computers of all sizes at prices well below last month's offers.The top reason Windows 7 does not suck: There is no registered website called Windows7Sucks.com
       Kindle e-book reader maker Amazon.com and new Nook e-book reader vendor Barnes and Noble got it on; B&N got great reviews for the "Kindle killer"Nook, with dual screens and touch controls so you can "turn" pages, plays MP3s and allows many non-B&N book formats, although not the Kindle one;Amazon then killed the US version of its Kindle in favour of the international one, reduced its price to $260(8,700 baht), same as the Nook; it's not yet clear what you can get in Thailand with a Nook, but you sure can't (yet) get much, relatively speaking, with a Kindle;but here's the biggest difference so far,which Amazon.com has ignored: the Nook lets you lend e-books to any other Nook owner, just as if they were paper books; the borrowed books expire on the borrower's Nook in two weeks.
       Phone maker Nokia of Finland announced it is suing iPhone maker Apple of America for being a copycat; lawyers said they figure Nokia can get at least one, probably two per cent (retail) for every iPhone sold by Steve "President for Life" Jobs and crew via the lawsuit,which sure beats working for it -$6 (200 baht) to $12(400 baht) on 30 million phones sold so far, works out to $400 million or 25 percent of the whole Apple empire profits during the last quarter;there were 10 patent thefts, the Finnish executives said, on everything from moving data to security and encryption.
       Nokia of Finland announced that it is one month behind on shipping its new flagship N900 phone, the first to run on Linux software; delay of the $750(25,000 baht) phone had absolutely no part in making Nokia so short that it had to sue Apple, slap yourself for such a thought.
       Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, said he had one regret:the double slash that follows the "http:"in standard web addresses; he estimated that 14.2 gazillion users have wasted 48.72 bazillion hours typing those two keystrokes, and he's sorry; of course there's no reason to ever type that, since your browser does it for you when you type "www.bangkokpost.com" but Tim needs to admit he made one error in his lifetime.
       The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations, which doesn't sell any phones or services, announced that there should be a mobile phone charger that will work with any phone; now who would ever have thought of that, without a UN body to wind up a major study on the subject?;the GSM Association estimates that 51,000 tonnes of chargers are made each year in order to keep companies able to have their own unique ones.
       The Well, Doh Award of the Week was presented at arm's length to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the group's deputy secretary-general Petko Draganov said that developing countries will miss some of the stuff available on the Internet if they don't install more broadband infrastructure; a report that used your tax baht to compile said that quite a few people use mobile phones but companies are more likely to invest in countries with excellent broadband connections; no one ever had thought of this before, right?
       Sun Microsystems , as a result of the Oracle takeover, said it will allow 3,000 current workers never to bother coming to work again; Sun referred to the losses as "jobs," not people; now the fourth largest server maker in the world, Sun said it lost $2.2 billion in its last fiscal year; European regulators are holding up approval of the Oracle purchase in the hope of getting some money in exchange for not involving Oracle in court cases.
       The multi-gazillionaire and very annoying investor Carl Icahn resigned from the board at Yahoo ; he spun it as a vote of confidence, saying current directors are taking the formerly threatened company seriously; Yahoo reported increased profits but smaller revenues in the third quarter.
       The US House of Representatives voted to censure Vietnam for jailing bloggers; the non-binding resolution sponsored by southern California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the Internet is "a crucial tool for the citizens of Vietnam to be able to exercise their freedom of expression and association;"Hanoi has recently jailed at least nine activists for up to six years apiece for holding pro-democracy banners. Iran jailed blogger Hossein "Hoder" Derakshan for 10 months - in solitary confinement.

