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June 2011 The Leader in Global Communications Coverage
www.viasatellite.com
VIEW FROM THE TOP:Khalid Balkheyour, Arabsat
BROADCASTERS CORNER:Olivier Laouchez, Trace TV
UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUNDS
LOOK FOR RIGHT TECHNOLOGY MIX
SATELLITE FINDS NEW ROLE
IN IP WORLD
MaritimeBecoming Prime Time for
Satellite Companies
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4 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Follow us on Twitter: Get up-to-the satellite communications news and analysis delivered to your Twitter account on your mobile device or computer by following us on Twitter.com/Via_Satellite and Twitter.com/SatelliteTODAY.
June/11 Vol. XXVI Number 06
CO
VE
R S
TO
RY
Features18 | Maritime Becoming Prime Time
For Satellite Companies »MARK HOLMES With demands for bandwidth set to increase, satellite players are vying to
supply the crowded maritime sector with more effective communications
solutions, as shipping operators look to satellite to boost their performance.
22 | Universal Service Funds Look For Right Technology Mix »GIOVANNI VERL IN I Market forces alone might not be enough to attain universal service in the
broadband era. The satellite sector should endeavor to find its place in the
array of technologies supported by mechanisms like the U.S. Universal
Service Fund.
26 | Satellite Finds New Role
In IP World »GREG BERLOCHER The implementation of IP strategies is not new, but aside from a common
transmission protocol, what impact will the buildup of IP networks have on
the satellite sector?
OnlineWebinars On Demand
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The $41 Billion Question
For more information on upcoming
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© 2011. Via Satellite (ISSN 1041-0643) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, LLC, 4 Choke Cherr y Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 20850. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
6 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
WHO READS Steven Corda, Vice President of Market Development for SES takes a moment
to read Via Satellite at NAB.
Departments
Editor’s Insight 8
View From The Top 10
Khalid Balkheyour, Arabsat
Industry Events 12
Broadcasters Corner 31
Olivier Laouchez, Trace TV
Industry At Large 32
Web Directory 36
The Marketplace 35
Advertiser Index 37
Columns14 | Global Regulations U.K. Space Strategy ConsultationGERRY OBERST
The U.K. government is conducting a consultation on what its civil space strat-
egy should be for the period 2011-2015. This consultation is important, and there
remains time to submit comments .
16 | Satellite Policies C-Band Small Aperture Terminals (CSAT)RAUL MAGALLANES
VSAT licenses in Ku-band have been used for a long time and provide what is popu-
larly called “blanket license” authority. Interestingly, there is an equivalent concept
in C-band, the C-band Small Aperture Terminal.
17 | Satellite Gets Personal The Great (Broadband) Leap ForwardMAX ENGEL
The world of satellite broadband is about to see the results of a revolution in satel-
lite capacity. In Europe, Ka-Sat is getting ready to enter service. In North America,
ViaSat-1 is expected to be launched before the end of 2011, and the Hughes Net-
work Systems’ Jupiter satellite is planned for launch early in 2012.
38 | Dollars and Sense Goodbye to the Space ShuttleOWEN KURT IN
The U.S. Space Shuttle program will come to a close this year, a little more than 30
years after its inaugural flight, with the last flight scheduled for late June. Always
a technological marvel and never an economic one, the shuttle reminds us of an-
other beautiful white bird now seen only in museums, the Concorde.
WHO READS
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EDITOR’S NOTE
The concept has been around for a while under the names
“secondary payloads” or “piggybacking,” but the first
mention of the phrase “hosted payload” in our publications
occurred in April 2007 in reference to a planned test of
providing IP services from orbit.
Intelsat 14 was placed in orbit in November 2009 carry-
ing the Internet Router in Space (IRIS) payload developed
by Cisco Systems. The payload was developed as part of
the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Capability Technol-
ogy Demonstration. The Pentagon completed its testing of
the payload in April 2010, and IRIS now is under control of
Cisco, which is looking to monetize the service.
This certainly was not the first hosted payload. Among
the examples listed by the Office of Space Commercial-
ization, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, are
the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s Wide Area Aug-
mentation System, which involves transponders aboard
commercial communications satellites, and the U.S. Coast
Guard’s Nationwide Automatic Identification System, which
involves a demonstration payload on an Orbcomm satel-
lite. The SES-2 satellite, being developed to provide com-
mercial broadcasting services over the United States and
the Caribbean, also will carry the Commercially Hosted
Infrared Payload (CHIRP) sensor for the U.S. Air Force.
The U.S. government’s interest in hosted payloads is
growing due to a mix of budget cuts and growth in hosting
options. The history of the platform, however, is filled more
by missed opportunities than with successes. At SATEL-
LITE 2010, a U.S. government official cited 18 commercial
satellites under production that could have carried gov-
ernment payloads, but because the government had no
official policy on hosted payloads, only one opportunity
was being used.
That number of missed opportunities is expected to
increase in the coming years as satellite constellations
such as Iridium Next join commercial geostationary space-
craft as options for those seeking to place a hosted pay-
load into space.
In March, seven of the satellite sector’s biggest compa-
nies formed the Hosted Payload Alliance. The group, which
includes Intelsat and SES along with Iridium, Boeing, Lock-
heed Martin, Orbital Sciences and Space Systems/Loral,
will promote the potential benefits of hosted government
payloads on commercial satellites.
Meanwhile, the interest on the government side was rein-
vigorated by a call in the 2010 U.S. National Space Policy
for public-private partnerships to fill government satellite
gaps. In April, NASA issued a solicitation for studies out-
lining commercial solutions to distribute data for future
NASA payloads on commercial communications satellites.
In the solicitation, the agency says, “The process of devel-
oping and operating the payload within the constraints of
the hosted payload process is a new development method
for NASA. The distribution of the payload data in real-time,
or near real-time, over commercial networks is also a new
operational concept for NASA.”
And in an April speech on space programs in Washing-
ton, D.C., Ashton Carter, the Pentagon’s undersecretary
of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told
the audience that “cost projections for these are just not
affordable,” and cited hosted payloads as an option for
the future.
Interest in hosted payloads is growing, and government
and commercial interests look to be lining up for a jump
in this market in the coming years.
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10 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
VIEW FROM THE TOP
Khalid BalkheyourCEO, Arabsat
Arabsat, one of the main players
on the satellite landscape in the
Middle East and Africa, is looking
into hosted payloads while also
continuing rollouts of new capacity.
Arabsat CEO Khalid Balkheyour
outlines the operator’s plans for
hosted payloads as well as the
possibilities in residential broadband
markets throughout the Middle East
and Africa.
VIA SATELLITE: When will you announce
any hosted payload deals?
BALKHEYOUR: We think hosted pay-
loads will be a viable way to grow in
the next period for Arabsat. At the
same time, we are not only looking
for partnerships, but we are looking
for new orbital locations and new co-
operation opportunities neighboring
to our region. We are looking for part-
nerships with government entities. Ini-
tially, we were hoping to sign a hosted
payload deal at the end of last year.
However, with government organiza-
tions, it takes more time than expect-
ed, so, hopefully, we will reach this
type of deal in 2011.
VIA SATELLITE: Will your company pur-
sue other hosted payload opportunities
this year?
BALKHEYOUR: If things go as we
plan, we hope to announce another
one next year. This would be the first
for the Middle East. We haven’t seen
a hosted payload program involving
two different organizations in the
Middle East, so we are looking for a
deal where Arabsat would use some
of the payload and another organiza-
tion would use the rest. There is no
stipulation in terms of the division of
the payload right now.
VIA SATELLITE: What is the state of your
capacity expansion plans?
BALKHEYOUR: We launched two sat-
ellites in June last year — Arabsat 5A
and BADR 5 — and both of those satel-
lites are almost fully utilized. We are
happy with those successful launch-
es. This year, we are launching the
Arabsat 5C satellite in the August/
September timeframe. That satellite
will be launched at the 20 degrees
East orbital location. It will have a
Ka-band payload covering the Arab
Peninsula, Iraq, Levant and Afghani-
stan. It will be the first of its kind in the
region to be commercially available.
We are introducing this technology in
the region, and there is a challenge in
terms of getting licenses and partners
to utilize that payload. It is going to be
a busy year for us trying to sell that
capacity in addition to a significant
C-band payload that is covering the
Middle East, Europe, Africa and West
Asia regions.
VIA SATELLITE: Last year, you said that
you hoped to sign a signature Ka-band sat-
ellite contract with a telecoms operator in
late 2010. Are you close to this deal?
BALKHEYOUR: We have seen that
there are a number of entities inter-
ested in this payload, so we request-
ed from the interested companies to
submit their proposals based on their
business plan and their proposed form
of utilizing this capacity with or with-
out Arabsat involvement or partner-
ship with Arabsat to deliver services
based on Ka-band. We have received
all the offers, and are now evaluating
the different partners, but we aim to
close this later this month. We expect
to announce a major partnership in
the next month with a major telco/
ISP here.
VIA SATELLITE: Are the dynamics favor-
able for residential satellite broadband in
the Middle East?
BALKHEYOUR: Yes, because the ter-
restrial infrastructures are not mature
enough as they are in Europe and the
rest of the world. Additionally, you
have to consider licensing difficulties
in the region and getting the approvals
needed to offer these types of services
in the region. It is not one country like
the United States or Canada. It is not
like the European Union. Here, each
country has its own regulations. It may
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12 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
delay the introduction of these services
in the region. I would expect satellite
broadband could have an impact in the
Gulf region. It could have an impact in
somewhere like Libya if things calm
down. You have countries like Alge-
ria and Egypt where there could be a
demand for these services.
VIA SATELLITE: Would you consider
SpaceX as a launch vehicle option?
BALKHEYOUR: We usually like to see
technology in this area matured before
we go with it. We are pretty cautious
here. We are risk averse. If it is proven
technology, we will, of course, consid-
er it, but we will not be at the front-
end until we see it arrive. We would
not look to someone like SpaceX for
a good two to three years, because we
have few satellites and cannot afford
to take the risk.
VIA SATELLITE: Did you see strong rev-
enue and profit growth in 2010?
BALKHEYOUR: We did see an improve-
ment in our overall figures in 2010 but
perhaps not as much as we had hoped at
the start of the year. We had late launch-
es of our satellites. One satellite was
delayed four months and the other one
was delayed one-and-a-half months. We
did not get the numbers we would have
liked, but we did get well above the
average market growth, creating a solid
base for bigger growth in 2011
VIA SATELLITE: What factors are affecting
capacity demand in the Middle East?
BALKHEYOUR: There are a number
of satellites set to be launched in the
region, however, this is a particu-
larly interesting question right now
because of the turmoil going on in
the Arab world, which might have an
effect on the business growth. It could
be positive; it could be negative. We
will have to wait and see. It depends
on the new regimes in each country
and how they liberalize and control
their space segment reach. We are
entering into an interesting period,
so we will see if things calm down
after this period. So far, there is no
direct impact, but changes are going
on. I hope it would have a positive
impact. The new thinking is calling
for more modernization, more infor-
mation and free societies, so I think
there will be more demand in terms
of reaching out to the world.
VIA SATELLITE: How is the defense mar-
ket looking for Arabsat?
