XM Gets New Launch Date; Says Chipsets Are Ready

XM Satellite Radio has a new launch window of Feb. 28 for its first satellite for the subscription service of satellite-delivered digital audio broadcasting. Boeing stopped the previous launch, set for Jan. 8, when it appeared a measurement was incorrect.
XM says the launch delay will not affect getting its service operational, including having receivers into retail locations in volume this summer. XM told RW Online at the Consumer Electronics Show that its custom receiver chipsets are ready. The baseband signal processor chip and the source decoder chip will be in each XM radio. S.T. Microelectronics is producing the silicon chips.