oah Samara, WorldSpace's Ethiopian founder and CEO, thought up a satellite radio venture for the under-served markets of Asia and Africa.

The concept of satellite radio began developing in the early 1990s, but it was not until 1997 when XM Satellite Radio - then called the American Mobile Satellite Corporation - and Sirius won broadcasting licenses from the US' Federal Communications Commission to provide Satellite Digital Audio Radio Services (SDARS), with bids of over $80 million each. Both companies started beaming into the US in 2001.... more