ICT prepares solutions for Thaicom concession

2009-08-25T01:39:00.000-07:00

       The Information and Communi-cations Technology Ministry is expected to wrap up next month ways to solve problems relating to the Thaicom concession.
       Nimit Damrongrat, adviser to the ministry, said the solutions would be presented to the minister, Ranongruk Suwanchawee, who would consult Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva before the ministry submits them for Cabinet's approval later.
       But he declined to specify the details of the solutions, just adding that they would be the best way out for both the government and Thaicom.
       He said one of the urgent problems is that the life of Thaicom 2 satellite would end next year. Thaicom had already sought the ministry's permission to lease a transponder service from a foreign satellite to provide the service to the existing customers of Thaicom 2 after Thaicom 2's life ends.
       He added that though Thaicom has a plan to build a new satellite to replace Thaicom 2 it has not provided clear details to the ministry. He is concerned that the government might lose satellite concession revenue of Bt200 million per year if there is no back-up satellite for Thaicom 2. Thaicom has paid a total concession fee of around Bt500 million per year to the ministry.
       Nimit said that according to his understanding of Thaicom's concession, the company had to build the back-up satellite to replace the one that would be discontinued or failed to provide service.
       He added that if Thaicom leases the transponder service from other satellites to provide the service, the act would make the company look like it is the service provider, not the satellite operator.
       The ministry owns Thaicom's concession. Thaicom currently owns Thaicom 1, 2, and 5 broadcasting satellites, and iPSTAR broadband satellite. The company finished migrating Thaicom 1 customers to Thaicom 5 as the life of Thaicom 1 will end late this year.
       The other problem for the Thaicom concession is the question if it has the back-up satellite for iPSTAR satellite.
       According to its concession, the back-up satellite for Thaicom 1 is Thaicom 2 and that for Thaicom 3 is Thaicom 4 or iPSTAR. But it built Thaicom 5 to replace Thaicom 3, which was disconnected in 2006, due to serious glitches.
       Earlier Thaicom argued that the concession only stated that the company has to provide back-up satellite channels for customers in case its satellites fail to provide service. It had complied with the contract by providing a back-up satellite for customers affected by the failure of Thaicom 3.
       Nimit declined to specify the solutions on this matter.

LG plans more after-sales service

2009-08-25T01:38:00.000-07:00

       LG Electronics (Thailand) aims to set up eight LG Mobile Brand shops in Bangkok within this year with a total budget of around Bt20 million to strengthen its brand image and after-sales service.
       Somsak Athisaitrakul, Product Group Head (Mobile Communication) senior manager, said four shops were recently opened in major shopping malls. The others will be gradually opened by the end of this year to cover major areas in Bangkok. The shops feature the expericence zone and the service zone. The experience zone is where all the latest LG Mobils-phone models are available for customers to directly experience the products, while the service zone offers after-sales servies.
       He added that the company's enhancement of after-sales service follows increase in sales of LG mobile phones.
       Currently the company has nine major after-sales service centres and over 200 authorised service dealers nationwide.
       Regarding the market competition, he said LG has mainly focused on competing with major international brands, not local brands.
       The company plans to roll out between 12 to 15 new mobile-phone models in Thailand in the second half, almost the same number as in the first half. Most of the upcoming models will be in the mid-price and high-price ranges and with touch-screen feature.
       Some local mobile-phone brands have gained high popularity among the Thai consumers, due to their rich features but affordabel prices.

