The global space economy grew to US$ 289.77 billion in 2011, reflecting a surprisingly robust single-year expansion of 12.2 percent and five-year growth of 41 percent in a global economy that has been suppressed in many other sectors, according to the Space Report 2012 published by the Space Foundation.

The Satellite TV  industry is in the midst of a revolution according to a report by IBISWorld. Satellite TV providers  supply popular family shows, news, movies, sports, documentaries and other products to a growing swarm of eager subscribers willing to pay for in-home entertainment. For example, the introduction of high-definition (HD) TV vastly improved the quality of shows and attracted subscribers even as disposable income dropped during the Great Recession.

Mobile Internet will account for 25% of China’s mobile revenues in 2012, up from less than 23% in 2011. In India, mobile Internet will represent 19% of this year’s service revenue. While the figures demonstrate the robust demand for mobile data across the Asia-Pacific, they still pale in comparison to the region’s more advanced markets like Japan (40%) and Hong Kong (44%).

VT Systems and the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) released the results of a new study on satellite communications in the utility industry. The study, Strategic Assessment of Satellite Usage in the Utility Industry, was conducted to gain a better understanding of how satellite communications is currently used in the utility industry and to better articulate the benefits of modern VSAT systems. Among the key findings were that 60% of utilities surveyed are already using some form of satellite communications technology.

The city of Rio de Janeiro will once again be the location for the latest in the GVF-EMP Oil & Gas Communications Conference series as it launches into its 2012 global program.  Held in association with Harris CapRock, Intelsat, RigNet, Hughes, Telespazio, KVH, C-COM Satellite Systems, and with special thanks to Petrobras, ‘Oil & Gas Communications Brazil 2012: 21st Century Digital Oilfield & Gasfield Imperatives Onshore, Offshore, and in Deepwater’ will take place 25th & 26th April 2012 at the Windsor Barra Hotel.

ITU’s upcoming ITU Telecom World 2012 event will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 14-18 October 2012. The event, which follows the format pioneered at World 2011, will see interactive debate, networking and knowledge-sharing placed firmly at the center of an influential discussion agenda.

by Virgil Labrador, Editor-in-Chief

The satellite industry will continues to grow in the coming years albeit at a more modest pace.  This was the consensus  among senior satellite industry executives speaking at the Satellite 2012 Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. and Cabsat/Satellite MENA 2012 in Dubai, UAE held last month.  There are some concerns with the developing economic crisis in Europe, where three of the four major satellite operators are based, but the mood is decidedly bullish.

NSR’s Oil and Gas via Satellite, 2nd Edition report. released today, finds the Oil & Gas satcom market to remain lucrative over the long-term as bandwidth needs rise worldwide and emerging Oil & Gas markets increase their requirements. Traditional Oil & Gas markets such as the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico are now increasingly complemented by growing satcom demand in Asia, Latin America and the Indian & Pacific Oceans.

Over 80 industry speakers to deliberate on new and emerging business models and second screen strategies

Euroconsult, said that global budgets for space programs have reached a plateau of roughly $70 billion, confirming a slowdown in expansion experienced by the space industry for the last 10 years. According to Euroconsult's new report "Profiles of Government Space Programs: Analysis of 60 Countries & Agencies," Space programs received a short-term boost in recent years from several governments to counter the economic crisis. However, they must now undergo even more stringent budget constraints exemplified by the European public debt crisis and the U.S. Budget Control Act of 2011.