News Analysis

What Enterprise Customers Really Want

The enterprise customer is the most attractive yet elusive for the satellite service provider 

by Robert Bell

New York, NY, September 2, 2011- The satellite communications market is a stool standing on three legs.  There is the media and entertainment leg, for which satellite provides a uniquely cost-effective, one-to-many solution.  There is the government and military leg, where satellite’s primary advantage is its ability to go places where terrestrial alternatives are unreliable or nonexistent.  And there is the enterprise leg, serving all other kinds of organizations.  Of the three legs of the stool, the enterprise market is in some ways the most attractive but also the most elusive.

Brazil: The World’s most Dynamic Pay TV Market

Middlesex, UK, August 25, 2011--According to a new report from Digital TV Research, rapid expansion meant that Brazilian DTH subscriptions overhauled cable as the most popular platform with considerable panache during the first six months of 2011. Further change is ahead as the government will soon amend legislation to allow telco to offer full IPTV services.

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U.S. Space Lead Erodes for Fourth Straight Year As Middle-Tier Nations Ascend

Bethesday, MD, August 15, 2011--Russia, China, Japan and India are among the countries challenging the US in Space leadership according to the fourth annual Space Competitiveness Index Report by Futron.

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More Challenging Environment Ahead for the Satellite Communications Industry

Growth still robust in a number of segments and regions according to new Euroconsult report

Paris, August 11, 2011– According to Euroconsult’s just-published report “Satellite Communications & Broadcasting Markets Survey, Forecasts to 2020,” the fixed satellite sector grew both in terms of transponder demand (+4.4%) and revenue, which reached $10.8 billion in 2010. However, this is set against a backdrop of slowing growth rates and a more challenging business environment in the next several years. Euroconsult nevertheless maintains an overall positive outlook for the future of the satellite sector with television broadcasting and emerging markets continuing to drive growth and high throughput satellite (HTS) capacity systems contributing to growth as well.

The Military Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Market

by Michelle Elbert

Los Angeles, Calif., August 4, 2011--Government and military clients are looking to meet global challenges yet spend more efficiently. In the US, deficit-reduction efforts have caused DoD and its various branches to make serious changes in how it acquires goods and services.

 

Writing on the Wall: VSAT Services Making More Waves in the Maritime Market

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass, August 1, 2011--Back in 2007, NSR viewed the longer term outlook in the maritime segment likely to “benefit products in Ku- and C-band ultimately and provide stronger competition to L-band services...”, recognizing that VSAT flat monthly fees with Mbps data rates provided a more predictable return-on-investment than the traditional MSS pay-per-byte model. Then Inmarsat on July 1, 2011 announced new rates that seem to go counter to this view and could drive a growing base of the smaller boat community towards the flat, predictable VSAT service fees.

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Study Shows Broadcast Industry Is Recovering From Recession

Gloucestershire, U.K., July 28, 2011 — The IABM (International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers)  released the fourth edition of its "Broadcast and Media Technology: Global Market Valuation and Strategy to 2015" study. Based on original research commissioned from IHS Screen Digest, the study offers unique insights into the recovery and growth of the worldwide broadcast industry.

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Over-the-Top (OTT) services are More Likely to Appeal as Complementary, Rather than Primary, Pay-TV services

London, July 22, 2011-Consulting firm Analysys Mason's recent pay-TV forecasts for Europe, predicts that the number of pay-TV households will increase by 12% to 185.2 million between 2011 and 2016.  "Over-the-top services are far more likely to appeal as complementary, rather than primary, pay-TV services." according to Cesar Bachelet, Senior Analyst at Analysys Mason.

IPTV Services Getting Highly Personalized, Integrated, Portable and On-Demand

Campbell, Calif., July 22, 2011--By 2012, 63% of IPTV service providers interviewed plan to support multi-screen viewing across PCs, tablets, and smartphones according to market research firm Infonetics Research2011 IPTV Services Deployment Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey. IPTV is also getting highly personalized, highly integrated, portable and on-demand according to the survey.

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Building Satellites amidst the TWTA Bottleneck

by NSR

July 20, 2011--Ideally an operator would like to have a satellite go from RFP to orbit in 25 to 30 months. However, the reality is that manufacturing satellites is far from an assembly line operation where every component is sourced with sufficient inventory support. Often the equipment onboard the satellite is highly specialized and vendors are few, which put constraints on delivery and in effect, time to market for satellite services.

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