Berretta Gets Degree, Takes Eutelsat Public.

During the "Three Days of Eutelsat" in Bologna, Italy, Giuliano Berretta, president of Eutelsat (the European satellite consortium) received an Ad Honorem degree in managerial engineering from the University of Bologna, one of the oldest universities in the world.

For the occasion, the new graduate announced that Eutelsat, which generates some $680 million in annual revenue, will go public this summer. Berretta also announced the launch of two satellites named Marconi-Atlantic Bird (I-II).

Berretta originally graduated in 1964 with a degree in electronic engineering in Padova, Italy. The reason the University of Bologna chose to honor him is because "often engineers are not good managers and when they are found they need to be rewarded."

During the three-day Eutelsat conference, several other companies also introduced their newest satellite technologies. During one of the presentations, Berretta stated that in the coming months, "[U.S. President] Bush permitting" the new Eutelsat satellites will "illuminate" the territory of the United States.

Berretta also announced the upcoming launch of Open Sky, a European satellite platform designed to deliver wide-band digital content to multi-viewers. For this project, Eutelsat will utilize advanced technologies that allow thousands of viewers to receive large amounts of data (including video), and other "heavy" files through the Internet. The Fondazione Marconi in Sasso was among the promoters and scientific partners of the Eutelsat convention. Sasso is the town near Bologna where inventor Guglielmo Marconi grew up and conducted his first radio experiments.