New Broadband Service, NewSat Formally Launched by Multiemedia; Signs Letter of Intent to Acquire IP Access International Melbourne, Australia/February 27, 2004/Satnews/ In a two-day event attended by over 100 industry representatives from all over the world last February 23-24, a new broadband service dubbed NewSat was formally launched by one of the leading Australian satellite service companies, Multiemedia. In attendance were NewSat partners and customers representing satellite operators, service providers and end-users from business and government from Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. NewSat is a new division of Multiemedia. It aims to fill a void in the market for next generation Video, Internet, Voice over IP and data communications services for organizations not adequately served by traditional broadband technologies such as ADSL, ISDN and cable. NewSat will have the capability to deliver high-speed communications to 60% percent of the world’s population, providing access to North and South East Asia, the Indian sub-continent, China, the Middle East, Southern Africa and Australia.
NewSat has already secured a US $5 million deal, which could be worth US$ 40 million over the life of the contract, with the United Sates Agency for International Development (USAID) for sites across Iraq as part of its post-war enforcement and governance program. NewSat is listed in the Australian stock exchange and has a current market capitalization of A$ 100 million.
The launch featured an industry conference tackling the theme is on "The Future of Communication." The conference featured presentations from key executives from partners in the NewSat venture which included Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO of Viasat; David Price VP of Sales of News Skies Satellites; Pat Matthews, President of SeaTel; Rob Vechi, President of Edge Access; Phil Meyer of Microsoft, among others. The speakers took turns in expressing their bullishness on the satellite services market in general and the NewSat venture in particular. Satnews Publishers was represented in the conference by Publisher Silvano Payne.
An ebullient Adrian Ballintine, Multiemedia founder and CEO, who hosted the proceedings, said "You can’t beat reality. Two- way satellite is suddenly the number one option for companies and this event has captured all the majors."
Meanwhile, at the launch event, Multiemedia also announced that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Petaluma, Calif.-based satellite service provider IP Access International, currently owned by the Cornisica Group of companies. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
The launch event was held at the Sebel Lodge in the picturesque Yarra Valley--Australia's premier wine producing region. Apart from the formal conference, attendees were also feted to a night of entertainment featuring leading Australian stage personalities and other activities at the resort.
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