The opening mobile satellite sector (MSS) panel at MSUA-6 lived up to expectations (at least the expectations we ascribed to it), as the CEOs provided some lively debates on topics such as Globalstar’s recent infusion of cash from the French government, business models, coverage areas and other topics. The discussion panel can be seen as a microcosm of the sector, which is evolving into its next generation of services, with established companies and newcomers competing to see which ones will remain standing.
The session actually proved to be a nice change from Wednesday’s opening session with the fixed satellite services executives, who enjoyed a mostly cordial chat about how everything was going well except for a few minor issues.
    The final day of SATELLITE 2009 may not offer the same fireworks as the MSS panel, but there are still some informative opportunities — and you never know what issues might spark some contentious debate.
    The “Satellite Broadband: Finally a Ka-band Competitive Force?’ session will bring together executives from ViaSat, Hughes, WildBlue, Eutelsat and Thaicom to look at the development of the satellite broadband market. Ka-band services finally are proving to be market winner, but the question is whether their hard-fought gains to date can be built upon, or will terrestrial technologies use their considerable power and money to drive satellite back into the role of niche player in the broadband world.
    The final mobile panel, “Making Your Mobility Decisions: Leveraging Distributors’ Expertise” is a session that will look at the challenges of identifying and implementing the solutions that end users are demanding. A mix of providers and end users, including officials from National Public Radio and CNN News Group, will look at the roles of MSS distribution channels and ways end users can leverage existing services to meet their needs.
    One of the final conference sessions, “SATELLITE SWOT: New Opportunities, New Risks, New Technologies in Turbulent Times,” will bring together a mix of satellite sector players to look at the lessons learned from recent months and close out the conference by looking at where the sector goes next.