[Satellite Today 11-07-08] Communications infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region requires flexibility, dependability and reach for the dissemination of bandwidth-rich content, according to David Ball, Intelsat’s vice president for the Asia-Pacific region, who addressed attendees of a special forum at United Nations Headquarters on Nov. 5.
    At the forum, ‘Ensuring Pacific Connectivity,’ Ball outlined the existing opportunities for the private sector to help this region address challenges such as low infrastructure capacity, scattered islands, small economies and restrictive regulatory arrangements. He also noted the underlying benefits in terms of jobs and community services that result from improving telecommunications infrastructure.
    Ball referenced his own company’s business model as an example. “Our continued investment in our global network—over $500 Million in 2007 alone—means that telecommunications connectivity services within and between the nations of the Pacific will continue to be available for years to come,” he said.
    In October 2008, the Office des Postes et Telecommunications of French Polynesia (OPT) signed a multi-transponder contract with Intelsat for capacity on its IS-18 satellite. The contract, which spans the 15-year expected life of the satellite, expands the services currently provided to OPT on Intelsat’s IS-701 satellite.