BALKHEYOUR: Some of our custom-
ers are military and defense organi-
zations utilizing the standard bands
either C or Ku, but I do expect a lot
of growth in that area hopefully with
the Ka-band payload operational in
orbit, as they will be able to utilize
bigger and easier capacity to access.
This could lead to more appetite in
that technology. Some of our hosted
payloads could be also carrying other
frequency bands that are of interest in
such an important sector, but it may
take two to three years before we see
a big jump in demand.
VIA SATELLITE: Will you be targeting
any new markets?
BALKHEYOUR: We have promised to
launch one satellite a year since 2008.
We are doing that. We are covering the
whole of Africa right now as well as
most of Western Europe. The natural
expansion for us is to go East, and we
are targeting countries like Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Kazakhstan and even Turkey.
This is a natural expansion for us in
terms of geography.
VIA SATELLITE: What is the potential
of in-orbit satellite servicing?
BALKHEYOUR: Arabsat actually had
discussions with MDA. It sounds like
a great technology achievement, but I
don’t know if it will be practical for us
to implement in the near future. All of
our satellites are new. We only have
one satellite, which is reaching its end
of life this year. By the time this tech-
nology is realized in the frame of the
coming three years, our satellite will
be out of service.
JUNE
21-24 CommunicAsia 2011
Singapore
(Conference information:
www.communicasia.com)
21-26 International Paris
Air Show
Paris, France
(Conference information:
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AUGUST
23-25 LandWarNet
Conference 2011
Tampa, Florida
(Conference information:
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events/landwarnet)
SEPTEMBER
8-13 IBC 2011
Amsterdam, Netherlands
(Conference information:
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12-16 World Satellite
Business Week
Paris, France
(Conference information:
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ness.com)
27-29 APSCC 2011
Bali, Indonesia
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OCTOBER
6-9 CeBIT Broadcast, Cable
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Istanbul, Turkey
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12-13 SatCon 2011
New York, New York
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14 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
GLOBAL REGULATIONS
The U.K. government is conducting a consultation
on what its civil space strategy should be for the period
2011-2015. Given the strong position of U.K. companies
in the space arena and explicit recognition of satellite
contributions to the national economy, this consultation
is important, and there remains time to submit comments,
as the deadline is not until July 8.
The U.K. Space Agency issued the consultation as one
of its first official acts as an executive agency of the gov-
ernment’s Department for Business Innovation and Skills
(BIS). The agency itself was launched in March 2010 as
a replacement for the British National Space Centre and
formally placed under the BIS on April 1.
The U.K. Space Agency says this new draft strategy “is
markedly different in tone and style than previous versions.”
The key difference in the brief strategy is said to be that
it draws upon the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy
(IGS) and takes growth as the main theme. The IGS was an
industry, academia and government strategy issued early
last year. (We wrote about the IGS in April 2010.)
The proposed strategy is built upon six focus areas,
all centered around the growth theme: growth from “new
opportunities,” growth from export, innovation support-
ing growth, science enabling growth, education for growth
and growth through smarter government.
The consultation document contains a nice, yet
restrained, focus on the importance of satellite communi-
cations for driving the entire sector forward. For instance,
it says that “continuing economic growth will depend
on a strong [U.K.] presence in markets of the future —
for example: satellite broadband, Earth observation and
applications that integrate space and terrestrial data for
new-high value uses.”
More should be said in the strategy about the role
of satellite communications, in particular the fact that
without communications satellites to create innova-
tion and economies of scale for launch and delivery, the
overall space market would be a small percentage of
what it is today. The U.K. Space Agency could turn to
a recent communication from the
European Commission on Europe-
an Union space strategy, issued on
April 4 from Brussels. That paper
identifies satellite communications
as “a key space sector, generating the largest revenues
in the space industry, in both Europe and the rest of the
world.” It acknowledges that satellite communications
have a “clear role to play” with respect to meeting Euro-
pean broadband objectives.
Translated into policy terms, this recognition should
foster government support for the communications sat-
ellite industry. The United Kingdom is a center for some
of the biggest satellite players. The proposed strategy
should direct more attention to the contributions they
make to overall space goals.
This support could be demonstrated in the last of the
six focus areas on “smarter government.” The strategy
consultation says that under this item it will encourage
“work with [the national regulator] Ofcom and interna-
tional bodies to ensure [that] appropriate radio frequen-
cies and orbit slots are available for future space services
and new ways of accessing space.”
At the latest count, the United Kingdom has submitted
due diligence information on the launch and operation of
90 satellite networks listed in the International Telecom-
munication Union (ITU) space network list. This total is
surpassed only by filings of the United States, Russia, China,
France and Japan. The United Kingdom, thus, has a compel-
ling interest in preserving the integrity of the ITU satellite
registration system. Recent disputes before the ITU’s Radio
Regulations Board demonstrate that the stakes are high
and countries will go to great lengths to preserve rights
to orbital slots and access to space. It is critical to ensure
that the system works and is not distorted by unverified
or simply fictitious ploys by other countries.
The proposed strategy refers both to orbital slots and
“appropriate radio frequencies.” Radio spectrum is the life-
blood of the satellite sector. Decisions to allocate spectrum
in one country can affect the ability of the satellite industry
to use that resource across the entire footprint of a satel-
lite. Thus, actions by Ofcom on spectrum can affect much
more than the U.K.-based revenues of a satellite, but also
can affect revenues from a far-wider service area.
In sum, we would like to see even more reference to the
communications satellite sector in the U.K. Space Agency
emphasis on growth. The agency consultation is available
on the BIS website: http://www.bis.gov.uk. Comment early
and often.
U.K. Space Strategy Consultation
Gerry Oberst is
a partner in the
Hogan Lovells
Brussels office.
By Ger r y Obers t
16 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
SATELLITE POLICIESBy Rau l Maga l lanes
We all are familiar with the VSAT (Very Small
Aperture Terminal) network, which encompasses a hub
and multiple, identical remote stations. VSAT licenses in
Ku-band have been used for a long time and provide what
is popularly called “blanket license” authority.
Interestingly, there is an equivalent concept in C-band,
the C-band Small Aperture Terminal (CSAT). This article
appears on the 10th anniversary of the implementation of
CSAT regulations in the United States and examines the
advantages and disadvantages of CSAT licenses.
Comparable to VSAT licenses, CSAT licenses provide
a so-called “blanket” authority to operate multiple, iden-
tical remotes controlled by one or more master stations.
Yet, this is where the similarities end. Despite the decade-
long existence of the CSAT concept, CSAT licenses still
lack the popularity that VSAT licenses have enjoyed for
so long. Here is why:
Location Restrictions and Frequency Coordination
VSAT terminals may be moved at will without the need to
report geographical location or modify the license. This
is possible because conventional Ku-band is allocated
exclusively to fixed satellite services.
In contrast, conventional C-band is shared on a primary
basis between satellite and fixed microwave services.
Therefore, every CSAT remote terminal must undergo
frequency coordination for a given set of geographic coor-
dinates. Any change in location requires a new frequen-
cy coordination as well as a modification of the CSAT
license.
Spectrum Allocation and Number of Satellites
CSAT networks are limited to 20 MHz of spectrum for the
uplink and 20 MHz for the downlink
per satellite. There can be up to
three satellites per license, and the
frequencies can be different for each
satellite. This totals a maximum of
120 MHz of combined spectrum for
a CSAT license. In other words, a
CSAT license is limited to 12 percent
of the 1,000 MHz of spectrum
available in conventional C-band.
Compare this with Ku-band VSAT
licenses and regular C-band licenses that have access to the
entire Ku-band spectrum and full satellite arc. Put in this
light, this spectrum ceiling places CSAT networks at a sig-
nificant disadvantage with regard to the ability to expand
the number of remotes.
Terminal Reporting
Licensees of CSAT networks have an obligation to file
an annual report with the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) detailing all operational Earth stations
in the system. This report also must contain a list of all
stations deactivated during the year. The FCC then issues a
public notice reporting the stations that were deactivated
that year.
Advantages
On the other hand, CSAT networks do have some
advantages. For instance, they can operate conditionally
once the application is placed on public notice by the FCC.
In other words, there is no need to wait until the license
has been granted to start operations.
However, the FCC can revoke the conditional autho-
rization if a negative comment is filed during the public
notice period. This conditional operation is important, as
this provision does not exist for regular VSAT networks
or regular C-band authority.
Another advantage is that of regulatory costs. CSAT
applications pay a single filing fee for the entire network.
For a large network, there would be significant savings
when compared with obtaining a separate C-band license
for each remote.
Conclusion
CSAT networks have not been deployed as much as was
expected 10 years ago when the regulations were written.
But every application is different, and generalization never
leads to any intelligent solutions.
When making a decision as to which regulatory solu-
tion to choose, it is important to understand the network
at present and plan for the future. The cost and operational
advantages of the CSAT solution can be attractive if there
is no significant network growth expected. Otherwise, a
rapidly expanding network can quickly reach the band-
width ceiling imposed by the CSAT license.
C-Band Small Aperture Terminals (CSAT)
Raul Magallanes
runs a Houston-
based law firm
focusing on tele-
communications
law. He may be
reached at +1 (281)
317-1397 or by
email at raul@
rmtelecomlaw.com.
WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE JUNE 2011 17
SATELLITE GETS PERSONALBy Max Enge l
The Great (Broadband) Leap Forward
The world of satellite broadband is about to see the
results of a revolution in satellite capacity. In Europe, Ka-Sat
is getting ready to enter service. In North America, ViaSat-1
is expected to be launched before the end of 2011, and the
similar Hughes Network Systems’ Jupiter satellite is planned
for launch early in 2012. These satellites are immensely
capable, with throughputs in the 70 Gbps for Ka-Sat and
100 Gbps-plus of bandwidth for ViaSat-1 and Jupiter.
In North America, this is an important development, as
it will improve on the speeds and capabilities offered by
ViaSat’s WildBlue-1 and Hughes’ Spaceway 3 satellites that
already have been operational for years over North America
providing a considerable amount of Ka-band capacity for
the satellite broadband offerings.
The advent of Ka-Sat service is even more important
for Europe. Up until now, European Ka-band capacity for
satellite broadband was limited to a few transponders on
Eutelsat’s Hotbird 6, with Avanti Communications’ Hylas
1 Ka-band satellite going into service around when you see
this column. With the addition of Ka-Sat to these offer-
ings, Ka-band service, which has revolutionized the North
American satellite broadband market, should do the same
for Europe. Meteorological conditions allowing, Ka-band
seems to be a necessary technology to truly enable satel-
lite broadband. For Europe, however, there will be two
revolutions in quick succession. The first is the availabil-
ity of any large amount of Ka-band capacity. With luck
this should accelerate the growth of Eutelsat’s Tooway
service to a more robust and successful business venture
as has already occurred in North America with WildBlue
and with HughesNet.
Beyond basic service, however, these high throughput
satellite offer the possibility of actually competing with
slower terrestrial broadband offerings.
Hughes has been mentioning this pos-
sibility for a couple of years when it
discussed the Jupiter satellite. Eutel-
sat’s Tooway is more directly trumpet-
ing download speeds of up to 10 Mbps
and upload speeds of up to 4 Mbps,
calling their upcoming service “DSL-
comparable” broadband service.
