The CABSAT 2012 exhibition, 28th February to 1st March next year, will feature a stronger than ever GVF presence, as the global association representing some 230+ member organizations from the satellite industry sector provides the satellite communications stream of the event’s conference element. Held at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center (DICEC), the GVF Interference Mitigation Forum, and the GVF Markets & Services Summit, will take place on the second and third days of CABSAT, a key feature of the international satellite communications events calendar.
Also on the GVF’s Dubai calendar for CABSAT is a GVF Hands on Skills Test (H.O.S.T.) session, which will take place on 3rd & 4th March. The H.O.S.T. is for GVF installation training course students, and further details feature later in this column.
Finally, GVF-member and training partner in the MENA region, MenaNets, will be holding an evening reception on 29th February. Mazen Nassar, GVF Master Trainer for the MENA region, and CEO of MenaNets, will host the gathering for invited GVF member-company representatives, and other CABSAT attendees. More information on the venue and times will be available from the GVF website in due course.
GVF is delighted, once again, to be working with Satellite Markets & Research as a Media Partner for its CABSAT program, and looks forward to Virgil Labrador’s contribution to the program as a session moderator.
On 29th February, and timetabled for 11:00 to 17:00, will be the MENASAT Satellite Interference Mitigation Forum. Attendance at this event will be Free-of-Charge for registered CABSAT attendees. The Forum is organized by GVF (the Global VSAT Forum) in association with the satellite Interference Reduction Group (sIRG), and in coordination with organizations serving as the voice of the broadcasting sector, WBU-ISOG (the World Broadcasting Unions-International Satellite Operations Group) and a relatively new group, the RFI-EUI (Radio Frequency Interference-End Users Initiative).
For several years now, broadcasters and satellite industry leaders have been collaborating to combat satellite interference throughout the world. What results have been achieved? What challenges remain to be addressed? And what is required to address those outstanding challenges? This Forum will provide the answers.
Three working groups with representation from all the above mentioned organizations have been established. These groups are developing plans designed to take quality assurance and satellite signal integrity to the next level. Such plans are critical because continuing interference is still causing service interruptions, which are increasing operational costs, decreasing reliability rates, and impacting industry competitiveness. Broadcasters' and satellite industry efforts to solve radio frequency interference (RFI) problems have been extensive, but the adoption of viable solutions and their comprehensive implementation have yet to be achieved and there is heightened urgency for results.
This one-day event – the most recent in a series of meetings held in Europe, North America and Asia – will include leading users, satellite operators, manufacturers, and other subject experts in interactive discussions and debate. Participants will have an opportunity to learn the latest developments relating to each facet of this issue, evaluate their relative merits, and build upon the progress already made towards necessary solutions. Themes will include: Addressing Satellite Interference Challenges; Pro-Active & Re-active Solutions; Training & Certification; Product Quality Assurance; Carrier ID; Spectrum Initiatives; Space Data Association; Network Validation Initiatives to Address Sub-Optimal & Dysfunctional Networks.
For more details about the Satellite Interference Mitigation Forum please contact Martin Jarrold at GVF (martin.jarrold@gvf.org). Information updates will be available through the CABSAT (http://www.cabsat.com/) and GVF (http://www.gvf.org/) websites.
Taking place on 1st March, the 2012 MENASAT Satellite Markets & Services Summit is entitled ‘Market Drivers & Services Dynamics - Satellite Applications & Technologies in MENA’. It will comprise a blend of discussions that are topically-based and thematic in orientation together with an analysis of cutting-edge product and service solutions from the global satellite industry and positioned to meet the communications needs of the Middle East and North Africa marketplace. This event will also take place between 11:00 and 17:00, and attendance is also Free-of-Charge to registered CABSAT attendees.
This year’s Summit themes will focus around: Understanding Today’s & Forecasting Tomorrow’s Regional Growth Drivers; The Dynamics of Ka-band in the MENA Region; Global & Regional Satellite Operators - Local Knowledge & Universal Dynamics; Satellite Transponder Supply & Demand Dynamics; Satellite-Wireless Access to Multimedia Solutions on the Move; Mitigating Disaster, Promoting Development, Driving Sustainability; Energy, Maritime, other Key Regional Verticals – The Mission Criticality of the Communications Space; New Regulatory Dynamics: MENA Administrations in a Global Context; The DVB-S2 Technology Advantage; Sustainable Development Solutions via ‘SatCommunity’ CSR Initiatives.
For more details about the Satellite Markets & Services Summit please contact Martin Jarrold at GVF (martin.jarrold@gvf.org). Information updates will be available through the CABSAT and GVF website, as noted above.
The GVF Hands on Skills Test (H.O.S.T.), which will take place on 3rd & 4th March 2012, is for installation training students who have completed at least course level 510 in the GVF installer training portfolio of courses. The instructor will be Mazen Nassar, the GVF’s Master Trainer for the MENA region, and CEO of MenaNets. The training will take place at the MenaNets training facility in the Jebel Ali free zone in Dubai. To register, contact: Mazen@MenaNets.com. For more information about GVF installer training please visit the GVF & SatProf Training Portal at http://gvf.coursehost.com/.
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Martin Jarrold is Director of International Programs of the GVF. He can be reached at: martin.jarrold@gvf.org
