XM Satellite Radio is experiencing a second day of outages after software problems resulted in the loss of one of the network"s four satellites. Company officials initially expected to correct the problem yesterday evening, but are now advising customers that they expect a fix by midday. "We quickly identified the problem and are working hard to return to our normal levels of service. The problem occurred during the loading of software to a critical component of our satellite broadcast system, which resulted in a loss of one of our satellites," according to the company"s Web site.
The company did not estimate how many subscribers have been affected, but Internet message boards indicate the problem is widespread. The service is still running on the company"s Web site, and XM advised subscribers to tune in online if possible. XM has four satellites built by Boeing Company launched between 2001 and 2006. The first two experienced significant problems and are now regarded as "in-orbit spares," according to the company"s annual report.