ISSUE 5 | APRIL 2012
The 70,000 km
race WHO IS WINNING AT MARINE SATCOM?
A force multiplier
GVF audit
The global oilfield
Commercial satellites contribute to military operations
Creating a win-win situation for client and provider
Ensuring consistent SLAs from Houston to Basra
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EDITORIAL
“It was no ordinary call” The call travelled 70,000 kms to get to a person about 35 kms away in Dubai. And despite the 70,000 km round trip, the call sounded incredibly normal. The Thuraya XT-Dual did its job and I was duly humbled though slightly miffed that I did not think of anyone beyond 35 kms when satellite communication potentially offers global connectivity. This month, we take a look at Satcom trends in the marine sector, poised as it is on the cusp of exciting disruptions in technology, bandwidth and costs.
In this edition: “Network infrastructure audits and bandwidth management solutions must form part of what a ship demands from its internet service provider,” Costas Charalambous, sales director, Global Marine Communications – page 10 “We have chosen the UAE as the venue for our MCPC platform because of its central location and excellent infrastructure,” PAKSAT CEO, Usman Bajwa – page 17 “With the spurt in HD and the constraint on existing capacity over the Middle East, our location at 3 degrees puts us in an interesting position to help distribute this content,” Scott Sprague, chief operating officer, Asia Broadcast Satellite – page 19 “Satellites enable information superiority as compared to ‘boots on the ground’ as a true force multiplier,” Gerard Donelan, vice president, public sector projects, SES – page 22 “The danger of not including management SLAs is that when people are prioritising work, the things that you do not measure go to the bottom of the ‘to do’ list,” Bill Green, global account director, Hermes Datacomms – page 36
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CONTENTS
Issue 5 | APRIL 2012
News
30
Creating synergies
Rebuilding Afghanistan’s communication system
4
Collaborations, conferences, expanding operations and more
A look back at an epic undertaking
Cover Story
32
The 70,000 km race
Fighting for space at the Olympics
10
An overview of marine satcom trends from operators, service providers and integrators
10
36
SatOverview
SatVertical: Oil & Gas
16
Managing a global network for the industry with consistent SLAs
Uncertain times, creative solutions Operators and technology providers devise creative ways to stay profitable
SatVertical: Government
22
The challenges to be faced by small broadcasters
38 SatTechnology
16
Commercial satcom: A game-changer for military operations
Portable antennas, data modules, transmission platforms and more
42 SatEvents
The emergence of satellite as a force multiplier
A ready-reference of industry events in April, May and June 2012
SatCaseStudy
26
GVF audit of a satellite network A unique case-study across more than 25 countries in Africa
44 SatGuest
32
Paul Scardino of Globecomm gives his take on CABSAT 2012
April 2012 | SatellitePro | 3
SatNews
OSN’s equinox message OSN announced the launch of OSN Play, reportedly the region’s first online TV platform, allowing its customers to watch the latest movies and series over the internet on a variety of devices, anywhere, anytime at no extra charge to OSN subscribers. Speaking to the press on the occasion, David Butorac, CEO of OSN said, “It’s a great way to put viewers in charge of their entertainment. OSN Play will continue to expand to a wide range of digital devices in the coming weeks.” Speaking to SatellitePro ME on the sidelines of the launch of OSN Play, Lisa Robinson, Head of CA Operations commented on the message that was aired on satellite interferences during the equinox season: “We ran the clip last September and it reduced the number of calls we received complaining about no picture or other interference issues. It also makes our customers feel that we are not just putting the service out there, but are also looking
David Butorac, CEO of OSN
after their interests. We do still receive calls but it is considerably reduced in number. The message has an added benefit. While we inform our customers, thus reducing their concern, it also helps them understand that there are certain factors outside our control – the equinox phenomenon, rain and sandstorms, for instance.”
MENA region contributes 10% to C-COM revenue C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., a global provider of mobile auto-deploying satellite antenna systems, reported an increase in revenues by 82.7% to $19,135,942 and a net after-tax profit of $3,776,035 in 2011. Speaking to SatellitePro ME, Leslie Klein, president and CEO said: “The MENA region has contributed about 10% to our revenue stream last year and we expect to see more business coming this year from the region with the introduction of Ka-band by Yahsat. We expect to supply mobile solutions to the region and we plan to work closely with Yahsat to deliver Ka in the region as well as in Africa through them.” “The growth and profitability during the fiscal year 2011 are largely attributed to the increase in sales of our iNetVu Mobile autodeploying antenna systems, particularly to the telecom, military as well as to the oil and gas sectors worldwide,” added Klein.
Elena Pisonero, new Qatar’s Es’hailSat selects chairperson of Hispasat Arianespace to launch first satellite Eutelsat Communications and Qatar-based satellite company, Es’hailSat, have selected Arianespace to launch Eutelsat 25B / Es’hail 1 satellite in the second quarter of 2013 on board an Ariane 5 launcher. The contract signed with Arianespace to deliver Eutelsat 25B / Es’hail 1 into orbit marks a further step forward in Eutelsat and Es’hailSat’s joint programme to operate a high-performance satellite at 25.5° East, a longstanding orbital position serving expanding markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. In addition to securing Ku-band continuity for Eutelsat and Ku-band resources for Es’hailSat, it will initiate a Ka-band capability to open business opportunities for both parties. Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari, Es’hailSat’s CEO, said: “Es’hail 1 is just the start 4 | SatellitePro | April 2012
(From left to right) Es’hailSat CEO Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari, Arianespace’s Jean-Yves Le Gall, and Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat
of our mission to provide high quality, independent satellite services to meet Qatar’s national stakeholder’s interests and serve customers throughout the Middle East and North Africa.”
The board of directors of Hispasat has elected Elena Pisonero as the company’s new chairperson. Pisonero has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. She has worked for multinational companies such as Siemens and KPMG in the private sector. Hispasat has recently consolidated its position in Europe, America and Northern Africa with the Hispasat 1E satellite, which has 53 simultaneous transponders in Ku and Ka-bands, a 15-year life cycle and a 5.27-ton launching mass. The estimated investment for this satellite exceeds Euros 200 million.
Yahsat’s Y1B satellite leaves Astrium for April 2012 launch date Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) has overseen the transportation of its second satellite Y1B from EADS Astrium facilities in Toulouse, France, to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. On arrival in Kazakhstan, the Y1B satellite will receive additional testing before it is moved to its final launch position. The Y1B will be launched by an ILS Proton Breeze M vehicle in April 2012. The Y1B weighs more than 6,000 kgs and features a spacecraft power of 14kw and has a 15-year designed lifetime. It is equipped with a commercial multi-beam payload in Ka-band, which will be used to provide a variety of government and commercial applications, including YahClick, a new affordable satellite broadband service. “The Yahsat team appreciates the hard work of the teams at EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space to successfully deliver the construction of Y1B and delivery to the launch site,” said Yahsat CEO, Tareq Abdul Raheem Al Hosani.
Inmarsat sponsors TSF training in Northern Kenya
OnAir connectivity enabled across Emirates A380 Fleet
Relief agency, Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) has been training humanitarian aid workers in northern Kenya to use Inmarsat in emergencies. The training was designed to help non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operate independently in times of crisis, such as the recent famine in Somalia which caused many refugees to seek help in Kenya. The delegates learned how to use satellite equipment provided by Inmarsat-sponsored TSF, including IsatPhone Pros and BGAN terminals. The training included theoretical courses and hands-on exercises in how to make voice calls, send SMS messages and handle GPS positioning. Humanitarian organisations need to be in a position to respond quickly and effectively in case of a food crisis or any other disaster, says a TSF spokesperson.
OnAir has enabled Wi-Fi connectivity across Emirate Airlines’ fleet of 21 A380s, reportedly the world’s largest A380 fleet. OnAir’s inflight GSM mobile phone network will be deployed on the Emirates A380s from July 2012, the first time the combined GSM mobile phone and WiFi service will be available on A380s, the company said. Internet OnAir has now been on over 5,000 Emirates A380 flights, initially as a trial before the formal service launch at the end of 2011. With average data usage per user slightly below 20MB, the SwiftBroadband-based service has reportedly proved capable of handling demand. The bulk of usage is focused on social media, news and travel related sites, with passengers typically using the internet during the first half of the flight.
SatNews
Etisalat to use Intelsat 22 to expand broadband and GSM backhaul services Intelsat 22 will serve media, government and network services customers in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East with Ku- and C-band capacity. Intelsat S.A., confirmed the 2012 delivery of its Global Mobility Network, the core of which is based on five satellites launching over the next 12 months. Nairobi-based Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) has signed a multi-year agreement with Intelsat to distribute broadcast programming from production facilities to terrestrial base stations around the country to service its newly launched DTT network. Intelsat 22 will also be used by Etisalat UAE, a telecommunications services provider in the Middle East, which signed a multi-year,
multi-transponder agreement for capacity on Intelsat 22. Etisalat will use Intelsat 22 to expand its broadband and GSM backhaul services in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and central Asia.
Competition or conflict between teleport and satellite operators The World Teleport Association released the second annual Satellite Operator Benchmarks report, which covers interviews with more than 80 teleport executives around the world who rated the commercial and operational practices of the major satellite operators. The report tracks, rates and compares performance, as experienced by a major buyer segment of satellite capacity, and examines key elements of the relationship between teleports and satellite providers, including the quality of sales staff, customer communications, pricing consistency, and the degree and fairness of competition with teleports. WTA’s report also looks at operational availability, the handling of interference and of outages, both planned and unplanned. In operational practice, all of the satellite operators received a strong ranking, on 6 | SatellitePro | April 2012
average, across all factors of the study. As in the 2011 edition of the study, in commercial practice, there was a significant spread between the top and lower-ranked operators. Arabsat and Telesat were rated as the best performing commercial operators. SES performed in the middle of the rankings and Intelsat and Eutelsat were rated next, with the report indicating that teleport operators believe these providers can improve performance against the commercial parameters. Competition between teleport operators and satellite operators for the same business, however, remains a complex and lingering issue. Satellite operators are vendors to teleports. “But when they choose to compete directly for the same business, their control of the orbital asset gives them the power to offer prices no teleport operator can match,” the report states.
Giuliano Berretta to join Newtec’s strategic committee
Giuliano Berretta, the former CEO of Eutelsat, has been appointed as an external member of Newtec’s strategic committee. The strategic committee advises and assists the Newtec board of directors with company policy and strategy. Berretta has reportedly been central to the design of many of Europe’s pioneering communications satellite programmes, including Eutelsat’s Ka-Sat satellite; the largest Ka-band spot-beam satellite covering Europe. Serge Van Herck, CEO and chairman of Newtec, said: “We are extremely fortunate to have Giuliano joining us. He has exceptional industry experience and knowledge and is set to be a real source of strength for us.” Berretta is currently honorary chairman of Eutelsat Communication and Eutelsat S.A., chairman of Eutelsat Italia and chairman Emeritus of ESOA.
Al Jazeera expands audience over Africa Al Jazeera has signed a contract for capacity on the Eutelsat 7 West A satellite located at 7° West. Al Jazeera has chosen the new service area on Eutelsat 7 West A to enable the media corporation to extend coverage across North West Africa to Morocco and as far as Nigeria. Broadcasts have already begun, with nine channels operational, including the flagship Al Jazeera news channels in Arabic and English, as well as a documentary, children’s and sports channels.
4 Yahsat launches YahClick Go Yahsat’s satellite broadband service, YahClick, is to offer a new transportable terminal service called YahClick Go, which has been designed to allow broadband connectivity reportedly anywhere in YahClick’s coverage range. The new service has been established to meet the demand of organisations and businesses operating in sectors such as media and journalism, oil and gas, government and NGOs, that require internet connectivity even in the remotest locations. Yahsat CEO, Tareq Abdul Raheem Al Hosani, commented: “YahClick Go is a great addition to our YahClick business, which will officially commence this year with the launch of our second satellite Y1B in April.” According to a company spokesman, YahClick Go’s cost effective, user terminals
Turksat upgrades global satellite network
Yahsat stand at CABSAT 2012
Nihat Oktay, VP, Turksat
allow instant internet access via an auto pointing antenna, which is easily mountable on vehicles and can be operated by a single user by using the high bandwidth Ka-band frequency, rather the L-band or Ku-band.
Turksat, Turkey’s only satellite operator, has upgraded its global satellite network with iDirect’s latest operating software, iDX 3.0. Turksat’s upgrade to iDX 3.0 will reportedly augment the company’s Turksat VSAT offering, which provides support for voice and data transmission, internet, VPN, and video conferencing. The multi-channel demodulation technology of iDX 3.0 brings significant efficiency improvements to Turksat’s VSAT services. “At Turksat, communication is everything. That’s why we partnered with iDirect. Upgrading to iDirect’s iDX 3.0 software has provided significant efficiency gains and will help us as we continue to grow,” said Nihat Oktay, VP, Turksat.
