The European Commission on Friday cleared a plan by nine North American, European and Japanese companies to create a joint venture to offer satellite telecommunications services, saying it would increase competition: International Private Satellite Partners are Orion Satellite Co, Orion Networks Systems, MCN Sat US and General Dynamics Commercial Launch Services of the US; Com Dev Satellite Communications Ltd of Canada, British Aerospace Communications and Kingston Communications International Ltd of the UK; Stet SpA of Italy, and Trans-Atlantic Satellite Inc, Japan; they plan to offer international private communications services to businesses in Europe and North America and to offer to third parties bulk transmission capacity; it will own and operate two high-power satellites over the Atlantic Ocean.
