News Analysis

Satellite Earth-Observation: Faster, Cheaper, Better

New NSR Report Projects Satellite-Based EO Market to Triple and Reach over $6.2 Billion by 2021

Cambridge, Mass. – October 8, 2012 - NSR’s Global Satellite-Based Earth Observation (EO), 4th Edition report points to an industry in transition that is considerably improving its value-proposition. As a direct consequence, the satellite EO industry is progressively moving from growth fed by orders from governmental & military organizations to one based on a more balanced mix of end-users, laying the groundwork for a decade of growth in both data and value-added-services (VAS) segments.

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Are you Ready for the Gigabit World?

by Robert Bell

New York City, October 3, 2012--Put together Tooway, Exede, EPIC, Hughesnet, Hylas, Jabiru, NS3 and Clear Channel, and what have you got?  You probably recognize the brand names, because of the accelerating pace of announcements about Ka-band satellites and higher-order modulation emerging from satellite operators and technology companies.  And if they have given you the feeling that the satellite business is bracing for some big changes, you’re right.

Growing CDN Market Prompts Hopes of a "better" Internet – and Fears it will be "less neutral"

London, UK, October 2, 2012- According to the latest research from Informa Telecoms & Media released at the CDN Summit, revenue generated from the sale of content delivery network (CDN) services will grow threefold in the five years to 2017 to reach US$4.63 billion. This is on the back of a fivefold rise in global CDN traffic.

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The Satellite Industry in Transition

by Elisabeth Tweedie

Paris, France, October 1, 2012--Compared to the ebullience of the last few years the mood was relatively subdued in Paris this September at Euroconsult’s Satellite Business Week conference. Ka-Band is no longer new and at the present time the results from the broadband services already launched are too new to be pronounced outstanding successes or dismal failures.  Some would argue that Electric Propulsion (EP) is new, certainly it hasn’t been used to get to an orbital location before but in spite of the fact that recent innovations mean that delivery in-orbit is now possible in 30 days it failed to generate the excitement that Ka has been doing.

Cloud, OTT and Multiscreen the Key for Operators’ Future Bundles

London, UK,  September 27, 2012- A new report from Informa Telecoms & Media warns telecom operators that the days of the old-style triple or quad-play bundles are numbered. Going forward, operators will have to offer a whole range of new content and applications within their bundled products – including OTT content from companies like Netflix and Spotify and even VoIP from providers like Skype – to keep their subscribers happy.

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Short-Term Pause in Growth Rate for Government & Military Satcom Demand

NSR Report Projects Near Term Challenges but Long Term Revenue Potential of $9.7 Billion by 2021

Cambridge, Mass., September 25, 2012 - According to NSR's newest market research report Government and Military Satellite Communications, 9th Edition, despite near term uncertainty driven by troop withdrawals and budgetary challenges, government and military demand for commercial satcom services looks solid in the long term. In fact the commercial industry will supply 68% more satellite capacity to government and military users over the next decade.

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New WTA Report Explores The Role Of “Teleports In A Gigabit World”

New York, NY, September 24, 2012-The World Teleport Association today released a new white paper, Teleports in a Gigabit World, exploring how the continuing evolution of the Ka-band market and the technology race for gigabit throughput in C- and Ku-band are most likely to affect service providers. Based on interviews with senior executives of teleport, satellite and media companies, the report examines threats and potential opportunities and offers advice on what service providers can do today to defend against the downside as well as seize the upside.

High throughput satellite (HTS), a term coined in 2007 by research firm NSR, has pretty much been synonymous with the Ka-band of frequencies. But innovations in modem technology and satellite architecture are taking HTS mainstream, with big implications for the delivery of services to customers in media, government, military, oil & gas, mining, maritime and other markets.

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CDNs Impact Value Chain for Big Data and Media Content Delivery

London, September 21, 2012--Increasing expectations from end-users for the management of big data and premium services such as IP-based video-on-demand, live streaming and HD broadcast, are changing the way media content and data are delivered. The escalating demand from consumers is driving the need for CDNs, to help content providers manage this need with a more direct, reliable route. As CDNs play a prominent role in the way the content delivery ecosystem is evolving, key players in the space including market leaders Akamai, as well as EdgeCast and Amazon, will speak at this year’s CDN World Summit.

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Legacy Resolutions Continue to Dominate DTH Markets

SD Channels Remain Vital to Global DTH Subscription Revenues Reaching $123 Billion in 2021

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., September 11, 2012 - NSR’s Global Direct-to-Home (DTH) Markets, 5th Edition finds the global DTH industry is still living in an SD world. With two SD channels entering the market for every HD channel, as well as SD subscribers outnumbering HD and DVR subscribers combined, the market remains dominated by the legacy resolutions; except for the measure that really matters: revenues.

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Ka-Band: Driving Profound Business Model Changes

by Jan Grøndrup-Vivanco

Paris, September 4, 2012--Ka-band is more than just an expansion band; it will have profound implications on how satellite capacity is sold from both the satellite operators’ and service providers’ perspective.  One might even worry if Ka-Band is short for cannibalism?  Even though Ka-Band has been around for a number of years in the satellite communications industry, it is only recently that it has made inroads into the commercial mainstream as C- and Ku-Band.