Speedcast acquires capacity on Arabsat 5C to serve MENA’s mining sector SpeedCast has signed a multiyear agreement with Arab Satellite Communications Organisation (Arabsat), for new capacity on the Arabsat 5C satellite. SpeedCast selected Arabsat 5C for the new service due to its strong coverage in northern and central Africa, as well as strong coverage in the Middle East. SpeedCast selected the C-band spectrum due to the high signal reliability and broad coverage areas, which make the service ideally suited for addressing connectivity requirements among natural resource customers with critical communication needs. The company specialises in helping its Asia-based customers with their communications requirements in Africa. For instance, SpeedCast has recently worked on a number of projects for various Asia-based companies, expanding in Algeria, Angola, and Zambia. The company sees strong future
Earth observation commercial data sales by 2020
Jean-Francois Leprince-Ringuet joins Eutelsat as CCO growth potential in Africa, and anticipates continued strong demand in the region across all sectors. “High quality service into and out of Africa are critical for meeting the current and future needs of our customers,” said Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast. “As the business connection between Africa and Asia continues to strengthen, we are pleased to support our Asian customers’ expansion plans into Africa, by delivering unsurpassed quality in the African market.”
Eutelsat Communications announced that Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet is joining the group as chief commercial officer and member of the executive committee, succeeding Andrew Wallace who is leaving Eutelsat to pursue other professional interests. Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet brings 30 years of experience in IT and telecoms to Eutelsat. He is a French national and a graduate of the Ecole des Mines. April 2012 | SatellitePro | 7
SatNews
Arabsat’s Broadcasters Forum
(l to r) Dr. Riyadh Najm, deputy minister of information affairs – Saudi Ministry of Culture & Information, Sam Barnett CEO – MBC Group, Hassan Chahine, technology adviser – DMI
Panel discussion on a wide-range of broadcast-related issues
The Arab Satellite Communications Organisation (Arabsat) held its sixth annual Broadcasters Forum on the eve of CABSAT 2012 in Dubai and the two-day event was attended by more than two hundred Arab and global owners and executives representing satellite TV broadcasting. The annual event according to Khaled bin Ahmed Balkheyour, president and CEO of Arabsat, celebrated the completion of
Mohammed Al Marhouby, Oman TV director general of engineering 8 | SatellitePro | April 2012
(l to r) Hassan Sayed Hasan, MD – Master Media, Eng. Nabil Shanti, VP – CCO Arabsat
Arabsat’s fleet now fully operational at orbital locations 20, 26, 30.5 and 34.5 degrees East. The forum was held in cooperation with the manufacturers of Arabsat’s satellites, “EADS Astrium”, “Thales Alenia Space” and launch specialist “Arianespace”. The well-attended two-day forum included a topical panel discussion on broadcast-related issues in which a number of senior satellite TV executives and experts participated.
Saudi MOCI team with other key regional executives
(l to r) Sam Barnett, CEO – MBC Group, Khalid Balkheyour, president & CEO – Arabsat
15 Thuraya launches XT-Dual
The media launch of Thuraya XT-Dual
Thuraya, the mobile satellite operator with a record, according to a company spokesman, of over 600,000 phones sold to date, launched a dual mode handheld phone that features both GSM and
Ahmed Ali Al Shamsi, chief technology officer, Thuraya
satellite capabilities. The XT-Dual, reportedly makes Thuraya the only satellite operator to provide consumers the flexibility to switch between GSM and satellite modes wherever they may be located.
Value of the satellite bandwidth used for traditional FSS services in 2020
NewSat’s Jabiru-1 to cover Middle East
Arianespace chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall (right) and Adrian Ballintine, founder and chief executive officer of NewSat Limited, sign the Jabiru-1 launch contract
Jabiru-1’s high-powered capacity will provide flexible communication solutions to enterprise and government customers across Asia, the Middle East and eastern Africa. It offers a design life of 15 years.
April 2012 | SatellitePro | 9
SatLead
photo supplied by Thuraya
Creating the perfect 70,000 km round trip The number of satellite communication terminals in the global maritime market will nearly double over the next decade, with an estimated CAGR of 7%, according to experts. We look at the challenges and opportunities in catering to the growing demand for bandwidth in the marine sector
10 | SatellitePro | April 2012
6 It does not take much for the owner or captain of a leisure boat to be happy. The chef should be up and about, the air conditioners and toilets should be functioning and internet connection should be working. Unlike the other parameters for impermanent bliss, the internet connection comes with a number of qualifiers – how fast is the connection, who is getting the connection and how much is this costing me? When Costas Charalambous, sales director and his team at Cyprus-based Global Marine Communications (GMC) deploy VSAT-based solutions on a boat, they know that the service is about more than providing basic connectivity. Speaking to SatellitePro ME at the recently concluded Dubai International Boat Show, the marine satcom solutions provider said, “It is not just about delivering internet service, the service has also to be distributed in a way that works for the boat owners.” When Costas’ team deploys a VSAT-based connectivity powered by Hughes, he also provides a bandwidth management system called BOSS (bandwidth optimisation and security server). “The acronym is quite apt, because it helps manage the system. We do not know what sites are being visited because that is a privacy issue, but we do know that the user is downloading three megabytes, for instance. It helps the owner distribute the bandwidth between various users depending on criticality and other criteria.”
Costas Charalambous (r), sales director, Global Marine Communications (GMC)
“Word of mouth is crucial and it does not getter any better when the owner of a boat recommends your service to his friends” markets, Costas is mindful of the importance of the personal touch. “Word of mouth is crucial and it does not getter any better when the owner of a boat recommends your service to his friends.”
Katrin Haessner, managing director, Epak
One size does not fit all “We offer dedicated airtime packages that deliver full speed, off the link, designed for real time applications like VOIP, video or real time monitoring and these tend to be the highest cost solutions,” explains Costas. He adds,”The shared or contended capacity airtime packages allow multiple vessels to use the same capacity therefore significantly reducing service cost.” The difference in price can be astronomical, says Costas.”You can have a contended service (contended 5:1) for a price of Euros 800 a month or a dedicated line that could cost anywhere between Euros 4,000, 5,000 or more. “ Costas and his counterparts in the industry serve a sector that has the cost-be-damned, oil-
Growth of number of terminals in maritime Satcom in 2011
“Because of the low purchase costs and monthly fees for this new generation of antennas, which are much below the usual costs in the market, an affordable maritime internet service is possible” rich prince as a customer who would pay Euros 4,000 per month for unlimited and dedicated connectivity to a boat he seldom visits and the cost-conscious charter cruise owner in a recession-driven, uncertain economy. Working closely with resellers in individual
Technology drives demand amongst a discerning customer base Technology also matters as customers grow more discerning, Katrin Haessner, managing director of Germany-based Epak explained. “We established an office in the UAE primarily because we realised the boating fraternity here appreciates German technology. I think we were the first to introduce the 60 cm antenna in the region. Back home in Germany, we started, in 2000, with TV antennas for the yachting sector. In the past few years, we have been supplying antennas to commercial clients such as fishing boats, oil and gas and a growing customer base in the river cruise sector.” Historically, marine Satcom developed faster because of the longer journeys as compared to air or on ground and larger antennas were developed to cater typically to oil rigs, tankers, ferries, and so on. It was the development of the small sized Ku-band antennas at a relatively low cost, that allowed April 2012 | SatellitePro | 11
SatLead
for connectivity on smaller sized vessels. Haessner’s company boasts of what is reportedly the world’s smallest 2-way satellite communication antenna for the Ku-band with a reflector size of 60 cm (24”) that guarantees an extremely fast internet access with 2048 kBit/s downlink and 512 kBit/s uplink. “Once the ship starts to move, our antenna tracks the satellite 80 times per second,” she claimed pointing to the antennas on display. Despite ensuring technological superiority and compliance with international standards, operations such as Epak, though being based in the region, close to its customer base, faces challenges. With regard to challenges, we are not referring to the issues raised by experts about the pervading lack of importance given to type approval of mobile Satcom systems. Antenna size, adjacent satellite interference and the need for type approval…that is clearly another editorial feature altogether. Challenges posed by the cost-conscious customer Mariners no longer want to pay by the byte as was the case in the past with L-band technology. The higher frequency Ku-band made it possible for low, fixed-price broadband. Service providers are now coming up with creative packages for a market largely driven by buyers. Haessner says, “There is a market demand for lease and we offer that. We offer both short term and long term rental and we’ve seen our competition has followed suit in this region. Normally customers pay a flat rate for connection, but some customers in the yachting sector opt for a volume-based contract which allows them a certain limit for a month. Once they reach this limit, we notify them by email.” She added, “ Because of the low purchase costs and monthly fees for this new generation of antennas, which are much below the usual costs in the market, an affordable maritime internet service is possible.” Continuing on the all-important aspect of cost, Costas says, “Undercutting is an issue. But I think it is more about trying to educate the customer. I try to explain the importance of contention ratio. When customers tell me that they are getting the connection at a lower price with a contention ratio of 10:1, I explain to them that there are nine other 12 | SatellitePro | April 2012
Kyle Hurst, senior manager market development – Maritime, Thuraya
providers. They know their customer and their requirements. I am in touch with them on a regular basis – sometimes daily with a couple of them. This helps us know what each one is doing and it helps in devising solutions for customers, if need be.” With extensive experience in the marine sector, Hurst knows the industry has evolved beyond providing just the equipment. He says, “We want to offer, in collaboration with our partners, complete solutions. We are concentrating on products and the range of services coming out of the products. Why I stress this is because we are beyond an era, in the maritime sector, when all you needed to do was to sell a piece of equipment.” Hurst describes the year 2012 as pivotal with Thuraya moving beyond narrowband to
“The pipe is only half the job, the other half is ensuring that critical ship clearance gets through before administrative or crew data” pople using that same link. In Europe, for instance, from March to October everyone is in the South of France, accessing the internet. So for a 5:1 contention ratio, you may be paying higher, but you are getting double the speed. It is easier when you deal with resellers or captains who understand this. With management companies, the whole issue of CAPEX vs OPEX comes into play.” And with a view to retaining customers, systems are kept as user-friendly as possible, Haessner says, “Our antennas are simple to operate and maintain. If a cable is broken, the dealer or a trained person on the ship is able to solve the problem in a few steps. In addition, we have training facilities here in our office, in the UAE, for our resellers and customers.” Working closely with service providers Fully recognising the delicate balancing act the value chain is for all the players, Kyle Hurst in his relatively new role as director, market development – maritime, Thuraya, spoke of the importance of strengthening the network of service providers in the marine sector. He says, “While we are committed to our indirect distribution, we work closely with our marine service
include solutions for voice and broadband. The spectrum of solutions is key, say Hurst, when he says: “While the end user is looking for rugged, effective solutions at the right price they are also looking at the cost of ownership over a period of years. In addition, boats are constantly upgrading their connectivity. We are looking at products that we can offer across the entire spectrum, from simple voice communications to broadband office communications – so you can actually have your vessel operating as part of your corporate network. “ He sees business coming from various sectors. “On the merchant shipping side of things, quite a few ships are moving from older technology to newer technology because of costs and throughput. While they may have relied on voice and thin data connection for email, they are now looking for complete communication systems. In fisheries, there is a lot of pressure with national regulations. From simple tracking systems to more advanced measures of monitoring, governments and fishery boards are trying to protect their marine resources. On the leisure side, people expect to be connected on the boat just as they are on land. We are trying to push effective
1.4
Revenues for satellite service providers in global maritime Satcom in 2011
solutions in each of these verticals.” With products such as the Seagull 5000i terminal that has tracking functionality, which is becoming a mandatory requirement by many maritime and fishery bodies, Hurst agrees that the company is well placed to tap into the fishery sector, in particular. Categorising criticality of data Like Costas, Hurst agrees that the connection is only part of job done. He says, “The pipe is only half the job, the other half is ensuring that critical ship clearance gets through before a crew member’s email to friends. Currently, we offer 444 kilobits per second as the capacity of our network. This is more than enough for the operational requirement of most vessels. It all comes down to how critical the data is and how much you are willing to pay for the connection. “Operational traffic is typically critical, followed by administrative and crew data. That is why we are concentrating on ‘all you can eat’ packages. You pay a set fee per month that is fit for purpose for whatever you want to do. If you know the capability you are getting , you can then decide to plan your data around that and decide that when it comes to obtaining clearance to enter national waters, communication cannot be down on any account, for which you would opt for a highly redundant, possibly, L-bandbased solution.” He adds,“We work closely with our service partners because our success is determined by them. We’re just putting together partner support programmes and setting up new facilities in the Thuraya building to run through what our service partners are offering and find out how we can be more effective in supporting them. “ Downward pressure on price and historic highs in demand Coupled with global recession, the marine sector has seen a downward pressure on price prompted by large providers/operators consolidating their operations. With the acquisition of ShipEquip, a large provider of maritime VSAT, Inmarsat is able to offer Kuband service, along with its FleetBroadband
The demand for low-cost, ship-to-shore communication, is also triggered by the pressing need to retain valuable crew photo supplied by Thuraya
for L-band, as a backup. This has triggered a price war among Satcom service providers. To counter this, EADS Astruim’s acquistion of Vizada, which owns Marlink, saw a further price reduction. As customers are becoming more pricesensitive, focusing on free equipment and airtime packages, the bright spot is that the demand for connectivity has never been higher. For instance, analysts view the factors driving the MSS growth in AsiaPacific will primarily be the maritime sector, due to an increase in maritime trade on the back of solid economic development and the presence of major ports. The number of maritime terminals is expected to grow to over 123,000 units and the annual wholesale revenue is forecasted to reach US$ 212 million in 2018. The demand for low-cost, ship-to-shore communication, is also triggered by the pressing need to retain valuable labour. In addition, the recession is prompting the need for greater efficiency. Hurst says, “You still need to carry cargo. There are larger costs than communication, with fuel and crew being a big part of that. If I can spend 20% more on critical communication that can save me fuel and help me retain crew... that is the sort of dynamics coming into play within the vertical. Yes, people cut down on budgets but also seek optimisation.”
