News Analysis

Managing Transponder Resources

by Jan Grøndrup-Vivanco

Paris, France, March 5, 2013--For most satellite service providers and teleports, satellite capacity is the single largest Operating Expense (OPEX) cost item and is therefore key to their profitability. This is traditionally also one of the most difficult cost elements to manage, especially for service providers who provide data services for VSAT and trunking.

Export Credit: Helping the Long Tail of the Satellite Industry

by Rajiv Hazaray and Carter Lawson

Princeton, NJ,  March 5, 2013--The launch of the first commercial communications satellite (Intelsat1, nicknamed “Early Bird”) on 06 April 1965, the commercial satellite industry has seen declining technology risks but still remains fraught with many business risks. It is a capital-intensive industry with high barriers to entry. An aspiring satellite operator faces the difficult decision of investing hundreds of millions of dollars up to three years before the satellite takes its flight and stabilizes in its orbital slot. After a successful launch, the operator will need to recover his investment during next 15 years before the satellite consumes all the fuel onboard and starts its uncontrollable and destined wobble.

Thales Alenia Space and ISS Reshetnev create Joint Venture in Russia

Moscow, Russia,  March 1, 2013 – Jean Loïc Galle, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space,  and Nikolay Testoedov, General Designer and General Director of ISS – Reshetnev  Company, signed an agreement on February 28 for the creation of a Joint Venture between their two companies.

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Intelsat Reports Loss of $146.6 million on revenue of $2.6 billion in 2012

Washington, D.C., February 28, 2013 — Intelsat S.A. reported it suffered a net loss of $146.6 million on revenue of $2,610.2 million in 2012. The company reported EBITDA of $1,940.6 million, and Adjusted EBITDA of $2,016.5 million, or 77 percent of revenue, for 2012. 

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Deutsche Telekom Posts €5.3 billion Net Loss in 2012

Bonn, Germany, Feb 28, 2013 — Deutsche Telekom, the German telecoms group, declared on Thursday it was able to achieve its financial targets for 2012. However, the company downplayed a year-end net loss of €5.3 billion (US$6.93 billion), which it attributed to an impairment loss of €7.4 billion (US$9.67 billion) in the third quarter over the planned merger of T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS.

Deutsche Telekom said Adjusted EBITDA for 2012 totalled €18 billion (US$23.54 billion), down €0.7 billion (US$0.915 billion), or 3.8 percent compared with 2011 and free cash flow of €6.2 billion (US$8.11 billion), exceeding the expected level of around €6 billion (US$7.84 billion).

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RTL Group Revenue Rises 4% to €6 B in 2012 but profit down by 13.2%

Luxembourg, February 25, 2013 -- RTL Group reported on Monday revenue rose 4 percent reaching a record €6 billion (US$7.84 billion) in 2012 but profits of €690 million (US$901.58 million) were down 13.2 percent from €795 million (US$1.038 billion) last year.

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SES posts 5.5% rise in revenue to Euro 1.82 billion in 2012

Luxembourg, Feb. 22, 2013 — Satellite operator SES reported today its revenue increased by 5.5% to EUR 1.828 billion (US$2.41 billion) in 2012 compared to EUR 1.73 billion (US$2.28 billion) in 2011 raising profit by 5% to EUR 648.8 million (US$855 million).

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Hispasat Surpasses 200 million euros in Revenue

Madrid, Spain, February 22, 2013 — Hispasat, increased its revenue in 2012 to 200.3  million euros, (US$264.1) increasing by 6.85% over the previous year largely because of increase in volume of business in Latin America.

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Fiber Driving Global Broadband Access

London, UK,  February 20, 2013– As broadband subscribers approach 635 million globally, the latest figures published by the Broadband Forum and prepared by broadband industry analysts Point Topic reveal that hybrid fiber access (FTTx) has experienced the highest market gain over the past year. Of the 54 million new broadband subscribers added in the year leading up to 3Q 2012, 26 million are being served with fiber (48%). Overall, fiber deployments have now passed cable to account for 19.7% of the total broadband market.

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Germany Adds Over Half a million Satellite Subscribers in 2012

Munich, Germany, February 19, 2013 - SES  announced today that satellite continued to increase its household reach in Germany last year, with 18.07 million households receiving their TV directly from satellite at the end of 2012. This increase of 524,000 households from year-end 2011 (plus 3 percent) is despite the switch-off of the analogue satellite signal in April 2012 and is driven by continued strong consumer demand for the large programme offer and quality of satellite TV, especially in High Definition (HD). These are the results of the "ASTRA TV Monitor 2012" that SES presented today in Munich a study based on 6,000 interviews in Germany.

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