Tired of hearing about the collapse of the economy or how sluggish the recovery has been? Well, if you’re in the satellite sector, it seems that you don’t have to anymore, and IBC 2010 opens at a time when business looks to be booming.
    Throughout the economic crisis, the satellite operators have felt little impact, and now business for FSS players is reaching highs that haven’t been seen in quite a while. According to Euroconsult research, transponder fill rates have reached 77 percent, the highest rate in 10 years, and this number may peak at 78 percent before the end of the year.
    The markets also have opened back up for satellite projects, with project both small and large and from new ventures and established operators able to find backers for their business plans.
    This resurgence is more than welcome but also raises a few warning flags. First, will this business resurgence extend throughout the satellite sector, and second, will this rush by operators to add more capacity create a glut that ultimately drives transponder prices down as part of another boom-and-bust cycle?
    It looks like IBC 2010 will ride the optimism of one of the most positive business climates in the past several years, but satellite players and the communications sector as a whole still needs to be wary of its past.