AT&T CruiseCast Service Continues

By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 10/8/2009

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Dallas - AT&T CruiseCast, the ambitious satellite-TV service for the car, is accepting activations, and "we continue to operate normally," said Mike Grannan, COO of RaySat Broadcasting, partner of AT&T in the CruiseCast service.

RaySat Broadcasting acknowledged, "We are working through financial difficulties, but the service is up and running today."

TWICE reported Wednesday that a call to Bill Blades, RaySat program manager, found a message stating that "RaySat will no longer be supporting any more activations of AT&T CruiseCast from this point moving forward" and is "not fulfilling any equipment orders, anymore."

Grannan called the prerecorded message a "miscommunication." "We did have some provisioning issues. If someone calls today to activate service, they will be activated."

Grannan would not elucidate RaySat's financial concerns, but stated, "Given the financial difficulty, we're looking at multiple options going forward with a goal of securing an agreement that would allow the service to continue, or if necessary, that would reimburse customers. But right now the service is up and running, and it's business as usual."

The $1,299 AT&T CruiseCast car system officially launched in June. It delivers 22 channels of video and 20 channels of audio to a moving vehicle. Carried by more than 600 retailers, including Car Toys, it requires a service fee of $28/month.

RaySat Broadcasting is an "independently privately held" company affiliated with RaySat, the antenna company. RaySat Broadcasting launched in the U.S. to provide seamless satellite TV to vehicles nationwide.