DBS Industries, Inc. (DBSI) announced today that E-SAT, Inc., jointly owned with EchoStar Communications Corporation, was granted authorization to construct, launch and operate six Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites by the Federal Communications Commission. Currently, E-SAT is 20% owned by DBSI and 80% owned by EchoStar. The license covers Non-Voice, Non-Geo (NVNG), Little Leo, Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) for provision of domestic and international communications service.
When completed, the E-SAT satellite system is intended to provide low-cost
data communications services including two-way data messaging, Automatic Meter Reading, messaging for environmental monitoring and other services to
utilities and oil and gas companies and other potential customers in the
United States and around the world.
E-SAT has targeted electric metering applications for the utility industry
and intends initially to introduce its services throughout the United States. E-SAT’s target customers will include investor owned utilities, rural electric cooperatives, municipalities, meter manufacturers, meter data management agents, value-added information agencies and corporations who have dispersed operations and require aggregate billing services. E-SAT hopes to expand its presence with domestic and international licensees and partners to establish value-added resellers, marketing and sales.
“The issuance of this license gives us the green light to proceed with the
construction of our satellite system,” stated DBSI President Fred W. Thompson. “The global demand for Automated Meter Reading (AMR) services using LEO technology is tremendous,” continued Mr. Thompson. “Clearly the opportunities to market AMR services are only just beginning to emerge throughout the world. Within the rural and hard-to-access meter segments that E-SAT will target, we feel that E-SAT is best positioned to provide low-cost, efficient data messaging satellite services,” said Mr. Thompson.
