Constellation Communications Inc.(CCI) announced today on behalf of CCI International N.V., that CCI International and Orbital Sciences have reached an agreement — pending final documentation — whereby Orbital will manufacture and launch the first 12 of CCI's low-Earth-orbit satellites, known as ECCO Equatorial.
Under the terms of the agreement, subject to completion of
definitive documentation, Orbital also will provide up to $150 million
in financing to CCI International through both equity investment and
vendor financing.
"Our team at CCI International is impressed by the entrepreneurial
spirit and vision shown by Orbital Sciences Corporation," said Dr.
C.J.(Jerry) Waylan, president and chief executive officer of CCI and
CCI International. "We believe that our selection of Orbital as a
satellite manufacturer, coupled with our phased approach to
establishing global telecommunications service, will enable us to best
serve our customers."
The 12 satellites to be manufactured by Orbital represent the
first of two phases of satellites authorized for CCI in July 1997 by
the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The satellites will be
capable of providing telephony services to more than one million
subscribers located within a band spanning the Earth between 23
degrees north latitude and 23 degrees south latitude. This area —
comprised of more than 75 countries — contains nearly one-quarter of
the world's population. Scheduled to be constructed by early 2001 and
operational by the third quarter, the ECCO Equatorial satellite
constellation will provide voice and data services to subscribers via
hand-held, vehicle-mounted or stationary telephones.
"We're very impressed by CCI International's excellent management
team and strong business approach to the satellite telephony market,"
said David Thompson, chairman and chief executive officer of Orbital
Sciences Corp. "We're convinced that the ECCO system will provide
high quality mobile and fixed communications to unserved and
underserved regions of the world at the lowest cost among all LEO
satellite networks."
Orbital is a space and information systems company that designs,
manufactures, operates and markets a broad range of affordable space
infrastructure systems, satellite access products and satellite
services, including launch vehicles, satellites, sensors and
electronics, satellite ground systems and software, satellite-based
navigation and communications products, and satellite-delivered fixed
and mobile communications and Earth imaging services.
Constellation Communications Inc. (CCI) is a Delaware company
formed in 1991 with headquarters in Fairfax, Virgina, U.S. In 1997,
CCI established CCI International N.V. in the Netherlands Antilles to
design, build and launch the satellites comprising the ECCO satellite
system. CCI International's shareholders include Bell Atlantic Global
Wireless Inc., Raytheon E-Systems Inc. and SpaceVest.
