Washington — Afristar, the first of a trio of satellites designed to transmit digital broadcasts to the world's least developed regions, was lofted into orbit Wednesday from French Guiana by WorldSpace, a Washington-based corporation.
The launch, which had been rescheduled several times over the past year, was greeted enthusiastically by a hundreds of WorldSpace employees and well-wishers, gathered at the company's headquarters here to watch the proceedings via a closed circuit telecast. Company executives and key investors watched from the launch site at Kourou, on South America's northern coast.
Speaking from Kourou following the launch, WorldSpace chairman Noah Samara called the occasion "momentous" for the company and the world. Afristar, he said, was "constructed and dedicated to serve Africa." Samara has said he has raised about one billion dollars for the global enterprise to date and plans to invest a half-billion more. Much of the funding reportedly comes from Saudi Arabian sources.
When AfriStar is joined in orbit by AsiaStar and AmeriStar, whose launches are planned for mid-to-late 1999, WorldSpace broadcasts will be available to an audience of five billion people worldwide. Altogether, the service will have some 360 channels, most of which are slated to carry radio programming.
Among the African broadcasters who have signed up to transmit their signals via WorldSpace are Golf FM of Benin, Senegal's Radio Sud, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, and Kaya FM from South Africa. WorldSpace is also establishing its own station to provide African news and information 24 hours a day and has created another service to supply programming specifically for women.
Internationally, the company is seeking content deals with major international broadcasters, including the BBC. Bloomberg News already has announced plans to provide 23 channels of business reporting in multiple languages.
The satellites will be able to transmit high-speed video, and the company also plans to offer a text-based service called WorldView. Among the choices offered to text subscribers will be a selection of stories from African news agencies and publications produced by Africa News Service.
To receive WorldSpace programming, users will need a new type of digital receiver containing a specially designed chip to demodulate and decompress the satellite signals. Radio sets capable of getting AM and FM, as well as WordlSpace digital reception, are currently being manufactured by Sanyo, Hitachi, JVC and Panasonic. Initial pricing is expected to range from $100 - $200 each, with the goal of reducing the cost to about $50 as the market expands.
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Sales and distribution of the new radios in Africa, Asia and Latin America pose a huge challenge, WorldSpace officials concede. To boost the audience, the company has established a foundation which is working with educational institutions and development agencies to provide free or low-cost sets to schools and community groups.
Samara's post-launch comments reflected the mix of mission and money- making that he has made a corporate hallmark. "We at WorldSpace will never ever forget, he said, that we started this project and built this business to help individuals, one person at a time, to get information that they need to live a safer, happier and a better life," even after the audience has grown into "millions and millions" and the company has made "lots and lots of money."
Related sites:
WorldSpace Corporation -- http://www.worldspace.com/ Arianespace Corporation -- http://www.arianespace.com/
