Viewpoints on the impact of the economic crisis and the pace of the recovery vary, and while the satellite industry was considered mostly insulated from the impact of the slowdown, the effects were felt because customers were looking to control their costs.

It was during this time that the satellite sector’s track record of innovation helped blunt the impact of the downturn for itself and its customer base.

As network operators look to use their available bandwidth as efficiently as possible, satellite companies have been more than happy to develop and improve technologies for optimizing that bandwidth. The satellite sector responded to the needs of clients seeking more cost-effective ways to operate during lean times with an impressive array of hardware and software enhancements in areas such as protocol acceleration, data compression, security and quality of service, to name a few. It’s the perfect meeting of necessity and technology, with the end results being increased revenues for all sides.

Another interesting outcome of problem solving for customers comes from ND Satcom, which started when the company received a call from its office in Dubai. The communications infrastructure in Abu Dhabi was reported to be insufficient to meet the office’s need, so the parent company went to its satellite newsgathering heritage and produced a vehicle packaged with satellite services to provide the office with voice, video and data services.

The solution worked so well that ND Satcom decided it had a marketable product that could meet the purposes of customers looking for more services in tight economic times.

It’s too early to predict the commercial prospects, but this development is a great example of how the satellite communications sector solves problems and turns these developments into new revenue streams.

The satellite sector’s ingenuity also will play a key role in the future of broadcasting as society heads toward the concepts of the “connected home” and entertainment anytime, anywhere. The communications sector again answered the call from customers and is ready to roll out the hardware and software to deliver the services.

There is a hold-up as the broadcasters must perfect business models before committing to spending, but there is little doubt that the satellite sector will be at the heart of attempts to supply a plethora of services to customers on the TV as well as other devices.

The satellite communications sector has met the challenges of a tough economy, strengthened its reputations with its customers and should be well positioned as things turn around.

Read Jason Bates’ blog on this topic and submit your comment at http://www.SatelliteToday.com/blog/?cat=24