History of Satellite Radio

Satellite radio was introduced in 1992 by XM Radio and Sirius who became the first companies to earn FCC licenses. This gave the companies the ability to commercially manufacture and make possible the use of satellite radios. It would take almost a decade to launch the digital satellite radio across the United States. In 2001, XM began to deliver nationally with over 100 channels. Satellite radio functions with fixed-location receivers, dish antennas, and signal repeaters that are provided by the radio services. Listeners can capture audio programming at any remote location without interruption or interference due to the weather, tall buildings, and bridges. The use of orbiting satellites has greatly improved sound quality and frequencies over analog radio signals. Today, over 170 channels exist that include music, current affairs, celebrity controversy, sports, science, and children’s programs. Also, a state-of-the-art highly digitized CD quality is being used along with companies now equipped with transportable and vehicle mount antennas to take receiver-configurations into tomorrow.
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