ISSUE 25 | JANUARY 2014
VSAT vs HTS Will high-throughput satellites hurt the VSAT market?
READY FOR THE FIFA WORLD CUP? Brazil’s Anatel focuses on interference mitigation
ERA OF ALLIANCES Arabsat’s Khalid Balkheyour talks partnerships and plans
LIBYA GETS CONNECTED Broadband revolution gives resellers high-speed Ka-band services
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EDITORIAL
Group Chairman and Founder Dominic De Sousa
Does anyone know?
Group CEO Nadeem Hood Managing Director Richard Judd richard.judd@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9126
A group of astronomers discovered a planet that, well, simply shouldn’t be there. Left scratching their heads, the star-gazers have explained that the giant exoplanet’s existence has upended science as we know it. Our theories on planet formation cannot be applied and despite various attempts to generate worthy hypotheses, we don’t seem to have a clue how this bad boy got there.
EDITORIAL Editorial Director - Broadcast & Construction Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpimediagroup.com +971 55 105 3787 Editor Adrienne Harebottle adrienne.harebottle@cpimediagroup.com +971 55 105 3776 ADVERTISING Publishing Director Raz Islam raz.islam@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9129 Group Sales Manager Sandip Virk sandip.virk@cpimediagroup.com +44 7734 442526 Sales Manager Rodi Hennawi rodi.hennawi@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9106 PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Art Director Simon Cobon Designer Jane Mathews PHOTOGRAPHY Jay Colina Abdul Kader Pattambi
I’m not saying that our theories on planet formation should be chucked out the window, although one can’t help but question their accuracy. Perhaps the law for forming planets is in parallel with my rule that one size does not fit all, and just as this nonsense should be banned from clothing stores, so should astronomers consider a whopping exception. This does lead me to the subject of theories and how, so long as they’re “scientific”, almost any average Joe out there will accept them as unfaltering, indisputable fact – and numerous times I’ve heard that word being thrown around. Of course we come from monkeys; it’s evolution, it’s a fact! The universe was created as the result of the Big Bang, that’s a fact! Stress causes ulcers, that’s a fact! What I want to know is when the word “theory” became synonymous with fact? For those that believe ulcers are stress induced, news flash: this theory was shattered back in the 1980s. And while the Big Bang theory is still going strong, we widely believed its predecessor: Einstein’s theory of the Static Universe, better known as Einstein’s Universe. My question now is: who knows what they are actually talking about? Those throwing facts around don’t actually have any, and the scientists appear together until they’re seen gawking at each other in wondrous bafflement. If laymen are willing to accept anything scientific, are we prepared to possibly have our realities flipped each time there is a new discovery? Finally, I must conclude with my paramount query: what will be my next lead story? If you have any ideas, please let me know, urgently!
Database Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +9714 440 9147 Production Manager James P. Tharian james.tharian@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9146
Adrienne Harebottle Editor
DIGITAL SERVICES webmaster@cpidubai.com Digital Services Manager Tristan Troy Maagma Web Developers Joel Azcuna Janice Fulgencio Published by
Registered at IMPZ PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 Printed by Printwell Printing Press LLC
© Copyright 2014 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.
In this edition: “Our Libyan resellers are provided full visibility and control of all the terminals deployed, resulting in better customer support service” Neil Denyer, Sales Manager at Bentley Walker page 10
“The satellite industry has not done enough to add value to the bandwidth and services that it delivers to customers” Robert Kubbernus, President and CEO of Signalhorn page 26
“This system is especially fascinating because no model of either planet or star formation fully explains what we see” Vanessa Bailey, Researcher and student in the Astronomy Department at University of Arizona page 40
“The main problem in Brazil is related to piracy in direct-to-home services and the authorities are constantly blocking such illegal practices” Rodrigo de Oliveira Menezes, Engineer at Anatel page 30
CONTENTS
Issue 25 | January 2014
10
News
SatOpinion
4
26
Making History
Cross-industry Collaboration
Capacity deals, partnerships, achievements, expansion plans and a monkey from space
Terrestrial, wireless and satellite partnerships would create new business opportunities
16 SatLead
SatSport
10
30
Broadband Revolution: Libya gets connected
All Eyes on Brazil
Bentley Walker launches its Ka-band service to provide high-speed internet
Anatel discusses satellite interference mitigation in the lead up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup
SatInterview
SatTech
16
“Standalone Operations Don’t Cut It Anymore”
40
36
Friend or Foe?
Khalid Balkheyour talks about Arabsat’s partnerships, achievements and challenges
HTS could potentially hamper the VSAT market, but this technology also comes with opportunities
SatTrends
SatGuest
22
VSAT: Then and Now From design to engineering concepts and current trends, we look at the VSAT market changes
40
The Planet that Shouldn’t Be There Giant exoplanet shatter theories on the formation of planets
SatNews
Badr-7 to begin new era in merging broadcasting and telcomms Arabsat actively pursued expansion plans in 2013, forging significant broadcast-related partnerships, and has signed contracts for sixth-generation satellites, says the Saudi-based company. These satellites will significantly provide extra satellite capacity for all of Africa as well as other potential markets with full in-orbit back-up, says Khalid Balkheyour, Arabsat President and CEO.
“Arabsat will also be showcasing Badr-7 satellite capabilities, which were taken into account when designed to be provided with the state-of-art broadcasting technology that will inaugurate a new era in combining satellite broadcasting and telecommunications services. Badr-7 is expected to be launched by the end of 2015 to cover the Middle East and central Asia from Arabsat’s exclusive hotspot at 26 degrees East,” he says. According to Balkheyour, the Saudibased operator is working on additional crucial operations. “We are currently working hard on several important strategic projects to operate our orbital positions and keep up with the increasing demand of our customers’ needs. [This will enable] Arabsat to always remain the best choice to provide all its customers’ needs in satellite broadcasting and telecommunication services.” www.arabsat.com
STN FAVOURS MEA REGION, PUSHES TO INCREASE CAPACITY
The Middle East and Africa are set to see continued growth, says Satellite Telecommunications Network (STN), a media distribution service provider. The Middle East is an opportunistic area for TV stations the world over, with rising demand for new channels spurred by the political landscape and the vast number of expatriates residing here, it says. “We’ve seen significant growth in the number of channels and major state-owned and private TV stations from around the globe have recognised the need to broadcast over the region. Two reasons for this new channel boom is the huge number of nationalities including westerners residing in the region and the political situation, where the people recognise the need to express different views, 4 | SatellitePro | January 2014
and what better way to do this than through TV?” says Mitja Lovsin, Sales and Marketing Director at STN Slovenia. STN predicts growth across the entire African market, a trend that will remain strong for the next several years, says Lovsin. “We previously recognised the big push into Africa, where the free capacities for the video/ audio satellite neighbourhoods have become virtually mission impossible. Based on our forecast, STN will continue to look to increase our capacity in the next couple of years. STN has been involved in Africa for some time now and is currently providing the full head-end service for the largest distribution platform of the none-African-origin content. STN has also secured two of the largest high-profile directto-home projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.” www.stn.eu
AVANTI’S HYLAS 2 TO CONNECT 400 LIBRARIES IN SOUTH AFRICA Avanti Communications Group and Meso Group have completed the first phase of a major project to connect libraries in the Republic of South Africa. Following a competitive tender, Meso, a South African IT and telecoms company, won the bid to deliver services to 400 provincial libraries using Avanti’s Hylas 2 satellite. The National Library of South Africa (NLSA) launched an informationmanagement project across the three provinces of Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga. The aim is to provide increased connectivity and allow libraries to better share records and data on stock management via the internet, reportedly helping to improve operating efficiency and increase the satisfaction of the borrowers. www.avantiplc.com
IRAN LAUNCHES MONKEY INTO SPACE, MAKES SAFE RETURN
Iran successfully launched its second monkey into space on December 14, according to Iranian officials. Part of a programme to have a manned flight within the next few years, the liquid-fuelled rocket “Pajohesh” was launched to 120km above the Earth’s surface. The capsule carrying the monkey named Fargam, or “auspicious” in English, was then detached before parachuting safely back to the Earth. The mission lasted 15 minutes, according to the officials adding that scientists on the ground were able to monitor the monkey’s health as well as rocket metrics during the space flight. www.isa.ir
Nigeria’s PPC, Eutelsat sign C-band capacity deal for oil and gas market SATELLITE EQUIPMENT ENABLES CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS IN DEVASTATED PHILIPPINES