Ka-band: The emerging disruption In the mix is the imminent entry of Kaband. Costas says, ‘The new kid on the block, will be Ka-band services which will offer even higher speeds. Perhaps up to 20 Mbps and at a reduced cost/Mbps. In the leisure industry, Ka-band will probably be used as an ancillary service to Ku-band to boost the user experience when in home waters or be used on vessels that rarely travel more than 100 kms from the home port.” The product innovators have already responded with dual-band (Ku-Ka) antennas. Haessner agrees that Ka-band can revolutionise the industry. She says, “While Kaband enables narrower beams allowing more reuse of frequencies and higher power, it also requires greater precision in the manufacture of antennas and more sophisticated electronics to cope with rain fade and so on. The impact on cost and performance will have to be studied. Having said that, we will definitely see changes in the coming years.” Costas believes that the increasing complexity of a ship’s IT infrastructure can no longer be left to just evolve. He says, ‘A slow or flaky internet connection will not be tolerated in the future and so services such as network infrastructure audits and bandwidth management solution must form part of what a ship demands from its internet service provider.” PRO April 2012 | SatellitePro | 13
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SatOverview: CABSAT 2012
Uncertain times, creative solutions Blurring the lines between competitors and collaborators, wholesalers and service providers, CABSAT 2012, offered myriad responses to the challenges of the times. We spoke to satellite manufacturers, operators and technology providers to understand how oft-repeated phrases such as ‘end-to-end service’ or ‘value-added service’ are getting a real lease of life
16 | SatellitePro | April 2012
With 19 satellites to be launched by 2013, the excitement on the satellite side of CABSAT 2012 was clearly evident. The 500 free-to-air channels and the estimate that satellite television is slated to reach 65 million homes by 2016, tells you that broadcast is not relinquishing its dominant status in the satellite industry any time soon. The Middle East, in particular, remains a promising region. Satellite operators such as Yahsat and Arabsat are offering HDTV a viable platform, thus bringing cohesion to a market that hitherto had the HD-enabled television sets with very little genuine HD content. Along with broadcast, the other verticals including Telcos, oil and gas and enterprise, were getting their fair share of attention from exhibitors. However, the most telling statistic is that, of the 1,145 satellites to be built for launch from 2011 to 2020, more than 70% is
being driven by government demand which is expected to enter a stagnation phase in the coming decade. On the other hand, experts believe that the value of satellite capacity leasing should grow at 7% over the next ten years driven by connectivity needs and the growth of digital TV in emerging regions – one of them being the MENA region. It seemed appropriate therefore, to begin the conversation with Abu Dhabi-based Yahsat that was easily one of the most active stands at CABSAT 2012. Predominant role of regional players Over the five days of CABSAT 2012, a slew of initiatives and partnerships were announced. Newtec’s FlexACM technology is to offer IP Trunking services via Yahsat’s second satellite, Y1B. There was a second announcement with iDirect. Yahsat launched a new VSAT service based on the iDirect Evolution Platform.
1,145 The latter is part of YahService, the endto-end managed satellite solutions division of Yahsat. The VSAT service is based on the iDirect Evolution Platform and Cisco’s unified communication system that will enable YahService to offer “cloud” services, including, but not limited to voice, video and data applications across Africa and the Middle East. Speaking to SatellitePro Middle East at CABSAT, Rashed Al Ghafri, general manager, Yahsat said: “This is a big step towards expanding YahService’s product capabilities and offering a reliable communications solution for remote and mobile platforms. Our customers have the opportunity to save on capital expenditure by utilising our Satcom managed services with the built-in capability for unified communications for voice, video and data applications. We can offer turnkey satellite solutions for a wide-range of market segments including government, defence, energy, healthcare and financial sectors.” Spelling out the end-to-end nature of the new service, Al Ghafri said: “We plan to offer the service from network design to buying and installing the hardware to commissioning and maintaining the equipment. The work will be done in-house and this will enhance the technology transfer to UAE nationals.” Moving from CAPEX to an OPEX model Having strengthened its Ka-, Ku- and C-band service portfolio, Al Ghafri’s team at Yahsat plans to engage with a variety of new verticals including utility companies and enterprise customers, among others. With the technology to manage the diverse needs of multiple markets on one platform, Al Ghafri said: ”The key is we are moving from a CAPEX to an OPEX model, so the client will pay per usage. There is considerable demand for such services but clients find investing in the hub expensive. We enjoy the trust of the UAE armed forces. We have the authority to commercialise the excess capacity on our satellites with after-sales service and maintenance built into our business model. We are inviting companies for a proof of concept for any network and if they believe it works for them, we install it.” With access to captive capacity, Al Ghafri’s team is well placed to commercialise the capacity available to them.
Number of satellites to be built for launch from 2011 to 2020
“We can offer turnkey satellite solutions for a wide-range of market segments including government, defence, energy, healthcare and financial sectors”
Rashed Al Ghafri, general manager, Yahsat
Services, not just infrastructure: In search of higher margins There was more than one satellite operator talking about offering end-to-end solutions. Giving us a brief insight into the consolidation that necessarily follows when operators address vertical markets in a more customised manner, was Nikolaus Faller, VP, international sales and marketing, MENA, Astrium. He said, “We are evolving our business in a way that allows us to employ the multiple capabilities that we have in our company to offer our customer an end-to-end service quite unique in the satellite industry. In earth observation satellites for instance, we provide optical and radar satellites up to a very high resolution. Now we are moving into higher value services such as developing reconnaissance maps and environmental maps, among other solutions.“ Acquisitions and internal innovations driving growth Acquisitions and internal initiatives are driving the ground-breaking initiatives from Astrium. The acquisition of Vizada by Astrium Services has created a new global leader in the market for satellite telecommunication services. In addition, the AGILE (Ambitious, Globally growing, Innovative, Lean and Entrepreneurial) plan aims at enabling the company’s managers
to work with greater independence, through a streamlining of the decision-making processes. Faller explained, “We need to become even more proactive in order to thrive in a changing environment. Business growth can now take place only in services. “ In addition, we also realised that we need to bring about greater coordination between the various business divisions . Of course, for the services sector you need a different mentality as compared to the infrastructure business. You need to adapt to the market demands rapidly. When offering services, creating public private partnerships that combine governmental needs with commercial interests, where you jointly finance infrastructure and jointly operate, are increasingly accepted. The Skynet 5 initiative with the UK MoD is one such instance.” “In this region, we have a partnership with Yahsat. From being part of the consortium that is building the satellites to developing the network management and ground systems to selling military and civil terminals, we could now, through our service entities, buy capacity from Yahsat. “ First-time participants create impact While the international operators were staking their claim in the MENA, regional players with unrivalled local expertise, had offers that would create interesting synergies in the months and years to come. CABSAT 2012 had a number of first-time participants including teleport operators, Santander and Milano and Pakistan’s satellite operator, PAKSAT. Speaking to the personable CEO, Usman Bajwa, on the impressive debut of PAKSAT, he said, “We recently launched PAKSAT-1R in August 2011. It became operational in October of 2011. Our coverage extends to South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and all the way to the UK in Europe. The customer segments we are targeting are GSM operators, data and internet service providers, and TV broadcasters in the MENA and South Asia region. In the last couple of months we were concentrating on April 2012 | SatellitePro | 17
SatOverview: CABSAT 2012
transitioning our existing clients from PAKSAT-1 to the PAKSAT-1R. We have now wrapped up the capacity contracts for new customers in Pakistan and we are planning to spread our footprint into the Middle East and Africa to secure international business. ”Part of our strategy is to target TV broadcast customers in the region with our Multiple Channel per Carrier (MCPC) services. In December, we launched our MCPC platform in Karachi targeting domestic TV channels that have licenses to uplink from Pakistan. In the second phase, we plan to set up an MCPC service out of the UAE in partnership with a local media city.” Speaking from proven success in Pakistan, Bajwa was unfazed about setting up operations in a region that had established regional players and some big international companies vying for market share in various verticals. He reiterated, “Our experience with domestic MCPC has been very successful. We started with a small 15-channel MCPC platform that was filled within a month and we have some more TV channels on our waiting list. We want to replicate this model internationally in collaboration with our teleport service partners in the region.” Leveraging satellite footprint and captive customer base Elaborating on the international MCPC platform strategy in the UAE, Bajwa said, “We expect the platform to be full in three months’ time. We are not only targeting domestic TV channels, but also channels that are broadcasting into Pakistan but are based out of the country. This is a customer base that has been waiting for us to operationalise our plans. Of course, we are pricing ourselves very competitively, but we don’t intend to compete only on price. “We have an excellent coverage in the region particularly for the regional channels. We have an exceptionally strong footprint over South Asia, Middle East, and East Africa. One of our strongest USPs for the C-band coverage for TV channels is that 75% of Pakistan’s expatriate community are in the Middle East and Europe. In addition, there are South Asian, Middle Eastern and African channels that operate out of Europe, that want access to audiences in these parts. 18 | SatellitePro | April 2012
Nikolaus Faller, VP, international sales and marketing, MENA, Astrium
Usman Bajwa, CEO, PAKSAT
“We are evolving our business in a way that allows us to employ the multiple capabilities that we have in our company to offer our customer an end-to-end service quite unique in the satellite industry”
“Our experience with domestic MCPC has been successful. We started with a small 15-channel MCPC platform, that was filled within a month. We plan to set up a similar service in the UAE in partnership with a local media city”
Some Pakistani channels are currently uplinking from the UK and they are interested to come on board. “We have chosen the UAE as the venue for our MCPC platform because of its central location, easy accessibility and excellent infrastructure. For our international customers, we hope to set up a teleport with one of the media cities here. The good thing for us is that we have a captive customer base waiting for us to begin operations.”
However, with submarine cable and fibre connection being deployed on the west and east coasts of Africa, the IP trunking business from Europe has declined. We expect this decline to be compensated with the increase in demand for the GSM backhaul business. This is a segment that will primarily remain satellite based considering the demographic spread and the state of infrastructure across the continent. Remote villages can only be connected via satellite and that has been our experience in Pakistan as well.”
Tapping into the GSM backhaul sector As Bajwa outlined the plans for PAKSAT, it was evident that broadcast was only one aspect of the overall strategy. Bajwa explained,“Apart from broadcast customers, we are looking at opportunities into Africa in the GSM backhaul connectivity sector. Our price points are attractive and here we will be working with service providers on a capacity lease basis. We have always had a very strong presence in Africa, with our previous satellite PAKSAT-1 and enjoyed robust business in IP trunking.
Potential in Afghanistan and Pakistan “When submarine cable landed in Pakistan, we saw the IP trunking business disappear over satellite. However, Pakistan, despite being well connected with fibre going down to the Tehsil (sub district) level, has a continuing demand for GSM backhaul capacity over satellite to serve remote villages. Moreover, the Pakistani government has taken on the initiative of subsidising the GSM operations from remote areas and this has triggered business for us.”
