An unknown number of XM subscribers experienced service outages or significantly degraded service for approximately a day, from mid-morning May 21 to the same time the next day.
A software upgrade to one of the satcaster’s two satellites “resulted in signal loss,” according to XM, with some subscribers receiving only a few channels and others receiving none.
Analyst William Kidd of Wedbush Morgan Securities wrote in a note to investors that in order for XM to correct the problem, the XM-3 satellite had to be re-oriented. Kidd stated XM-3 is an East Coast-centric satellite that also serves the company’s repeater network.
A spokesman for the Satellite Industry Association told The Washington Post that satellites are “complex machines” that occasionally experience outages. “Once they’re launched we can’t just send the Maytag repairman up there,” Executive Director David Cavossa stated.
