# Sirius, XM Work on Interoperability Issues



## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Executives with Sirius and XM sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission saying they are on track with efforts to include radio technology that's interoperable between the two satellite radio services. 
In the letter, XM and Sirius said they have designed and licensed receiver systems that share a common head unit, antenna and wiring harness, while other entities are responsible for the manufacture and distribution of their satellite radios. Several aftermarket and OEM radio manufacturers produce head units that operate with receiver boxes for either service, the companies said, and at least one automaker factory installs head units and antennas compatible with both satellite radio systems.

The current configuration allows consumers to purchase a trunk-mounted box for either satellite radio provider without disturbing the rest of the components, the letter stated.

The companies also said they are optimistic that, at a minimum, a prototype for a complete interoperable radio, which includes a receiver, a common antenna and two baseband modules (one for each service), will be completed this year.

XM and Sirius said so far they have spent $5 million on the interoperable effort. "Simply put, Sirius and XM have invested considerable time, effort and money designing, launching and operating systems compliant with the commission's rules, including an interoperable radio design offered to manufacturers," the letter stated.

In February 2002, XM and Sirius signed a joint development agreement to develop interoperable technologies, and interoperability between systems is required by FCC regulations.

http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

YES!!!!!!!!!!

I'll wait for the details, but this is exciting news. I don't mind paying for both, as long as I can get all of the NFL and MLB games on my radio without putting two antennas on my roof.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

The radio dial of the 20th century….AM/FM
The radio dial of the 21st century….XM/Sirius 

:icon_da:


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## jrrdy1380 (Jun 27, 2003)

This is great!!!!! You can have either one or both services without having to have two different setups making a cluttered mess. Hope they can make this a reality very soon!


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## alebowgm (Jun 12, 2004)

It is about time. I was thinking of getting either XM or Sirius but just havent decided which way to go. If I could buy one piece of hardware and not have to worry down the line, it would be great...


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

First products are due in 4th Qtr 2005 in time for Christmas per This Week in Consumer Electronics (TWICE) magazine. No details on specific models or pricing yet, but the third generation processing chips required for the dual system will be ready for production then.....


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## roo5ter (Nov 12, 2003)

I would expect the unit to be fairly expensive, just because there is less promotional value to the two companies in it than in XM or Sirius-proprietary radios. For example: It probably costs E* Network $200+ to build a (Dish-proprietary) 301 that sells for $99 in RadioShack because E* will get their money back on programming. One of the theroies behind why DBS grew so quickly is because end users would rather buy D* and E*'s cheap proprietary equipment than the expensive non-proprietary equipment of C-Band.


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

I disagree. This will appeal to those high end types who are more likely to spend more on disposable purchases (and possibly other members of the household).

Right now, they are both trying to add subscribers as fast as they can. This may be a way for XM to appeal to Howard Stern fans and for Sirius to appeal to hardcore baseball fans who might be interested in getting access to the NFL as well (put me in that group).

They both have had huge startup costs which can only be covered by selling subscriptions. Anything that helps them do that faster will be pursued.

This is one of those rare situations where competition is driving innovation at a dizzying pace. We the consumers will continue to reap the rewards in increased usability and choice.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

If it were me, I might pay for *one* SkyFi2-like radio that could receive Sirius in addition to XM and that's just because NASCAR is headed over there in 2007. I'd only be listening to it on the road and one radio would serve that purpose.

I'm not about to give up all of XM for that one channel. I wonder how many Sirius folk might be the same way about baseball.


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

If XM is the new HBo and Sirius is the new Showtime, it's high time we can buy hardware that can let us choose BOTH instead of one or the other........


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