Thomas van den Driessche, director of vertical markets, Newtec
Scott Sprague, COO, Asia Broadcast Satellite
“We are strong believers in a non-proprietary technology approach – sharing our innovations for the benefit of the whole satellite industry. Standardisation creates the necessary economies of scale to keep costs as low as possible”
“We’ve brought in ABS-3 – an inclined orbit satellite just over the Middle East and Africa to offer a low cost medium for companies to do IP Transit. We will provide tracking antennas as part of the bundle”
His views on Afghanistan’s future remain optimistic and here again, he believes PAKSAT’s knowhow of the region will be an advantage.
In a similar vein, Thomas van den Driessche, director of vertical markets, Newtec, spoke of the need to keep the industry profitable and ensure that new standards being introduced are not proprietary in nature. On the eve of CABSAT, satellite communications specialist, Newtec, took the lead, teaming up with Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) members Arabsat, Cisco, SES and Thomson Video Networks, to get the discussion for an update to the DVB-S2 standard on the DVB agenda. DVB has reportedly taken up the task and has already started investigating the commercial
Technological innovations to keep industry profitable From Peak Communications’ RF products and fully-automated antennas from Hiltron, to innovative filters from A1 Microwave and Ka-band antenna technology from ASC Signal, solutions and products at CABSAT addressed critical issues of cost, compatibility and futureproofing investment.
Martin Jarrold, director of international programmes, Global VSAT Forum (GVF) conducted well-attended sessions on a number of issues including mitigating satellite interference and the impact of Ka-band. On the summit, Martin Jarrold, director of international programmes (GVF) said: “The topical presentations and discussions offered analysis of cutting-edge product and service solutions from the global satetllite industry to meet the communication needs of the Middle East and North African marketplace.”
reasoning behind a specific standard for satellite broadcast contribution and high speed IP trunking and backbone links. Thomas said, “As a first step in extending the current DVB-S2 standard, Newtec has launched the Clean Channel Technology. This technology improves satellite efficiency for IP trunking and backhauling, and also broadcast contribution by up to 15% compared to the current DVB-S2 standard. The current DVB standard has served the industry well, but it is now more than 10 years old. We do feel that the satellite industry will benefit by developing an extended standard in line with today’s technological advances.” Standardisation creates economies of scale “From the marketing point of view, if we find an improvement in modulation techniques in the areas of IP trunking and high speed contribution, among other areas, there would be a significant cost benefit. There is a specific need in these markets to go for the most efficient spectrum. Also the more megabits you can put on the satellite segment, you get the best return on investment. We are strong believers in a non-proprietary approach to technology - sharing our innovations for the benefit of the whole satellite industry. Standardisation creates the necessary economies of scale to keep costs as low as possible.” Looking beyond broadcast As technology providers look for ways to keep the industry competitive in the face of terrestrial competition, recent history is also a useful indicator of future prospects of growth, as we discovered when talking to Scott Sprague, the newly appointed chief operating officer of Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS). With plans to expand into the MENA region and beyond into Latin America, the conversation with the COO of ABS, Scott Sprague, offered interesting insights. He said: “While the broadcast sector is the bread and butter of the industry, the reality is more than 70% of our revenue comes from databased applications. We are currently doing considerable work with the US government across the Middle East and Afghanistan. This change was evolutionary as our fleet developed. Some of our existing assets are April 2012 | SatellitePro | 19
SatOverview: CABSAT 2012
better suited to data type applications, from supporting enterprise networks in Africa and VSAT networks in the Middle East, to supporting US government applications throughout the region.” Focus on Telcos Sprague outlined his plans for the region: “The Middle East and African markets are two very distinct markets. Within the Middle East, we work with various service providers in the market. While we have been successful working with small and mid-level service providers building VSAT networks in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, among other places, we need to establish relationships with the large Telcos in the region. This will be challenging because they have legacy relationships with other international operators. However, I believe, if we establish small trading relationships, they will appreciate the level of customer service we can offer.” Offering cost-effective solutions from an inclined orbit Satellite operators such as ABS are looking at providing Telcos with more than just backup capacity, affirms Sprague. He said, “Telcos are trying to figure out price points and how they can be competitive. One of the opportunities we have as a relatively small operator is we can move very quickly and offer services at different price points. We’ve brought in ABS-3 – an inclined orbit satellite just over Middle East and Africa to offer a low-cost solution for companies to do IP Transit. We will provide tracking antennas as part of the bundle service. We are seeing a good uptake for this service. The price point is crucial and we are giving the service provider enough room to make a decent margin – which is key if you want to retain your customers a year down the line.” On future plans, Sprague said: “With the launch of ABS-2 in the first half of next year, we will move ABS-1 to 3 degrees West in an inclined orbit and continue to develop the MENA markets. I am encouraged by the breadth of the customer base. Even with the withdrawal of the American troops, there will be demand for bandwidth from the local operators on the ground and for operating UAVs on the part of the US government. With broadcast, we continue to see potential. With 20 | SatellitePro | April 2012
“We’ve brought in ABS-3 – an inclined orbit satellite just over Middle East and Africa to offer a low-cost medium for companies to do IP transit. We will provide tracking antennas as part of the bundle” the spurt in HD and the constraint on existing capacity over the Middle East, our location at 3 degrees puts us in an interesting position to help distribute this content.” “Our new satellite (ABS-2) will have a large Ka-band spot beam over the Middle East and Africa. We see Ka-band as particularly relevant in dry climates. One of the innovative ideas we are coming up with is to provide Ka-band service with C-band backup – one antenna to allow customers to switch if they have
rain outages. We are in the final stages of developing this hybrid solution.” Experts estimate that prospects for the satellite industry will remain favourable over the coming decade with traditional FSS services to be worth almost $15 billion in 2020. On their part, the industry is doing its bit to broaden areas of operation, consolidate and offer value-added services and most importantly look at cost-saving solutions to stay ahead of the competition. PRO
Igor Kot, deputy director general, Gazprom: “We hope 2012 will bring new opportunities for Gazprom, with the upcoming launch of three new satellites. Yamal-402, in particular, will have coverage over the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia.”
Meike Langer, director marketing and sales, CETel: “Yahsat 1A covers areas where CETel has key stakes, namely in the dynamic markets of Africa and the Middle East. With regard to the new Ku-band coverage of Yahsat 1A, CETel offers excellent pricing and is prepared to sponsor hardware for large volume links.”
Keith Buckley, president and CEO, ASC Signal: “One of the company’s key focus areas is supporting emerging Ka-band systems, a market segment where we have a healthy track record based on our patented sub-reflector tracking (SRT) technology.”
Joel Lundahl, business development manager, Horizon Satellite Services: “The overwhelming response of the new DVB-S2 ACM IP-service in the MENA Region has prompted HorizonSat to increase their platforms on iDirect, Comtech and Newtec.”
SatVertical: Government
Commercial satcom: A game-changer for military operations Modern-day commanders are more likely to ask for bandwidth than aircraft carriers, as governments work with commercial satellite operators to meet the growing bandwidth needs of lean, nimble military forces across the globe. In the second part of our series, experts at Milsatcom Abu Dhabi, unravel the emergence of satellite as a force multiplier
22 | SatellitePro | April 2012
6,700 Looking at the challenges and solutions for space capacity for government/military needs, Gerard Donelan, vice president, public sector projects, SES, looks at the ground realities that have driven change, the emergence of satellite as a force multiplier and the potential solutions available today. “The development of military operation patterns calls for increased satellite use,” says Donelan. He adds, “From a well-defined single mission theatre of operation, we now have multiple-theatre operations that call for simultaneous missions on a global scale. Also, from an emphasis on conventional and heavy military means that included tank divisions and heavy artillery in the past, we now see an emphasis on highly mobile special operations forces that are quickly deployable.” Among other factors that have driven change in nature of operations, according to Donelan, is the shift from the use of autonomous units to increased need for coordination with national and international partners. “Operations,” says Donelan, “were, in the past, conducted within or close to one’s homeland with the use of voice or teletype communications. Today with the theatre of operations having grown to a global scale, forces need more data-intensive weapon systems requiring ad-hoc infrastructure, eg. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and full motion video. Lastly, in the past, militaries had minimal welfare communications restricted to letters and large field hospitals. Today, welfare communication and remote medical support are must haves and there are more peacekeeping and humanitarian missions being conducted worldwide.” Advantages of deploying satellite solutions Satellite connections, according to Donelan, ”transcend physical barriers and span geographic distances better than groundbased networks, and can be established almost immediately, virtually anywhere. Moreover with global coverage, satellite solutions are distance insensitive, flexible and rapidly deployable and most significantly, they are application agnostic.” Elaborating on the advantages of the deploying satellite solutions, Donelan says, ”For C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications,
Operational unmanned aircraft in NATO
Gerard Donelan, vice president, public sector projects, SES
”For C4ISR, satellites link collectors with effectors and decisionmakers. They enable decision-making agility, initiative, precision and coherence of operations across the battlespace and lastly, satellites enable information superiority to ‘boots on the ground’ as a true force multiplier” Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), satellites link collectors with effectors and decision-makers. They enable decision making agility, initiative, precision and coherence of operations across the battlespace and lastly, satellites enable information superiority to “boots on the ground” as a true force multiplier.” The factors driving the surge in demand include net-centric programmes , global conflicts, relief efforts (Haiti/Japan), communications-on-the-move (COTM), UAVs’ data requirements, enhanced network usage and applications, larger data transfers (enhanced imagery), increased use of handheld devices, medical imagery and welfare communications, among other factors. Highlighting SES’s own experience, Donelan says, “After many years of exploring options for a NATO owned and operated airborne ground surveillance capability, NATO decided on the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Programme consisting
of a fleet of Global Hawks’ UAVs. Within the NATO AGS Programme, SES is responsible for satellite engineering services and provision of the required satellite test capacity.” Today, there are more than 6,700 operational unmanned aircraft in NATO and the numbers are growing. “Welfare,” says Donelan, “is an emerging government and military focus area. Modern soldiers expect to use Twitter, Facebook, Skype, YouTube and so on. Seen as a morale booster, the military looks at welfare as a moral obligation.” Challenges and potential solutions The challenges facing governments and militaries include shrinking defence budgets, global deployments, multiple deployments, ever increasing demand for Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), massive demand from UAVs, expectations of commanders, increasing demand from lower levels for April 2012 | SatellitePro | 23
SatVertical: Government
Dr. Ahmad Tanvir, product development manager, defence & security, EADS Astrium
“The key payload features include flexible coverage, antijamming capability, robust and survivable repeaters and security. Flexibility in power, bandwidth and coverage is achieved through multiple spot beams, high gain and flexible coverage and dynamic power and bandwidth allocation where most needed, among other factors” instant information, morale and welfare requirements and increasing demand for medical imagery, among other factors. Of potential solutions, Donelan includes, “a national Milsat or space programme, shared satellite, hosted payload or capacity leasing. The issues that typically face the development of a national satellite programme are time and cost factors. Teaming with an experienced satellite operator can save time and costs, whilst reducing risk. For such a collaboration to be successful there must be up-front planning and cooperation as well as an understanding of the appropriate role and uses of Satcom in terms of issues such as who really requires full motion video or do all commands and levels need instant communications? “ Satellite architecture for resilient networks Elaborating on the satellite architecture for resilient networks, Dr. Ahmad 24 | SatellitePro | April 2012
Tanvir, product development manager, defence & security, EADS Astrium says, “Information superiority is key on the battlefield, requiring real or near real-time information exchange to mobile, fixed and on-the-move users.” Satellites are key, says Dr.Tanvir, to meeting information exchange needs because of certain inherent advantages over terrestrial communication systems such as “providing unimpeded, continuous and persistent global coverage, rapidity and ease of deployment and faster decision making cycles enabled by swift, accurate and continuous information. In addition, satellites allow for networked capability ensuring co-ordinated and joint operations of joint land, air and sea forces.” Militaries, says Dr, Tanvir, fully realise the value of satellite capability and consequently, invest significant resources in developing and utilising satellites.