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) deployed dozens of satellite phones and terminals to facilitate search and rescue efforts in the Philippines after Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, tore through country’s Visayas region in November 2013. The equipment includes 50 Thuraya satellite phones equipped with GPS, 30 Iridium satellite phones, 20 Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) terminals and a Qualcomm CDMA base station. All equipment deployed can be charged by car batteries and is supplied with solar panels to enable operation during power outages. ITU experts have been deployed to the Philippines and are working with the authorities to train first responders in the use of the equipment during search and rescue operations and for logistical support. www.itu.int
SMART COMMUNICATIONS, THURAYA DEPLOY MOBILE HANDSETS IN PHILIPPINES
Thuraya and its service partner Smart Communications, a Philippines-based wireless service provider, have deployed more than 100 units of the Thuraya SF2500, SatSleeve and the Thuraya XT to Philippine Government agencies as well as relief organisations such as the Red Cross. In aid of the typhoon survivors, Smart has converted more than 70 Marino Phonepal (SF2500) units for basic voice calling on land. These units are being utilised as free call centres in over 27 municipalities, enabling survivors to contact family members who live outside of the disaster areas. www.thuraya.com www.smart.com.ph
PPC, a provider of integrated IT services in Nigeria, has selected Eutelsat Communications to boost C-band resources needed to meet increasing demand from the oil and gas industry. PPC has signed a contract with Eutelsat for 20MHz of capacity on the EUTELSAT 10A satellite whose C-band footprint provides coverage of the African continent. Created in 1991 as Philips Projects Centre, an affiliate of Philips Electronics of the Netherlands, PPC was transformed in 2002 into a Nigerian limited liability technology company. Its core activities are geared towards delivering specialised integrated ICT services for the energy, financial, medical and other utility and business sectors via three wholly-owned teleports in Nigeria that host hubs serving VSAT www.ppcng.com
terminals and deliver 24/7 customer support. The capacity leased on EUTELSAT 10A will notably enable PPC to expand its business in the energy sector for which it has developed unique expertise in remote and harsh environments. PPC’s General Manager of Operations Patrick Ede commented: “The strong features of EUTELSAT 10A combined with our teleport facilities equip us to meet stringent and growing requirements for highly secured communication. Our strategy is to leverage the strength of EUTELSAT 10A to meet unique customer requirements especially in the oil and gas industry and other sectors of the economy. With EUTELSAT 10A added to our portfolio of satellite resources, we are strengthening our pan-African coverage and service provision.” www.eutelsat.com
INTELSAT REPOINTS KUBAND BEAM FOR PHILIPPINES
Immediately after Typhoon Haiyan occurred in the Philippines, Intelsat began working with customers and partners to ensure that the necessary infrastructure and satellite capacity were in place to accelerate the restoration of vital communications for relief workers and businesses. According to the company, Intelsat repointed a Ku-band beam on the Intelsat 8 satellite to bring urgently needed capacity, in addition to providing capacity on other satellites already serving the region. Intelsat is also providing an uplink via the IntelsatOne terrestrial network from the Kumsan, South Korea Teleport and a downlink in the Philippines. In total, three satellites are restoring connectivity and
services to relief workers on the ground. “With devastation of this magnitude, it is critical that humanitarian workers have the connectivity necessary to support their relief efforts,” says Stephen Spengler, President and CCO of Intelsat. www.intelsat.com
January 2014 | SatellitePro | 5
SatNews
EIAST receives DubaiSat-2’s images just 24 hours after launch
According to the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST), DubaiSat-2 captured its first image just 24 hours after its launch on November 21, 2013. The area captured was of Seer Bani Yas island in Abu Dhabi. DubaiSat-2 provides 1m resolution in the panchromatic band and 4m multispectral, as well as a colour 1m product. The imaging swath
TAVCOM PROVIDES TRAINING FOR REGION’S LARGEST HOMELAND SECURITY PROJECT
Kuwait is investing more than USD 1.6 billion on physical security. The core of this completely integrated security system will be a vast network of video surveillance cameras, which will assist security personnel to monitor and 6 | SatellitePro | January 2014
is 12 km and DubaiSat-2 has the ability to image and download more than 18,000sq.km a day from its Dubai Ground station based in Al Khawaneej. Since its launch, DubaiSat-2 has orbited the globe, capturing images from all five continents. EIAST has released images in 1m resolution. The areas imaged include the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, Tokyo Bay, The Coliseum in Rome and an image of Burj Khalifa. DubaiSat-2 weighs 300kg and is 2m in height and 1m in width. It is equipped with an electrical propulsion system that allows the control of its altitude above ground level and modifies it automatically in the event of any deviation from the orbit through a set of predetermined and saved commands sent from the control station. The new satellite is equipped with innovative technology to enhance manoeuvring capability and increase agility by 300% as compared to Dubai Sat-1. www.eiast.com
rapidly react to any criminal or terrorist activity. In preparation for the commencement of this project, Tavcom has been tasked to train over 36 hand-picked technicians and engineers on the installation and commissioning of video surveillance equipment. The comprehensive, customised training programme designed by Tavcom covers an understanding of the system design process, camera and lens selection, lighting options, compression, frame rate and resolution, telemetry, equipment housing, recording and storage and service/maintenance issues, as well as an understanding of IP network devices and processes such as VLANs, router protocols, IP addressing, subnets and port address translation. www.tavcom.com
ASTRIUM SERVICES RECEIVES AWARD FOR HUMANITARIAN WORK
Astrium Services has received a Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) Special Recognition Award at the Global Carrier Awards 2013 ceremony in Amsterdam. Astrium Services has been supporting TSF for more than 14 years with solutions to provide people in distress and first responders with means of communication when terrestrial services fail. As a first responder on site, TSF supports local relief efforts and humanitarian organisations in coordinating aid locally and has helped thousands of victims trace and reconnect with their families. Being among the first on the ground following the typhoon Haiyan, TSF was able to set up three telecom centres in the Philippines. Jean-François Cazenave, President of TSF, said: “Without Astrium Services, our ability to establish high bandwidth networks in areas with little or no telecoms infrastructure would not be as complete. Astrium Services helps TSF to prepare for emergencies and react quickly should we need capacity, technology or expertise at short notice.” www.astriumservices.com
GX takes to the sky: Inmarsat-5 F1 satellite successfully launched
SPACECOM’S AMOS-5 PROVIDES BROADCAST SERVICES FOR NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE
Spacecom was chosen to provide broadcast services on its Amos 5 satellite for the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Africa’s premier international golf tournament. The sporting event took place from December 5 to 8, 2013 at Sun City, a luxury resort in South Africa’s North West Province. Amos 5, which was designed and built specifically to cover Africa, broadcast the golf tournament, often dubbed “Africa’s Major,” on its C-band beam. The satellite also has three Ku bands that cover the continent, in addition to providing connectivity to Europe and the Middle East. The satellite’s 17 degrees-East location allows it to cover every region in SubSaharan Africa. www.spacecom.com
LIAM CONNORS JOINS WOHLER FOR EMEA MARKETS
Wohler Technologies has appointed Liam Connors to the role of Senior Sales Executive in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for the company’s RadiantGrid business line. Connors will be responsible for RadiantGrid’s expanding UK, European, Middle Eastern and African customer base. In addition to raising the profile of RadiantGrid file-based solutions, he will also manage sales of RadiantGrid products to both new and existing customers in the broadcast, media and entertainment markets. Connors’ experience in sales and account management includes roles at PlayBox Technology and Boxer Systems, where he was responsible for building relationships, designing and presenting customer-specific solutions, and managing aspects of sales and marketing strategy. www.wohler.com
The first of Inmarsat’s three Global Xpress (GX) satellites, designated Inmarsat-5 F1, was successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 8, 2013. The GX fleet is the result of a USD 1.6 billion investment by Inmarsat, which will create the world’s first high-speed, globally available mobile broadband service. When all three GX satellites have been launched by the end of 2014, Inmarsat will offer fast broadband connectivity to the remotest places on Earth, from the middle of an ocean to the heart of the Amazon, and for
aircraft flying at 40,000ft. GX will deliver mobile broadband services 100 times faster than the Inmarsat-4 fleet. www.inmarsat.com
GLOBECOMM BECOMES GX VALUE-ADDED RESELLER FOR MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA
