An artist's concept of XM spacecraft. Credit: Boeing

Boeing has selected Alcatel Space, a subsidiary of Alcatel, for a multi-million US dollar contract to build a digital radio broadcasting payload on behalf of XM Satellite Radio Inc., the leading satellite digital radio broadcaster in the United States.

The payload will be built by Alcatel Space's facility in Toulouse, then integrated on a Boeing 702 platform in Boeing's facility in El Segundo, California.

XM provides 100 channels of digital-quality music and talk radio programming to subscribers throughout the continental United States, via a fleet of two geostationary satellites and a network of ground relays.

"This contract consolidates Alcatel Space' leadership in the digital radio broadcast market," said Pascale Sourisse, Chairman and CEO of Alcatel Space. "Our flight-proven technologies and skilled teams ensure that we will continue to earn the trust of Boeing. We are very proud of this partnership, which started over five years ago."

Alcatel Space offers a slate of competitive satcom solutions for the direct broadcast of video, digital radio and webcasting services to million of fixed and mobile terminals. The company's comprehensive packages include ground and space networks, calling on expertise built up through extensive work on the XM Radio programs.

Alcatel Space, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alcatel, is the world's third largest satellite manufacturer and Number 1 in Europe. Deploying extensive dual expertise in civil and military applications, Alcatel Space develops satellite solutions for telecommunications, navigation, radar and optical observation, meteorology and science. The company is also the leading European prime contractor for earth observation, meteorology and navigation ground segments, and for space system operation.

Alcatel provides end-to-end communications solutions, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver content to any type of user, anywhere in the world. Leveraging its long-term leadership in telecommunications network equipment as well as its expertise in applications and network services, Alcatel enables its customers to focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of EURO 16.5 billion in 2002, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.