Unique needs of military satellites Enumerating the unique needs of military satellites, Dr. Tanvir says, “Military systems need to withstand potential threats and vulnerabilities such as RF jamming that includes the denial of uplink and/or downlink signals, the blinding of sensors by laser, a High Altitude Nuclear Event (HANE), physical attack on orbital or ground segment and cyber attack on command and control, among other threats. “Moreover, they should provide global coverage, support legacy users, enable interoperability and network with other users, be able to meet normal as well as war time capacity and be future proof in terms of being state of the art.” Looking at the current and future trends in demand, Dr. Tanvir says, “Exponential growth in data and bandwidth is expected. Currently demand is outstripping capacity and substantial demand is being met by commercial satellites. “ As not all military communication require hardened and protected communication links, this use of commercial satellites will continue into the future. In addition, the need for protected and hardened communications will increase by a factor of 10.” Trade-offs while acquiring space capacity Since early 70’s, Astrium has designed, built and launched 15 military satellites. Based on this extensive experience, Dr. Tanvir commented on the trade-offs that are typically considered by defence authorities while acquiring space capacity. He says, “For instance, the criticality and hence the need for protection would involve a tradeoff between core and non-core needs. Mission requirements would call for weighing strategic needs versus tactical needs. Also the intensity of use has to be considered. Finally financial considerations would include factors such as capital versus operational costs.” The mix and choice of three models, according to Dr. Tanvir, can meet the overall military Satcom needs: • Dedicated military satellites • Hosted military payloads on commercial satellites • Leased commercial transponder capacity
Dedicated military satellites “These satellites are designed and built on particular specifications at military frequency bands (UHF, SHF, Ka, EHF & S-band) and are operated by military agencies,” says Dr. Tanvir. He adds, “There are three sub options to procure dedicated military satellites, including asset procurement. This involves up front capital costs for development, design, build and launch of satellites and associated ground segments – an initiative only large powers can afford. Examples include: UK – Skynet 4; USA - Milstar, MUOS, WGS and AEHF; France - Syracuse 3; Nato - Nato 4A and 4B; Italy SICRAL 2. “The second sub option is taking the services procurement route. A prime example is the UK that procured secure military communication services from Astrium Satellite Services through private finance initiative (PFI) on Skynet5. “And the third sub option is buying into a Milsatcom fleet. An instance of this option is that of the Australian Defence Force that has bought into a global fleet by buying a US Department of Defence (DoD) WGS satellite.” Hosted payloads “Dedicated military payloads on commercial satellites is an attractive model because of the many advantages,” says Dr. Tanvir. Enumerating the advantages, he says, “Payload is specified to military agency needs and it is paid and operated by military agencies. Moreover there is an automatic distribution of risks with the shared platform model and that includes launch costs. “A hosted payload is more flexible and cost effective than a dedicated military satellite. And success of this model depends on effective and timely negotiations to balance satellite resources, orbital position and schedule for commercial and military missions. Examples for this option are Measat, a hybrid commercial and government mission, Yahsat, a hybrid commercial and government mission, Turkey on Turksat 3A, US DoD military payloads on Intelsat satellites and Telesat’s Anik F1R, Australia on Optus C1 and Korea on Koreasat 5.”
Militarypayloads Payloads -–general General architechture Architecture Military UHF,X or Ka-Band Crosslink
1
INET Input Beam Forming Network (IBFN)
Active Rx Antenna n
Channel Router
OBP or Analogue
Key Payload Features Coverage – Flexibility Anti Jamming Capability Source: EADS Astrium Robust & Survivable Repeaters Security 9
Output Beam Forming Network (OBFN)
Active Tx Antenna INET
LNA 1-n
Leased commercial transponder capacity Dr Tanvir says, “The lease of commercial transponder capacity is done either on a permanent basis or on occasional usage basis. This option is exercised to carry nonsecure, least protected communication, as a back up or additional capacity to dedicated Milsatcom, such as used by US DoD, UK MoD and France. Small and mid-sized countries that elect not to purchase dedicated military satellites or hosted military payloads on commercial satellites go for this option. It allows military agencies to focus on core military operations and leave operators to provide managed services. “Military agencies are utilising novel procurement methods and asking for packaged services including voice, data, video and internet via commercial-off-theshelf equipments. “ The general architecture of military payloads Dr. Tanvir says, “The key payload features include flexible coverage, anti-jamming capability, robust and survivable repeaters and security. Flexibility in power, bandwidth and coverage is achieved through multiple spot beams, high gain and flexible coverage and dynamic power and bandwidth allocation where most needed, among other factors. “Anti-jamming is achieved through
1
ONET
ONET
n
MPA 1 - n
simulated on-board phased array antenna patterns for multi-beam coverage including nulling within coverage. And lastly, security is achieved through various solutions that include cryptographic products for ground and space, key management for encryption and decryption, and frequency hopping, among other solutions. To ensure robustness of the payload, the aspects looked into are high linearity, large dynamic range, resistance to high power microwave attack, stringent filter rejection characteristics, nuclear hardened electronics and panels and laser and nuclear hardened platforms, among other features.” Overall Dr. Tanvir believes that information exchange requirements for military missions have increased and are continuously increasing and this growing demand cannot be met with dedicated military satellites alone. “With co-operation from commercial satellite operators, either to accommodate hosted payload or just provide packaged and managed military services, the needs of many militaries around the globe including major powers could be met,” says Dr.Tanvir. He adds, “Trends in military payloads are towards greater flexibility for coverage, power and bandwidth enabling information dominant, agile and rapid reaction missions.” PRO April 2012 | SatellitePro | 25
SatCaseStudy
The case of the errant network: A GVF audit In a unique audit, professionals representing the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) audited a satellite-based installation spread over more than 25 countries in Africa and brought the client and the service provider to arrive at a mutually-agreed solution. Riaz Lamak, consultant with GVF and president, Mahdi Bagh Computers Pvt Ltd, India, gives us a first-person account of this unique case-study
Too near to electric induction motor, causing instability and interference - observation by audit team
26 | SatellitePro | April 2012
What was the satcom problem and how did the GVF get involved? Both the satellite capacity provider and the network operator or service provider are GVF members. The connectivity was offered to a customer whose operations are spread across more than 25 nations in Africa with a head office in a city in Africa. The teleport was located in a different continent and the Network Operations Centre (NOC) was in a third continent. The client approached the GVF requesting for an assessment, saying that the network was not performing and needed advice, to ensure optimum performance and utilisation. I cited my own auditing experience in the state of Gujarat, India, where we assessed a network and recommended changes to the service provider – the approach being collaborative rather than confrontational. Describe the initial groundwork carried out by your team. As a pilot project, we decided to evaluate the network. The three-member GVF team won the bid. Other than me for field and project coordination, along with field engineers, we had an RF specialist and an expert on that particular platform. The overall assignment was spearheaded by the secretary general of the GVF. In October 2011, we met with the client and studied the problem from their point of view. We asked them for the original RFP that was floated to the service provider, the offer made by the provider, the order that was released and what was delivered. We also delved into how the demand for applications from the client’s side has evolved over the five-year period of the contract. After the three-day meeting, we embarked on the gap analysis. We tested the network, the ping response and studied the spectrum analyser at different places, among other tasks. We then approached the service provider, checked the Network Management System (NMS) logs and got their overall assessment of the problem at hand. How exhaustive was the physical evaluation of the network and what interferencecausing problems did you encounter?
“To get a complete picture, we studied the link budget provided by the satellite capacity provider and benchmarked the actual service being offered. Service providers are often mistakenly blamed for everything that goes wrong”
Water ingress into the feed horn
cause problems in service. Also considering the interference issues, the satellite operator in turn was losing revenue as well. Riaz Lamak, consultant with GVF and president, Mahdi Bagh Computers Pvt Ltd, India
We travelled to 10 countries out of the all the countries the client was operating from. These sites were selected by the client as the ones that posed the most problems in terms of frequent outages. I had a team of four engineers from my office – each of them being well experienced and GVF certified. We physically checked each of the sites, took photographs, and tested all the parameters including time delays, ping response, peaking, quality of installation, quality of material used, connectors (whether they are properly installed and maintained), whether the local service provider has the skill-sets to do the job and the availability of power. Availability of power was crucial because in many countries across the African continent, the irregular nature of the power supply can
Describe some of the causes of the interference issues that your team detected. In some sites, we found the power supply unreliable. In one site, the feed horn and air conditioning duct were just one feet apart. The electric disturbances were creating interferences and disrupting the link. There was a cell site located near one of the VSATs – the moment it started transmission there was interference. One of the places, the IFL-RF cable was cut and joined as if it was an electrical cable, so there was a lot of interference. In one place, birds had damaged the feed horn, so moisture had entered, causing problems. In one place, we discovered a generator that was causing the interference – the generator had apparently been installed long after the antenna had been installed – so when we physically inspected the site, we discovered the cause of interference. April 2012 | SatellitePro | 27
SatCaseStudy
We visited the most challenging countries. I personally travelled to five of these places along with an engineer. We did not just take the readings; we took screen shots, photographs, recorded all parameters so that later, our findings will not be disputed. Other than site visits, what else did your audit entail? To get a complete picture, we studied the link budget provided by the satellite capacity provider and benchmarked the actual service being offered. Service providers are often mistakenly blamed for everything that goes wrong. For example in one country, it took three months for the customs department to clear the spares. What can the service provider do? It is not possible to maintain multiple sets of equipment there. In some places, the skill sets of the local support partner of the service provider was very poor. With just one link in a country, it is not viable for the service provider to station an engineer, making the provider dependent on local support. We also visited the NOC and studied the network management system and complaint resolution process. What were the recommendations of the audit team? While we physically studied 10 sites, we evaluated the parameters in each of the other sites and compiled a 15-page summary of findings. We requested for a meeting between the customer and service provider, along with the GVF team, we spent a whole day going over the findings. Among our recommendations to improve the stability of the links, we suggested installing a remote pointing antenna in the site where bringing in spares was time-consuming. In places where power outages were taking places, we suggested the installing of a power conditioning and backup system. We also encountered another disconnect between what the service provider had been contracted for five years ago and what the client wanted currently. While the client had moved from using a data link to wanting video conferencing, the piecemeal upgrades could not cope with the need for extra bandwidth. The client had the latest in terms 28 | SatellitePro | April 2012
Improper IFL cable laying. No cable tray or conduit. Heavy cement block kept on the cable which has resulted in damage and interference
“We suggested the setting up of a virtual NOC in the client’s headquarters where they could monitor the traffic and bandwidth. This was to build mutual confidence between the service provider and client” of video conferencing facilities and though the bandwidth was available, prioritisation was lacking and it caused problems such as image freezing. Among the other recommendations was prioritisation of networks, increasing the bandwidth, electrical grounding in certain places and so on. In addition, we suggested the setting up of a virtual NOC in the client’s headquarters where they could monitor the traffic and bandwidth. This was to build mutual confidence between the service provider and client. What specific remedial steps were decided upon at the meeting? The minutes of the meeting were taken and the senior management representing the service provider took the initiative to create a three-month timetable for remedial action. I recently spoke with the client and was told that certain sites have already started performing well. The virtual NOC is in the process of being set up. The client has suggested that for the second phase, after six months, we would go in and check the performance of the sites. It was decided that a bimonthly conference
call would take place between the service provider and the client. You describe the outcome as a win-win situation for the client and provider. How is that so? The report and consequent meeting between client and service provider opened the door for upgrades – the service provider was able to propose some of their latest products that would use bandwidth efficiently. For instance, at one of the places, we suggested that they have a bigger antenna installed because the satellite footprint was weak. During the meeting with the client and service provider, each aspect of the report was debated. The process was very helpful for all parties involved. Over the five years of the contract, the service provider had responded to the client, but the approach was problemcentric and understandably, it was piecemeal in nature. With the collaborative approach adopted by GVF, the process turned out to be a win-win situation for all parties. Finally a detailed consolidated report of more than 150 pages comprising of the findings and recommendations along with the minutes of the meeting was submitted, which was highly appreciated. PRO
SatCaseStudy
With the aim to provide voice and data services to ministries and government offices in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, and to the provincial capitals, the landmark project became the backbone for a public telephone system
Building Afghanistan’s communication network:
A look back at the epic project Through the ages, the region now called Afghanistan has been at the crossroads of various empires. Its people and territory have faced conquest by the Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, Turks, British, Soviets and, following the September 11 attack on New York’s World Trade Centre, the United States. This turbulent history, the rule of the Taliban and six years of civil war have left Afghanistan a legacy of widespread poverty, decimated infrastructure, and possibly the largest concentration of land mines on earth. Few nations in the 21st Century face the challenges that confront the nation’s first democratically elected government today. Recognising the importance of communication, the World Bank issued a request for proposal in 2003 to construct 30 | SatellitePro | April 2012
a Government Communications Network (GCN) for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Communications. It aimed to provide voice and data services to ministries and government offices in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, and to provincial capitals. The winning bidder was Globecomm. But there may have been days when company executives wondered if winning the bid was such a great idea. Changing requirements To support the new, democratically elected government of Afghanistan, Globecomm designed, installed and operated IP-based, hybrid fibre-satellite networks linking government ministries, provincial capitals, army bases and radio and television facilities. The company met
the challenging conditions of the country with the help of Afghan partners and by training locals in satellite technology. In addition to operating private networks for the government, Globecomm used satellite backhaul and hosted switching to provide the public with mobile telephony. “The environment is about as challenging as it gets,” says Globecomm vice president Paul Knudson, who manages Afghan projects for the company. “Outside Kabul, there is little or no infrastructure, no roads and no electricity. Security is a continuing concern. We have had to unload trucks in the middle of nowhere, hand-carry electronics across a stream, then get the truck across and reload it.” To make matters more complicated, no sooner had the project been awarded than
71.5 Another important change involved the identity of Globecomm’s client. Globecomm developed each project under the management of the Ministry of Communications. But when the Ministry accepted systems upon completion, the assets were transferred to Afghan Telecom. “The goal is to make the Ministry a true regulatory body,” says Paul Knudson, “Afghan Tel becomes the operator. With each new network, Afghan Tel gains assets and increased value that improves its ability to attract outside investment.” Multiple projects The IP-based government communications network links 42 ministries and offices in Kabul via fibre and microwave, and extends this core network to 34 provincial capitals via satellite. Satellite bandwidth also links dozens of CDMA mobile switches in the provinces with Globecomm’s SatCell hosted switching system in the United
“Outside Kabul, there is little or no infrastructure, no roads and no electricity. Security is a continuing concern. We have had to unload trucks in the middle of nowhere, hand-carry electronics across a stream, then get the truck across and reload it” it began to change. Globecomm discovered that the Ministry of Communications had, under a separate contract, purchased Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile switches from a Chinese company. They were providing local mobile service in “telecom islands” but had no outside connections. Interconnecting the switches and linking them to long-distance circuits became an unexpected priority. “It was a fundamental change,” recalls Globecomm vice president Paul Johnson, who is the account executive for Afghanistan. “What we originally planned to be a private network, rapidly became a public network. We are, in effect, the backbone for a public telephone system, providing bandwidth, trunking, bringing traffic back to Kabul and providing international voice, video and Internet service. That’s in addition to meeting the government’s urgent need for connectivity.”