Inmarsat has signed an agreement with Globecomm, appointing the managed satellite services provider as a value-added reseller for Global Xpress (GX), serving the government market in Africa and the Middle East. With expertise in cellular and satellite networks, mobile satellite communications and content delivery systems, Globecomm is able to design, install and support communications solutions for government and military users in the most demanding of situations. Andy Start, President of Inmarsat Global Government, says: “Globecomm’s established footprint across many African countries places it ideally to drive early growth of GX services in these exciting and emerging economies. We are very pleased to welcome Globecomm as one of the first GX value-added resellers in the government sector and look forward to working closely with them as GX goes live in 2014.” www.globecommsystems.com
METAMATERIALS-BASED ANTENNA MAKES INTERNET CONNECTION VIA SATELLITE
Kymeta Corporation has announced that it has successfully demonstrated bi-directional high-speed internet connectivity with a Ka broadband satellite. This is the first time a metamaterials-based antenna has established an internet connection over a satellite link. The demonstration was held on December 10 at Telesat’s teleport in Vancouver, Canada using Ka-band capacity on Telesat’s Anik F2 satellite. The completion of the demonstration required obtaining regulatory certifications for Ka-band transmissions, made possible
www.inmarsat.com
through collaboration with Telesat. iDirect provided the modem technologies used in the demonstration. After initial tests of bi-directional internet connectivity and video streaming via the Kymeta transceiver equipment, the team also launched a bidirectional Skype video call from a laptop to Kymeta’s corporate headquarters in Washington, US. Kymeta is expected to have prototype units ready for field trials in 2014 with initial availability of commercial products in early 2015. www.kymetacorp.com
January 2014 | SatellitePro | 7
SatNews
IRG LAUNCHES CID CAMPAIGN FOR BRAZIL 2014
ABS-2 satellite readies for launch from European Spaceport Space Systems/Loral delivered the ABS2 to the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on December 9, 2013. The satellite will be launched aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle by Arianespace this month. ABS-2 is a C-, Ku- and Ka-band satellite, designed to provide multiple services including direct-to-home (DTH) and cable TV distribution, VSAT services, data networks and telecomms services across four continents. It will be positioned at 75 degrees East longitude, ABS’ prime orbital location. ABS-2 is a high-power satellite with an
advanced data handling architecture and a total of 89 active C-, Ku- and Ka-band transponders across 10 different beams. The satellite includes six dedicated highpowered Ku-band beams for DTH services in the Eastern Hemisphere and provides high-powered C-band beams for Africa and Southeast Asia connectivity requirements. Its Ka-band beam is positioned over the MENA region where it will provide service for both commercial and military applications.
INMARSAT TO ACQUIRE GLOBE WIRELESS FOR USD 45M
team that will significantly expand Inmarsat’s installation capabilities and enable a faster roll-out of both XpressLink (XL) and Global Xpress (GX). Additionally, Inmarsat can offer the Globe Wireless value-added services range to its entire installed base of maritime customers, both through its channel partners and direct, enabling further average revenue per user growth. Closing of the transaction is subject to certain regulatory and other approvals, which are expected to be completed this month.
Inmarsat has acquired the business and substantially all of the assets of Globe Wireless, a provider of value-added maritime communications services. Inmarsat will acquire the business for a total consideration of USD 45 million and will fund the acquisition from available liquidity. According to Inmarsat, the acquisition of Globe Wireless is driven by multiple strategic benefits including access to a skilled engineering www.inmarsat.com
8 | SatellitePro | January 2014
www.absatellite.com
www.globewireless.com
The Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG) has announced the launch of its campaign to achieve Carrier Identification (CID) implementation on all video carriers for the FIFA World Cup in 2014. The initiative was first announced during the IRG Annual Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in October 2013, where Martin Coleman, the group’s executive director, lay down the gauntlet to those present to make that happen. The announcement follows the success of a similar campaign leading up to the London Olympics, where half of the carriers had ID. This resulted in very few instances of interference, and the hope is that the industry can take it one step further in time for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Space Data Association and Analytical Graphics showed the first demonstration of the prototype CID database at the IRG conference in Brazil. The creators are now encouraging feedback and input from the satellite industry in order to build the final working database. www.satirg.org
COMTECH EF DATA ENTERS INTO STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH COBHAM SATCOM
Cobham SATCOM and Comtech EF Data Corporation have started a strategic partnership that will include the integration and productisation of Comtech EF Data’s RF products across a range of Cobham SATCOM maritime antenna systems. The partnership strengthens the existing working relationship between the two companies while maritime satcoms service providers and end users are said to benefit from the further integration of equipment and technology. The Cobham SATCOM maritime VSAT systems that are available with Comtech EF Data’s technology include the 4009 MK2, 5012, 6012, 9797B and 9711 antenna systems. www.comtechefdata.com www.cobham.com
SatLead
10 | SatellitePro | January 2014
LIBYA ENTERS BROADBAND REVOLUTION
New Ka-band service extends coverage across the country, affording Libyan resellers a new level of efficiency and control
In September 2013, satellite broadband provider Bentley Walker launched its Newtec Ka-band service in Libya. It was a complementary addition to its preexisting iDirect, Hughes HN and Hughes HX hardware platforms, says Neil Denyer, Sales Manager at Bentley Walker. The new service, relying extensively on Newtec’s MDM2200 IP modem, is providing reliable, high-speed broadband across the country that is marked by complex geography and poor infrastructure. Delivering the internet access via Sat3Play, Newtec’s IP broadband hub installed at Avanti’s gateway at the Makarios teleport in Cyprus, the new service is using HYLAS 2 Kaband capacity, which was launched by Avanti in August 2012. HYLAS 2 covers the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Caucasus. The MDM2200 IP modems being used are twoway, high-throughput terminals, designed to operate with the latest generation of Ka-band satellites, and support multicast January 2014 | SatellitePro | 11
SatLead
“We believed that with the lower cost end-user terminal together with the management tools provided and the ease of installation where trained installers aren’t required, the Sat3Play was the enabling solution for the Libya market” 12 | SatellitePro | January 2014
services and IP-based services including internet, intranet and VoIP. Libya, which has a population of around 6 million, has a broadband penetration of only 22%. In 2009, the CIA World Fact Book claimed that there were just 353,900 internet users. While demand for connectivity is growing today, lacking ground infrastructure and challenging terrain are real limitations. Satellite-based broadband internet is fast becoming the only feasible solution for the majority of the country. The objective of the launch was to give Bentley Walker’s Libyan partners a new and competitive option that can meet the increasing demands of their clients, explains Denyer. “Our clients are our Libyan resellers, delivering broadband services to small office-home office (SOHO) end users and businesses across the whole of Libya. With the economic situation, with costs under pressure, we believed that the lower cost end-user terminal together with the management tools provided for the resellers and the ease of installation where trained installers aren’t required, the Newtec Sat3Play was the enabling solution for this market,” he says. This prompted talks between Bentley Walker and Newtec in early 2013 and
by the second quarter a contract was signed, says Denyer, adding that trials started in September after having tried out the solution at the UK-based network operation centre. “In August 2013, we started to get more acquainted with the Sat3Play solution. We then started integration of this new technology into our network operation centre in the UK and began informing several of our existing resellers in Libya of the upcoming service and technology. Early trials started in September 2013 with the official service starting in October.” The relationship between the two companies goes back much further than last year, reveals Denyer, pointing to previous collaboration attempts for the Latin America market. “We actually started talking with Newtec back in 2009 after it had started with SES on its Astra2Connect network the previous year. We wanted to evaluate the market’s ‘new kid on the block’ for large network deployments. Then in 2012 during Cabsat in Dubai, we entered into a first agreement for services over Latin America. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to follow through with this agreement due there not being appropriate satellite capacity available over Latin
America for us to provide the performance and level of service we intended to deliver. “With the availability of Ka band over the Middle East and North Africa, and the growing demand for services in this region, we began re-evaluating the Sat3Play solution. Together with satellite capacity from Avanti, it was ideal, leading us to launch the new service as soon as possible.”
