DBS insiders voice their doubts that the regional telephone operating company understands the satellite business well enough to survive. Time will tell, Bell. Both HITS2HOME and BellSouth DBS are backed by substantive empires, and they will influence market development. But the third new player on the list, despite underfunding, is the one to watch. Starting with broadband Internet before moving into interactive TV, i SKY is planning to deploy three satellites covering North, Central and South America.
Global reach is contemplated.
Ka-Band positions DBS in the same league as digital cable, which holds onto a thin lead in signal response time. SKY has an exclusive license for commercial Ka-band capacity on the TeleSat ANIK F2 satellite at 111.1 degrees west longitude. Loral Space Systems is the prime satellite contractor for construction of i SKY's first Ka-band satellite. Once all three Ka-band birds are orbiting above the Americas, i SKY's spotbeam satellites will interact with clusters of home transceiver dishes within a 400 mile footprint per beam, that radius adjustable. Founded as Ka-Star in April 1995 by chairman David Drucker, who helped found Echostar and then negotiated the licensing and launching of Echostar I, the young company became i SKY after a NewsCorp investment.