Paul Knudson, vice president, Globecomm, manages the Afghan projects
States. All calls taking place within the footprint of each CDMA switch remain local, while calls between the switches or outside Afghanistan are routed through Globecomm’s Network Operations Centre. The GCN turned out to be the first of multiple projects awarded to Globecomm by Afghanistan’s government. Next came the District Communications Network (DCN), funded by USAID, which aimed to push service into rural areas. Globecomm designed, installed and commissioned a satellite network connecting a hub in Kabul
Peak government spending on space programmes in 2010
to police, fire and other essential services in each of Afghanistan’s 337 legislative districts to provide voice and thin-route data as well as internet access. Demand for the DCN has been tremendous, and Globecomm is working with Afghan Tel to expand the business plan and bring more revenue into the network. IP-based platforms The international gateway for voice, data and video, came next which was funded by the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). The Ministry originally specified a Digital Circuit Multiplication Equipment (DCME) network, the prevalent technology, but accepted Globecomm’s recommendation for an IP platform that was both less expensive and far more flexible. In addition to providing a gateway service for Afghanistan, the ARTF also provides a backup satellite facility for the GCN. In two other projects, Globecomm has installed PABX switches at the national army bases throughout the country and integrated them into an existing VSAT network, and also provided a customdesigned satellite truck to the ministry for mobile spectrum monitoring. With so much of the nation’s telecommunications depending on satellite, the truck will allow the ministry to effectively regulate spectrum, issue licenses and shut down illegal operators. Collaboration with local partners Paul Johnson gives much of the credit for Globecomm’s in-country success to its Afghan partner, Watan Telecom, and its chairman and CEO, Rateb Popal. “Popal worked with us early on to ensure that resources were in place to train the people needed to carry out the installation and commissioning of the work. Together, we have built the capacity of the Afghan workers and transferred a great deal of technology ‘know how.’ We now have Afghan technicians supporting the programmes as they move from deployment to network operations and maintenance. I have been really impressed by their desire to learn and their level of commitment.” PRO April 2012 | SatellitePro | 31
SatVertical: Broadcast
Fighting for space at the Olympics With 300 events across 32 venues, smaller broadcasters will find it challenging to ensure resources for production and connectivity at the London 2012 Olympics, writes Alan Mercer, operations director, SatStream
32 | SatellitePro | April 2012
5k Broadcasters from the Middle East will soon be joining a whole host of other broadcasters from across the globe as they descend on London for the 2012 Olympics. One thing London is not famous for is its abundance of space. So, in a packed, busy, and expensive city, how will broadcasters and producers from the Middle East and elsewhere manage the logistics including the all-important feeds to base – wherever they are in the world? Content everywhere The London 2012 Olympics will play host to 205 nations, taking part in a total of 300 events. The Paralympics, which takes place following the Olympics, will host 147 nations. These events will be taking place at nine different venues within the Olympic park, a further 13 venues across London, and another 10 venues across the UK. With so much sporting action across a large number of venues, it will be a real challenge to organise and manage such a huge amount of live and post-produced coverage for media audiences around the globe. For larger broadcasters, such requirements won’t be an issue, as they will already have organised access to full facilities at the
Another major challenge when being forced to improvise at an event such as this, is the fact that most broadcasters will need post and preproduction services Olympics Media Centre including production and connectivity to base. These broadcasters are also likely to have pool feeds and an army of SNG and OB trucks scattered across London and the UK to ensure they have access to all relevant feeds. The real challenge comes for the smaller broadcasters, who will be required to use their initiative and find their own sites from which to send content to the home broadcaster, with the added challenge of ensuring they have resources for production and connectivity – and as close to the action as possible.
Number of hours of competition to be broadcast by BBC across various channels
Connectivity however will remain one of the biggest challenges for smaller broadcasters covering the Olympics. Live and prerecorded feeds need to be managed with requirements going way beyond ‘improvised’ connectivity solutions such as ADSL or 3G
Alan Mercer, operations director, SatStream
Space and connectivity In any large city the problem of space can be a big issue at any time, but a high profile event such as the Olympics will naturally bring a whole host of additional broadcasters, people and services into the city. For those broadcasters travelling from other countries, space will be an especially big issue. Over recent years, new technology has revolutionised editing and playout, which can often be managed using desktop editing on small-scale equipment, such as laptops. Many smaller broadcasters will need to improvise in terms of production: for example any suitable backcloth will need to be used in pieces to camera, although preferably with an Olympic or London theme, of course. Post-production will be sited in temporary facilities, again as close to the
action as possible. Connectivity however will remain one of the biggest challenges for smaller broadcasters covering the Olympics. Live and pre-recorded feeds need to be managed with requirements going way beyond ‘improvised’ connectivity solutions such as ADSL or 3G etc. The strain on the public internet networks will be immense. As an example, it’s expected that there will be an extra 500,000 visitors to London during the Olympics and Paralympics, most of whom will be using all forms of internet access to receive news feeds, send images, emails, check out venue details on the internet etc. Watch those bit-rates fall! Add to that the fact, as discussed above, that the Olympics won’t be centralised in one venue, but instead there will be a whole host of events taking place at venues across the country. The broadcasters need to somehow gather those feeds quickly and efficiently. For those with adequate budgets, feeding by satellite or dedicated fibre is an option, whereas for some, the public internet will be the only option, which harks back to the connectivity issues discussed above.
Games telecast: SatStream offers London facilities Alan Mercer, operations director, SatStream says: “Production spaces such as the broadcaststandard facility at SatStream, located just south of the Thames and within line of sight of BT Tower and the Houses of Parliament, is designed to enable broadcasters to ensure that their coverage is broadcast exactly as it should be, with the right commentary, at the right time, to the right people, whether that is to a broadcast
centre elsewhere on the planet or indeed direct to the viewer over the Web or on a mobile device. The facility ensures secure and scalable connectivity both via dedicated fibre delivery or via occasional satellite transmissions and adequate space for all production requirements. With this kind of facility available, and with space in the capital already being booked up for July 2012 – why wait?”
SatVertical: Broadcast
Adding value Another major challenge when being forced to improvise at an event such as this, is the fact that most broadcasters will need post and pre-production services; adding voice, graphics and editing packages to conform to broadcast quotas and so on will be key requirements, and such requirements may once again be a huge issue for those broadcasters with no specific studio or production space booked locally. Live feeds will make the process much more challenging and will make the need for an appropriate location all the more crucial in addition to, of course, connectivity requirements. Here, quality of service considerations are paramount – 100% availability and reliability are pre-requisites. If commentary or voiceover is to be added, then the space needs to be extremely well-thought out both in technical and environmental terms. Again, this is not something which can be achieved in the local coffee-shop – a lack of infrastructure in an inappropriate environment will inevitably lead to frustration and disappointment… The rapidly developing trend of multiplatform content delivery adds yet another challenge for those broadcasters without a base. The London Olympics is almost certain to be one of the first of its kind to reach out to such a vast array of connected devices, from large flat-screen TVs to the most miniature of smartphones. In fact what better example of an event where multi-platform truly fits a purpose? Sporting fans across the world will be watching the action and poring over the
Unpredictable service outages, producing and post-producing content in unsuitable conditions and unreliable connectivity are but a small selection of the challenges ahead results at different times of the day and night. For viewers in the Middle East, for example, the action won’t start until at least midday and then go on into the night. Many people will be simply going about their daily routine, but will want to keep up with the action. It may be a case of logging onto an internet feed in their lunch break, or watching on their mobile phones on their way to or from work, then sitting in front of the TV in the evening – both live, and on-demand.
YahLive provides capacity for London 2012 Olympics YahLive, the UAE-based satellite operator, has allocated both satellite capacity and a number of HD channels to provide broadcasters with connectivity and service, from London to the Middle East, to facilitate their TV coverage of the forthcoming London 2012 Olympics. Collaborating with its European strategic partners, YahLive will provide local connections and uplink facilities, including DVB/S2 MPGE4
34 | SatellitePro | April 2012
encoding for satellite broadcasting services to the Middle East via YahLive’s Y1A satellite. Eddy Frankland, CCO of YahLive says : “Our orbital location of 52.5E, provides an ideal line of sight for direct reception within the MENA region. Using YahLive’s unique connectivity, broadcasters can transmit their Olympics TV coverage on a demand basis or HD channel on a 24/7 basis for the duration of the Olympic Games.”
As a consequence, making Olympic coverage available for multiplatform delivery will add a whole extra angle for broadcasters and imply that not only will they need space and connectivity, but also the means to repurpose and encode content for delivery to any number of devices and platforms, worldwide. Going for gold Broadcasting the Olympics will come with its challenges, more so for those broadcasters travelling from across the globe and without a fixed production space in which to handle the hundreds of hours of feeds locally and to customise, package and deliver to the host broadcasters back home. There are numerous improvised solutions possible – and undoubtedly many broadcasters will do so to good effect – but I don’t expect it will go smoothly. Unpredictable service outages, producing and post-producing content in unsuitable conditions and unreliable connectivity are but a small selection of the challenges ahead. PRO
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SatVertical: Oil & Gas
Managing the churn within the ‘cloud’ Companies in the oil and gas sector are moving towards a centralised computing topology – a ‘Cloud’ model. Bill Green, global account director, Hermes Datacomms, in an interview with SatellitePro ME outlines a consultative approach, that offers resilient connectivity with consistent SLAs on a globally measured basis
36 | SatellitePro | April 2012
When providing global communications for the oil and gas sector in more than 54 countries, Bill Green, global account director, Hermes Datacomms, is typically technology agnostic. The solutions would range from VSAT, leased line, MPLS, MicroWave or Trunked Radio – “whichever provides the best service-level agreement (SLA) at the best price”. The core of the business for Green hinges on whether his team gets to know of a breakdown before the customer is told by the end-user. When the cost of loss of communication on an oil rig is anywhere between US $250,000 to $2 million, there is no room for a communication system that is less than 99.9% reliable. “The challenge,” says Bill Green, “is the fact that your remote site could be Sakhalin island, north of Japan and east of Russia – one of the remotest and coldest places you can imagine and the customer will expect the same level of communications as they enjoy in the head office in Perth.”