Benefits
Going beyond cost and the ease of installation, the Sat3Play solution had additional appeal, says Denyer, adding that the service offered in Libya now affords resellers unprecedented control. “The Sat3Play solution is based on a multi-service-provider-network solution. It provides our Libyan resellers full visibility and control of all the terminals deployed, resulting in better customer support service. At any moment, the reseller is able to fully monitor the performance of each customer’s terminal. A reseller can also add new terminals and get them online due to a fully automated terminal commissioning system without being in contact with the network operation centre. “The service also comes with a unique ‘Terminal Certification’ feature, which provides feedback during installation on the correct pointing of the terminal, certifying both the end customer as well as the network operator that the newly installed terminal is benefiting from an optimum pointing.” Not only does Terminal Certification guarantee end customers that their terminals are at peak performance, but network owners are also assured that the terminals are operating in the most bandwidth-efficient mode, thereby maximising satellite capacity. Additionally, during the course of the service provisioning, the network operator is afforded a timely and fully automatic check-up of each terminal within the network. This will verify that the pointing has not been altered by climatic circumstances such as heavy winds or rain, which could slightly de-point the antenna, says Denyer. In addition to challenging geography, the project came with other obstacles, says Denyer.
“Introducing a new technology always requires going through a certain learning curve, and this is for both the network operator as well as the regional resellers. One of the challenges anyone has while integrating new technology is to get the endorsement from resellers and gain market acceptance. However, once one is able to clearly communicate the added value and the technology’s associated benefits, those challenges are reduced. We were able to achieve this through hardware demonstrations and comprehensive communication.”
Solutions and demand
After having successfully extended the coverage available in Libya, Bentley Walker is now providing a wider range of consumer and office-based subscriptions. These meet the market requirements and answer the increasing demand for high-speed broadband services, says Denyer. “The services replicate the offerings on the other hardware platforms, however, they now offer the ease of implementation in addition to all the other benefits. The service is designed to offer network availability of 99.6%. “While the original hub was scaled to deliver a service to up to approximately 1000 subscribers, it can be extended through simple software upgrades in order to support thousands and thousands of customers.”
“One of the challenges anyone has while integrating new technology is to get the endorsement from resellers while gaining market acceptance”
January 2014 | SatellitePro | 13
SatLead the modem is ready to work on Ka band. So there is an easy migration process.
Bringing down costs
According to Denyer, the uptake greatly surpassed expectations, resulting in additional hubs being added in order to meet swelling demand. “While this is part of an existing project for satellite broadband delivery in Libya, we are currently looking into how Bentley Walker could benefit from this new technology in delivering our services to other regions.” This expansion project involved the installation of the Newtec hub, which connects to 75cm antennae, MDM2200 Modems and an interactive low-noise block downconverter (iLNB) transceiver for the basic services currently provided. “However, the Sat3Play platform is able to support a larger range of antenna sizes as well as accommodate higher level business-to-business services. If you want to switch from Ku to Ka band, you just need to change the iLNB at the dish and
“MDM2200 IP’s performance modulation techniques enable operators to offer IP broadband services in a cost effective way over Ku- and Ka-band networks” 14 | SatellitePro | January 2014
While there is increasing demand in Libya for high-speed broadband internet, costs, like anywhere else in the world, need to be affordable, says Denyer. Bentley Walker’s solution was able to keep costs down by using a well-priced terminal, due to the unique design of the compact modem and iLNB, and because trained installers or expensive tooling wasn’t required due to the IP satellite modem’s Point & Play easyinstallation technology. “The MDM2200 IP satellite modem’s easy installation and high performance modulation techniques enable network operators to offer IP broadband services in a cost effective way over Ku- and Ka-band networks. It’s perfectly fitted to serve home, SOHO and small and medium enterprise users as well as supporting applications such as telemetry networks, point of sales or banking. Going beyond affordability and efficiency, the newly expanded service offers a true broadband experience, explains Denyer. “The IP satellite modem incorporates the most efficient technologies available, such as DVB-S2 adaptive coding modulation (ACM) in the forward link, an adaptive return link with advanced 4CPM modulation and IP traffic enhancement software for TCP acceleration, pre-fetching, compression and encryption. The main advantages include a low initial investment per user, easy-to-use web GUI for installation, diagnostics and troubleshooting, optimal availability and efficiency of DVB-S2 transmission and efficiency improvement of between 10% and 15% with Newtec’s Clean Channel Technology.” The end result is a highlight, says Denyer, not only because the extension project has been a success but because implementing new technology is an achievement. “We worked closely with Avanti and Newtec, the other systems integrators for the project, using the skills we’ve developed as a company experienced in bringing satellite networks up as quickly as possible. Bringing the first systems into the network is always a highlight. But receiving positive reports from our incountry partners is also an achievement, it’s a good indicator of our success.” PRO
SatInterview Khalid Balkheyour, President and CEO of Arabsat
“The Hellas-Sat acquisition provides different benefits, mainly including access to new markets and to new resources and services� 16 | SatellitePro | January 2014
“STANDALONE OPERATIONS DON’T CUT IT ANYMORE” SatellitePro catches up with Arabsat’s Khalid Balkheyour to talk about the achievements of “busy” 2013 as well as the year ahead. Partnership and alliances are on the cards
Last year kicked off with Arabsat’s signing a significant partnership with Emerging Markets Communications (EMC), where the Miami-based company would own the 24-beam Ka-band payload on the Badr-7 satellite, scheduled to lift off in 2015. This was no lone partnership; the year brought along three other major deals. Arabsat spent the first half of the 2013 working with My-HD to launch the region’s first high-definition pay TV network. The Saudi-based, pan-Arab satellite operator entered into a long-term, strategic partnership with the Dubai-based TV platform in March last year, effectively paving the way for My-HD to expand the reach of its offerings to more than 170 million viewers in more than 80 countries
across the Middle East and Africa regions. This partnership, explains Khalid Balkheyour, President and CEO of Arabsat, has resulted in subscriptions for the HD bundled packages costing just a fraction compared to other pay-TV networks available in the region. “We worked in the first half of last year with our partner My-HD to launch the first pay TV HDTV-based network in the region. This partnership will bring around 40 HDTV channels of a mix of ethnic content, such as the famous GMA Filipino network and renowned Arabic broadcasting groups including Rotana, Nahar and MBC. Agreements were signed with major set-top box (STB) manufacturers to upload and bundle the package on their STB offering.
