The Asia-Pacific satellite communications market survived the economic slowdown better the most, according to many of the players in the market. And now that the demand for communications looks to be on the rise again, there is even more optimism throughout the region, with capacity demand on the rise and plans to add more capacity moving forward.

But memories of the recent slowdown — as well as of an overcapacity problem that hampered the market for years — has satellite operators and customers alike tempering their enthusiasm a bit, perhaps looking to avoid a repeat of some of the same self-inflicted wounds.

Executives from HBO Asia and Sony Pictures Television Networks told a crowd of satcom officials at the CASBAA show June 14 that they are not rushing headlong into adding HD channels to their offerings, because they cannot find a return on investment that justifies the cost to develop and operate the channels. That’s not the news that satellite operators wanted to hear, but at the same time, some of those operators have been looking at ways to increase the efficiency of their operations in order to make sure they do not have too much excess capacity sitting around in the market.

The players involved in the Asia-Pacific satcom market are talking optimistically about the recovery of the market and future growth, but at the moment, their actions may be speaking louder at the moment. It would be easier to see a recovery if contracts would be signed and revenue began flowing more freely.