On its face, these numbers are bet-
ter than much available DSL service,
but there is a catch — bandwidth caps. Terrestrial broad-
band providers have been unsuccessful, thus far, in link-
ing price and usage. Time Warner, for example, made an
attempt with a test in Port Arthur, Texas, but backed down
in the face of strong customer resistance. Satellite broad-
band, however, is built around such limitations, though
they are not absolute. Hughes, for instance, has a late night
“Download Period” between about 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. East-
ern in which these caps are relaxed, but satellite usage is
never unmonitored.
This distinction in pricing strategies speaks to the dif-
ference between industries where capacity is relatively
cheap and easy to add (DSL, cable) and the satellite world,
where one simply cannot lay another fiber-optic cable to add
capacity. Satellite companies are not rapacious bandits, but
they do have to make a profitable business on the basis of
a smaller bandwidth pool. As a result, satellite broadband
has the usage caps that terrestrial broadband providers
seek. This makes it difficult to predict how the competition
between slow DSL and fast satellite will develop.
This is where the new generation of high throughput
satellites really matter. With the growing importance of the
Internet as a source of software downloads and video pro-
gramming, for satellite broadband to maintain its appeal,
the download caps will have to be structured in such a way
as to allow for relatively large downloads relatively often,
or satellite broadband will become satellite dial-up. High
throughput satellites could allow this sort of usage. It is no
longer a technological question but a market question.
With a race on just to maintain the current position, ViaSat
already has announced plans to build a ViaSat-2 satellite as
soon as the company studies the demand for ViaSat-1. Eutel-
sat says it can get a Ka-Sat 2 satellite from manufacturer
EADS Astrium two years after the order is placed.
The success of satellite broadband as a DSL replace-
ment rather than an option of absolute last resort will
depend on decisions made in board rooms, not develop-
ments in labs. With high throughput satellites, broadband
technology has come of age. What remains unclear is how
the balance between better service and more subscribers
will be set. No service ever gives capacity away for free,
but for the broadband satellite industry to grow beyond
being the service of last resort it will have to walk a deli-
cate line between capacity and pricing.
Max Engel is an
experienced satel-
lite industry and
telecom industry
analyst and found-
er of The North
Star Consultancy.
He can be reached
at maxnorthstar@
gmail.com.
B Y M A R K H O L M E S
18 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
With demands for
bandwidth set to increase,
satellite players are vying
to supply the crowded
maritime sector with more
effective communications
solutions, as shipping
operators look to satellite
to boost their performance.
COVER STORY
Maritime is one of the most exciting sectors for satellite companies, as shipping companies look to
beef up their communications and entertainment capabilities. Improved connectivity is becoming
a vital tool for improving overall efficiency and reducing costs as well as retaining an experienced
crew, important considerations for shipping operators during tough economic times.
It is clear the operators want more bandwidth, says Christian Bergan, director, verticals mar-
keting — maritime, for iDirect. “From a trending perspective, we see owners deploying new
applications, and bandwidth consumption is sharply on the rise. In fact, several of the operators
are reporting bandwidth consumption of more than 40 Gb per month. That is quite significant
compared to what it was a few years ago, when it was only 10 to 20 Gb per month, so there have
Becoming Pr
been major changes in bandwidth consumption. When we look
at the maritime market three to four years ago, VSAT played
a major role in specific segments such as cruise line or the oil
and gas tanker market. There was a lot of early interest from
these segments because they had the bandwidth requirements
necessary for broadband connectivity. In recent years we
have seen VSAT services gaining popularity in areas like the
shipping industry, because the increase in applications being
used on board has increased their requirements and they can’t
cost-effectively meet those needs through traditional satel-
lite services. There is a lot of new interest from areas where
VSAT has not been traditionally installed, and we expect that
trend to continue in the short- to mid-term.”
James Collett, director of maritime services at Inmarsat
says his company is seeing an increasing demand for greater
data volumes, which calls for more bandwidth and higher
throughput to and from ships. “The desire to have a ship as
a node on the network of a shipping company is absolutely
key. This demand for more data applications will lead to
more growth. What is clear is that many of these shipping
companies have strong business cases which center around
spending more on communications and connectivity in order
to bring a return in other areas. For example, fuel efficien-
cy, routing and general ship operations are all areas where
users can bring improvements to their bottom line through
increase use of satcoms, so everyone in the data market will
want to participate fully in that growth.”
In terms of some of the technology trends, Chris Baugh,
CEO of NSR, says, “Smaller dishes with higher throughput (is
one trend). The ‘hot dish’ now appears to be 30 centimeters,
half of last year’s ‘hot dish’ of 60 centimeters. In the maritime
market in general, everything is going IP ... engine monitoring,
internal navigation systems etc. On-board computer networks
are expanding to include Wi-Fi access points for personal lap-
tops on some of the higher-end customers. Smaller dishes, fixed
prices and regulatory changes mean smaller vessel operators
now are looking for satellite services,” he says.
New ApplicationsAs more bandwidth becomes available, the more shipping
companies can be creative in how they use this bandwidth.
“What you have seen over the last couple of years, particularly
with the financial crisis, is that there is a much higher
interest from ship owners in services that help them improve
their operational costs,” says Tore Morten Olsen, CEO of
Marlink. “That is things like remote diagnostics on engines,
administrative voice applications, etc. There are several
applications both developed and under development which
can help them drive the operational costs down.”
As well as providing better services for crew, this new
bandwidth can bring about other changes. Erik Ceuppens,
CEO, Vizada EMEA & Asia, says the move towards IP ser-
vices is a major trend among shipping operators. “You are
seeing this trend towards converging maritime broadband,
but certainly, if not more important than broadband, is this
trend towards always-on IP services. It is this always-on
functionality that will drive IP services and applications. If
you look at the levels of the IP sophistication onboard ves-
sels, it is still pretty low today. The connectivity services
have not been there, so the move towards always-on IP ser-
vice will encourage more advanced applications on board
vessels. Broadband usage is still relatively low today in the
maritime industry. Clearly, there is much potential here for
broadband, which will be adopted further thanks to lower
equipment prices and low airtime costs,” he says.
Julian Crudge, head of datacomms at Telenor Satellite
Broadcasting (TSB), says that with the existing restrictions
of capacity, there is pent-up demand for more connectivity.
“When we do get more capacity, such as Ka-band, this will be
taken up. Services have been changing from old SCPC services
over to shared access platforms, which gives slightly more
competitive pricing to ship owners,” he says.
Nick Dukakis, vice president of maritime and offshore,
SpeedCast, says the oil and gas sector also remains a strong
market for VSATs. “We have seen strong growth across all
maritime segments, particularly ones related to offshore oil
and gas. Offshore support vessels; floating production, stor-
age and offloading vessels; platforms and rigs are all strong
users of VSAT. In addition oil, chemical and [liquefied natural
gas] tankers are also a strong segment. We see the trend of
very strong growth for VSAT over the next five years across
all verticals, including commercial shipping and using a com-
bination of technologies based on Ku-, C- and L-bands. There
will be more bandwidth hungry applications being used on-
board and more integration between vessels and land-based
offices. In addition to crew welfare, we see additional driv-
WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE JUNE 2011 19
Prime Time For Satellite Companies
20 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
ers in the market such as administrative, operational and
regulatory ones pushing the need for more bandwidth and
real-time fixed fee operations,” he says.
Crew WelfareCrew welfare has become a huge issue for shipping operators,
as crew members continue to demand the same level of
communications they have access to on land. Crews are also
getting younger and more IT and broadband hungry. “As the
global economy improves and competition intensifies, crew
recruitment and retention are becoming more critical to
companies’ operations and profits,” Dukakis says.
Iridium has seen some interesting trends in terms of con-
sumer behavior, says Dan Mercer, general manager and vice
president for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia for
Iridium. “We did an experiment with a very large, well-known
fleet to see if there was a better way in providing the service
to the crew. It is about crew retention as well as the welfare
of the crew on board. What we have found is that people
don’t jump on the Internet and look at 25 different websites.
Typically, they are only looking at three or four websites —
Facebook, e-banking, sports or a news page. That was quite
a trend that allowed us to help focus our partners on optimiz-
ing the user experience over 128 Kbps or 64 Kbps at a fair
price. That is the type of service we are seeing being rolled
out,” he says. “We are see great demand for crew e-mail, crew
Internet and instant messaging. Then it is a question of how
you deliver the services. The shipping companies want to
retain these guys, but they don’t won’t the administrative
overhead to find out who has paid for what.”
Ka-Band and Other Next-Generation PlatformsThe development of Ka-band services is generating excitement
throughout the sector. “There is an increasing proportion
of the market which is looking for a genuine broadband
experience,” Collett says. “We have seen that through the
momentum that maritime VSAT services have gained. We
are very keen to be part of that growth. We see a significant
number of our current customers who, by the time we bring
Global Xpress to market, will be very attracted to the maritime
broadband offerings that we will then have in the market.
We also see opportunities with customers that have been
using maritime VSATs now being open to us.”
“With Ka-band coming, this may improve the value prop-
osition to ship owners,” Olsen says. “They can have smaller
antennas on board. It potentially provides higher data through-
put opportunities which could then be utilized for services
such as VoD and other higher bandwidth consuming applica-
tions which are not present or economically feasible in the
market today.”
Jan Hetland, director, datacomms systems, TSB, says, “I
think the next paradigm shift, will be when large amounts of
Ka-band become available. I think Ka-band will bring some
shifts in the maritime VSAT industry. When you transition
to Ka-band, you won’t have the situation you have in the
Ku-band market today where just anyone can put together
a hub, as long as you have the room or the permit to trans-
mit from a 2.4-meter or slightly larger antenna. In the future,
given the nature of Ka-band satellites, there will be a small-
er number of teleports per satellite, as all the traffic needs
to come down a tier one gateway. That means the satellite
owner and operator will take a larger part of the value chain
than they do today, where the FSS operators are just selling
wholesale capacity to their customers.”
Ceuppens says there will be a great flexibility in the mar-
ket as well, with other technologies helping to expand ser-
vice offerings in the maritime market. “Technologies such as
Ku-band will continue to progress. Over the next few years,
we will see different broadband technologies competing in
the market, which will bring equipment and airtime prices
further down,” he says.
Iridium’s Next constellation is scheduled to operational
by 2017, and will allow the operator to expand its maritime
offerings, Mercer says. “Our new service on Iridium Next
on L-band will be up to 1.5 Mbps. When you compare that
to today, that is the top end of the VSAT services and some
of the Ka-band services that are being talked about. For us,
that encompasses a huge amount of the requirements of the
maritime sector. Our customer base does not want to nec-
essarily replace equipment. What you are going to see from
our perspective is a migration of new customers who want
high-speed data services as well as all the existing custom-
ers who want to stay as they are,” he says.
Dukakis believes the market will see a space for different
solutions working in different bandwidth. “I think solutions on
Ka-, Ku-, C- and L-band will co-exist. Ka-band is obviously the
next big question mark. How will it be priced commercially,
for which subsegments will it be interesting to, and how will it
perform technically? These are all important questions for the
industry and ones we would also like to have answers to.”