“The subscriptions are quite affordable and constitute less than one tenth of other pay-TV networks in the region. A soft launch took place back in June last year and December witnessed big promotional campaigns at major retail outlets to offer the package to the public. My-HD platform can be watched at home on Arabsat Badr-series satellites at 26 degrees East,” explains Balkheyour. In addiion to the big pay-TV promotional campaigns, December was also the target for Arabsat to announce a request for proposal (RFP) for Hellas-Sat 3 and Hellas-Sat 4 satellites. This comes on the back of the majority stake of Hellas-Sat that Arabsat acquired in February last year. The operator spent the final quarter of the year finalising January 2014 | SatellitePro | 17
the design of two satellites, says Balkheyour, adding that the two birds will likely have Kuand Ka-band missions. “The Ku band will be used for the growth in direct-to-home services in Eastern Europe and for VSAT networks in Arabsat and Hellas-Sat areas of coverage. HellasSat will utilise its global Ka-band rights from its 39-degrees-East location so that the spectrum can be utilised on board Hellas-Sat 3 and Hellas-Sat 4 payloads. The Ka band will be used mainly for broadband and enterprise services. “Arabsat and Hellas-Sat are currently negotiating with different parties and government entities to host their Ka-band payloads on Hellas-Sat 3 and Hellas-Sat 4 for different applications.” Ka band is paramount to Arabsat’s expanding, says Balkheyour. “Ka band is very important; it opens new markets to Arabsat. It improves the business case of the satellites to be launched, and it opens the door to carry new applications and services.” The acquisition of Hellas-Sat, explains Balkheyour, was part of the company’s growth strategy, which comprises part organic and part inorganic expansion. This procurement was signed with the Hellenic
Telecommunication Organisation, known as OTE, granting Arabsat 99.05% of the HellasSat Consortium.
Acquisitions
“The acquisition goes in line with our growth plan that was designed on two milestones: organic growth, through increasing resources and launching more satellites, and inorganic growth, through mergers and acquisitions, joint-ventures and partnerships. The Hellas-Sat acquisition provides different benefits, mainly including access to new markets and to new resources and services,” says Balkheyour. Hellas-Sat has the exclusive use of the 39-degrees-East orbital position and all associated radiofrequencies from Greece and the Republic of Cyprus. The Greek operator’s fleet includes the Hellas-Sat 2, considered one of the most powerful satellites with wide European coverage. Hellas-Sat 2 also covers the Middle East and South Africa, with a portfolio of more than 100 customers in 26 countries. Further acquisitions could very well be on the cards, says Balkheyour, adding that its partnership with the Qatar Satellite Company, Es’hailsat, will see the biggest TV hotspot in the region in the next two years.
“Arabsat and Hellas-Sat are currently negotiating with different parties and government entities to host their Ka-band payloads on Hellas-Sat 3 and Hellas-Sat 4 for different applications” January 2014 | SatellitePro | 19
SatInterview
Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO of Es’hailSat (right), and Khalid Balkheyour, President and CEO of Arabsat, seen signing a co-operation partnership in the foreground
“Definitely, resources are getting scarce, and this could be a challenge. However, it also provides a venue for a paradigm shift in the way business is being conducted” 20 | SatellitePro | January 2014
The two entities entered into a partnership for greater co-operation in August last year. The strategic alliance intends to strengthen the reach and penetration of the TV broadcasting neighbourhood at the 26-degrees-East hotspot. “Arabsat is continuously monitoring the market. If we see an opportunity that fits with our investment criteria, we will definitely pursue it. “The agreement with Es’hailsat is to strengthen the Arabsat hotspot at the 26-degrees-East orbital position. Es’hailsat will be utilising 500MHz of Arabsat’s spectrum for broadcasting services. Es’hailsat-2 is supposed to be launched in 2016 to join Es’hailsat 1 and the Arabsat Badrseries at the same location. This is going to create the largest TV hotspot in the region, offering premium content,” he says.
Outlook and challenges
Balkheyour has a rosy outlook for the satellite industry in the Middle East and North Africa region, saying that he expects the broadcast and telco verticals to remain robust.
“The MENA region will continue to be one of the fast growing regions in the world with high demand for broadcasting and telecommunications services. More than 14 satellite operators compete in the MENA region and that ensures that players will always be very active and vigilant.” The region is not without its challenges, however, with Balkheyour explaining that the amount of resources available has led to changing business models and is conducive to alliances. “Definitely, resources are getting scarce, and this could be a challenge. However, it also provides a venue for a paradigm shift in the way business is being conducted. It could be an opportunity to leverage the company through partnerships with other operators or service providers.” After a very eventful year, Balkheyour expects more good things for Arabsat, pointing to additional tie-ups. “The year 2013 has been very busy for Arabsat – not just with the signing of major partnerships, but with the excessive commercial activities on ground, too. We will continue to grow to be one of the top satellite operators. The industry will witness more alliances and partnerships; standalone operations don’t cut it anymore.” PRO
Khalid Balkheyour
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SatTrends
22 | SatellitePro | January 2014
VSAT:
THEN & NOW
We enjoy more bandwidth per transponder today thanks to new bands, and this has helped get away from the bulky ‘eye-sore’ reflectors of the past. But yesterday’s designers did have more manufacturers of reflectors and feeds to play with. C-COM’s Paul Seguin gives an overview of the market’s changes
Most would agree that the mobile satellite antenna business is not old enough to have a “Then and Now” article written about it, but let’s give it a shot. In the early days of this technology, one would take a fixed antenna and somehow automate it to provide some level of rudimentary pointing. That concept has changed to the point where engineers and designers now start with a blank sheet of paper, create an azimuth-elevation mechanism, and then consider what and how to mount a reflector and feed on it. This approach has produced a plethora of antenna systems with a variety of drive mechanisms, each one unique in terms of benefits and drawbacks. There seems to be two different types of engineering attempts. Those who chose to copy an existing design, and those who chose to create something novel. For those who duplicate, even assuming the concept had been tested and proven by someone else, the engineer may be surprised to learn the truth and flaws about this unoriginal design. On the other hand, those engineers who start from scratch, and whose choices are based on the state of drive systems developed for other industries, will usually developed a better, more cost-effective solution that produces much better performance.
Using a design concept from another company means you have made a number of assumptions that may or may not be correct. Due to these often ill-conceived assumptions, one can conclude that the “novel” conceptions are a much better path when developing a new product. The whole idea of “new” is built on the premise of innovative, and not simply a recycled version of an existing product. If we look at the mobile satellite systems of yesterday, we find large, heavy systems that were anything but sleek. Some designs were skeletal, incongruent and chunky in their appearance. Today, there has been a great push, specifically out of the European and Far East markets, to produce very sophisticated, light systems that are indistinguishable from a roof-top luggage rack. This push, obviously, has come from the desire to make the vehicle more aerodynamic and pleasing to the eye.
Frequencies
A real bonus to the designers of today is the fact that as the satellite technology advances, new frequency bands are being employed with higher frequency and higher power. This leads to a smaller reflector being able to deliver the same bandwidth capacity as the very large reflectors of yesterday.
Having a large reflector not only adds more weight, but it also means that the engineer must compensate to overcome the wind loading issue, which can account for the majority of the strength and power needed in the drive system. One of the advantages designers of yesterday had was the fact that there was a greater variety of manufacturers of reflector and feeds to choose from. Companies such Andrews, Patriot and Channel Master have all either consolidated or gone out of business. The market today seems to have segmented into three broad categories. There is the mass-produced steel or SMC type reflectors, which offer economy, certification and consistency of production. The next option is the low-cost offshore-produced products with their lack of certification and consistency. The last category is the highend; in some cases, handmade and handtested carbon fibre reflectors, which offer certification and consistency of manufacture, but at a very high price. Back in the day, C band was king, which meant huge and bulky reflectors. Ku band then took over with smaller reflectors, and now Ka is becoming the ruling band of choice, with even more bandwidth per transponder, lower power and smaller January 2014 | SatellitePro | 23
SatTrends
reflectors. Today’s designers must focus on creating smaller, lighter drive systems which must still withstand the same environmental concerns as yesterday’s larger, heavier counterparts.
