News Analysis

Satellite Operators Continue to Grow Capacity Leasing and Develop New Markets

Latest NSR Report Forecasts US$6.9 Billion in New Revenues by 2021

Cambridge, Mass., August 7, 2012 - NSR's Global Assessment of Satellite Supply & Demand, 9th Edition report, released today, found that commercial satellite operators grew capacity leasing revenues by US$635 million between 2010 and 2011 and are aggressively targeting new markets such as mobility and other high value services in order to maintain sustained revenue expansion for the coming years.

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Satellite DTH Boom Continues

London, UK, July 26, 2012--The number of pay Direct to Home (DTH)  homes for 80 countries covered in a new report by Digital TV Research will be 220 million by end-2017, up from 154 million at end-2011 and 91 million at end-2007. India will lead the sector with 50.9 million pay DTH homes in 2017, followed by the US with 36.5 million. Russia (14.7 million) and Brazil (14.6 million) will take third and fourth places respectively.

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Worldwide Mobile Data Traffic Will Exceed 107 Exabytes in 2017, But That Doesn’t Imply a Data Tsunami

London, UK., July 25, 2012--The global volume of mobile data traffic will exceed 107 exabytes in 2017, shows a new forecast from ABI Research. This total traffic volume will be eight times more than what is expected for 2012. But how significant a growth rate would this represent, exactly?

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Nearly 4 million UK Premises still get less than 2Mbps Broadband Connection

Point Topic figures reveal North South digital divide is expanding 

London, July 24, 2012--Data published today by leading broadband research firm Point Topic shows that 13% of UK premises still can’t get broadband speeds higher than 2Mbps. As the UK continues to gain internet bandwidth and consumers, stubborn holes in the deployment and take-up around the country remain.

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Mobile Integration Key to 57 Million Smart Set-Top Box Market

Scottsdale, Ariz., July 20, 2012--Smart set-top boxes often garner less attention than other connected CE devices like TVs and game consoles – Apple has referred to its Apple TV as a “hobby” although it leads the market with around 4 million units shipped through 2011. Roku has had recent success (e.g. passing 2.5M units in 2011), but the future looks at the very least challenging for these dedicated streaming devices to break out of a niche status. TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players, and even mobile devices are quickly conspiring to engender a very competitive market for the digital living room. Even so, set-top box shipments are expected to reach as high as 57 million by 2017.

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Game Changers: HTS and O3b to Disrupt Wireless Backhaul via Satellite Market

New NSR Report Forecasts Significant Satellite-Based Backhaul Growth over Next Decade


Cambridge, Mass. July 17, 2012 - NSR's newly released Wireless Backhaul via Satellite, 6th Edition finds a dramatic long term shift from legacy SCPC and TDMA systems to High Throughput Satellites (HTS) and O3b. The market shift brings threats, as well as opportunities, for market players involved in space segment capacity and end-to-end services along with companies in the equipment segment. The global satellite backhaul market is expected to reach $2.3 billion in 2021, growing almost three-fold from today’s $800 million annual revenue base.

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Broadband Maritime Stirs Spirited Discussion

by Elisabeth Tweedie

London, July 13, 2012--The maritime market for satellite services is one of the fastest growing segments of the industry.  Euroconsult has forecasted that the number of satellite communications terminals in the global maritime market will nearly double over the next de-cade, with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of seven percent over the 10-year period.

Euroconsult Sees a Turning Point for FSS Operators

Market characterized by innovative capital investments, emergence of new players, and diverging performances

Paris, France, July 12, 2012 –Euroconsult announced the findings of its most recent study of fixed satellite services. The report entitled "Company Profiles, Analysis of FSS Operators," now in its 5th edition, indicates that regional operators in particular continued to see strong business growth from various applications including DTH TV broadcasting, cellular backhaul and enterprise networks. Many of these regional operators are continuing their ambitious expansion plans with growing satellite fleets and a number of satellite launches still ahead in the coming years.

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In Satellite Contracts, What You Do Not Know Can Hurt You

by Robert Bell

New York City, July 9, 2012--Satellite capacity is a uniquely valuable asset.  It can do some things, like broadcasting one signal to millions of destinations, better and cheaper than any other technology.  But it is also a scarce asset, thanks to the laws of physics and the skilled yield management of the operators that fly spacecraft in Earth orbit. 

Futuresource Research Shows That Almost Every UK Home Will be Able to Access Connect TV Services by 2014

London, UK, July 4, 2012 --Freeview today published research undertaken by Futuresource Consulting that shows that almost every home in the UK will be able to access Connect TV powered services by the end of 2014. Connect TV brings internet delivered content to the Freeview Electronic Programme Guide (EPG). The service works on all compliant Freeview HD devices and offers live streaming and on demand services. Connect TV seamlessly combines Digital Terrestrial (DTT) broadcast and TV over broadband, offering broadcasters, content owners and brands the ability to reach the wide UK Freeview audience in a simple, cost-effective way, without the requirement for additional specialised hardware.

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