Bedminster, N.J. -- AT&T today announced the company is being honored with a Technology Emmy for its leadership role in launching Telstar – the first intercontinental satellite transmission --  and in many ways for demonstrating the potential of satellite communications and enabling global broadcasting to scale.

AT&T Labs Chief Scientist David Belanger accepted the award at the Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards event held in Princeton, New Jersey on September 29. 

In 1962, AT&T along with its research arm – then Bell Labs – initiated, funded, constructed and led an effort to build the first construct for active, live satellite communications between continents.   Other contributors to the Telstar Project included NASA, the British Post Office and the French National PPT (Post Office). 

As a result of the effort, live video was beamed for the first time via satellite from the recently completed earth station in Andover Maine to the Telstar satellite to France.  The picture that appeared was an American flag and history had been made. 

Up until that time sharing programming between continents was a considerable and costly undertaking.  Programming had to be recorded manually on a magnetic tape, and then dispatched by airplane courier to its destination studio, where it would be replayed in order to disseminate its contents to spectators.    

“Telstar marked a significant innovation that forever changed not only how programming was shared between continents, but demonstrated the viability of satellite as a distribution vehicle for live television programming,” said David Belanger.  “We are proud to have led this effort.” 

“Breaking new ground has always been part of the AT&T fabric – whether the telephone, cellular technology, transistor, satellite, VoIP or other networking advances, AT&T continues to be one of the world’s most innovative companies,” he said.