AIS BOARD APPROVES RESTRUCTURING

2009-08-25T01:37:00.000-07:00

       The board of Advanced Info Service has approved a restructuring of the company's top management.
       The country's largest cellular operator will officially announce the changes today.
       The board has decided to promote AIS president Wichian Mektrakarn to CEO, replacing Vikrom Sripataks, a board source said yesterday.
       Vikrom is being promoted to a newly created post as vice chairman of the executive committee, while AIS deputy president Hui Weng Chong is being promoted to another new post, that of chief operating officer, the source said.
       The promotions will take effect on September 1, the source added.
       The management restructuring is aimed to further strengthen AIS's operations so that it can cope with intensifying market competition and prepare for the move into third-generation (3G) wireless-broadband business.
       The National Telecommunications Commission will auction four of the 2.1-gigahertz 3G licences, but it has yet to specify a date.
       AIS's parent, Shin Corp, recently appointed AIS chief marketing officer Sanchai Thiewprasertkul as acting managing director of its advertising firm, SC Matchbox, following the recent resignation of Seksun Oonjitti.
       In a filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand yesterday, AIS posted a consolidated second-quarter net profit of Bt4.197 billion, down 33.7 per cent year on year. For the first half, net profit was Bt8.765 billion, a fall of 23.5 per cent from Bt11.456 billion.
       Shin's satellite business, Thaicom, generated consolidated revenue of Bt1.753 billion from the sale of goods and services in the second quarter, up 6.1 per cent year on year, due to higher revenue from both the satellite and the telephone businesses.
       Thaicom's foreign-exchange gain of Bt364 million led to a net profit of Bt199 million. This compares with a net loss of Bt282 million in the same period last year, when it had a foreign-exchange loss of Bt437 million.
       The unit operates the Thaicom 1A, Thaicom 2 and Thaicom 5 conventional broadcasting satellites, as well as the iPSTAR broadband satellite.
       Thaicom chief finance officer Tanadit Charoenchan yesterday expressed confidence that iPSTAR bandwidth demand would continue to grow.
       iPSTAR service revenue was Bt510 million in the second quarter, up 10.6 per cent year on year, following increasing bandwidth usage in the major markets of Australia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and New Zealand.
       iPSTAR is expected to start providing the service in India this year.
       Thaicom has yet to decide whether to send up a new satellite to replace Thaicom 2 or lease a foreign satellite's transponders to provide continued broadcasting services to Thaicom 2 customers. The lifespan of the satellite expires next year.
       It has already finished migrating the Thaicom 1A customers to Thaicom 5, as the former's lifespan ends late this year.
       AIS closed at Bt89.50 yesterday, up from Bt88.50 the day before. Thaicom closed at Bt6.85, up from Bt6.70.

Higher bandwidth sales help Thaicom break even

2009-08-25T01:34:00.000-07:00

       Thaicom Plc, the country's sole satelliteservice provider, expects to break even this year following several consecutive quarterly losses, helped by higher bandwidth sales from its iPSTAR broadband satellite.
       First-half bandwidth sales this year increased 27.5% from the second half of 2008. The growth rate is expected to double to 50% in the second half of 2009, driven by high demand from India.
       "We expect iPSTAR's bandwidth usage to reach 15% this year, up from 10%currently, which allows our 45-gigabit satellite to break even," said Tanadit Charoenchan, executive vice-president for finance of Thaicom.
       Thaicom yesterday reported a profit of 199 million baht in the second quarter,compared with a loss of 282 million in the same period last year and a loss of 220 million in the first quarter. Revenue in the second quarter rose 3.4% yearon-year to 1.75 billion baht, of which 510 million came from iPSTAR earnings.
       For the first half the company reported a consolidated net loss of 21.54 million baht, compared with a loss of 1.14 million a year earlier. The company has 1.217 billion baht in cash with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54 times.
       Mr Tanadit said revenue in the second half was expected to jump significantly,fuelled mainly by expected strong demand from China and India. Thaicom has two gateways in Mumbai and Delhi each with a combined seven-gigabit capacity.
       He said Australia was another potential market thanks to the government's policy of promoting high-speed broadband internet usage.
       Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines will also be key markets for iPSTAR bandwidth leasing next year.
       Mr Tanadit attributed the revenue improvement to the company's new policy that focuses on providing bandwidth rental service from iPSTAR rather than increasing one-time user sales that provided a lower margin.
       Thaicom also implemented a business restructuring plan that focused on more specific service segments. The company grouped its satellite commercial services into two segments: conventional broadcast services for its Thaicom 1,2 and 5,and broadband and internet protocol services served by the iPSTAR broadband satellite.
       Thaicom shares (THCOM) closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 6.85 baht, up 15 satang, in trade worth 108.5 million baht.