As we head toward the summer, we are right in the middle of show season. One of the major shows on our calendar this month is CommunicAsia. It will give us an opportunity to assess one of the most dynamic and revenue-generating regions for the satellite industry. I would urge you all to check out our most recent edition of Via Satellite Asia, which you can find at the CommunicAsia show floor. This special edition features a focus on Indonesia, a look at the whole HTS debate in the region, as well the most comprehensive coverage you will see on the Asian market.

All over the world — Asia included — markets such as DTH and cellular backhaul are fuelling demands for satellite capacity. In this June edition of Via Satellite, we put the spotlight on the cellular backhaul market. We talk to many service providers and wireless operators to assess their needs for bandwidth. This is a topic that will certainly come up during CommunicAsia as a huge opportunity for the satellite industry.

Since our last edition of Via Satellite, we have seen a major consolidation in our industry with Orbital Sciences and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) announcing a $5 billion merger to create a unified aerospace and defense company. It is certainly a bold move and further evidence of aggressive strategies at play in our industry. We look forward to seeing what a combined ATK and Orbital Sciences will bring to market.

This month we also have our first major event held in conjunction with Avionics Magazine: the Global Connected Aircraft Summit. We will have a host of top organizations and companies speaking from the likes of the FAA, Emirates, Southwest Airlines, Icelandair, Transaero Airlines, Royal Caribbean and FederalExpress among others. We are really looking forward to hosting this event in Long Beach on June 3-4, and we look forward to seeing you there.