Shipping Operator PerspectiveMaersk Line, one of the leading shipping companies around
the globe, has an initiative, Project Gangway, that involves
the deployment of Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband service to 220
container vessels. “Project Gangway is part of our division’s
business strategy and a clever way of investing to gain cost
and business advantages, for example, in fuel consumption,”
says Soren Andersen, head of vessel management, A.P.
Moller-Maersk, container division. “One of the objectives
behind putting into place many of the recommendations of
the company’s seafarers was to improve communication
which would, in turn, result in more efficient fuel and energy
consumption and, therefore, tangible business efficiencies.
Quicker communication to the captain to adjust and reduce
speed when coming into a specific port because the berth is
To comment on this article, visit Mark Holmes’ blog at
www.SatelliteToday.com/blog/?p=90
B L O G S P E C I A L
WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE JUNE 2011 21
not ready will naturally provide fuel savings. Equally, if we
need to improve delivery times, we can communicate the
need to increase speed.”
The company should be able to realize significant costs
savings as a result. “The cost effective and reliable communi-
cations provided by Marlink, Vizada and Inmarsat will enable
Maersk Line to deliver significant operational efficiencies,
resulting in fuel savings and emission reductions that will
help Maersk Line reach our ambitious environmental targets.
Further, it has been of utmost importance to Maersk Line that
the solution has focus on crew welfare by offering facilities for
our crews to stay in touch with family and friends 24/7,” says
Niels Bruus, director, energy efficiency, Maersk Line.
Impact of Economic SlowdownWhile most acknowledge the recession slowed down the pace
of expected growth in the maritime market, it seems business
is moving forward. “The market is picking up again now. I think
the downturn has passed. I think we are seeing new demand
from new ships and new shipping lines as well as increased
connectivity. Even though there has been a slower market
over the last couple of years, it has still been growing year
on year,” says Crudge.
Dukakis says only some sectors of the market really suf-
fered due to the economy. “I think for some segments, such as
commercial shipping, container vessels and bulkers, there were
delays in making decisions for VSAT.
This is not surprising during the eco-
nomic downturn, when many of these
vessels were laid up. The positive news
is that the container vessel sector is
coming back, and they are beginning
to put VSATs on board and do various
trials. We have a number of very large
container companies that are doing
VSAT trials,” he says. “I think over the
last three years certain verticals, such
as the oil and gas and the tanker side,
are going full steam ahead on the VSAT
side. On the commercial side, we are
seeing more operators put VSATs on
board. I think it has been a gradual edu-
cation and awareness.”
Ceuppens says, “I don’t think the
economic crisis has fundamentally
changed the usage of maritime broad-
band, but it has probably slowed them
down in two aspects. Firstly, it has
delayed a bit the uptake of more
expensive capital intensive systems.
At the same time, we have neverthe-
less seen a dramatic uptake of broad-
band. Ship owners and administra-
tors have clearly adopted broadband
technology. Some of these companies
have chosen it to reduce costs, but they have not yet really
fully adapted or changed their usage patterns. This means
they are not taking full advantage of service levels avail-
able with broadband technology. There has been a slower
take-up of the more expensive systems because of the cli-
mate, and probably the crisis has slowed down the usage
patterns of customers.”
Baugh says shipping companies reassessed their communi-
cations needs due to the recession. “I think the downturn has
forced the maritime sector to re-analyze all of their cost-ben-
efit analyses. The big guys have expanded their deployments
because they realize the value proposition of integrating satel-
lite services into their day-to-day operations. They also stream-
lined regulatory filings, reduced in-port maintenance times,
lower crew churn, etc. For the smaller operators, already
marginally profitable, most have frozen their acquisitions, but
2011 looks to have some buying activity resume as economic
conditions improve. Changes in regulation will also mean that
some fleets will need to purchase satellite-based offerings
simply to continue
operating ... Histo-
ry shows that they
will likely expand-
ed their satellite
usage down the
road,” he says.
Mark Holmes is
Via Satellite’s
Associate Editor.
The average reader surely has heard it and read it several
times before, but the refrain on satellite broadband is worth
repeating: satellites are ideally suited to bring 21st century
communication services to the millions of people around the
globe living in remote and rural areas. Indeed, few experts
would disagree with the statement that satellite broadband
is the fastest, most efficient and most cost-effective means of
increasing broadband adoption in rural areas — in developing as
well as in developed markets. “Satellite broadband technology
provides an end-to-end solution that covers every segment of
the communication network, the first mile, the middle mile
and the last mile,” says Dean Manson, senior vice president,
general counsel and secretary at Hughes Communications.
Market forces alone might
not be enough to attain
universal service in the
broadband era. The satellite
sector should endeavor to
find its place in the array of
technologies supported by
mechanisms like the U.S.
Universal Service Fund.
TThe average
times before,
eating: s
munica
globe living
would disagree
the fastest,
increasing broadband
ll as in de
provides an
UniversalService Funds
Funds
B Y G I O V A N N I V E R L I N I
Look For Right Technology Mix
22 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
Yet, in reality satellite broadband is not the unmitigated
success story that many were expecting it to be. Despite some
remarkable exceptions, the landscape for broadband via satel-
lite remains patchy at best, with operators playing a marginal
role in the effort to bridge the digital gap between town and
country. In North America, HughesNet service had more than
558,000 consumer subscribers at the end of the 2010 third
quarter, while ViaSat’s WildBlue reported about 423,000 total
subscribers. In Asia, IPStar reports nearly a quarter of a million
user terminals sold, 100,000 of which
are in two markets: Australia and New
Zealand. Meanwhile in Europe, Astra-
2Connect, the broadband arm of sat-
ellite giant SES Astra, reported more
than 75,000 end users as of March.
As described in so many studies
and articles, to a certain extent, this
is an issue of technology, which has,
so far, prevented satellite operators
from delivering services compara-
ble to terrestrial technologies when
it comes to pricing. This is set to
change with the advent of so-called
high-throughput satellite (HTS) plat-
forms such as ViaSat-1 and Eutelsat’s
Ka-Sat, which are expected to take
the issue of broadband affordability
to a different level. Yet, the number
of broadband-deprived people in the
world remains in the hundreds of mil-
lions, and the goal of universal service
still remains a distant dream in most
countries. This suggests that technol-
ogy and market forces alone might not
be enough to attain universal service;
direct support from the state might be
needed to achieve this goal.
Universal Service: U.S. CaseNot to be confused with universal access to a publicly
available telecommunication center, universal service today
can be defined as availability and widespread affordability
of information and communications technologies (ICT).
This has long been on the agenda of national as well as
international telecom authorities such as the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The issue, of course, is not new. In the age of mobile tele-
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xicom.xtlin.ad_xicom.ad.xtlin.halfpg.islnd.Vsat 2 4/27/11 4:41 PM Page 1
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24 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
phony, it is easy to forget that there was a time when access to
basic telecommunications services was a major problem even
in developed markets like the United States. This was solved
largely through a mechanism involving state incentives and
assistance. To solve today’s ICT universal service gaps, which
are essentially broadband gaps, the same mechanism might be
needed. “Past experiences in this country have confirmed the
relative difficulties of achieving affordable universal service
by reliance on market forces alone,” says Maury Mechanick,
counsel, White & Case. “The costs of bringing connectivity to
remote and unserved regions, whether in prior days denomi-
nated as access to public switched telephony network (PSTN)
services or as today possibly denominated as broadband access,
is simply prohibitively expensive for customers residing in such
areas without some form of subsidy being provided.”
When AT&T was the de facto monopoly provider serving
almost all of the United States, this subsidy was embedded in
the overall AT&T tariff structure and, therefore, was relatively
invisible, says Mechanick. “However, following the breakup
of the Bell System in the early 1980s, the need for an explicit
subsidy arose, which is what has led to the development and
current status of today’s Universal Service Fund (USF).”
A similar mechanism might be needed to spur on the
deployment of broadband connectivity across the United
States. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
is looking to have the USF concept evolve from a mechanism
for assuring PSTN connectivity to one focusing on broadband
connectivity instead. In February, the FCC released a public
statement in which it outlined its intention to modernize and
streamline its universal service and inter-carrier compensation
policies to bring affordable wired and wireless broadband
— and the jobs and investment they spur — to all Americans
while combating waste and inefficiency.
The issue is of paramount importance. The FCC’s USF,
which helped connect rural America to telephone service,
fails to effectively and efficiently target support for broadband
in rural areas. Locked in outdated distinctions between local
and long-distance telephone service and inefficient per-minute
charges, the USF is intertwined with the complex system of
payments between carriers and suffers from loopholes that
distort markets and derail investment in IP networks. The
proposal is to use market-based policies to support provid-
ers in a technology-neutral manner, targeting areas where
broadband funding will have the biggest impact.
Last year, the FCC released America’s first National
Broadband Plan. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski in a
February speech, said. “The plan identified broadband (high-
speed Internet) as a vital infrastructure for our economic
future and global competitiveness — an essential platform
for innovation and job creation, crucial to the success of
our businesses, large and small, and for building stronger,
more-connected communities.”
Properly structured, a revised and revitalized USF could
represent a significant opportunity for the American public
and the satellite industry. Yet, in a nine-page speech on USF
reform, the word satellite is mentioned just once. “Unfor-
tunately, while the FCC seems to have finally, albeit per-
haps begrudgingly, recognized the potential value of satellite
broadband delivery in terms of promoting greater broadband
availability, it is still approaching the issue as if satellite were
the unattractive stepchild of broadband technology,” says
Mechanick. “For example, in its recently released notice of
proposed rulemaking dealing with overhaul of the current
USF system, satellite operators would be ineligible to partici-
pate in a contemplated reverse auction process that would
make available up to $1 billion in the form of a one-time cash
infusion to support the build-out and operation of broadband
networks in unserved areas across the country,” he says.
Such funding would be made available only to eligible
recipients — consisting of fixed (wireline or wireless) or
mobile wireless providers — that then would have the choice
(or not) of subcontract service delivery to broadband satellite
operators. Moreover, the FCC is considering imposing restric-
tions on the number of households in particularly defined
service areas that would be able to be served by satellite in
the belief that such restrictions would be necessary to better
ration the so-called scarcity of available satellite capacity.
“This mentality and these types of restrictions do nothing
more than further impede the ability of satellite broadband
providers to play a meaningful role in the achievement of the
objectives for national broadband availability that the FCC
has otherwise set,” says Mechanick.
Some OptimismOthers take a more positive view on these developments.
“The FCC has, for the first time, opened the door to satellite
broadband’s participation in the program,” says Lisa
Scalpone, vice president and general counsel at WildBlue
Communications. “This is a terrific opportunity for our
industry, and we appreciate that the FCC has taken the time
to understand and incorporate satellite into what was already
a very complex program.”
On the whole, it is clear that this reform is expected to have
a positive effect on broadband deployment. Ultimately, the
FCC is expected to streamline and consolidate the five sepa-
rate USF programs that support rural phone networks into
a single Connect America Fund. “This fund will be switched
over to broadband support, and rural America is the target
of the program,” says Scalpone.
It also is important to note that some federal aid has
reached the satellite sector. “U.S. government programs, such
as the broadband stimulus program currently underway at
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service
(RUS), can make broadband significantly more affordable
to the consumer,” says Manson. “Through that RUS program,
for example, Hughes delivers qualified customers free equip-
ment, free installation and a reduced-price service.”
