FEATURES
Inquotes: Who's saying what...
13 June 2014
13 June 2014: The best thing that has happened to the satellite industry in Asia so far this year is..."DTH operators driving up more bandwidth requirements, increasing demand for satellite. We all know that broadcast and DTH is taking a lot of capacity in Asia. At the same time, we see, in places like Indonesia and the Philippines, that there are many remote areas where fibre can't reach. It would be very expensive to bring fibre or copper cable to these areas. The other area that satellite can play an important role is helping provide mobile communications in rural areas, whether Indonesia or Myanmar. It is still a very cost-effective way to provide communications to rural areas for many countries."Lim Kian Soon, Head, Satellite, SingTel"The ongoing digital switchover is having a tremendous impact on the satellite sector. The Asia-Pacific region is very diverse, and each country offers different opportunities. Some are still operating analogue systems and are transitioning, while some have already moved to digital terrestrial television (DTT). Countries may have different needs, and satellite just makes sense in helping with the rollout of government-based DTT projects."Terry Bleakley, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific Sales, Intelsat"Even though it has been slightly more than half a year since Typhoon Haiyan struck in the Philippines, the scenes of devastation caused by the storm remain fresh in our collective memory, while relief efforts continue today. As an industry... satellite operators and service providers were quick to donate capacity, teleport services and equipment, among other things as they understood the importance of re-establishing vital communications services in the Philippines in the crucial first weeks of the disaster, and after terrestrial infrastructure had been completely destroyed. The speedy response of the satellite industry collecti...
13 June 2014: The best thing that has happened to the satellite industry in Asia so far this year is..."DTH operators driving up more bandwidth requirements, increasing demand for satellite. We all know that broadcast and DTH is taking a lot of capacity in Asia. At the same time, we see, in places like Indonesia and the Philippines, that there are many remote areas where fibre can't reach. It would be very expensive to bring fibre or copper cable to these areas. The other area that satellite can play an important role is helping provide mobile communications in rural areas, whether Indonesia or Myanmar. It is still a very cost-effective way to provide communications to rural areas for many countries."Lim Kian Soon, Head, Satellite, SingTel"The ongoing digital switchover is having a tremendous impact on the satellite sector. The Asia-Pacific region is very diverse, and each country offers different opportunities. Some are still operating analogue systems and are transitioning, while some have already moved to digital terrestrial television (DTT). Countries may have different needs, and satellite just makes sense in helping with the rollout of government-based DTT projects."Terry Bleakley, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific Sales, Intelsat"Even though it has been slightly more than half a year since Typhoon Haiyan struck in the Philippines, the scenes of devastation caused by the storm remain fresh in our collective memory, while relief efforts continue today. As an industry... satellite operators and service providers were quick to donate capacity, teleport services and equipment, among other things as they understood the importance of re-establishing vital communications services in the Philippines in the crucial first weeks of the disaster, and after terrestrial infrastructure had been completely destroyed. The speedy response of the satellite industry collectively and the promptness with which they collaborated with humanitarian organisations demonstrated how well-prepared the industry is to roll out connectivity networks in times of natural disasters, although that's something we all hope doesn't happen in a long, long time."Glen Tindall, Vice President, Sales, Asia Pacific, SES"The launch industry has a busy schedule in 2014. Among the launches over the past few months, the success of SpaceX in the commercial launch market was of particular significance... The successful entry of SpaceX into the commercial market proves their viability as an alternative option for operators who look for more pricing flexibility when choosing a launch vehicle."William Wade, President and Chief Executive Officer, AsiaSat"Continued deregulation in Asian markets is generating healthy competition that benefits users and our industry. A significant example over the past months is in Myanmar, where two mobile licences have been issued that should fuel demand for satellites for backhauling and accelerate the penetration of mobile phones beyond current single-digit levels. From an industry perspective, the successful launch in January of Thaicom-6 by SpaceX is obviously a game-changer by lowering launch costs and further improving the overall economics