Antennae and COTM
In general, the state of the mobile autodeploy satellite antenna market has improved in the last few decades. New manufacturers appear with the idea of offering a better product, but ultimately, with sales cycles being historically long in the business, revenues trickle in too slowly to support the growth of the company. Some manufacturers don’t do the homework required in order to realise the total costs of bringing a product to market. The mainstay manufacturers of today seem to aggressively settle into the market where their product is accepted by a large enough volume of clients to support corporate growth and advancement in research and design, thus perpetuating the cycle of progress. 24 | SatellitePro | January 2014
The “next big thing” for mobile communications has already been available for a number of years, but has not yet evolved into a product accepted by a large enough client base. Comms-on-the-move (COTM) technology has great potential for a large number of industries, but it still needs more development and breakthrough. A significant
amount of development dollars are being spent by some of the world’s mobile antenna manufacturers to improve the performance, cost and operational reliability of a COTM product to bring it into the forefront of the market. The future is bright for those who can deliver price-effective, reliable solutions in a format that the clients want. PRO
BACKGROUND, MODEMS AND BANDS C-COM Satellite Systems has been a prominent player in the VSAT market since 1996, when it started development of its first mobile auto-deploy antenna. Its iNetVu products cover the complete line of C band, Ku band, Ka band and X band in vehicle mount, flyaway and airline checkable formats. To date, C-COM is the only antenna manufacturer in the world with approvals on Viasat, Eutelsat, Avanti and Yahsat Ka-band services. Modems supported with native language interfaces include iDirect, Hughes, Viasat, Eutelsat, Gilat, ipstar, Comtech, Radyne, Romantis, Eastar, STM, Paradise and Tachyon. With almost 6,000 units in the field, C-COM is focused on oil and gas, emergency vehicles, SNG and broadcast, government and military, and cellular backhaul markets.
SatOpinion
CALLING FOR CROSS-INDUSTRY COLLABORATION Co-operation between terrestrial, wireless and satellite players would be in the best interest of customers, but also improve margins for manufacturers and create new opportunities for service providers. Robert Kubbernus of Signalhorn discusses the benefits and challenges of a cross-industry partnership
26 | SatellitePro | January 2014
What would happen if terrestrial, wireless and satellite players joined hands? If they ditched their own agendas in the name of technological advancement and merged their expertise to create the solutions that customers can only dream of? For one, end users would have convenient solutions that are as effective as they are affordable. However, customers wouldn’t be the only ones to benefit. Improved margins for manufacturers and new avenues of business for service providers would surely be celebrated. The joining of hands between industry rivals shouldn’t be such an unwelcomed concept says Robert Kubbernus, President and CEO of Signalhorn. With 18 years’ experience in technology, telecoms and satcoms, Kubbernus notes that competing with one another only creates confusion for the end user. “Customers are driven by the performance and reliability of their networks in the context of their budget. While terrestrial, wireless and satellite independently approach these clients, we create unnecessary confusion instead of focusing on the end result regardless of the transport mode. By collaborating and avoiding this confusion, we can bring forward the best solution to meet the needs of the customers. Each provider spends considerable effort convincing customers that their transport methods are superior and everyone is right, of course. But the customer is driven by performance regardless of where it comes from,” says Kubbernus. While each of these industries believes its transport methods are best, customers avail services and offerings from all three. This results in end users having numerous devices, with them having paid the full price for each one. Naturally, having to buy less devices would translate into savings, says Kubbernus, adding that service providers could also have new opportunities through collaboration. “Cost savings for the customers will be created. Buying two or three devices, which could easily be accommodated in a single unit, will reduce the cost of ownership. But it would also most likely improve margins for the manufacturers. For service providers,
there are many opportunities for more efficient service offerings. For example, in the point-of-sale (POS) market, we have a number of touch points at the edge. The POS device provider also offers a services contract along with the telecom provider, the cash register provider, the CCTV provider and so forth. All also support multiple network operations centres or help desks. By combining and collaborating within this group, efficiency opportunities are enormous.” For a cross-industry, hybrid approach to work, explains Kubbernus, more than technical collaboration is required. “We have seen some hardware collaboration between a satellite operator in the Middle East and Cisco before; it resulted in an all-in-one router. However, these types of collaborations do not reach the potential they possibly could because the commercial efforts of both organisations are not aligned. Creating a technical collaboration does not necessarily mean commercial success.” Commercial directives and quarterly financial reviews are some of the challenges involved, says Kubbernus, explaining that taking on a partner requires a longer term strategy which might not be positively represented in shorter term financials. “Everyone has their own agenda, which includes protecting their base business. Introducing a partner always has its challenges. Time is money and quarterly results are the drivers to each of our businesses. Investing in a longer term partnership does not meet the immediate need to reach our financial requirements. When dealing with manufactures, they must first understand the market size and value proposition to them. These are generally companies in the hundreds of millions or even billions of revenue and it is difficult to grab their attention,” he says. Another difficulty is in keeping up with end user expectations, says Kubbernus. In terms of managed services, this is still reasonable. However, on the innovation side of things, there is a large divide between what is simply expected by customers in an almost blasé fashion and
the limitations posed by reality, he says. “With managed services, customers expect as little downtime as possible, they want visibility into the network and the ability to watch over the key performance indicators. The programme managers of the customers need to respond to management and report functionality, performance and results,” he says. “But with technical expectations, what used to be spectacular innovation, between 1995 and 2001, is now simply ‘expected’. Little thought is now given to the how and why we
“The satellite industry has not done enough to add value to the bandwidth and services that it delivers to customers” January 2014 | SatellitePro | 27
SatOpinion
“Why didn’t someone from the satellite industry approach RIM and develop a small-form L-band antenna peripheral plugin that would allow the Blackberry network to accommodate satellite? This would have made the Blackberry more powerful in many markets such as onshore, offshore, defence and NGO” 28 | SatellitePro | January 2014
got here. Moore’s Law does not just apply to technical expansion but also ‘expectation expansion’. We are increasingly becoming numb to what is just possible and available. We are no longer selling the future. We are simply keeping up with clients’ expectations, which we have created.” In addition to the trend of fast-forming expectations, there are two developments that have the potential to shape the next decade, explains Kubbernus. “First, as an industry, we need to get involved in data mining, reporting and analytics. We are so busy delivering the bandwidth, transport and hardware that we are ignoring what the client also needs: real actionable analysis to help make better business decisions. For example, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) flown by the American military in the hotspots of the world collect an enormous amount of video data and use commercial satellites to send it back to a base for analysis. Then people sit in rooms watching the video feed in search of clues for terrorist activity. Why hasn’t the satellite industry developed software to help with that process? The provider delivering the bandwidth should look at how can we deliver value-added service, asking what are those things the customer could use from analysis to the collection and storage of that data. “Second, the convergence of small-form devices delivering usable data instantly will be the next frontier – any location, any device, access to data 24/7. Companies that failed to innovate and recognise this include Nortel, Research in Motion (RIM) and Motorola. As an industry, we can become irrelevant if we do not get in the game in a more serious way. Here’s a question: Why didn’t someone from the satellite industry approach RIM and develop a small-form L-band antenna peripheral plugin that would allow the Blackberry network to accommodate satellite? This would have made the Blackberry more powerful in many markets such as onshore, offshore, defence and NGO.” Value-added services are crucial to creating new opportunities for the industry, says Kubbernus. Looking to offer and exploit such services would open up new avenues of business.
