Noah Samara
Encyclopedia
Noah A. Samara is a Chief Executive Officer
of WorldSpace
, the world's first to launch satellite radio
system. He also played a pivotal role in the foundation of XM Satellite Radio
. He claimed what motivated him to found WorldSpace is to give millions of people in Asia
and Africa
access to information
. Samara's effort to launch a third satellite over Latin America
got him embroiled in a bitter fight with the U.S. Department of Defense
and Boeing
, which use the L-band for communication
during flight tests.
, Ethiopia
to a Sudanese father and an Ethiopian mother. He left his home country and went to the United States
at the age of 17 in search of better education. Samara received his bachelor’s degree in English from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
in 1978, a master’s degree in international business
from the Georgetown University
School of Foreign Service and a doctor of jurisprudence from Georgetown University Law School. He is an attorney
that has specialized in international communications satellite
laws.
, Baetjer, Howard & Civiletti.
of the internationally known and now bankrupt WorldSpace
Corporation.
Samara has served as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer
and the Director of the Company since the inception of WorldSpace
. A veteran of the satellite industry, Mr. Samara has been an advisor to numerous global telecommunications and broadcasting organizations over the years, on a wide range of business and regulatory issues. He has published articles in the fields of satellite communications and broadcasting. Mr. Samara holds a MS Degree in International Business Diplomacy from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University School of Law. He has also received numerous awards from governments and institutions specifically for his work with WorldSpace.
Samara once told the graduates of East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
at a commencement ceremony:
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of WorldSpace
WorldSpace
1worldspace, formerly known as 'WorldSpace', is a currently defunct satellite radio network that provided service to over 170,000 subscribers in eastern and southern Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia with 96% coming from India...
, the world's first to launch satellite radio
Satellite radio
Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...
system. He also played a pivotal role in the foundation of XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
. He claimed what motivated him to found WorldSpace is to give millions of people in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
access to information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
. Samara's effort to launch a third satellite over Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
got him embroiled in a bitter fight with the U.S. Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
and Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, which use the L-band for communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
during flight tests.
Personal life
Noah Samara was born in Addis AbabaAddis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
to a Sudanese father and an Ethiopian mother. He left his home country and went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the age of 17 in search of better education. Samara received his bachelor’s degree in English from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is a public university located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It is one of the 14 state universities that compose the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education . It is commonly referred to as ESU by its students and members of the community...
in 1978, a master’s degree in international business
International Business
International business is a term used to collectively describe all commercial transactions that take place between two or more regions, countries and nations beyond their political boundary...
from the Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
School of Foreign Service and a doctor of jurisprudence from Georgetown University Law School. He is an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
that has specialized in international communications satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
laws.
Earlier career
Before the foundation of WorldSpace, Samara was involved in the development of both geostationary and low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems since the mid-1980s. Samara's early career was in satellite telecommunications, first with Geostar Corporation and later with the Washington law firm of VenableVenable LLP
Venable LLP is a law firm formerly known as Venable, Baetjer & Howard LLP. The firm is . It was founded in Baltimore in 1900. Today the firm maintains 7 offices throughout the country and includes over 500 attorneys practicing in over covering corporate and business law, complex litigation,...
, Baetjer, Howard & Civiletti.
WorldSpace
Samara, at the age of 34, became the founder, chairman and chief executive officerChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the internationally known and now bankrupt WorldSpace
WorldSpace
1worldspace, formerly known as 'WorldSpace', is a currently defunct satellite radio network that provided service to over 170,000 subscribers in eastern and southern Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia with 96% coming from India...
Corporation.
Samara has served as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
and the Director of the Company since the inception of WorldSpace
WorldSpace
1worldspace, formerly known as 'WorldSpace', is a currently defunct satellite radio network that provided service to over 170,000 subscribers in eastern and southern Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia with 96% coming from India...
. A veteran of the satellite industry, Mr. Samara has been an advisor to numerous global telecommunications and broadcasting organizations over the years, on a wide range of business and regulatory issues. He has published articles in the fields of satellite communications and broadcasting. Mr. Samara holds a MS Degree in International Business Diplomacy from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University School of Law. He has also received numerous awards from governments and institutions specifically for his work with WorldSpace.
Samara once told the graduates of East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is a public university located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It is one of the 14 state universities that compose the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education . It is commonly referred to as ESU by its students and members of the community...
at a commencement ceremony:
In the mid-1980s, I read something that changed my life. It was an article in the Washington Post about AIDS in Africa and how it was spreading because millions of people had no information or the wrong information.It became clear to me that people weren’t simply dying of disease; they were dying of ignorance.Something had to be done. I came up with the idea of launching a satellite over Africa that would broadcast digital radio across the continent to inexpensive portable receivers. In 1990, I quit my job and devoted my body, mind and spirit to a quest that required securing international regulatory approval from 127 countries, designing a new communications system, building and launching satellites, establishing a corporation, hiring staff and raising capital to pay for it all. We needed around $1.5 billion to make it happen.
Quotes
- At the end of the day, life is somewhat digital. You have either done something, or you have not.