PETER J. BROWN
Satellite industry experts pretty much agree that satellite-delivered
TV and video, including direct-to-home services, direct broadcast
services and the distribution of digital and high-definition TV are
the star performers in the application category. Beyond that, opin-
ions differ widely when it comes to what business areas are hot
today and which ones will heat up in the future.
Constructing a satellite is markets should help drive growth
expensive and involves more than for HD content as pay-TV viewing
simply selecting a vendor, obtaining becomes more prevalent over time,”
a license and hammering out all the says Baugh, who adds that all types
launch-related details. The business of TV including free-to-air, DTH, and
model must be tailored to meet a bouquets in Africa are poised for
measurable demand, and the math strong growth as well. “NSR is see-surrounding revenue flows should ing more TV content being brought
be matched to the finite lifespan of to Africa like GTV and View Africa.
the satellite in question. In the global Others are following and the growth
satellite marketplace, the service that will just get stronger in the coming
has been able to best maneuver this years. Efforts in South Africa to bring
path has been satellite-delivered TV. new pay-TV services to the country
According to Christopher Baugh, also be sure to generate new capacity
president of Cambridge, Mass.-based demand as well for satellite opera-NSR, a telecommunications market tors,” he says.
research and consulting group, direct- Andrea Maleter, technical director
to-home (DTH) service is growing at Maryland-based Futron Corpora-quickly in many parts of the world, and tion, believes that overall, a fixed
high-definition TV (HDTV) is coming satellite services (FSS)-based strat-on strong as well in “tier 2” TV mar- egy also has proven its worth. “Good
kets such as Russia, Poland and Tur- old FSS is turning out some very hot
key. “In the battle for eyeballs, content applications thanks to the continued
generators and service providers are strength of the video and military
quickly taking on HDTV as prime mar- markets and the growing demand for
ket differentiators to keep as well as mobile backhaul,” says Maleter, who
gain new customers. These emerging also views the distribution of HDTV
programming for cable and other terrestrial providers as a hot category.
Besides HDTV mainly in North
America both for DTH and cable, Tim
Farrar, president of California-based
Telecom, Media and Finance Associates Inc., designates Ka-band consumer
broadband in North America and maritime broadband as hot performers.
Heating Up Fast
Most experts see satellite playing a
strong direct as well as supporting role
in many types of cellular and mobile
services. Communications on the move
“as military [research and development]
investment (will soon find) its way into
the marketplace,” says Hoyt Davidson,
managing director at New York-based
Near Earth LLC. “This includes
enhanced telematics, traffic, weather
and geospatial services to automotive
vehicles and handheld devices using
hybrid networks, and mobile video [and]
audio,” says Davidson, who sees all of
these as part of a new and emerging
consumer communications on the
