Satellite operator SES reported an increase in recurring revenue and EBITDA increasing by 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively. Reported revenue remained essentially flat, with reported EBITDA decreasing slightly, due to the adverse evolution of the USD against the euro (average conversion rate in 2011 was 1.4035 compared to 1.3294 in 2010). Reported EBITDA also reflected the impact of the one-time reorganisation charge of  EUR 14.8 million.

The World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12)  concluded its deliberations today with the signing of the Final Acts that revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits.Over 3000 participants, representing 165 out of ITU’s 193 Member States attended the four-week Conference, braving the extreme winter conditions prevailing in Geneva. Over 100 Observers from among ITU’s 700 private sector members along with international organizations also attended WRC-12.

Satellite operator EUTELSAT  reported first half results of fiscal year 2011-12 with revenue growth: of 4.6% at €602.4 million. EBITDA was reported to be up 3.4% to €478.5 million, generating EBITDA margin of 79.4%.

EUTLSAT reported record backlog of €5.3 billion up 9.6%. Its Fleet expansion program is on track with two successful satellite launches and the company completed a successful €1.8 billion refinancing in 2011.

These are exciting times for TV in Sub-Saharan Africa. A new Research and Markets report entitled "Digital TV Sub-Saharan Africa"  by Simon Murray said: "governments are opening up to investment, which involves several pioneering foreign TV players. Populations are growing fast and incomes per capita are on the rise, creating a burgeoning number of middle class consumers."

Published in February 2012, this 100-page report is the most comprehensive to ever be published on the region. The PDF and excel report comes in five parts:

Mobile video exceeded 50 percent of global internet trafficfor the first time in 2011 according to the latest The Cisco® Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update.  Global mobile data traffic grew 2.3-fold in 2011, more than doubling for the fourth year in a row. The 2011 mobile data traffic growth rate was higher than anticipated. Last year's forecast projected that the growth rate would be 131 percent. This year's estimate is that global mobile data traffic grew 133 percent in 2011. Among its findings include:

In the fourth quarter of 2011, Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor Group reported revenues for the quarter of NOK 25.4 billion  (US$  4.44 Billion). For the full year of 2011, Telenor’s revenue was NOK 98.5 billion  (US$ 17.2 Billion).

The Russian Telecom Market Generated Rb1.249trn (US$43.4billion) In Service Revenue in 2011, A 5.6% Increase year-on-year according to a new Research and Markets Report entitled:  "Russia Telecom Intelligence Report: Next-Generation Network Rollouts Drive and Bolster Revenue Growth." Data will be the main opportunity in Russia in both the fixed and mobile segments, as operators continue to invest in next-generation networks such as FTTB and LTE, according to the  report.

According to the results of the latest TV Monitor study, for the first time in the history of television in Germany, more viewers are watching TV via satellite than via cable. At the end of 2011, 17.5 million households were watching TV via satellite, almost 900,000 more than in the previous year. Ninety percent of these households were digital, leaving 1.8 million households still in the analogue reception mode. Out of the total, 5.9 million of all satellite households were watching High Definition (HD) TV.

Euroconsult announced today that it expects prospects for the satellite industry to remain favorable over the decade in a variety of areas. The next ten years should see continued growth for commercial markets, while at the same time stagnating growth for government spending should be expected at least through mid-decade.

Despite  the ongoing impact of the Arab Spring protests and a dramatic re-ordering of political affairs still reverberating, the Middle East region remains a key growth area for commercial satellite industry.

This was the assessment of Gordon McMillan, Director of Government Services for global satellite network provider Inmarsat, who projected that the global government and military communications will rise to US$9 billion by 2018 with the Middle East becoming a key growth region for the commercial satellite industry because of the exponential demand for greater bandwidth.