Over 1,000 attendees officially registered for the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) conference held in Hawaii from January 17-21, 2009 with 4,000 more participating in the event as "networkers." This number was lower than in previous years, but the quality of the attendees in terms of having top executives of leading companies more than made up for the quantity of delegates. Besides, the PTC is slightly different from other shows in that it has five times as many other participants who can register as a "networker" and still participate in the many activities surruonding the event. Set in the paradise-like setting of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki--it might be hard to believe that any work can actually get done here. But make no mistake about it-a lot of business is being done at the PTC and the quality and depth of the sessions are as good as any.
Over 1,000 attendees officially registered for the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) conference held in Hawaii from January 17-21, 2009 with 4,000 more participating in the event as "networkers." This number was lower than in previous years, but the quality of the attendees in terms of having top executives of leading companies more than made up for the quantity of delegates. Besides, the PTC is slightly different from other shows in that it has five times as many other participants who can register as a "networker" and still participate in the many activities surruonding the event. Set in the paradise-like setting of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki---it might be hard to believe that any work can actually get done here. But make no mistake about it-a lot of business is being done at the PTC and the quality and depth of the sessions are as good as any.
This year, the satellite component of the conference was more than in previous years. When asked about this, Dr. Mark Hukill, senior advisor to the PTC and one of the organizers of the conference said that "the industry has changed, the satellite people need to work with the telecoms, fiber and submarine cable people in order to go after the same clients and provide them with the best possible solution." The conference theme was "Collaborating for Change" but the change that permeated the conference sessions is the global economic downturn. The mood, however was relatively positive. The main speakers all expressed optimism that the telecom industry will be able to weather the crisis and emerge from it stronger. During the Satellite CEO Roundtable, Space Systems/Loral’s John Celli said that the industry is "very healthy" and is well positioned to weather the downturn. This view was shared by all the other panelists. The only caveat is, according to Yutaki Nagai, Executive VP of the newly-merged Japanese DTH operator SKY Perfect JSAT, is that if the downturn lasts more than a year or 18 months, then the satellite companies might start to feel its impact.
Intelsat’s CEO David McGlade was featured in a one-one session where he also expressed his optimism on the prospects of the satelltie industry. He said 2008 was one of the best years in a decade for Intelsat and he saw opportunities in the downturn. He said that Intelsat is always looking to expand its network and will not discount the possible acquisition of smaller satellite operators who will find it harder to survive during the downturn.
The buzz at the conference was the start-up venture O3b Networks whose CEO Greg Wyler gave a keynote. O3b Networks is planning a 16-satellite all Ka-Band global network serving primarily developing countries. With the economy pretty much on everyone’s mind, observers were skeptical of such a plan that mainly reaches out to Third World countries. But Wyler points out that these countries aare not as affected by the economic downturn and being a carrier’s carrier their customers are established PTTs and operators. To view a video of my interview with Wyler and other executives at PTC go to www.satellitemarkets.com/media/videolist.php
One of the other keynote speakers was Mark Dankberg, Co-founder and CEO of ViaSat, Inc., who discussed how the US government can use broadband satellite communications to extend the Internet to those areas that are expensive to serve with conventional copper and fiber-based telecom networks. ViaSat is pursuing its own project which, along with Hughes Spaceway, promises to deliver broadband service that complements and extends terrestrial networks to greatly increase access to the full range of Internet-based applications. Using facts and figures, Mark demonstrated the economic advantage of blending terrestrial with satellite services to achieve nearly 100% penetration of the US market.
The keynote and two sessions of this half day workshop provided a good overview of how satellites serve the needs and interests of governments, with a particular focus on reducing government expense while improving the flow of services to citizens and the private sector. Leading off was Mark Dankberg, Co-founder and CEO of ViaSat, Inc. Mark discussed how the US government can use broadband satellite communications to extend the Internet to those areas that are expensive to serve with conventional copper and fiber-based telecom networks. ViaSat is pursuing its own project which, along with Hughes Spaceway, promises to deliver broadband service that complements and extends terrestrial networks to greatly increase access to the full range of Internet-based applications. Using facts and figures, Mark demonstrated the economic advantage of blending terrestrial with satellite services to achieve nearly 100% penetration of the US market.
Lou Zacharilla of SSPI and WTA took the tack of exploring how satellites accelerate the development of broadband applications. The two participants on his panel, Gary Hatch, CEO of ATCi, provider of the award-winning Simulsat antenna, and Rick Sanford, COO of the division of Cisco responsible for the to-be-launched Internet Router in Space (IRIS), took us into the future to look at which advancements on the ground and in space will keep satellites at the forefront. Gary documented many Internet and wireless technologies and uses that clearly can only exist in a broadband and connected world. Rick described the IRIS program, which was funded by Cisco and has already reached the key milestone of being integrated into its first satellite.
The PTC also featured a workshop sorganized by the GVF, and modertedby Alan Gottlieb of Gottlieb International Group. It delved deeply into how an appropriate culture of use can make satellite communications into a more effective medium for effecting positive change in the public and private sectors. Bruce Elbert, President of consulting firm Application Technology Strategy, Inc., presented his case for the use of a community of interest to foster success in satellite applications. Through the 40 year history of the industry, successful projects like Anik A, Palapa A and AsiaSat showed that having a clear purpose and goal for a satellite system is a good predictor of how the system will be accepted and sustained into the future. Further, satellite networks of the US military and the State of California have proven central to recovery from major disasters, like the Asian Tsunami and brush fires and earthquakes in the Golden State. Bruce made the point that just throwing money at broadband won’t automatically create the right environment or promote the desired culture of use. What is key is having a common goal and purpose, through which a user community may develop and prosper. Lori Sherman took over from Bruce and reviewed some of the legal and regulatory challenges to making broadband satellite service more available around the world. She emphasized that while many countries have an "Open Skies" policy, others restrict the availability of what would aid their economies and populations through obsolete practices that must change sooner rather than later.
Judging from the networking events and receptions at the PTC, it doesn’t look like we are in an economic downturn. Tata Communications hosted a lavish party by the pool and there were many concurrent reception going on. It’s business as usual for the industry and a lot of it was being done at the PTC.
