Professional basketball great Koby Bryant once said “Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.” That is the story of 2018 for the global teleport industry.  It has been navigating a period of unprecedented change in market demands, applications, pricing, costs and investment needs – and it has been creating opportunities for a new wave of growth in the process.  Or as comic legend Milton Berle put it, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

Teleport Opportunities

A year-end summary of key events is always a difficult task. How to select, which ones to highlight out of the many things that have happened and are still unfolding? This article focuses on Europe, the Middle East and Africa, (EMEA), so I have to start with Yahsat and Thuraya.

Fueled by a surge in global satellite transponder demand that is expected to reach US$ 28.65 billion by 2026, the Asia Pacific satellite industry, propped up by a projected 5.6% regional economic growth in 2018 and 2019, continues to be on the roll.  Today, there is a rush for High Throughput Satellite (HTS) with the opening of new opportunities and capabilities in numerous vertical markets across the region to fulfil the growing connectivity demands well into the future.

Arianespace successfully orbited today two satellites: GSAT-11 for ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), and GEO-KOMPSAT-2A for KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute). With this mission dedicated to space applications for telecommunications and meteorology, Arianespace said it once again contributes to the improvement of life on Earth.

SpaceX successfully launched today SmallSat Express to a low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Carrying 64 payloads, this mission represented the largest single rideshare mission from a U.S.-based launch vehicle to date. A series of six deployments occurred approximately 13 to 43 minutes after liftoff, after which Spaceflight began to command its own deployment sequences. Spaceflight’s deployments are expected to occur over a period of six hours.

United Technologies has announced the completion of its acquisition of Rockwell Collins and the company's intention to separate its commercial businesses, Otis and Carrier (formerly CCS), into independent entities.

The separation will result in three global, industry-leading companies:

SpaceX successfully launched today SmallSat Express to a low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Carrying 64 payloads, this mission represented the largest single rideshare mission from a U.S.-based launch vehicle to date. A series of six deployments occurred approximately 13 to 43 minutes after liftoff, after which Spaceflight began to command its own deployment sequences. Spaceflight’s deployments are expected to occur over a period of six hours.

Rohde & Schwarz has acquired Pixel Power Limited, a Cambridge, UK- based company, which offers innovative graphics, master control and integrated playout systems for broadcasters and playout facilities. These systems enable dynamic content to be delivered more efficiently for linear TV, mobile, online and OTT/VOD.

The GVF-EMP Partnership ‘HTS Roundtable 2018 - GEOs... MEOs... LEOs: Enabling a Brave New World’ (www.uk-emp.co.uk/current-events/hts-roundtable-2018/), has declared a pre-registration full house for the 4th December programme at London’s Strand Palace Hotel.

There is no doubt that the buzz word at the show floor of  InterBEE2018 was 4K8K. It is because the advanced satellite broadcasting is scheduled to start from 10:00 A.M. on December 1, 2018. At the booth of A-PAB (The Association for Promotion of Advanced Broadcasting Services), 14 broadcasters and their 19 channels are classified in three categories and displayed.