In addition, the America’s Recovery and Re-Investment
Act (ARRA) broadband stimulus program is benefiting ser-
vices such as HughesNet. It subsidizes qualified customers
WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE JUNE 2011 25
with about $500 for the upfront equipment and installation
cost together with a year of service for satellite broadband.
“Hughes was fortunate to win a $58.7 million award for sub-
sidizing our HughesNet service, the largest of the $100 mil-
lion allocated for satellite Internet providers,” says Arunas
Slekys, vice president of Hughes’ corporate marketing and
general manager for the Russia/CIS Region.
Similarly, WildBlue Communications was awarded an esti-
mated $19.5 million in grant funding by the Department of
Agriculture’s RUS under the 2009 ARRA to connect unserved
residents to affordable broadband services. The funding is
in response to WildBlue’s Western Regional Proposal to the
RUS, which focused on providing services to less densely
populated areas in 20 western and midwestern states, includ-
ing many areas which are economically disadvantaged and
have no access to terrestrial broadband services.
Efforts Around the GlobeThe issue of broadband universal service is not limited to
the United States, and a number of countries are considering
programs either similar to USF or that involve government
sponsorship of broadband deployments.
“We have watched the developments in Australia very close-
ly, where the government has issued a request for proposal for
a satellite broadband program,” says Scalpone. “After a lot of
careful study, the government decided that satellite was the
best option to serve large geographic
areas of the country. In this instance,
the program is designed especially for
satellite, which may be different from
the FCC Connect America Fund — a
program designed to be technology
neutral.”
In Europe, the plans to bring broad-
band universal service seem even more
ambitious. In October, the European
Commission’s Directorate-General for
Regional Policy issued a communica-
tion, “Regional Policy contributing to
smart growth in Europe 2020,” in which
it was calling upon member states to
“consider how to better use the Euro-
pean Fund for Regional Development
to accelerate achievement of the Euro-
pean Union (EU) 2020 objectives for
broadband access, including total cov-
erage, making use of the different tech-
nologies (fiber, adsl, wireless, satellite)
available to suit the diverse geographi-
cal needs and challenges of different
regions across the EU.”
The response from Europe’s
satellite operators has been positive. “I
commend Commissioner [for Regional
Policy Johannes] Hahn for recognizing
that EU funds can and should be used to connect the 80
percent of Europe’s rural population that are today still not
connected to broadband networks,” says Christodoulos
Protopapas, chairman of the European Satellite Operator
Association (ESOA). “His call to member states to make best
use of [European Fund for Regional Development] along with
his recognition of the different needs of different regions in
Europe marks a breakthrough in how the commission has
so far tackled the question of the digital divide.”
The plan is ambitious, especially at a time when nation-
al budgets are under pressure. The Directorate General
for Regional Policy “has done well to recognize the need
to greater leverage private investment given present day
restraints on public expenditure,” says Aarti Holla, ESOA’s
secretary general. “This is not only a reality for many mem-
ber states but it also speaks to satellite operators that
have made long-term upfront investments in new satel-
lites, including those for broadband.”
The hope is that
in Europe, like in
the United States
and the rest of the
world, these invest-
ments will bear the
fruits that we all
hope for.
Giovanni Verlini is a communication executive and freelance journalist based in Europe.
Email: [email protected]
+1 480 333 [email protected]
www.comtechefdata.com
Multi-LayerOptimization
Comtech EF Data is the recognized leader in satellite bandwidth effi ciency and link optimization.Our technologies provide value by reducing OPEX / CAPEX and increasing throughput. The patented RAN optimization by our subsidiary, Memotec, is our most recent value-added capability for mobile backhaul applications. By optimizing RAN traffi c, required bandwidth to support deployed capacity can be reduced by up to 50%. Memotec’s RAN optimization layered on our other core technologies, such as VersaFEC® and DoubleTalk® Carrier-in-Carrier®, is now an integral part of our mobile backhaul solutions. RAN optimization is available in the stand-alone Memotec products or integrated into our market-leading modems. Whether you need to backhaul just a few TRXs, E1s, E3s and/or IP, you can have confi dence when you select solutions from the leaders in satellite-based mobile backhaul.
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COMTECH ViaSat_Multilayer FP.indd 1 11/30/10 7:27 PM
What makes IP such a game changer is that it has been
universally embraced by every facet of industry and
provides a congruent pathway to the interconnection
of a massive number of disparate devices. The
ramifications are significant when you consider the
sheer numbers of electric meters, television sets and
electric appliances that could conceptually become
consumers of telecommunication services. A common
network interface and a common transport protocol not
only simplifies the collection and dissemination of data,
the idea of universal connectivity is changing the way
companies do business.
John Ball, vice president of satellite distribution
and technology for Turner Broadcasting, highlights an
example of the positive effects that IP has had on the
distribution of video content. “We recently completed a
video distribution ring around our playout center in the
United Kingdom. The ring is based on 2.5 gigabit switched
Ethernet, and it is a much more robust network design
than a hub and spoke architecture. We can now hand-
off content to six different transport providers. The IP
architecture allows us to grow up to 10 gigabits per second
should we need additional bandwidth,” says Ball. “The
shift to IP has also improved our network management
Internet Protocol (IP) is far from perfect, but it has become the
central rallying point for global entities, setting in motion the
early homogenization of the electronics, telecommunication,
electric utility and entertainment industries. The
implementation of IP strategies is not new, but aside from a
common transmission protocol, what impact will the buildup
of IP networks have on the satellite sector?
SatelliteFinds New Role
In IP World
B Y G R E G B E R L O C H E R
26 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
+1 480 333 [email protected]
www.comtechefdata.com
Multi-LayerOptimization
Comtech EF Data is the recognized leader in satellite bandwidth effi ciency and link optimization.Our technologies provide value by reducing OPEX / CAPEX and increasing throughput. The patented RAN optimization by our subsidiary, Memotec, is our most recent value-added capability for mobile backhaul applications. By optimizing RAN traffi c, required bandwidth to support deployed capacity can be reduced by up to 50%. Memotec’s RAN optimization layered on our other core technologies, such as VersaFEC® and DoubleTalk® Carrier-in-Carrier®, is now an integral part of our mobile backhaul solutions. RAN optimization is available in the stand-alone Memotec products or integrated into our market-leading modems. Whether you need to backhaul just a few TRXs, E1s, E3s and/or IP, you can have confi dence when you select solutions from the leaders in satellite-based mobile backhaul.
Contact us to learn more about the value that our multi-layer optimization can provide for your network.
RAN Optimization
Efficient Low Overhead
VersaFEC,DoubleTalk Carrier-in-Carrier,
DVB S2
E1/E2/E3 IP
DVB-S2
COMTECH ViaSat_Multilayer FP.indd 1 11/30/10 7:27 PM
28 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
visibility. We can now actually look into the network beyond
our interface, giving us viewing privileges so we can now
assess the integrity of the network.”
The network also has provided “some interesting technolo-
gies available for contribution links,” says Ball. “Fiber is still
very expensive in many countries and has a lot of maturing to
do in certain geographic regions. One interesting technology
we discovered is the use of secure Internet delivery (IP SEC)
to provide backup paths over the Internet for contribution
links. There are risks involved, but these links are only used
as backups to primary links,” he says.
Ron Mankarious, vice president of sales and marketing
for PolarSat, a Montreal-based manufacturer of hub-less,
mesh VSAT modems, says. “IP provides a common switching
fabric. In the past, satellite equipment manufacturers would
have to build one type of interface for voice cards that went
into their modems and a different type of interface that went
into the data cards. Now everything is Ethernet and all of
the applications communicate through a common interface.
From an equipment manufacturers’ perspective, this makes
everything much simpler and allows us to reduce pricing to
our customers,” he says.
Mankarious cites the wireless industry as an example of
how IP can transform entire industries. “The mobile environ-
ment was built around dedicated circuits with point-to-point
connectivity between the Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and
Base Station Controller (BSC). Putting in an IP switching fabric
allows wireless operators to handle multiple types of traffic,
which allows them to drive additional services over the same
network and create new revenue streams. An IP-based back-
haul solution allows wireless carriers to push intelligence to
the edges of the network rather than consolidating in a central
site. By doing so, calls can now be routed from cell tower to
cell tower via a single hop instead of going back to the central
switching site. Not only do you eliminate double hops, creat-
ing a better user experience for cell phone users, we can cut
the bandwidth a wireless carrier needs by half,” he says.
The advent of IP-capable systems has helped satellite
technology become more of a mainstream networking tech-
nology, Mankarious says. “It has allowed the satellite equip-
ment to be incorporated as part of the end user’s network
since it is the same basic technology that is running in the IT
closet.” PolarSat supports two groups of customers: satellite
service providers which use their equipment to provide ser-
vices and end users who integrate PolarSat’s hub-less VSAT
system into their existing IP network. “We are finding more
customers who are willing to do the integration themselves.
The adoption of IP and the ease of use of the equipment are
driving this commonality,” he says.
Mankarious feels that satellite technology is becoming
accepted by IT organizations for several reasons. “Satellite
isn’t seen as exotic now days. IT departments don’t need wires
anymore to connect devices and it is only reasonable to ask
‘Why shouldn’t my long haul connection be wireless as well,’”
he says.
Service Providers Doing MoreSeveral satellite sector executives note the increasing
hybridization of terrestrial and satellite networks and the desire
to centrally manage the different elements. “We are increasingly
being asked to manage the complete network infrastructure
from our Compass Network Management System,” says Wally
Martland, president of Newpoint Technologies, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Integral Systems. “In the past, we were primarily
responsible for management of the satellite hubs and remote
site radio frequency equipment. Today, customers are looking
for 100 percent network visibility and complete situational
awareness. We have enhanced our GUI to accommodate new
equipment types such as the microwave and fiber backbones
as well as the facility infrastructure such as HVAC, UPS,
generators and fuel systems, remote site security systems
and more.” As more of the industry move to IP connectivity to
meet their needs, Newpoint is being asked to manage additional
network components, such as hubs, switches and firewalls as
well as computer servers located at remote sites, he says.
“There is no question that networks of all sorts are becom-
ing hybrid,” says Carlos Placido, senior consultant for NSR.
“Examples abound, from telcos launching satellite TV plat-
forms and buying wireless last mile providers to cellular net-
works making use of backhaul and backbone solutions of all
sorts to reach end users. Sometimes, a single cell phone call
travels over a satellite backhaul link, a terrestrial microwave
link and a fiber backbone to reach the other end. Indeed hybrid
satellite-wireless optimization may become an interesting
development niche. However, satellites tend not to be in the
driver’s seat of this move towards hybrids. When it comes to
unicast applications, satellites are still perceived as the tech-
nology of last resort to reach end users,” he says.
But as more customers embrace hybrid networks, they
will seek a single solution they can put in place to manage the
entire infrastructure, says Martland. “Network management
providers must be able to quickly and easily interface with
the SNMP equipment that makes up today’s IP networks. The
move to IP-centric networks, along with customer’s require-
ment to have all their network assets managed by a single
solution, makes it imperative that you have a solid and robust
SNMP management capability. One thing often overlooked
is that scalability now will become a major issue because in
the past, for a traditional monitor and control system, you
were interfacing into modems and RF equipment that had
anywhere from 30 to 500 points associated with the device
itself. The number of changes and the size of the database even
on large systems was relatively small. When you look at the
standard IP equipment, often times you are interfacing with
1,000-plus points for equipment such as hub and routers, and
this means your network management system has to be able
to scale up to tens of thousands of points and still maintain
performance,” he says.
