The Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) satellite operator business is the most established of the satellite industry, with leaders like Intelsat and SES representing many billions of dollars of investment and revenue. In the past, these companies and their predecessors like Hughes Communications Galaxy and RCA American Communications exclusively relied on investor risk capital and internally ground funds. What has changed to make these companies behave more like debt-leveraged industries like wireless/cellular telephone and airlines?

How We Got Here

Summit, Mt. Everest, Nepal, May 27, 2008 – J. Armand Musey and his climbing team successfully reached the 29,028-foot summit of Mt. Everest, capping an arduous six-week expedition over the most challenging terrain in the world.

IPTV continues to offer a mix of opportunities and challenges. As telecoms sprint to become video network operators, broadcast, media, and satellite companies everywhere are placing their bets on what’s around the corner.

In the cable sector, Comcast and other companies are building up their network capacity and CableLabs’ DOCSIS 3.0 with 160 Mbs channel bonding enables a new level of IP video services. Telecoms such as Verizon have become veterans at delivering TV services over hundreds of video, music and HD channels. Their FiOS business reached 1.5M subscribers last year.

by Peter I. Galace

Now, is HDTV “the next best thing to being there,” or does it really stand for “Hyped-Up Digital Television”?

Satellite service providers in Asia and around the world are turning to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in August for the answer to this $1080 question. The betting is that the Beijing Olympics, which China is marketing as the “HDTV Olympics,” will indeed accelerate the adoption of HDTV worldwide and will more than make up for HDTV’s underwhelming Olympic sports debut at Athens in 2004.

With all the fears of a recession and a tightening financial market hanging over the satellite industry in 2008, one  particular market that has provided a good revenue stream for the industry in recent years may remain constant or even continue to grow.  That market is the military and government sector worldwide.   The US government alone is estimated to spend nearly half a Billion dollars a years in commercial satellite prodicts and services, according to space consultant, Vice-Adm. Lyle Bien, USN (ret.)