I was thinking about the “Big Four” panel in Washington recently, which is always one of the personal highlights for me at the SATELLITE show. We are very much seeing a changing of the guard in these corporations and, in 2016, the make-up of the panel will be dramatically different than it was only a few years ago when Romain Bausch, David McGlade and Giuliano Berretta were key components of the panel. Over the next year, we will see major changes. Karim Michel Sabbagh, the new CEO of SES will make his debut on the panel this year and, in 2016, Stephen Spengler, who is set to become the new CEO of Intelsat in the first part of 2015, will likely be making his debut on the panel. This will create a whole new dynamic among the world’s biggest FSS operators. Dan Goldberg of Telesat, assuming he is still in the position in 2016, will be the veteran of the panel. I look forward to seeing all these changes take place this year and the impact they will have in our industry.

In this edition of Via Satellite, we look in-depth at the High Throughput Satellite (HTS) market from a number of different viewpoints. It was not that long ago that satellites were seen mainly as a tool for broadcast, but we are now firmly entering into a more data era, which promises exciting new opportunities for the whole industry. While the broadcast vertical is still substantial, one of the keys for long-term success for satellite will be how it embraces and succeeds in the data arena. We also take a closer look at the HTS environment in the Middle East and Africa, and talk to a number of key end users in the region.

Speaking of the Middle East, the Qatari government is making huge investments to improve the ICT infrastructure and it is interesting to see how a satellite project like Es’hailSat is a source of national pride. We talk to everyone from the ICT Minister, to the CEO of Es’hailSat, as well as one or two of the younger generation of engineers who work for the company. We also have a column from NSR looking at the M2M market, another growing opportunity for satellite companies.

As we start the new year, I would like to wish the Via Satellite readership a successful and prosperous 2015. It is a tremendously rewarding industry to be a part of, and I look forward to working with you this year in providing in-depth and informative coverage of this great industry.

Mark Holmes is the editorial director for Via Satellite and Avionics Magazine.