Satellite capacity problems exist in many regions around the globe, and the Middle East is no exception, according to satellite operators, industry analysts and, most importantly, customers.

For the moment, the Middle East suffers from a problem similar to the African continent, a severe capacity crunch. The difference is that many African customers blame the shortage operators charging too much money for transponders, while in the Middle East, the customers are willing to buy capacity if only it was available.

That situation is set to be remedied throughout the next two years, with at least 13 satellites scheduled for launch by the end of 2010 to bring more capacity to the Middle East. Many of those transponders already have been reserved by customers ready to provide a wide variety of services – broadband, mobile, HDTV, etc. But at least one industry player sees the possibility that the transponder pendulum could swing completely in the other direction, moving the Middle East from a capacity shortage to a capacity glut, such as the one experienced by the Asia-Pacific region.

This scenario depends on whether all the planned satellites become operational, whether the Middle East region continues to be minimally impacted by the global recession and other factors. Some companies believe they have a solid fix on capacity demands in the Middle East and their potential fluctuations, but the only thing that seems certain is that it will be difficult to predict what the region’s satellite capacity picture will look like just two years from now.