As I pointed out previously, the FSS players remain at the center of satellite sector. But MSS players who busted on to the satellite world, flamed out and then rose again, look ready to rejoin the front-burner discussions. While MSS giant Inmarsat continues to reaffirm its leading position in the market, Iridium and Globalstar, long the names most associated with the early failures of the sector, continue to develop their next-generation constellations and the service offerings that will be enabled by them. While other operators have built business around the globe or in markets left open by the bigger players, some officials predict that their business will be affected by the impending resurgence of Globalstar.
    Still, a critical issue for Globalstar and others is the limited amount of potential customers, but either way, it means that the mobile players are fully back in the conversation. One the final day of the SATELLITE 2001 Conference, we take a look at an exciting areas of the sector – satellite broadband, which continues to make inroads around the globe and looks to grow further through some innovative efforts preparing to come online. New smaller satellites and non-GEO networks are moving forward, and mobile satellite systems are also getting into the game. Of course, satellites innovations are matched by advances in the terrestrial land and mobile media sectors, meaning satellite players will face even more challenges in this market.
    These issues will be discussed by officials from ASC Signal, O3b, Viasat, Hughes and Thaicom will discuss these issues during the "Satellite Broadband: Ready for Real Market Impact?" session. While we celebrate 30 years of the SATELLITE Conference, the final session, "Satellite SWOT: Two Steps Ahead of the Competition," will look to the future, again with the looming shadow of terrestrial technologies and their potential impact on the satellite sector. Executives from Wavestream, Orbit Communications, Newtec, Segovia, XipLink will discuss how satellite players will maintain a competitive edge in the coming decade and the technological and business initiatives will keep satellite front and center in the array of network architecture options.