Challenges for the cloud model The oil and gas sector with multiple rig sites, is a perfect candidate for the ‘Cloud’ model. However unlike most other sectors, the oil and gas upstream industry combines businessas-usual sites with hostile and Greenfield environments. Remote sites churn within the cloud, and could cause colossal monetary loss in the event of a failure. The churn also calls for change and routine management that would normally drain resources from the company’s core competency. Tasked to manage global WAN for the oil and gas sector, Bill Green and his team have devised an initiative to offer resilient links to centralised data centres on an intelligent network outsource basis. “This is a consultative approach,” affirms Green. “Firstly, we review the requirements and understand what the service needs to achieve. As per our ‘Intelligent network outsource’ proposition, we would then
7 provide quotes from our own infrastructure and also provide quotes from other service providers. Suppliers are selected and charges are quoted at cost plus a management fee, or at cost from Hermes utilising its infrastructure. Along with the transparent pricing, a recommendation is given on the best SLA available. Throughout the whole process, the client retains control at all times, without the need for time consuming reviews of the marketplace. By being flexible and transparent, the customer knows that he is getting the best value for money.” Remote sites are treated as peer nodes on the network with city-based sites, thus offering a consistent SLA on a globally measured basis. The oil and gas company then has the confidence to service users at any point in the network from the data centre, says Green. Reiterating that transparent SLAs are not just a philosophy, Green says, “Technologywise we apply the solution necessary to meet the user’s requirement, not push inventory space segment or fibre. For instance, a client with 37 remote sites was moved to MPLS which is cheaper than VSAT, but we would rather be the ones to let him know of a possibility of reducing communication costs.” Consistent SLAs across all sites The main thrust of the intelligent network outsource initiative is to maintain consistent SLAs across all the sites ranging from the remote sites to the business-as-usual locations. Green says, “We strive to offer consistent SLAs on a global basis. I will not discriminate between remote sites and a site in Houston. If we commit to giving 99.9% connectivity – then all the sites will enjoy the same quality of service. We will deploy equipment and ensure redundancy, among other initiatives, to ensure consistency.” Forecasting spend and the inclusion of management SLAs Underlying the importance of protecting the integrity of crucial seismic and geological data, among other areas of information, Green says, “The unique aspect of our initiative is we are trying to offer a forecastable spend throughout the lifecycle of the contract. This level of transparency is
Annual growth of MSS wholesale revenue over 2011 - 2020
is important. Typically in the industry, the IT department is the last to know that a communication link was needed on a remote oil rig yesterday! In addition, flexibility entails the ability to work the bandwidth when the operations get under way and when operations scale down, to take that bandwidth down. “
Bill Green, global account director, Hermes Datacomms
Technology enabling flexibility and cost saving “From the technological point of view, what is exciting for me are auto-deployable VSATs, among other developments. These selfaligning antennas allow communications to be up in seven minutes at the press of a button allowing for greater flexibility in
“The danger of not including management SLAs is that when people are prioritising work, the things that you do not measure go to the bottom of the ‘to do’ list. The management SLA does put us under more pressure, but it drives us to provide a superior level of service” unique in the market place. We are allowing the customer to know what the network spend is over the three years. “The benefit for us is that we have a client for three years and the client can plan return on investment over the period. Also another aspect to our offer is the wide-ranging nature of the SLAs. While we have technical SLAs that can be measured, we also include, in our contract, a management/administrative SLA. This would define the number of meetings we will have, the number of conference calls and so on. The danger of not including management SLAs is that when people are prioritising work, the things that you do not measure go to the bottom of the ‘to do’ list. The management SLA does put us under more pressure, but it drives us to provide a superior level of service.” The need for a commercially flexible network When asked about what he meant by a commercially flexible framework for a global network service in the oil and gas sector, Green explained the need for flexibility. “There are a number of different elements to flexibility. The ability to deploy very quickly
rig moves. This is a cost-saving feature for the client because we do not have to send a skilled engineer each time the rig moves. Another exciting development, the meshing technology, allows for sites to talk to one another and the sharing of critical data.” There are challenges when working on a global scale, Green admits. “You are occasionally competing with local providers, say in Russia or Africa. These local providers can often come in with a cheaper solution. However our customers whose operations are typically spread over multiple regions realise that they need a robust and resilient link on a global scale with corresponding economies of scale. Also we offer them a 24/7 global services desk with a single point of contact. The network is monitored in our hubs at Shrewsbury, UK and in Dubai, UAE. All our service providers are located at the hubs, and that keeps them competitive on price.” In the face of constraints on budgetary spend across the oil and gas sector, Bill Green and his team, leverage experience, a global network and local partnerships to provide a transparent commercial model that they believe ensures best value and best SLA. PRO April 2012 | SatellitePro | 37
SatTechnology
Iridium’s voice and data module
STM’s SatLink to support new DVB-RCS2 standard The STM Group, Inc. is shipping its SatLink family of VSATs and hubs with support for the new DVB-RCS2 standard. DVB-RCS2 provides for higher order modulation and coding along with many other elements contributing to much higher throughput, better bandwidth efficiency, and improved link availability relative to legacy VSAT systems. In the SatLink implementation, TDMA carriers can be operated in large, dynamically shared pools at various symbol rates up to 8 Msps with carrier spacing of only 12%. Operators of both large and small networks
can reportedly realise benefits with SatLink’s DVB-RCS implementation. In small networks with few VSATs and one or two TDMA carriers, the “ACM per burst” feature makes it so, operators do not have to choose the “best” modulation and coding to use; it is determined automatically per VSAT with each burst. Large networks benefit in this same way, plus they get additional multiplexing efficiency gains by using larger pools of TDMA bandwidth, dynamically sharing up to 50 Mbps across many 1000s of VSATs, if desired. go.stml.com
Winegard’s ultra-portable VSAT antennas The new Winegard airline checkable 1.2m auto-acquire flyaway antennas meet, according to the manufacturer, the ever growing need of having a real-time broadband solution anywhere. Weighing less than 88 lbs. each, the cases meet airline checkable luggage requirements paving the way for ultra-portable, two-way communications at destinations that require airline travel. The SFF120A and SPFx12A feature singlebutton operation without requiring an external PC. The controller is rack-mountable, and the built-in DVB receiver and GPS makes the Winegard two-way controller reportedly work on most platforms available in the industry including HughesNet, iDirect, SpaceNet, Comtech, and Nera. Winegard offers the SPFx12A with a tripod mount and the SFF120 antenna comes with a case mount for easy deployment. “At the end of the day, what makes this 38 | SatellitePro | April 2012
antenna so ideal is that it can be assembled and disassembled in just minutes – without tools.” said Jon Manley director of engineering and business development at Winegard Company. www.winegard.com
Iridium Communications Inc. announced the commercial availability of the Iridium Core 9523 transceiver. A total of 26 Iridium development partners, including FLYHT, SkyTrac Systems and Fastwave Communications, have been working with the company to design the Iridium Core 9523-based voice and data communications device. Smaller than a credit card, this compact module is also “at the heart” of the new Iridium Extreme. The Iridium Core 9523 is reportedly 90% smaller than its predecessor transceiver. Delivered as a populated printed circuit board (PCB), the Iridium Core 9523 allows for compact partner product design. www.iridium.com
Fastwave Nautilus tracking marine assets The Fastwave Nautilus is an intelligent tracking unit. By utilising the Iridium satellite network, it reportedly enables tracking anywhere in the world. On-board geo-fencing capability enables the tracker to change reporting mode, for example when the tracker is within its defined deployed geo-fence, it can routinely report once every three hours. However, if the tracker moves outside of the geo-fence, reporting will automatically change to a shorter duty cycle, for example every 10 minutes. This feature allows close monitoring of assets if it moves outside of the deployed geo-fence. www.fastwave.com.au
203 Optical Zonu’s new RF analogue transmission platform
Optical Zonu Corporation (OZC), a supplier of modules for analogue and digital signal transmission over optical fibre has launched the J-Series modular EIA 310D Standard 19-inch 1U rack-mounted system which is reportedly capable of transporting any RF signal within the 10KHz to 7 GHz range over fibre optic cable. With up to ten slots available, each slot can be populated with eight individual OZ101 modules (each either a Tx or Rx), and the system may hold up to 64 RF over Fibre (RFoF) interchangeable and hot-swappable OZ101 modules, as well as, two hot swappable power supplies. The J-Series also accommodates
multiples of other high performance, broadband, fibre optic transceivers, transmitters and receivers. Capable of delivering 10 KHz to 7 GHz Bandwidth, the J-Series is the ideal RF transmission gear for many of today’s highest performance communications applications which require fibre optic cable. These include Wi-Max/4G LTE, Cellular Backhaul, Remote Antenna Location, Satcom, In-Building Solutions, GPS Distribution and Timing Delay, among others. www.opticalzonu.com
Commercial communication satellites to be launched by 2020
Kratos’ cyber security for satellite networks
RT Logic, a subsidiary of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has launched a Security Information Event Manager (SIEM) designed specifically for satellite networks and operations. CyberC4:Alert provides network administrators and information security officers with real-time situational awareness and incident response for cyber security situational awareness and mission assurance. CyberC4:Alert constantly monitors, according to the manufacturer, for cyber security threats by gathering security event data from across the satellite network to provide situational awareness. www.kratosdefense.com
Hughes’ Breakroom TV solution for enterprises Loop Test Translator from AtlanTecRF Hughes Network Systems, LLC , has launched a video-driven solution for enterprises to improve employee performance, satisfaction, and expertise. Hughes Breakroom TV is an integrated video communications and employee information system delivered as a turnkey service by Hughes. Through a centrally managed network of flat-screen televisions in employee breakrooms and other areas, enterprises can reportedly deliver customised company content and “infotainment”, including live TV, keeping their employees more informed, loyal, and satisfied at work. Hughes Breakroom TV reportedly lets companies tailor content and messages to each outlet’s needs. It is managed through a web browser where content can be easily ingested, scheduled and managed. Users can mix and match videos, still images, web pages,
and multiple information feeds to create engaging viewer experiences for employees to enjoy. Content can include a store-by-store customised information ticker, live broadcast HDTV, new product information and videos, store news, company benefits information, among other benefits. www.hughes.com
The ALR series of Satellite Loop Test Translators (LTT) from AtlanTecRF introduces the concept of synthesised Local Oscillator (LO) frequency control to provide the user with a compact, versatile and comprehensive approach to satellite communications equipment alignment and quality monitoring in both Ka and Ku operating bands. www.atlantecrf.com April 2012 | SatellitePro | 39
SatTechnology
Spectrum monitoring solution from Crystal Solutions Crystal Solutions has launched Sentry, a spectrum monitoring solution. Sentry is, according to the developer, an easyto-use, affordable, spectrum monitoring software programme that is ideally suited for television network broadcasting, satellite service providers, network operation centres, data and internet, cell tower and microwave monitoring. Sentry can reportedly work as a standalone solution or it can be integrated with Crystal Solutions’ Monitor and Control (M&C) system. When integrated with Crystal’s M&C system, Sentry can react to detected distribution anomalies and automatically route affected signals to advanced analysis devices for further investigation, or reconfigure earth station equipment to distribute content over an alternate path to fully restore services. The Sentry product was named a
finalist in the category of Teleport Technology of the Year for the World Teleport Association’s annual Teleport Awards for Excellence. Sentry was reportedly selected for its innovative ability to make more efficient use of the broadcast spectrum. www.crystalsolutions.net
Inmarsat launches BGAN Link Inmarsat’s new BGAN Link is a broadband data service for users who need high volumes of standard IP data from one location. BGAN Link, according to Inmarsat, provides companies working in a remote area for sustained periods of time, with a data connection speed of up to half a megabit, suitable for standard office-type applications such as email, internet and intranet access, and virtual private network (VPN) access to corporate networks. Typical sectors and scenarios include: Developmental aid – long term socioeconomic projects; Environmental monitoring – climatic, meteorological and other natural element survey projects; Construction – rapid site set-up with prolonged use into site management phase; Oil and gas – a primary communications solution for exploration projects, or back-up to primary 40 | SatellitePro | April 2012
Glowlink’s bandwidth monitoring solution
Glowlink has released its newest member in the company’s ultra-wide instantaneous bandwidth (IBW) spectrum monitoring products. The new product, the Model 1020, according to the manufacturer, has 200 MHz instantaneous bandwidth with superior range performance. With this level of IBW, users can reportedly capture, measure and analyse traffic-bearing carriers as wide as 200 MHz in bandwidth. “This product answers the call for instantaneous monitoring across everincreasing satellite transponder and carrier bandwidths such as those found in the X and Ka-band”, said Michael Downey, Glowlink CTO and VP of Engineering. www.glowlink.com
Vocality’s satellite aware router
