Business Notes

New York — Sirius Satellite Radio announced service is now available in nine additional states and the District of Columbia bringing the total number of states it serves to 37. As of June 1, the company launched in Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, upstate New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Sirius plans to deliver service to the 11 remaining states by July 1.

Canton, Mass. — Specialty consumer electronics retailer Tweeter has entered the Los Angeles market, expanding up the California coast with a new store in Chino. Tweeter has 14 stores in California, including several locations in the San Diego area and a store in Riverside. The company said it plans to open locations in Palm Desert and Costa Mesa by the end of 2002. The Chino Tweeter in the Los Angeles market, scheduled to open at the end of June, is the retailer's 165th store nationwide.

Itasca, Ill.— Mobile, computer and consumer electronics accessories maker Fellowes has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Australia-based cellular phone accessories manufacturer Amtec. Fellowes, which has appropriated Amtec's product ideas and design for a line of cellular phone accessories — including customized, wearable clips for mobile headsets; a car-mount system; and a retractable headset system — will manufacture, market and distribute these "smart, fashionable" products worldwide through retail, commercial and e-commerce channels under its Body Glove brand. Products were set for May availability.

Osaka, Japan — Matsushita Electric Industrial subsidiary Matsushita Electronic Components has made a strategic investment in San Diego-based Magis Networks, a developer of chipsets that enable wireless communications of TCP/IP data, high-quality video and audio throughout the home and office under the Air5 brand. The two companies intend to develop a strategic alliance that will include joint development and promotion of wireless networking products, and efforts toward adopting Air5 as an industry standard. Matsushita said Magis fulfills its vision of the wireless networked home, where video and data are distributed from room to room. This will allow for the development of a new generation of interactive consumer electronics devices, said Matsushita.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands— Royal Philips Electronics and LG Electronics have opened what the two companies call the world's first fifth-generation thin-film-transistor (TFT)-LCD fabrication plant. Called the world's largest TFT-LCD facility, the Kumi, South Korea operation further consolidates the two company's joint venture, called LG.Philips LCD. The facility will produce TFT-LCDs for 15- and 18-inch desktop monitors and 15-inch notebook PCs, as well as larger LCD TVs. Philips also said it intends to launch a $3.5 billion revolving credit facility, which will have a five-year maturity.