“I hope to see our industry step away from just acquiring identical competitors and start looking for unique value-add targets which expand capabilities and take us in new directions. For example, maybe Inmarsat should acquire a company like ECDIS, the mapping and data supplier to the maritime industry. Does this create more relevance, another channel, captive ship operators and bundling opportunities? Is the data worth more than the transport? ECDIS is one of many distribution companies that provide content to maritime vessels, so it could be a logical partner for the company delivering the signal to those ships. The satellite industry has not done enough to add value to the bandwidth and services that it delivers to customers.” Complementing value-added services is customer awareness, explains Kubbernus, saying that it is essential for the industry to embrace true customer intimacy. The more aware end users are of the industry’s offerings, the more they will favour them. “We often develop in a vacuum, then push our innovation versus having our innovations pulled into the market. I believe our industry does not promote the virtues of our services through global awareness campaigns. The smarter we can make our customer, the better off we are. For example, there are a lot of people out there, including many working at telcos, who still think that satellite is slow, satellite is latent and satellite is expensive. We are not campaigning to educate the market on the fact that satellite can be the least-cost provider or that satellite can be as fast as or faster than a fibre connection.” Kubbernus’ outlook for the region is upbeat, saying that as a developing market, a certain strategy is required but should this be achieved, then the opportunities are “tremendous”. “The Middle East and developing markets require a smart approach. The user base is there but much of this requires public and private partnerships to truly take shape. We need to be good at technology but also need political, social and economic awareness. If we get this right a tremendous franchise can be built in these regions.” PRO
SatSport
ALL EYES ON BRAZIL
The 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics will be hosted in Brazil. SatellitePro talks to the country’s national telco regulator about satellite interference, investments and security 30 | SatellitePro | January 2014
It is the biggest single-sport event in the world. Hundreds of thousands of ardent fans from all corners of the globe pull out all the stops to attend the month-long tournament, irrespective of how far they need to travel. But the hundreds of millions that can’t jet set across the planet sit glued to their TV screens in peaked suspense. The FIFA World Cup is bigger than any other sporting event, even bigger than the Olympics, and a broadcast disruption would be catastrophic. This is why interference is a pivotal topic for all in Brazil, the 2014 host country. It is not only a concern for broadcasters and media but for the government as well, says Rodrigo de Oliveira Menezes, Engineer at Anatel, Brazil’s national telco regulator. With seemingly the entire world watching, Brazil would be seen with proverbial egg on its face should jamming disrupt any of the broadcast games, explains Menezes. Interference mitigation, sanctions and crackdowns on illegal equipment are on the cards, he says. “Interference can potentially interrupt the live transmissions of the event, a critical point not only for the media but also for
the Brazilian Government. During this major event, Brazil will be in the spotlight and it is very important to the country to assure the quality and availability of the transmissions to all the world. Several procedures can be adopted to mitigate interference over satellite communications. Geolocation and Carrier ID are some of them, but several other resources can be used such as database research, historical data, spectrum analysis and signal characterisation.” To complement the methods of interference mitigation chosen, an appropriate training programme for installers should be adopted, adds Menezes, saying that this will help to ensure the quality of installations and services while reducing the chance of unintentional incidents. “It is much better to prevent a problem than to fix it. If the antenna alignment is correct and the radio frequency (RF) parametres are set properly, the risk of interference is minimised.” According to Menezes, historical data on interferences in Brazil show that occurrences tend to be unintentional. “Interference happens more frequently due to equipment failure or bad quality of
“During this major event, Brazil will be in the spotlight and it is very important to the country to assure the quality and availability of the transmissions to all the world” RODRIGO DE OLIVEIRA MENEZES, Engineer at Anatel
January 2014 | SatellitePro | 31
SatSport
“If an interference occurs, a mitigation procedure will be deployed immediately to solve the problem in parallel with the actions taken by the satellite operators. In general, each satellite operator has its own carrier monitoring system to support the technicians working in the field for installations and the same infrastructure is used for interference searches. This includes the use of Earth station antennae, spectrum analysers, DSPs, RF matrix and several other facilities which are used to compose the carrier monitoring system.”
Dependence on satellite
“The enforcement bureau is planning several activities for the major sporting events, both the FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. If any illegal equipment is detected and located, then the transmission is interrupted while other sanctions will be applied to the people responsible”
32 | SatellitePro | January 2014
installation,” he says, adding that measures are being taken to crackdown on the use of illegal equipment. “The enforcement bureau is planning several activities for the major sporting events, both the FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. If any illegal equipment is detected and located, then the transmission is interrupted while other sanctions will be applied to the people responsible.” Generally though, the costs of satellite communications has helped limit the prevalence of related equipment to industry professionals with that used in Earth stations being properly certified by Brazil’s regulators. The country does not have a significant problem of ordinary people using unsanctioned equipment. “The main problem is related to piracy in direct-to-home (DTH) services and the authorities are constantly blocking such illegal practices.” An Earth station will be built specifically to monitor geostationary satellites in a bid to reduce the risk of interferences and unauthorised transmissions, says Menezes. The installed Earth station will have a complete carrier monitoring system and geolocation capabilities.
Brazil is the largest of the South American countries, covering almost half of the continent. Its landscape boasts the Amazon River, around 60% of the Rainforest, the Foz do Iguaçu, which is one of the world wonders, the Central Highlands, low mountain ranges and deep valleys. While the territorial area of the country is so large, there is also limited access to numerous locations, making satellite the only mode of delivery for telecommunication services. Satellite is also used for broadband and DTH services, says Menezes. “Satellite communications have been widely used in Brazil since the 1970s by both the government and the general market for several applications such as broadband, DTH, VSAT networks and backhaul. Satellite is viewed in Brazil as being a flexible and essential infrastructure to allow the installation of networks and services in remote areas. Under Anatel satellite regulation, both indigenous and foreign satellites are licensed to provide capacity to the Brazilian market..” Brazil’s dependence on satellite mirrors that of the rest of Latin America, says Menezes adding that the difference is the amount of services available in Brazil. The country has a strengthened economy spurred by natural resources and this together with a massive population has contributed to wider prevalence. “The same satellite services from the rest of Latin America can be found in the Brazilian market. The main difference
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SatSport
“The Brazilian Government is very committed to the national broadband plan, which will provide up to 40 million households with broadband access and this includes homes in the Amazon area”
34 | SatellitePro | January 2014
comes perhaps from the numbers, considering the size of the country, the population and the gross national product. There are several natural resources in the country and this scenario eases the development of business. The satellite fill factor in Brazil is, therefore, very high when compared with other countries in Latin America. New landing rights have also been granted and four new Brazilian satellites are expected to be launched in the near future.” Brazil is also ahead of the pack in terms of implementing Ka-band satellites, says Menezes, adding that high-throughput satellites (HTS) are on the cards. “In the next years, it is expected that HTS will be operational in the Brazilian market.” Many investments are being made in the satellite sector by the Brazilian Government and there are plans to develop the country’s spaceports and to build and deploy new rockets, says Menezes. “The Brazilian Government is very committed to the national broadband
plan, which will provide up to 40 million households with broadband access and this includes homes in the Amazon area. A new geostationary defence and strategic communications satellite is also expected to be launched within the next few years, which will support government projects. Furthermore, there are also some projects in the country for the development of new rockets and spaceports. “For these two major sporting events, Anatel, as the regulator for the telecommunications sector, is been equipped with several spectrum monitoring systems for a wide frequency range. While these facilities will be used for inspection activities for the international events, they will also remain as a legacy for the agency after these events have ended. “These programmes will certainly contribute to placing the Brazilian satellite industry at an advanced position in relation to other countries,” concludes Menezes. PRO
SatTech
HTS AND VSAT:
FRIEND OR FOE?