communications in production phase; Mining – drilling and testing operations with high data requirements, and primary communications for camps. The global Inmarsat-4 satellites and ground network operates at a reported 99.9% availability, so business-critical applications can always be accessed. BGAN Link is available globally – with the exception of USA and Afghanistan – via Thrane & Thrane Explorer 700 and Hughes 9201 terminals. www.inmarsat.com
VoIP and IP router manufacturer, Vocality, has launched Basics Hybrid that can be supplied as a small, standalone boxed unit, or in an OEM-ready 4 inch (9cm) square PC104 board. Basics Hybrid is reportedly one of the smallest one-card mobile solution for getting just about everything over IP, including video, VoIP, RoIP, secure comms and serial controlled devices. The product takes size reduction seriously with a palmsized fully integrated router capable of essential tactical communications. www.vocality.com
51
Increase in satellites to be launched between 2011-2020 as compared to 2000-2010
Adtec Digital’s ultralow delay endoder/ modulator Work Microwave collaborates with XipLink DVB-RCS2 standard Work Microwave, a European manufacturer of advanced satellite communications and navigation equipment, will partner with XipLink, a developer of wireless bandwidth optimisation technology, that will combine Work Microwave’s DVB-S2 IP-Modem SK-IP with XipLink’s XA family of scalable appliances. The combination of these technologies will reportedly deliver a wide range of wireless link optimisation solutions enabling more efficient bandwidth usage and traffic prioritisation across network layers for end-users. The Work Microwave DVB-S2 IP-Modem SK-IP features OptiACM, the multichannel ACM system, to support full integration of ACM capabilities in point-to-point and
point-to-multipoint satellite network links. OptiACM compensates for disturbances in the satellite link, caused by physical conditions such as humidity and atmospheric precipitation, through real-time adaptation of transmission parameters according to link conditions. Because the OptiACM feature is embedded in the DVB-S2 IP-Modem SK-IP, it is able to receive feedback from the receiver side and instantaneously change the modulation, according to the manufacturer, to ensure the best possible usage of available bandwidth, without the need for any additional equipment. www.work-microwave.de
Adtec Digital has launched a high definition DSNG/contribution encoder/ modulator, and multi-CODEC ultra-low, low and normal delay MPEG 2 and MPEG 4 AVC/H.264 high definition IRD. Primary markets for the EN-91 include DSNG, SD, HD and 3D contribution, distribution and fixed circuit trunking. The EN-91, according to the manufacturer, supports high definition and standard definition MPEG 4 AVC/H.264 video with 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 Chroma sampling, boasting up to eight pairs of audio, VANC/HANC VBI pass-through and more as standard features. www.adtecinc.com
L-3 Telemetry-West to provide InControl for Link Communications’ Iridium Next new IP radio L-3 Telemetry-West has signed a contract with Iridium Communications Inc. to upgrade the Satellite Control Segment (SCS) for the Iridium Next programme using its InControl software suite “The selection of L-3 TW for the Iridium Next project affirms InControl as an industry-leading fleet management system,” said Burt Smith, president of L-3 Telemetry-West. L-3 TW’s InControl software will enable the Iridium Next SCS by providing core command and control functions. Key InControl system features include significant configurability without code changes, an extensive API and a usercentric fleet management design. The SCS monitors, manages and controls all
elements of the current Iridium satellite network and consists of redundant system control facilities, a primary operations centre located in Leesburg, Va., and a backup operations centre located in Chandler, Ariz. www2.l-3com.com/tw
Link Communications, Inc., has launched a Push To Talk over IP solution. This new system reportedly provides unlimited talk groups and unlimited users the Push To Talk operation, enabling one-to-one and one-to-many communications from anywhere globally. The new IPR5000 IP Radio is, according to the manufacturer, small enough to fit in any carrying case, rugged to IP-68 standards and includes a secure compliant FIPS 140-2 AES256 bit encryption. The IPR5000 can connect to computer dispatch consoles, two-way radios and certain smart phones (Android currently). www.link-comm.com April 2012 | SatellitePro | 41
SatEvents
The 2012 NAB Show The 2012 NAB Show will host the 66th Broadcast Engineering Conference (BEC) on Saturday, April 14 – Thursday, April 19. This six-day conference featuring technical papers, addresses the most recent developments in broadcast technology and focuses on the opportunities and challenges that face broadcast engineering professionals around the world. Sessions include: • Hybrid Television • Broadcast 3DTV • The Broadcast Infrastructure • Advancements in Radio Technology
Global Aerospace Summit
ISR 2012: The annual intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance event
Multiservice satellite networks are a reality In a session presented by Steven Soenens, director, product marketing, broadcast, Newtec, on Monday, 16 April, 2012, satellite networks will be explored in terms of their growing potential in the broadcast sector. The amount of HD and 3DTV content, as well as other services transmitted over satellite are growing. From streaming video, file transfers, VOIP, broadband and general purpose IP traffic – satellite networks have become truly multi-service and therefore need to be highly versatile and efficient. In addition to the native support of IP protocols in satcom solutions and standards, in this session, you can find out how new technologies and applications are applied to build multiservice satellite networks in a bandwidth-efficient manner, including Ka-band satellite systems, advanced RF pre-distortion technologies, adaptive coding and modulation, modulation extensions on top of DVB-S2, cross-layer optimisation, internet traffic acceleration and shaping, opportunistic and guaranteed file transfer algorithms, among other aspects.
The Global Aerospace Summit incorporates high-level discussions on future aviation, aerospace and space. These interactive panel-led discussions are reportedly open to a select group of chairmen, CEOs and industry leaders. The sessions will also be complemented by closed-door discussions, Business Direct – a private procurement meeting programme, exclusive site visits to the region’s aerospace facilities and Careers Direct – an industry-focused careers programme targeting vocational and professional development in aerospace, aviation and space. With social and networking functions and cultural tours, guests will also experience the unique lifestyle in Abu Dhabi and understand the true meaning of Arabian hospitality. Presented by Mubadala Aerospace and partnered by Abu Dhabi Airports Company and Yahsat, Global Aerospace Summit features multiple networking opportunities.
Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) is the lynchpin of modern warfare and the methodology by which it is collected, analysed and disseminated continues to develop as forces encounter new and familiar challenges across air, land and sea in the 21st century. Both the cyber and space domains have seen and continue to see an incremental increase in offensive and defensive activity over recent years and, in these two domains, ISR finds itself yet more relevant. Topics that will be addressed at the 2012 conference include unmanned ISR; persistent ISR; COMINT and SIGINT; ISR interoperability between the air, land and maritime domains; and future ISR technology. Catering for those across air, land, sea, cyber and space, ISR 2012 will address case studies and challenges pertaining to endusers and programme teams across the international community.
At a glance Dates: Conferences, April 14 – 19, 2012 Venue: Las Vegas Convention Centre, USA Registration: www.nabshow.com
At a glance Dates : 16-17 April 2012 Venue: St. Regis Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi Registration: www.aerospacesummit.ae
At a glance Dates: 18 - 19 April 2012 Venue: Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK Registration: www.isr2012.org
42 | SatellitePro | April 2012
12
Average annual growth of earth observation commercial date sales (2010-2020)
Australasia Satellite Forum
Transport Networks CommunicAsia2012: for Mobile Operators highlighting emerging trends TNMO is an EMEA-based forum for mobile backhaul, RAN and core transport networking professionals. The event has an exclusive focus on transport networks for the wireless industry, covering the issues raised by the increasing use of smartphones, such as migration to LTE, backhaul strategies, synchronisation challenges, the importance of microwave and more. Backhaul systems in particular need to devise new ways of transporting increased volumes of data traffic for the overall networks to see any real-world benefit of the increased LTE speeds into base stations and edge networks. IIR’s TNMO is a strategy forum for LTE, HSPA/HSPA+, backhaul, satellite, ipv6, small cells, ethernet and microwave. Now in its 14th year, the conference will highlight the commercial implications of variations in the backhaul model across the market, focusing on the needs of both incumbent and incoming operators.
CommunicAsia2012 will, as per the organisers, feature breakthrough developments in NextGen Networks and satellite technology, as well as provide a sneak peek into the latest market-ready devices and mobile apps and solutions and dynamic industry deals set to alter ICT in Asia and beyond. Leading returning exhibitors include Falcon Interactive, FiberHome, Globecast, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Irdeto, Netop Technology, PCCW Global, Prysmian, Rosenberger, ST Electronics, Tektronix and Tata Communications; new participants include Anritsu, Aver Information, Hitachi Critical Facilities Protection and Novelsat. Five Techzones, focusing on ‘Fibre’ for NextGen Services, Cloud Services and Security, M2M, mCommerce and Telepresence - will reportedly feature cuttingedge products, technologies and solutions.
At a glance Dates: 23 - 26 April Venue: Maritim proArte Hotel, Berlin, Germany Registration: www.backhaultransport.com
At a glance Date: 19 - 22 June 2012 Venue: Basement 2, Levels 1, 3, 4 & 5 Marina Bay Sands Singapore Registration: www.communicasia.com
This is a gathering of world and domestic satellite leaders on April 16, 2012, at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia. The aim is to identify and initiate needed dialogue for the development of satellite as a primary delivery mechanism for universal service purposes. The Australasia Satellite Forum, will reportedly provide a uniquely inclusive forum to address issues of urgent concern to governments, enterprise and consumer entities. The annual Australasia Satellite Forum will draw satellite leaders from the Australasian region to Sydney for the one-day satellite forum. The forum will promote dialogue between world and domestic leaders in the satellite industry and encourage players in the industry to address, discuss and debate issues, latest technologies and demand in the Australasian region.
At a glance Dates: April 16 2012 Venue: Heritage Room, Westin Hotel, Sydney Registration: www.newsat.com
SatCom Africa 2012 SatCom Africa is reportedly the largest satellite communication conference and exhibition focusing specifically on the needs of the African continent. It brings together end-users and suppliers of satellite technology to find cost effective and reliable communication solutions. SatCom Africa, according to the organisers, provides a platform where new revenue streams can be explored, key technologies can be evaluated, and operators and developers can gain valuable insight into implementing successful business models.
At a glance Dates: 21 - 24 May 2012, Venue: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa Registration: www.terrapinn.com
April 2012 | SatellitePro | 43
SatGuest
The Way I Saw It… Paul Scardino, VP of corporate sales and marketing, Globecomm, offers his impressions of CABSAT 2012 Globecomm attends CABSAT annually as our Middle East Office is in Dubai’s Internet City and the show fits our core business of satellite communications as well as one of the main market verticals—media and entertainment. CABSAT 2012 was more upbeat than in recent years as people are beginning to see some relief and recovery from the global recession. The fact that the MENA region is on a rebound was impressed upon me during my trip to Dubai as all flights seemed full and the airport was very crowded as I arrived after midnight, hours before the show. Our personnel has been involved in the region for over twenty years, designing and implementing much of the satellite communications infrastructure and providing ongoing services for the likes of Gulfsat, Thuraya, Samacom/du, Etisalat and Nilesat; so it was good to see that things were picking up at the show. Certainly the satellite industry in the MENA region is busy with Ka-band, one of the hot topics during the event; Yahsat is launching its second satellite later this year, Eutelsat’s discussing its KA-SAT high throughput satellite, and others are touting Ka’s benefits. Ka-band creates enormous opportunities for end-to-end service providers, from broadband internet and e-learning to broadcast applications, interactive TV and cellular backhaul. Ka-band is yet another tool to bring state-of-the-art solutions to the market. Progressive companies are taking advantage of its unique capabilities to meet changing demands for communications – including vast amounts of voice, video and data, and bringing broadband coverage to rural areas around the world. Besides the obvious presence of the Ka-band capabilities at CABSAT, another noteworthy topic was the discussion of efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not necessarily military related. The challenge, like in most of the region, is to provide these countries with state-of-the- art communication technologies and services. However, understanding the needs and cultures of these countries is of utmost importance. 44 | SatellitePro | April 2012
Besides the obvious presence of the Ka-band capabilities at CABSAT, another noteworthy topic was the discussion of efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not necessarily military related… However, understanding the needs and cultures of these countries is of utmost importance
Paul Scardino, VP of corporate sales and marketing, Globecomm
Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan of course, the satellite industry will continue to develop and expand in the MENA region where countrywide terrestrial infrastructure is not necessarily present and it becomes easier and less expensive to facilitate broadband communication using satellite technology. This could not be more evident than on the show floor where talk of new opportunities was prevalent. Finally, as I walked the floor, I came to realise that every company defined itself in much the
same way as Globecomm has been describing itself since our inception. From the product houses to the satellite owners, all companies were bragging that they were solutions providers of end-to-end managed services. As part of the Globecomm family since the beginning, I couldn’t help but wonder if they really understood what that meant. Do they all have the right personnel and technology culture to always be right on the pulse of ‘state-of-the-art’ technology? Can they truly provide everything from consulting services and system design and integration to managed communications and life cycle support? Are they able to build, operate and transfer systems to a customer; or better yet, develop it onto their own global network to move their clients’ content from anywhere in the world to anywhere else in the world? I guess only time will tell. PRO
Broadcasting your future
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