“We see a continued hybridization of terrestrial and satel-
lite networks in the future. This is driving the move to have a
single [network management system] capable of managing
WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE JUNE 2011 29
both and providing a single system for operators to manage
across the whole network and not use one system for terres-
trial and one for satellite networks,” Martland says. “This has
also driven demand for operators to be able to have service
level views that enable them to track their traffic across both
the satellite and terrestrial networks so when there are prob-
lems in the network, they can determine which services have
been affected and prioritize recovery of these services. Trying
to do this bouncing between three or four or more network
management systems makes the task difficult, and it delays
recovery, which directly affects the quality of service they are
able to provide,” he says.
Changing Contribution LinksJohn Glass, executive vice president of marketing at Nevion
points to the benefits that IP networks have brought to
contribution links. Nevion provides video solutions to
broadcasters and telecommunication carriers. “Although
we support any video format over any video network, the
basis of our future business is IP-based. It is significant to
our future growth,” he says. “IP allows you the flexibility to
provide fully managed video delivery services with all of the
critical facets, including: service provisioning, scheduling,
connection management, analytics and network monitoring.
The major telcos and carriers in the United States have been
offering switched video delivery services for over 10 years,
but those services have just started
hitting their growth curve over the last
two to three years.”
Placido says IP delivery is becoming
the de facto transport protocol. “For the
satellite sector in particular, near-term
implications are the increasing use of
IP across many satellite applications.
Examples include the complementary
use of satellite TV and IP video converg-
ing at the DVR, use of IP transport in
optimized cellular backhaul links, the
strong erosion of IDR fixed telephony
in favor of satellite (and terrestrial)
VoIP, use of IP in statistically multi-
plexed video systems, and enterprise
networks’ continuing shift from trans-
parent serial-based networks towards
multi-point IP systems,” he says.
The next step for IP transport will
be the transition from bent-pipe satel-
lite links. “We see a clear shift with the
emergence and globalization of high-
throughput satellites (HTS), a sector
that was born to address the endless
appetite for broadband bandwidth.
Most HTS initiatives use bent-pipe
architectures but are designed with
IP in mind from day one. One recent
implication of HTS has been a redefinition of roles of the
satellite operator and satellite service provider,” Placido
says. “Unlike traditional FSS operators, HTS players do not
just provide capacity but IP services. Indeed, HTS players
tend to define technology for their ground infrastructure
and deploy terrestrial gateways, functions that used to be
part of satellite service providers,” he says.
“At the same time, service providers are increasingly agnos-
tic in terms of what technology they use to reach end users,
so the long-term picture of the impact of IP on the satellite
sector is that services and architectures may be increasingly
defined at the satellite core rather than at the edge,” Placido
says. “Service providers will tend to rely on wholesale IP
services and rebrand/bundle these under a virtual operator
model to reach their users. The shift towards IP will possibly
encourage evolution of the occasional-use model for video
contribution and terrestrial restoration. Also, spot beams’ small
coverage characteristics limit demand ‘liquidity,’ so opera-
tors will need to find ways to make the most out of existing
capacity; perhaps by even exploring auction-based offering
of vacant capacity at certain times of the day.”
Impact on BusinessThe advent of IP has “virtualized” network management, says
Placido, allowing operators to run a teleport business virtually
without owning one by relying on teleport facilities and housing
30 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
services offered by major operators. “Additionally, as satellite
network management and traffic optimization become more
complex, some advanced network management functions may
eventually move to the cloud. This could help both service
providers and vendors to focus on their core competencies.
There is not yet much experience of could computing and the
software as a service (SaaS) model in the satellite sector, but
there have already been some interesting developments around
SaaS replacing software licensing in areas as diverse as satellite
bandwidth optimization and digital signage,” he says.
IP also fosters structural changes towards a more efficient
supply chain, “a situation that can lead to winner-take-all
outcomes in detriment of small players,” Placido says. “IP has
been the key driver for the emergence of HTS and structural
changes to the satellite business in some parts of the world.
But it is worth keeping in mind the ‘creative destruction’ nature
of the IP openness, which can destroy traditional thinking
and give birth to new business models and companies very
quickly. Indeed, I think that the biggest implication that the
migration to IP has not just on the satellite sector but on
all telecom sectors is that IP networks encourage service
disintermediation via all sorts of network effects and virtual
services that take control off pipe providers.”
Future Issues, BenefitsThe reality is that satellite networks no longer can enjoy
security through obscurity. Now that satellite hardware
uses the same interfaces and management tools as those
found in everyone’s IT closet, that hardware now is more
prone to attack. Only the naive believes they are immune.
IP has evolved over the years, but the most current protocol
release still includes several assumptions, which have been
carried forth since the inception of the protocol: devices
are attached to wires with unlimited bandwidth, there is
low latency, and the transmission of data is error free.
While satellite networks handle point number three with
ease, points one and two are troublesome, and the sector
is not the only one, which has trouble with the first two
points. The cellular industry also must deal with finite
amounts of bandwidth and latency. Requests for comments
to the Internet Engineering Task Force regarding changing
the protocol based on link characteristics have failed to
gain any traction, at least for the time being. Perhaps,
in the future, the satellite and wireless communities will
be able to jointly
succeed in getting
hooks added to
IP protocol for
non-fiber media
and it will truly
become a universal
protocol.
GE Satellite
pacific star
imagination at work
High above the Pacific basin is a true star in satellite communications.
The fully US-owned GE-23 Satellite delivers unrivaled coverage of the Pacific region’s dynamic data and information traffic zone. It provides versatile, high bandwidth payload capability that meets a wide array of communications needs, and is ideal for military, maritime, backhaul and other VSAT applications.
www.gesatellite.com
Greg Berlocher has
been active in the
satellite industry for
twenty five years and
is the President of
Transcendent Global
Networks LLC.
Executive Q&A
WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE JUNE 2011 31
BROADCASTERS CORNER
Trace TV, an urban and tropical music channel provider,
is distributed to more than 17 million households in 130
countries around the globe. Trace TV CEO Olivier Laouchez
discusses the broadcaster’s plans.
VIA SATELLITE: What is the next phase of your strategy?
LAOUCHEZ: The road map is clear — make Trace a global
brand and a market leader in its three segments: urban music
and culture, tropical music and sports celebrities. The Trace
team has more energy and resources than ever to build the
company to the next level. All profits made during the last
four years are invested for the future. Our HD strategy and
the launch of Trace Sports require several million euros of
investment, and we are confident that these new products
will be the key drivers for growing Trace moving forward.
VIA SATELLITE: Are you seeking more capacity in 2011?
LAOUCHEZ: We have had a great relationship with Eutelsat
since the very beginnings of Trace in 2003. Eutelsat’s under-
standing of Trace’s growth strategy was a key element to
build Trace’s presence in 150 countries. Trace channels are
now available on 27 satellites worldwide, including seven
from Eutelsat, and we are now discussing with Eutelsat to
add our three HD channels on their EuroBird HD constel-
lation. For us, Eutelsat is more than a satellite capacity pro-
vider but a global transmission partner that can provide a
wide range of services and expertise to bring our TV feeds
to our distribution partners anywhere in the world. Satel-
lite is our biggest expense, and it is important to notice that
there is always ground to find smart business solutions with
Eutelsat teams in France and Germany to build business
for the interest of the two parties.
VIA SATELLITE: What impact did the economy have on your
growth plans?
LAOUCHEZ: 2010 was our best year ever with more than
30 percent growth and more than 12 million euros ($17.4
million) in revenues. Our three revenue engines — affiliate
sales, advertising and licenses — were not really impacted
by the global recession because of our niche positioning and
our strong position in fast growing emerging markets. 65
percent of our revenues come from outside of France, which
is still our biggest market, but we
are experiencing more and more
growth in Africa, Asia and Latin
America.
VIA SATELLITE: What impact is new broadcasting technology
having on your business?
LAOUCHEZ: 2011 is our HD year. There are not many
examples of niche channels moving to HD so fast. By the
end of March, all of our existing SD music channels were
available in HD with more than 60 percent native HD con-
tent. Trace Sports, to be launched in May, will be 80 percent
HD native. This HD migration is obviously a great develop-
ment to improve the Trace experience from a viewer point
of view. Nevertheless, it is impossible to recoup this invest-
ment in the short-term. Versus SD, HD requires important
additional expenses in content, graphics, playout, trans-
mission and satellite. Most of the time, end users, who
have already acquired full HDTV sets, think this invest-
ment includes the HD channels cost, and TV distributors
are reluctant to increase their fees because of the intense
competition in the pay-TV market. The good news is the
migration to MPEG-4. More and more distributors are now
adopting this compression format and have more capacity
to adopt new channels, especially in HD.
VIA SATELLITE: Are you looking to be present on platforms
such as the iPad and other mobile devices?
LAOUCHEZ: These are universes we cannot ignore. We will
be launching applications for both the iPad and the iPhone
in a few weeks thanks to a partnership with Mobclip. These
applications will offer our three linear channels and VOD
content. Our priority target group — teenagers and young
adults — is permanently using mobile devices.
VIA SATELLITE: How do you see the broadcast landscape
changing globally in the next 12 months?
LAOUCHEZ: The broadcast market is constantly changing.
One thing permanent is that content and brand will remain
key drivers. Players that can develop great and innovative
content (and know how to monetize it on all devices) and
have clear brand recognition will win.
Olivier Laouchez, CEO, Trace TV
INDUSTRY AT LARGE
32 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
Technology xx
Services xx
Contracts xx
Executive Moves xx
TECHNOLOGY
Comtech Xicom INTRODUCES XTLN KA-BAND BUC PRODUCT LINE
Comtech Xicom Technology introduced a family of Ka-band
block up converters (BUCs) designed for high data-rate Ka-band
satellite communications uplinks. The BUCs feature higher linear
power in a compact package, which aims to enable system inte-
grators to offer higher data-rate uplinks with rugged, lightweight,
transportable satcom terminals.
They are available in three linear power level configurations:
Model XTLN-25Ka-B1 in 25 watts; Model XTLN-50Ka-B1 in 50
watts; and Model XTLN-75Ka-B1 in 75 watts. All three will be
marketed as upgrades for existing systems that need an addi-
tional 3 decibels to 6 decibels of linear power.
Ericsson RELEASES MPEG-4 VOYAGER 2 SNG SOLUTION
Ericsson unveiled its Voyager 2 scalable satellite newsgathering
product to meet demand for HD news services.
Voyager 2, Ericsson’s fifth-generation digital SNG product, is
built upon a hot-swappable 1RU chassis with color input confi-
dence monitoring and features MPEG-4 AVC 4:2:2 encoding with
10-bit precision at up to 1080p50/60 resolutions. The product
aims to allow users to scale their event coverage from SD to HD
and even multichannel and 3-D, delivered across a multitude of
satellite and terrestrial networks.