36 | SatellitePro | January 2014
The trend of closed architecture networks and geographically spread gateways pose significant challenges to VSAT players. In an exclusive SatellitePro interview, industry expert Serge Van Herck talks about how VSAT service providers can transform threats into real business opportunities When the first Ka-band high-throughput satellites (HTS) were launched a few years ago in the United States, the promise of higher transmission capacity and lower costs was an attractive prospect celebrated by many industry players. However, after several years, it turned out that what was initially a cause for celebration had an adverse effect on the satellite communications industry, particularly its VSAT value chain. Traditionally, various VSAT players could create and differentiate their own services. However, in the United States, they are now up against major HTS network service providers, offering services with their own equipment on their own satellites. The companies that were initially VSAT equipment vendors have become VSAT service providers and are now operating their own satellites. This means that traditional VSAT providers are competing on unequal terms. In the meantime, this model of “closed” HTS network platforms has also
been introduced in some other regions of the world. In addition to this change in the VSAT value chain, the VSAT service providers are under pressure from two different angles, says Serge Van Herck, CEO at Newtec. “The pressure you most often see today is on pricing and on the service level quality that you need to provide. You see a downward pricing pressure for services typically due to availability of alternatives like ADSL or fibre optics and now also more and more due to the pressure that comes from HTS networks that have started to become operational. Next to the pressure on pricing, there is market pressure to increase the service level agreements (SLA), translating into higher speeds and higher data volumes.” According to Van Herck, it is not so much the HTS technology itself that changed the value chain, but more the commercial and strategic decisions taken by the existing HTS network service providers. Today, nearly all HTS network service providers are offering
“HTS has been seen by many VSAT service providers as a threat, but I think they have to start looking at it in a different way. With more and more satellite operators launching open HTS network solutions in the next years, it is becoming a real business opportunity” SERGE VAN HERCK, CEO at Newtec
January 2014 | SatellitePro | 37
SatTech
In many cases, HTS satellite operators start offering steerable beams with in-country uplink possibilities. This will further help the VSAT service providers to tailor make their offering and reuse their teleport infrastructure, while also being able to respect the local telecom regulations”
a fully integrated “closed” solution, leaving little opportunity for the traditional VSAT operators to join the party, he says. At best, the VSAT operators can resell a predefined service with predefined terminal equipment in the area they serve. Additionally, the current design of the existing HTS networks is based on a terrestrial network of geographically spread gateways to terminate the numerous spot beams. This also means that VSAT providers can no longer use their existing teleport infrastructure in order to access those satellites.
Closed and open network architecture
When referring to HTS, satellite operators have only two options in bringing this technology to the market: closed or open architecture. Closed architecture means that the HTS operator is providing a fully managed service, including a set of predefined service level agreements and terminal equipment. Open architecture brings us back to the well-known traditional VSAT value chain, where the HTS provider sells “bulk” space segment, typically in ‘Mhz’. Van Herck adds that the closed architecture approach was the only available option at that time for the US VSAT vendors to kick-start the market. “Until the purchase of Viasat-1 was announced, no major satellite operator 38 | SatellitePro | January 2014
was willing to put money on the table to take this bet. Since the operational launch of those closed HTS network systems in North America, all major and many regional satellite operators are announcing the launch of such HTS satellites in one way or another.” As a result, open HTS network architectures are becoming increasingly common, giving VSAT providers the possibility of buying bulk space segment capacity on the HTS system. This allows them to package the space segment with their hub and terminal equipment of choice and by doing so, they can tailor their service offering according to the demand of their end users and customers, says Van Herck. “We see more and more satellite operators designing new and more flexible HTS satellites. In many cases, they start offering steerable beams with in-country uplink possibilities. This will further help the VSAT service providers to tailor make their offering and reuse their teleport infrastructure, while also being able to respect the local telecom regulations. The
plan of most major and regional satellite operators is clearly not to operate a closed system but to go back to the ‘traditional VSAT value chain’ by selling capacity, typically in Mhz.” The move towards open HTS architectures makes Van Herck confident that the traditional VSAT service providers will once again be able to leverage their position in the value chain. “Until now, the VSAT service providers were not really invited to the HTS party. In some cases, such as the closed Tooway service of Eutelsat, the only option was to resell the predefined service packages of the HTS network operator. The good thing about this is that the VSAT service provider needs nearly no initial capital expenditure to start their offering, so it is a good way to test the market. But then a few months on, when the VSAT service provider starts to generate success, they will see competition coming from small companies that also resell the same packages from the same HTS network operator, typically at lower margins and prices.
gateways. A good example of such a case is UK-based VSAT service provider Bentley Walker, which operates Newtec Sat3Play VSAT technology on several HYLAS 2 Ka spotbeams.” For some of the VSAT equipment vendors, HTS has prompted them to start operating their own systems, evolving them into service providers that no longer have a core focus of serving VSAT service providers around the world. Their core business and focus is now to make the investment in their own networks and satellites a success. Traditional VSAT service providers, therefore, are pushed to search for credible and reliable technology partners – who have no ambition to become a competitor but who want to help them be successful. “If VSAT service providers see the opportunity, they can take advantage of that. HTS has been seen by many VSAT service providers as a threat, but I think they have to start looking at it in a different way. With more and more satellite operators launching open HTS network solutions in the next years, it is becoming a real business opportunity. It’s their choice now to seize it or not.” PRO “This rapidly induces a fierce price war and as there is very limited technical possibility to differentiate the service offering, all resellers lose margin and profitability. The offered SLA is also often not in line with the target application and when packages are predefined, a service provider cannot offer a choice.” The key to VSAT service providers taking full advantage of the future HTS satellite capabilities, is to differentiate services. And this takes VSAT service providers back to the option of buying bulk space segment from HTS operators, explains Van Herck. “More and more satellite operators including Intelsat and Eutelsat, for example, are preparing themselves to start offering Mhz on their future HTS satellites. There are, however, already satellite operators that offer this option today. UK-based satellite operator Avanti is providing its customers access to its Ka spot beams on HYLAS 1 and HYLAS 2 on a Mhz basis. Next to providing Mhz capacity, Avanti is also providing ‘hosting services’ so that their customers can put their own hub equipment in Avanti’s
“You see a downward pressure on pricing for services typically due to availability of alternatives like ADSL or fibre optics, and now also more due to the pressure that comes from HTS networks”
January 2014 | SatellitePro | 39
SatGuest
ASTRONOMERS FIND PLANET THAT “SHOULDN’T BE THERE” Researchers are left scratching their heads as giant exoplanet shatters theories on the formation of planets An international team of astronomers, headed by a student from the University of Arizona (UA), has discovered an exoplanet, a planet outside of our solar system. It is the most distantly orbiting planet found to date around a single, sun-like star. Dubbed the “HD 106906 b”, the planet is unlike any other in our solar system, say researchers, adding that this finding has thrown a spanner in planet formation theories. It weighs 11 times more than Jupiter and orbits its star at 650 times the average Earth-sun distance. “This system is especially fascinating because no model of either planet or star formation fully explains what we see,” said Vanessa Bailey, the lead researcher and fifth-year graduate student in the Astronomy Department at UA. According to our current understanding of planet formation, it is believed that planets close to their stars coalesce from small asteroid-like bodies born in the primordial disk of dust and gas that surrounds a forming star. However, this process is too slow to grow a very large planet far from its star. Another proposed mechanism is that giant planets can form from a fast, direct collapse of disk material. However, primordial disks very seldom contain enough mass in their outer reaches to allow a planet like HD 106906 b to form. Several alternative hypotheses have been proposed, including formation similar to a mini binary star system, says Bailey. 40 | SatellitePro | January 2014
“A binary star system can be formed when two adjacent clumps of gas collapse more or less independently to form stars, and these stars are close enough to each other to exert a mutual gravitation attraction and bind them together in an orbit. It is possible that in the case of the HD 106906 system, the star and planet collapsed independently from clumps of gas, but for some reason the planet’s progenitor clump was starved for material and never grew large enough to ignite and become a star.” But, according to Bailey, a problem with this is that the mass ratio of the two stars in a binary system is typically no more than 10:1. “In our case, the mass ratio is more than 100:1. This extreme mass ratio isn’t predicted from binary star formation theories – just like planet formation theory predicts that we cannot form planets so far from the host star.”
This system generates additional interest amongst researchers as the remnant debris disk of material left over from planet and star formation is still detectable. “Systems like this one, where we have additional information about the environment in which the planet resides, have the potential to help us disentangle the various formation models. Future observations of the planet’s orbital motion and the primary star’s debris disk may help answer that question.” At 13 million years, this “young” planet still glows from the residual heat of its formation, though, at 1,500C, it’s much cooler than its host star and, therefore, emits most of its energy as infrared rather than visible light. Earth, by comparison, formed 4.5 billion years ago and is about 350 times older than HD 106906 b. PRO
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