Finance

Amid continuing change in the MSS sector, distributors are looking for new strategies to remain profitable, officials said during “The Changing World of MSS Distribution: Views From the Front Lines” session.    “It is a great business, but you have to think on the fly and be much quicker than you did before to survive,”...

As I pointed out previously, the FSS players remain at the center of satellite sector. But MSS players who busted on to the satellite world, flamed out and then rose again, look ready to rejoin the front-burner discussions. While MSS giant Inmarsat continues to reaffirm its leading position in the market, Iridium and Globalstar, long...

The MSS CEO session at SATELLITE 2011’s MSUA-8 track was narrowed to four panelists, but highlighted a transformative year for the sector’s remaining players.    Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch said he was pleased by how his company and the entire sector developed during the past year. “It’s good to be moving forward. The competition...

The CEOs of the four largest FSS players again kicked off the SATELLITE 2011 show, but while their time in the spotlight last just less than two hours, the impact of their comments can be felt throughout the day.     The concerns of Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES and Telesat about satellite manufacturing costs, launch prices and...

Satellite executive leaders from a wide range of sectors gathered for the Satellite Finance Forum 2011 CEO roundtable to discuss common challenges faced throughout the industry and what to expect in the coming months.     Futron Technical Director Andrea Maléter opened the forum by asking panel members about how financing was achieved this year compared...

As SATELLITE 2011 celebrates its 30th anniversary, the CEOs of the largest FSS operators, Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES and Telesat, discussed the challenges for the sector as they look to stay prosperous and relevant during the next 30 years.     The issue of launch services was central to the agenda, and was brought into focus by...

Industry lawyers and bankers compared notes on the satellite sector’s 2010 performance during Monday’s “Financial State of the Industry — Market Trends and Observations” session at SATELLITE 2011, coming to a positive consensus that the industry has returned to a state of financial normalcy.     Futron COO Peggy Slye, who moderated the panel, opened the...

There is a great deal of excitement in the satellite sector, set-up by a series of large satellite orders, launch contracts, financing deals and acquisitions that have taken place during the past 12 months.     “Significant 2010 events include the take-off of the Latin American market, the successful launch of Ka-Sat, introduction of 3-D, the...

The satellite sector continues to enhance its offerings in order to both protect its traditional business strongholds and develop new revenue streams. To accomplish this, the satellite sector has improved its technology for delivering signals, but the problem seems to be that no matter how quickly they make advances, they are finding it difficult to...

Issues such as a lack of skilled RF engineers, interference as well as better network management tools were key topics discussed at the CTO technology breakfast at SATELLITE 2011. With many networks moving towards IP, the lack of RF knowledge among skilled engineers appears to be hampering the satellite industry.     “There seems to be...