re: stocko and munch better get off the drugs Hi Malcomm,...

re: stocko and munch better get off the drugs Hi Malcomm,

Somebody obviously forgot to tell either New Skies that, or to tell Paul Budde.

In his 200-32004 Telco Company Profiles Australia, New Skies rates a 9 page mention and MUL, none.

So, let's just see what is being said about New Skies:

1)
"...is the Australian arm and wholly owned subsidiary of global Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) satellite provider New Skies Satellites" - p103.

2)
"...is a licensed national telecommunications carrier and leading Satellite Service Provider (SP) to government, corporations, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunications carriers, broadcasters and regional satellite operators in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions" - p103.

3)
"...has an Australia-wide earth station infrastructure which carries data transmissions over NSS satellites located at equatorial geostationary orbit over the Indian and Pacific Oceans". - p103.

4)
"...services include managed voice and data networks, internet communications, corporate intranets, interactive multimedia and TV/video broadcasting." - p103.

5)
"...established ... in March 2000 to acquire AAPT Sat-Tel P/L, the staellite subsidiary of AAPT...., Australia's third largest long-distance telecommunications provider." - p103

Oh, and just before you start getting too excited regarding the SOT deal, just consider this that, back in 2001, New Skies Networks formed a strategic alliance with SOT "to offer a range of telecom products and services to remote, rural and regional communities throughout Australia" - p105.

Now, regarding the individual satellites within NSN's ars*nal:
1)
NSS-513
- in orbit, but not used.
2)
NSS-703
- footprint extends to Australasia, Asia, Africa and Europe.
- provides "video links from Hong Kong and Australia to Europe and capacity for domestic Indian cable networks and voice and data traffic between Europe and India" - p106
3)
NSS-5
- "increased the transponder capacity available to NSN, allowing it to reduce its prices and become more competitive in the Australasian and Pacific-rim markets. It provides more robust capacity for Internet and data traffic as well as digital video transmissions throughout the Asia-Pacific region" - p106/7.
4)
NSS-6
- "...has 50 Ku-band transponders and a 30GHz Ka-band uplink facility designed especially for direct-to-home highspeed broadband internet, multimedia and Pay TV services. The NSS-6 facility allows NSN to compete effectively with the dominant providers in Australia, Optus and Telstra...It is expected that both companies (ie: NSN and Optus, following the launch of C1) will proceed to compete with Telstra in providing broadband internet in the bush" - p107.

I quote again:
"The NSS-6 facility allows NSN to compete effectively with the dominant providers in Australia, Optus and Telstra".

NSN is a licensed telecommunications carrier in Australia. MUL is not. So, the best that MUL can currently be, in the absence of being licensed as a carrier, is as an ASP (ie: a reseller of capacity).

Again, according to Budde (@p107):
"NSN provides services for corporations, government, broadcasters, ISP and the satellite industry....major service offerings include:
1)
satellite transponder capacity services;
2)
teleport services;
3)
managed voice /data/fax/video networks; and
4)
internet, multicast and IP services" - p107.

To, therefore, clarify your own 2 points:
1)
MUL may well own the infrastructure connected with the Newcastle teleport facility, but this is something much less than "their entire infrastructure"; and
2)
New Skies is competition to MUL as they are much more than "space segment wholesalers", etc.

And that's before I talk about their managed voice, data, fax and video networks.