of the satellite business."Ken Loke, Chief Executive Officer, Eutelsat Asia"Today, more users are realising the importance of mobile satellite communications. Although Asia is well-fibred, a large part of the region remains unconnected or unserved by terrestrial networks."Ng Guan Soon, Regional Director of Asia Pacific, ThurayaWhat do you think will have the most impact on the satellite industry in Asia in 2014?"Two trends will continue to drive growth in the region - globalisation and regionalisation. In terms of regionalisation, when people relocate to different countries and continents they look for broadcasting of regional programmes that helps them maintain a connection to their cultural roots in Asia. Also, the growing trend of Asian channels seeking worldwide distribution continues to be served well by Intelsat?s unique C-band solution. Programmers can distribute their channels worldwide on just three satellites - Intelsat-19, Intelsat-20 and Intelsat-21 - while also having access to our global fleet of 50+ satellites and the IntelsatOne terrestrial network. We also see more Asian channels upgrading to HD - of the 1,600 channels carried on Intelsat-19, Intelsat-20 and Intelsat 21, nearly 10% are HD ? and we see demand increasing." Terry Bleakley, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific Sales, Intelsat"We expect continued strong demand for DTH in some Asian markets, the conversion of SDTV to HDTV, continued digitalisation and the emergence of new technologies such as 4K HEVC will drive industry growth in the coming years. However, challenges from the weak global economy, increasing market competition and government regulation will temper growth expectations in the near term."William Wade, President and Chief Executive Officer, AsiaSat"A number of trends in Asia's video markets are generating opportunities for satellite players equipped with the appropriate technologies, experience and partnerships. The first is the transition to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), which calls on satellites to deliver multiplexes to DTT towers and to reach homes beyond terrestrial reception on a DTH basis. Some countries, such as Thailand, are also issuing a must-carry law of terrestrial digital channels by DTH platforms, which will be a boost for the industry. A second trend is the increased penetration of HD screens in consumer homes that is driving an acceleration of satellite delivered HD channels. Beyond HD, Ultra HD is clearly on the agenda of Asia's broadcast community. Although groundwork is still to be completed in areas that include standardisation and compression, we see strong industry momentum and expect the first commercial broadcasts of 4K channels in the coming years. We have been demonstrating 4K in Europe since last year and will take part in 4K demonstrations in Asia this year. In other areas, we believe that the favourable economics facilitated by new generation satellites and ground equipment will trigger broader growth for mobility markets in 2014, both for maritime and in-flight broadband."Ken Loke, Chief Executive Officer, Eutelsat Asia"When we launched SES-8 with SpaceX last December... we knew that the success of the launch - the first commercial geostationary launch for SpaceX - would revolutionise the economics of space. Having positioned itself as a cost-effective provider within the commercial satellite launch market, SpaceX has attracted multiple satellite operators -- both global and Asian - to launch with them, translating into more cost-effective satellite services across Asia. Additionally, the success of Space X also means that established launch operators such as Arianespace and ILS are increasingly motivated to improve their designs and strive to have next-generation rocket technology. Innovation of such kind would definitely drive the satellite industry forward, and not just in Asia."Glen Tindall, Vice President, Sales, Asia Pacific, SES"It is very unfortunate; however, tragedies have a huge impact in highlighting the importance of satellite communications. Satellite has played a leading role across Asia this year. From supporting post-Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts to locating the whereabouts of a missing plane to providing vital communications at sea in support of search and rescue efforts of a capsised ferry... The perception of satellite is changing. Consumers and governments are recognising that satellite usage extends beyond luxury TV entertainment. Mobile satellite communication is the only reliable form of communication available when terrestrial networks are destroyed during natural disasters."Ng Guan Soon, Regional Director of Asia Pacific, Thuraya"Emerging countries moving on to 3G, which requires a lot of bandwidth, increasing demand for cellular backhaul - satellite backhaul continues to play a key role in connecting rural areas in Asia. It was typically used to deploy traditional networks. As the market matured, satellite applications evolved; now we see satellite is used for long-distance learning, content distribution, live billboards etc."Lim Kian Soon, Head, Satellite, SingTel