Haivision DEBUTS LOW-LATENCY IP VIDEO TRANSCODER
Video network developer Haivision unveiled its Kraken Enterprise
and Kraken ISR low-latency IP transcoding solutions.
The products were designed to optimize video networks for
high-efficiency, low-latency performance. The company said the
solutions are ideal for demanding video delivery applications
within the education, enterprise and military markets.
MeshTV UNVEILS MOBILE BACKPACK VIDEO SYSTEM
MeshTV introduced its MeshTV HD series Intelligent Bonding
compact backpack video system for live stream TV and
Web reporting.
The unit, intended to provide HD broadcasting capabil-
ity from any location, is targeted for news gatherers and live
stream producers to provide a robust dynamic delivery meth-
od, access to today’s multi-screens and a method to mon-
etize content.
Thrane & ThraneUPGRADE ADDS BGAN X-STREAM TO 727 TERMINAL
Thrane & Thrane has upgraded the software of its flagship
Explorer 727 vehicular Inmarsat BGAN terminal to allow the unit
to function as a two-in-one terminal.
The software-only upgrade transforms the Explorer 727 from
an Inmarsat Class 10 terminal into a Class 1 terminal, giving it
the ability to use Inmarsat’s BGAN X-Stream IP streaming service
when stationary. With the upgrade, the Explorer 727 is capable
of streaming live coverage at data rates of at least 384 kbps
from anywhere in the world.
Arqiva TO LAUNCH SHARED MULTIPLEX SERVICE ON AMC-10
Arqiva will launch a DVB-S2, MPEG-4 shared multiplex satel-
lite platform from its Los Angeles teleport, enabling broadcast-
ers and cable programmers access to 100 percent of U.S. cable
headends.
The platform will be available via the SES World Skies’ AMC-
10 satellite located at 135 degrees West and will be powered by
Cisco’s latest-generation MPEG-4 encoding technology.
Marlink UNVEILS VALUE-ADDED SERVICE FOR MARITIME VSAT
Maritime satellite communications provider Marlink is launching
its Local Numbers service from Norway, which will be available
to all customers of Marlink’s Sealink and WaveCall VSAT systems.
The Local Numbers offering combines direct inward dialing
with the local telephone number of the vessel operator’s office
location. The service aims to provide cost-effective calling on
multi-regional and global Ku-band and C-band maritime VSAT
systems, as well as on-demand services such as Inmarsat Fleet-
Broadband, Iridium and Thuraya.
RRsat LAUNCHES PLATFORM ON HISPASAT 1E
RRsat Global Communications Network has implemented its
new multi-carrier per-channel platform on Hispasat’s 1E satellite
at 30 degrees West.
The platform will cater to Latin America, using the downlink,
uplink, space segment and playout services from RRsat’s playout
center in Hawley, Pa. RRsat will broadcast content in SD, HD and
3-D formats to viewers in Latin America capable of receiving dig-
ital television through DTH broadcasting and to digital terrestrial
television operators, DBS operators and cable headends.
Technology 32
Services 32
Contracts 33
Executive Moves 34
SERVICES
Industry At Large
WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE JUNE 2011 33
Advantech Wireless
SELECTED BY HOJE TELECOM FOR VSAT UPGRADEAdvantech Wireless signed a contract with Hoje Telecom of Bra-
zil to provide a VSAT upgrade hub, RF equipment and more than
1,000 remote terminals. By 2014, Internet penetration in Brazil
is expected to increase by 79 percent from 2009, and Hoje Tele-
com expects to leverage this growth and provide thousands of
previously unconnected users with Internet access.
EMS
WINS WGS-7 HARDWARE CONTRACT FROM BOEINGEMS Defense & Space received a follow-on contract from Boeing
to design and integrate a power divider and a splitter combiner
assembly for the seventh flight set of the Wideband Global Sat-
com (WGS) satellite architecture.
WGS-7 will support additional X- and Ka-band communica-
tions requirements for U.S. military warfighters. EMS Defense
& Space will provide space, airborne and ground-based appli-
cations as well as its Wavestorm GS-GBS Ka-band receive
antenna aperture designed to enable full data rates from the
WGS constellation and support airborne or ground-based
comms-on-the-move applications across all of the major
X-band constellations.
GlobeCast
SIGNS FIVE-YEAR DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH EUTELSATGlobeCast concluded a five-year contract with Eutelsat Com-
munications for a third transponder on the Eurobird 9A satellite,
which was selected for its potential to reach more than 5 million
DTH and cable homes.
GlobeCast’s service includes content management, playout
and origination and encoding. Uplink to Eurobird 9A is possible
from Paris, which has connectivity to more than 30 points-of-
presence via GlobeCast’s fiber network.
Intelsat
CAPTURES EUROPEAN CAPACITY DEALSMTV Networks signed a multi-year contract for Intelsat managed
video services that includes Intelsat capacity at 1 degree West,
terrestrial connectivity via the IntelsatOne network and uplink
service via Intelsat’s Fuchsstadt teleport. MTV Networks will use
the managed services to consolidate channel programming into
one platform over Central and Eastern Europe.
CONTRACTS
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Own the story. Be fi rst with the news. Learn more at www.rockwellcollins.com/swe-dish.
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© 2011 Rockwell Collins, Inc. All rights reserved.with courtesy of
For more industry news, sign up for SatelliteTODAY’s
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MORENEWS?
Industry At Large
34 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
Eastern Space Systems Romania also
expanded its portfolio at 1 degree West
by signing two multi-year contracts for
Intelsat capacity that will enable video
distribution to cable headends and DTH
platforms in Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova,
Hungary, Macedonia and other Central
and Eastern European countries.
SES World Skies
PROVIDES ENTERPRISE
BROADBAND CAPACITY
SES World Skies signed a deal with Axe-
sat for two transponders on SES’ AMC-4
satellite at 67 degrees West to provide
business voice, data and Internet ser-
vices to companies in Colombia, Peru,
Venezuela, Ecuador, Central America and
the Caribbean.
SES deployed AMC-4 in September
2010 as part of an agreement with the
Andean Community of Nations (CAN)
to deliver high-power Ku-band capac-
ity to the Andean region. This capacity is
enabling the expansion of many voice,
data, Internet and video networks in the
Andean countries, Central America, Mexi-
co and the Caribbean.
Nevion
RESTRUCTURES BUSINESS UNITSNevion split its sales department into two
separate divisions as it looks to enhance
its global presence.
The Media Networks division will
cater to service providers and govern-
ment entities, providing carrier-class
video transport and management
through its Ventura platform. A separate
Broadcast Technology unit will deliver
integrated, broad-based video transport,
routing and processing solutions
to broadcasters.
Newsat
APPOINTS DAVID BALL CTONewSat named David Ball CTO, as Newsat
is increasing the size of its team to capi-
talize on global expansion and because of
the launch of the Jabiru Satellite Program.
Ball recently served as managing director
of Intelsat Broadband Pty. Ltd., a subsid-
iary of Intelsat Corp.
WTA
NAMES OFFICERS, DIRECTORSThe World Teleport Association (WTA)
appointed Arqiva strategy & business
development director Brett Belinsky as
chairman, and named Teleport Interna-
cional Buenos Aires CEO Norberto Alvarez
Vitale secretary general and chief admin-
istrative officer.
Belinsky replaces Chris Russell, co-
founder of Teleport London International,
who is stepping down at the end of his sec-
ond and final term on the WTA board.
dvanced
isionary
eading the way
1994
Original Roto-Lok®
Cable Drive
2001
First Mobile VSAT
2005
First Carry-On Suitcase
AvL
A
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TECHNOLOGIES
des ign s fo r u l t ima te pe r fo rmance
www.avltech.com
EXECUTIVE MOVES
WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE JUNE 2011 35
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WEB DIRECTORY
As a result of the overwhelming popularity
of Via Satellite’s Web Directory, our current
advertisers appear in this space. A full version of
satellite companies can be found on our Website at www.viasatellite.com.
