News Analysis

Simple Math on FY12 Defense Appropriations Bill...The Satcom Effect

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass., June 17, 2011--As budget pressures continue to reign supreme on Capitol Hill, the satellite sector might experience an unexpected turn of events. Focus is now squarely on the U.S. House of Representatives as they attempt to kill off a DISA plan for a long-term lease of a commercial satellite to provide services over the Middle East in favor of an additional WGS satellite. With this new development still ongoing, questions emerge as to the long-term viability of defense-related leasing of commercial satellite capacity.

Most Americans Surf Online while Watching TV

by Samantha Braverman, Sr. Project Researcher, Harris Interactive

New York,  June 15, 2011 - The invention of the DVR system presented a hurdle for television advertisers, as they worried their valued audience would fast-forward through their messages. While those concerns may have merit, a recent Adweek/Harris Poll shows that regardless of the ability to use a DVR system, Americans may not be giving their undivided attention to their TV screens. According to the recent survey, while watching TV most Americans also surf the Internet (56%) and many do other activities like read a book, magazine or newspaper (44%), go on a social networking site (40%) or text on their mobile phone (37%). These are some of the findings of a recent Adweek/Harris Poll survey of 2,309 U.S. adults surveyed online between May 24 and 26, 2011 by Harris Interactive.

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Multi-play Services Drive Global Pay-TV Service Revenue to $53 Billion in 1Q 2011, According to ABI Research

Singapore, June 9, 2011--The worldwide pay-TV industry continues to grow in terms of both subscriber numbers and service revenue. “At the end of first quarter of 2011, pay-TV service revenue generated from satellite, cable, terrestrial and telco TV totaled $53 billion. That is a 10% increase from the first quarter of 2010,” says Jason Blackwell, digital home practice director at ABI Research.

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Annual Global IP Traffic Will Reach the Zettabyte Threshold by the end of 2015 according to Cisco

San Jose, Calif. June 2, 2011-Annual global IP traffic will reach the zettabyte threshold (966 exabytes or nearly 1 zettabyte) by the end of 2015 according to the latest Visual Networking Index by Cisco.   In 2015, global IP traffic will reach 966 exabytes per year or 80.5 exabytes per month.

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IP Trunking: A Three-Way Battle

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass. June 1, 2011-A recent agreement to build a submarine cable by 2012 between two Islands, (Vanuatu and Fiji) emphasizes a clear trend: remoteness of a territory is not a barrier for cable connections as long as the market is valuable. Another announcement from the ITU on the sharp decrease of fixed broadband prices (50% between 2008 and 2010) with the 10 countries in the world with the biggest relative change in price all located in Africa illustrates the effect of the many cable projects that were completed recently in Africa, formerly the last satellite IP trunking stronghold.

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The Digital Oilfield: Rising Bandwidth Demand, Consolidation and the HTS Puzzle

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass., May 25, 2011--Recent discoveries in remote areas such as the Arctic are pushing the Oil & Gas (O&G) sector further away from terrestrial service, which drives satellite connectivity in the digital oilfield.  NSR heard three distinct messages at the Global VSAT Forum’s (GVF) 4th Annual Oil and Gas Communications Europe 2011 conference in Aberdeen on 17 – 18th May. The conference offered an opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of three clear trends affecting this market: O&G industry bandwidth needs are ever increasing, consolidation on the satellite service side has opened previously closed doors to smaller providers, and there are concerns over High Throughput Satellite (HTS) Ka-Band offerings.

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Report Finds Gaps in Multiplatform TV Delivery Capability at US Broadcasters

New York, NY, May 24, 2011--The rapid growth in the delivery of content for viewing on mobile and Internet-connected devices is outstripping the pace at which broadcasters have deployed the workflow and quality control systems needed to effectively support these opportunities. This conclusion is part of the study, "U.S. TV Stations Infrastructure: The HD Transition Has Just Begun,"  released by Positive Flux, a firm that specializes in transforming media companies to address new opportunities.

Entertainment Media Spending in North America and Europe on the Rise

El Segundo, Calif., May 19, 2011--Consumer expenditures on entertainment media in North America and Europe grew a mighty 69 percent to $234.8 billion in 2010, up from $138.8 billion in 2000, with cable and satellite television retaining its primacy as the leading form of entertainment media during the decade, according to IHS Screen Digest research.

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Delivering Cloud Services by Satellite

by Bruce Elbert

Los Angeles, May 6, 2011--According to Research and Markets Cloud Computing Services reached almost US$ 38 Billion in revenues last year. Will satellite service providers get a slice of this important market?

 

What do Customers Think?

by Robert Bell

New York, NY, May 5, 2011--The public sharing of consumer reviews has become a worldwide phenomenon. Only when it comes to satellite communications, not so much. That is why the World Teleport Association published Satellite Operator Benchmarks 2011.