Market Trends

In a study released July 27, 2009 entitled "The Market for Commercial Communications Satellites: 2009-2018," Forecast International is projecting deliveries of approximately 262 commercial communications satellites destined for geostationary or medium-Earth orbit, worth $38.7 billion, during the next 10 years. The low-Earth-orbiting (LEO) market, comprising satellites primarily for the provision of mobile communi-cations, will see production of 142 spacecraft worth about $2.7 billion. Most of the LEO spacecraft forecast for production are in response to the solidification of fleet replacement plans for ORBCOMM and Globalstar.

by NSR

In the recently released Mobile Satellite Services 5th Edition report, NSR noted that fears of the bottom line falling out for all MSS operators due to the economic crisis were overestimated; however, caution was still the best attitude one could take for the short-term. NSR also noted that the first quarter 2009 numbers had already given indications that operators are not protected from hardship and slowdowns.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Screen Digest’s new report "Mobile Market Monitor: TV H2 2008" to their offering.

The Broadband Forum announced at CommunicAsia in Singapore the latest broadband and IPTV statistics, which show impressive growth in the face of the global economic downturn. Its report, prepared for the Forum by industry analysts Point Topic (GBS database at http://point-topic.com/home/gbs/), shows that broadband grew by 16.6 million lines globally in the last quarter alone, with more than three million being added across North America - while IPTV continues to expand strongly.

The demand for mobile satellite services (MSS) in the maritime sector is expected to escalate due to crew welfare solutions, as users are beginning to expect Internet connectivity and access as the norm. As both equipment and solution prices reduce, smaller vessels are beginning to embrace satellite communication services. The new generation of Internet savvy seafarers expects connectivity wherever they are, to stay in touch with family and friends.Ship owners are actively adopting satellite communication to attract and retain skilled crew in this highly competitive marketplace. Pressures to manage cost and large fleet sizes have forced ship owners to consider applications for weather, routing, monitoring, and security to gain an advantage over the competition.

by NSR

Of the nominally US$787 billion that makes up the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, less than 1% has been directed to be used for funding a variety of broadband initiatives throughout the U.S. Yet, it seems that the broadband subsidy funding has attracted much more than its fair share of attention with all types of projects and proposals being floated and developed by entities large and small across the country.

Generating $49 Million Worldwide Passenger Revenue

The number of broadband enabled airplanes will increase from 25 in 2008 to 800 in 2009, reports In-Stat http://www.in-stat.com. As a result, broadband hungry airline passengers will generate over $49 million worldwide in 2009. The in-flight broadband market is still emerging and will grow well beyond $1 billion annually by 2012.

by NSR

Anyone in the satellite industry more than six months has probably heard of Ka-band satellites. Anyone (like most of us) who has been in the industry a bit longer knows that the benefits and advantages of Ka-band spotbeam satellites have been endlessly discussed in conferences, meetings, and an uncountable number of other industry events for well over a decade. Most often cited, to the point that it has essentially become an industry mantra, is that Ka-band satellites can dramatically lower the cost per bit of delivering a satellite service. This has developed along the lines of other mantras in our industry like "satellites can deliver services anywhere" and "satellites are the single best technology for point-to-multipoint content delivery."

Ovum’s newly released mobile broadband forecasts show that users accessing the Internet via mobile broadband enabled laptops and handsets will generate revenues of US $137 billion globally in 2014, over 450% more than in 2008. However, operators will need to content themselves with the fact that user growth will be far faster than revenue growth, meaning more users and more data traffic but declining ARPUs.

by NSR

When looking at the pie of advanced satellite equipment market, it is not surprising to find that the lion’s share of projected sales falls within the DTH sector. DTH operators need MPEG-4 and DVB-S2 technologies to offer advanced TV offerings and differentiate against cable triple-play and VOD. Such differentiating consumer services enabled by advanced receiver hardware play a particular relevance in the saturated North American pay TV market, exercising upward pressure on subscriber acquisition costs, but offset by declining costs of advanced hardware.