36 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
Company WebsiteAAE Systems Inc. aaesys.com
Acorde S.A. acorde.com
Advanced Switch Technology astswitch.com
Advantech AMT advantechamt.com
Alcatel alcatel.com/space
Allen Communications alncom.com
Alga Microwave Inc. alga.ca
AMDOCS amdocs.com
American Antenna americanantenna.com
Americom Government Services americom-gs.com
Amplus amplus.biz
Anacom Inc. anacominc.com
Analytical Graphics Inc. stk.com
Andersen Manufacturing Inc. anderseninc.com
Andrew Corp. andrew.com
Antek Systems LLC antek.com
Arianespace arianespace.com
Artel Inc. artelinc.com
ASC Signal Corp. ascsignal.com
Ascent Media ascentmedia.com
Asset Recovery Center assetrecovery.com
Astrotel International LLCastroteleurope.com
astrointernational.comATCi (Antenna Technology Communications Inc.) atci.com
Atlantic Satellite Corp. atlanticsat.com
AvcomRamsey avcomramsey.com
AvL Technologies avltech.com
Azure Shine International Inc. azureshine.com.tw
Boeing boeing.com
CapRock Communications caprock.com
C-Com Satellite Systems Inc. c-comsat.com
Centrex Communications centrexcom.com
Cerona Networks cerona.com
Chelton Inc. chelton.com
Cisco Systems cisco.com
Clear Channel Satellite clearchannelsatellite.com
Codem Systems Inc codem.com
Communications & Energy Corp. cefilter.com
Computer Modules Inc. computermodules.com
Comtech Antenna Systems comtechantenna.com
Comtech EF Data comtechefdata.com
Comtech Mobile Datacom comtechmobile.com
Constellation Networks Corp. constellationnetcorp.com
Conus Communications conus.com
Convergent Media Systems convergent.com
Corporativo Dotcomexico S.A. de C.V. dotcommexico.com
CPI Canada Inc. cpii.com/cmp
CPI Satcom Division cpii.com/satcom
CPI MPP cpii.com/mpp
Crawford Communications crawford.com
Cross Technologies Inc. crosstechnologies.com
Crown Media Inernational crownmedia.net
dBm dbmcorp.com
Desert Sky Digital Satellite Inc. sattruck.com
DEV Systemtechnik GmbH & Co.KG dev-systemtechnik.de
DH Satellite dhsatellite.com
Digicast Networks Inc. digicastnet.com
Digital Voice Systems Inc. dvsinc.com
Company WebsiteDisitron Industries Inc. disitron.com
Diversified Communications Inc. dciteleport.com
Ducommun ductech.com
e2v e2v.com
EADS Space space.eads.net
EASi (Efficient Antenna Systems Inc.) easisat.com
Easy Trading Communications Inc. etcny.net
Echostar echostarfixedsatellite.com
Efficient Channel Coding eccincorp.com
Embedded Consultants LLC embeddedconsult.com
Emerging Markets Communications emc-corp.net
Emcore Corp. emcore.com
Eutelsat eutelsat.com
Evertz Microsystems Ltd. evertz.com
Flextronics Software Systems flextronicssoftware.com
Force Inc. forceinc.com
Foxcom Inc. foxcom.com
General Dynamics Information Systems gd-is.com
General Dynamics IT & Space Solutions gd-ns.com/space
Geosync Microwave geosyncmicrowave.com
Gilat gilat.com
GL Communications Inc. gl.com
Global Communications Solutions Inc. globalcoms.com
Global Digital Media Xchange Inc. gdmxchange.com
Globecomm Systems globecommsystems.com
Glowlink glowlink.com
Gulf Communications International gcigulf.com
HDTV Uplink hdtvuplink.com
Helius Inc. helius.com
Hispasat hispasat.com
Honeywell ERI honeywell.com/satcomprotection
Hughes hughes.com
IDB Systems idbsystems.com
iDirect Technologies idirect.net
ILC ilc.com
Integral Systems Inc.integ.com
integ-europe.comIntelsat General intelsatgeneral.com
International Launch Services ilslaunch.com
Intorel intorel.com
Irdeto Access irdetoaccess.com
ITS Electronics, Inc. itselectronics.com
ITT Industries ittsystems.com
Ironlink Communications ironlinkus.com
J A Taylor & Associates broadcastassociates.com
Jersey Microwave jerseymicrowave.com
JSAT International Inc. jsati.com
Juch-Tech Inc. juch-tech.com
Kayou Communications kayoucommunications.com
Kencast Inc. kencast.com
L-3 Satellite Networks l-3com.com
Linearizer Technology lintech.com
Linksat, Inc. linksat.com
Locus Microwave locusmicrowave.com
Logus Microwave logusmicrowave.com
Longbottom Communications LLC longbottomcommunications.com
Loral Space & Communications loral.com
M2 Global Inc. m2global.com
M&C Systems Inc. mcsys.com
ManSat spaceisle.com
MCL Inc. mcl.com
MicroSpace Communications Corp. microspace.com
Microwave Radio Communications mrcbroadcast.com
Mitec Telecom mitectelecom.com
V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE JUNE 2011 37
ADVERTISER INDEX
Advertiser Page
AvL Technologies 34
Azure Shine International 25
CASBAA C3
Comtech EF Data 27
Comtech Xicom Technology 23
CPI Satcom C4
dbm 29
GE Satellite 30
Hughes 5
Advertiser Page
iDirect 11
Integral Systems 9
Intelsat 13
ManSat, LLC 15
MITEQ/MCL 3
Rockwell Collins 33
Sea Tel 2
Walton Enterprises 21
Wavestream 7
Company WebsiteMITEQ miteq.comNabtesco Motion Control Inc nabtescomotioncontrol.comNarda Satellite Networks lnr.comND Satcom ndsatcom.comNew and Used Inc. newandusedinc.comNewSat/Multiemedia newsat.com.auNewpoint Technologies Inc. newpointtech.comNewtec newtec.beNJRC (New Japan Radio Corp.) njr.co.jp/index_e.htmNorthrop Grumman northropgrumman.comNorthStar Studios northstarstudios.tvNPR Satellite Services nprss.orgNTT Electronics nel-world.comOn Call Communications occsat.comOptimal Satcom optimalsatcom.comOrbit orbit-techgroup.comOrtel ortel.comPALS Electronic Co. Ltd. pals.com.trParadise Datacom paradisedata.comPatriot Antenna Systems sepatriot.comPetrocom petrocom.comPolarSat polarsat.comPSSI-USA pssi-usa.comPulse Power & Measurement Ltd. (PPM) vialite.netQuintech quintechelectronics.comRadyne radn.comRainbow Network Communications rncnetwork.comResearch Concepts Inc. researchconcepts.comRockwell Collins rockwellcollins.comRussian Satellite Communications Co. (RSCC) rscc.ruSAT Corp. sat.comSATELLITE 2011 SATELLITE2011.comSatellite Today satellitetoday.comSatellite Engineering Group sateng.comSatellite Systems Corp. satsyscorp.comSat-Lite Technologies sat-litetech.comSatmex satmex.comSatService GmbH satservicegmbh.deSea-Cell Inc. seacellsatellite.com Sea Launch sea-launch.comSeatel seatel.comSector Microwave sectormicrowave.comSivers Lab AB siverslab.seSES Americom ses-americom.comSES Global ses.com
Company WebsiteShiron Satellite Communications shiron.comSingTel Optus Pty Ltd optus.com.au/satelliteSKY Perfect JSAT Corp. sptvjsat.com/enSkyWeb Inc. skydigital.comSojitz Corporation of America myvsat.comSophia Wireless Inc. sophiawireless.com Spacecom amos-spacecom.comSpacenet spacenet.comSpace Star Technology (Group) Corp. space-star.comSpace Systems/Loral ssloral.comSPC Electronics America Inc. spcamerica.comST Electronics Pte Ltd. stee.stengg.com/satcomsStarling Advanced Communications starling-com.comSTM Group stmi.comSuperior Satellite Engineers superiorsatelliteusa.comSWE-DISH Satellite Systems swe-dish.comSystems Technology stainc.comTampa Microwave Lab Inc. tmli.comTeleCommunication Systems telecomsys.comTeleSpectra telespectra.comTelinc Corp. telinc.comTerrasat Communications Inc. terrasatinc.comThales thales-bm.comThrane & Thrane us.thrane.comThe SpaceConnection thespaceconnection.comUltra Electronics-DNE Technologies ultra-dne.comUnlimi-Tech Software Inc. utechsoft.comUplit exceedthefeed.comVerso Technologies verso.comViasat viasat.comVia Satellite magazine viasatellite.comVislink Group vislink.co.ukVizada vizada.comWarner Bros. Entertainment Inc. warnerbros.comWavestream wavestream.comW.B. Walton Enterprises Inc. de-ice.comW.C. & A.N. Miller wcanmiller.comWegener wegener.comWork GmbH Satcom work-gmbh.deWorldsat International Inc. worldsat.comXicom Technology xicomtech.comXipLink xiplink .com
38 JUNE 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Owen D. Kurtin is a
practicing attorney
in New York City
and a founder and
principal of private
investment firm The
Vinland Group LLC.
He may be reached
at okurtin@
kurtinlaw.com.
The U.S. Space Shuttle program will come to a close
this year, a little more than 30 years after its inaugural
flight, with the last flight scheduled for late June. Always
a technological marvel and never an economic one, the
shuttle reminds us of another beautiful white bird now
seen only in museums, the Concorde. Some analysts
ask why the United States never developed a successor
reusable space plane, just as some ask why, the Concorde
excepted, commercial aviation has remained stuck at
the roughly 500- to 600-knot cruising airspeed (1,000
kilometers per hour), 35,000-foot (21,000-meter) altitude
performance parameters in the 50-odd years since the
Boeing 707 entered service.
The two cases, while superficially similar, could not
be more different. Civil airliners are a mature tech-
nology that has become incredibly reliable. Airliners
are like elevators, which haul millions of people hun-
dreds of feet up in the air and down again with virtu-
ally no fatalities. The space shuttle, despite its pro-
saic official STS (Space Transportation System) title
and promise of economic efficiency, reusability and
rapid turnaround, remained an experimental space-
craft. The orbiters were finicky to refurbish between
flights, particularly the notorious heat-ablating tiles
on the lower fuselage, wings and nose; uneconomic,
and always potentially deadly, with one take-off and
one re-entry accident destroying two of the five opera-
tional shuttles and costing the lives of their crew in just
over 130 flights. None of that denigrates the science
and space operational knowledge and heritage gained
during the shuttle years, highlighted by missions such
as the repair of the Hubble telescope and the building
of the International Space Station. But the fact remains
that the program never delivered
on the basis it was sold to its inves-
tors — the U.S. taxpayers.
Civil aviation has not advanced
because the public accepts its oper-
ating parameters (New York to Lon-
don or Paris takes six hours) and
might not accept a new generation
of aircraft that pushed the perfor-
mance envelope but which might
have a far higher rate of accidents and loss of life. Reus-
able space plane technology has not advanced because,
in terms of what was promised, we did not really get
it right the first time, and there is no certainty that the
enormous investment required for a second-generation
space shuttle would produce a better result. If econom-
ics and efficiencies had improved during the 30 years
of operations, the argument for a second generation
would be more easily made. But that is not the case.
The tacit admission of that is why NASA’s cancelled —
or partially cancelled — Constellation crew transport
system visibly — even to a layman’s eyes — looked back
to the Apollo program.
Apparently, this is not a time for grand gestures.
The U.S. is spending $2 billion a week in Afghanistan,
while always having enough cash on hand to bail out
financial institutions and automakers at public expense,
lest their bondholders actually find out that invest-
ments can be risky. At the same time, NASA has been
forced to cut its flagship interplanetary space probe
program for want of approximately $24 billion; its
April announcement of the second round of the Com-
mercial Crew Development (CCDev2) awards to four
companies totaled less than $270 million, and those
craft that are actually built will not be operational
before mid-decade (some of the CCDev2 winners’ and
runners-ups’ proposals also visibly hark back to the
Apollo legacy). It is a dispiriting state of affairs, espe-
cially for anyone who believes that moral hazard and
creative destruction are twin pillars of a healthy capi-
talist economic system.
When the Apollo program and its Apollo-Soyuz and
Skylab follow-ons ended, the United States was without
means of human access to space for a few years. But
the space shuttle was in development, and at the time,
it held the promise of a new generation of exploration
and colonization of space. It did not work out complete-
ly as promised, but it was a heroic project, peopled by
heroic flight crews and ground crews.
So goodbye to the Space Shuttle. It belonged to the
tail-end of a more heroic age, and it is perhaps fitting
that in this newer age, NASA has nothing to replace it,
much less succeed it.
Goodbye to the Space Shuttle
By Owen D. Kur t in
Organised by Sponsors
Top slots at the 11th Singapore Satellite Industry Forum
Headliners:
Dave McGlade, CEO, Intelsat
Romain Bausch, President & CEO, SES
Bill Wade, President & CEO, AsiaSat
Speakers:
Simon Cathcart, CEO, Fetch TV
Andrew Jordan, President & CEO, GE Satellite
Paul Brown-Kenyon, COO, MEASAT
Inoue Osamu, Senior EVP, SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation
Tom Choi, CEO, ABS
Cheng Guanreng, CEO, APT Satellite
Mohamed Youssif, CEO, YahLive
Eddie Kato, CEO, Thales Alenia Space North America
Fu Zhiheng, VP & GM, Launch Services, CGWIC
David Ball, CTO, NewSat
Robert Feierbach, SVP, Sales & Marketing, Hughes Network Systems
Andrew Taylor, CEO, Pactel International
Ian Ford, VP & GM, SE Asia, Harris CapRock Communications
Andrew Wallace, Chief Commercial Officer, Eutelsat
Huang Bao Zhong, VP, APT Satellite
Elias Zaccack, VP Sales, AP, SES World Skies
Jay Yass, VP, Global Accounts, Intelsat
Chris Bauer, VP Commercial Sales, SpaceX
Gary Hale, Space Initiative Manager, GGSG, Cisco
Brett Belinsky, Strategy Director, Broadcast & Media, Arqiva
Gregg Daffner, Senior Advisor - Asia, Echostar International
STAY CONNECTED, STAY INFORMED!
Date: Monday, 20 June
Venue: Shangri-La Singapore
For registration: For sponsorship:
Agnes Chan Maggie Leung
E: [email protected] E: [email protected]
CASBAA Singapore
Satellite Industry Forum 2011Taking Care of Business
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