Singapore, May 17, 2010-There were 2.04 billion mobile subscribers at the end of 2009 in Asia and this translated into a significant 22.7% growth over the year. By the end of 2009, mobile accounted for 79.7% of all telephone connections in the region, compared with 60.1% in 2005. The number of mobile subscribers is forecasted to have grown by an average of 10.6% to 3.4 billion by the end of 2014 and at that time, mobile penetration should have reached 94.3%.

Singapore’s future as a regional media hub is under threat as a result of new government rules for the pay-TV industry, said the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA), which represents the interests of 130 content producers, pay-TV platform operators and equipment-and-service suppliers across 16 Asian markets.

At the 2010 NAB Show, World Teleport Association was co-producer of the Destination Broadband Theater in the Upper South Hall. In 16 panel sessions over three days, we focused on two closely-related topics: delivering and monetizing video content delivered over broadband, and how traditional television distribution is evolving in response to the broadband revolution.  

Ernst & Young  released a report on the media and entertainment landscape in the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC). The report provides an overview of the latest indicators of market attractiveness, as well as the opportunities, challenges and critical success factors in conducting business in these four countries. 

The issue of inadequate bandwidth in the world very small aperture terminal (VSAT) market has experienced a conflicting impact: a spurt in service revenues and, simultaneously, a dip in the sales of equipment or hardware. VSAT providers, while pleased with the hike in service revenues, are wary of pricing many potential, cost-sensitive VSAT users out of the market.  

by NSR

Japan is often looked at as the early adopter of all things technology-related, be it the widespread use of laptops, mobile phones or gaming and value-added services. One would expect that the large LED screens found at busy intersections in Tokyo would naturally spill over to LCD and plasma screens at every possible media opportunity – be it a retail store aisle, cinema theatre or fast-food restaurant. However, a closer look at this otherwise tech-savvy country reveals that players have been slow in rolling out screens – not impeded by technology – but more by a reluctance to be first-to-market with a relatively unproven emerging advertising media.

A telco PR executive once remarked to me that satellite was like a solution always looking for a problem.  Given that he was looking to represent my satellite consultancy firm, I thought this was an odd way to earn my business!  Dents to my ego aside, what this guy was reflecting is simply the wider telecommunications industry and a great many potential customers’ perception of satellite – VSAT communications in particular.

Markets for satellite communications equipment and services have expanded to fill the gaps in terrestrial broadcasting and telecommunications networks. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Middle East, which is the focus of this article.

As High-Definition (HD) video has hit its stride worldwide, the TV and film industry are looking ahead to the next new thing. 3D TV and Ultra-HD (UHD) are on the horizon, according to market research firm, In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). 

Set-top boxes are set to reach Asian consumers at an ever-increasing rate, according to new STB market data published by ABI Research. Overall STB shipments in the region, including those for cable, DBS, IPTV, and DTT television services, will approach 111 million in 2014, the culmination of a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in excess of 12% over the 2009-2014 period.