Finance

by Scott Chase From the opening bell Monday morning, March 15, to the closing hammer Thursday afternoon, SATELLITE 2010 became capital of the world’s satellite-enabled marketplace as it does every year. Nestled into the sweeping Potomac River vistas of the Gaylord National Convention Center on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., SATELLITE 2010 welcomed more than...

By Jeffrey Hill The global satellite industry will experience a measured comeback after faring well in a tough economic environment, according to analysts and executives on SATELLITE 2010’s SWOT wrap-up panel session.     Keith Volkert, CEO of Satellite Consulting, said the satellite industry rests in a comfortable position. “It’s quite clear that the industry is...

By Mark Holmes Satellite players are confident they can play a pivotal role in reducing the broadband divide in the United States and Europe, according to the “Satellite Broadband: Finally a Credible Competitor in the Marketplace,” session.     However, while satellite players have more confidence in the technology, broadband will still be a potentially tough...

By Greg Berlocher Exactly what is a High throughput satellite?  Patrick French, who moderated the “Beyond Satellite Broadband – The Next generation of High Throughput Satellites (HTS)” panel, kicked-off the session by outlining some misconceptions about broadband satellites. “There is a lot of confusion in the market about exactly what broadband satellite is,” French, an...

By Richard Kusiolek The military of the European Union (EU) comprises the national armed forces of 27 member states, and next-generation military systems and defense policy process are key concerns in Europe, according to panelists “European MilSatCom: Increasing Demands, Uncertain Architecture” session.     While individual states are responsible for their militaries, agencies such as European...

By Jeffrey Hill EchoStar is planning to expand its broadcast interests in Mexico following a capacity deal with SES and the launch of the EchoStar 14 satellite.     SES announced March 19 that it leased satellite capacity to EchoStar after the Mexican government granted SES subsidiary Sistemas Satelitales de México (SSM) approval to offer fixed...

by Jason Bates The common thread running through many panels at SATELLITE 2010 is that the communications needs of the commercial and government users often can be answered by the same hardware, services and bandwidth.     The gulf between the needs of the two groups has been more sharply delineated in the past, but commercial...

by Jeffrey Hill Leaders from the five largest MSS companies debated the form and function of the mobile industry and praised the U.S. Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) recent broadband plan during Wednesday’s MSUA-7 panel, “New Solutions and New Opportunities: The MSS CEOs Speak Out.”    It has been a busy year of developments for each...

by Mark Holmes Hosted payloads increasingly should be seen as an attractive option for governments looking to provide advanced communications and observation capabilities in a more cost-effective manner. This was one of the key takeaways from the “Hosted Payloads – A New Model for Commercial/Military Cooperation” panel at SATELLITE 2010.     Joseph Rouge, director of...

by Sam Silverstein As the U.S. military increases its reliance on commercial satellite services, industry officials are pressing the government to take a stronger stance in helping satellite operators deal with some of their challenges.     A group of industry players recently submitted a set of recommendations to the White House that they hope will...