The World Teleport Association announced the release of its newest report, How to Reduce Costs and Optimize Use of the Local Loop. The report shares the best practices of teleport operators for managing local connectivity, where costs, quality and availability can have a significant impact on business operations and financial results.

Indonesia's pay-TV market has crossed the 2 million subscription mark, and growth is accelerating. Innovative pricing strategies, higher quality content and new advertising opportunities are driving this expansion. It's a market with plenty of room to grow with new players entering, but competition could be tough. This will be the focus of a forthcoming one-day seminar organized by CASBAA at the Hotel Mulia Senayan in Jakarta on February 29, 2012.

Reports indicate that Iran in the "near future" will start enriching uranium deep inside a mountain to conduct sensitive atomic activities at an underground site for better protection against enemy attacks. The U.S. and Israel are not ruling out strikes against Iran if diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute.

High-quality marine VSAT terminal deployments are being facilitated through the collaboration of three leading industry organizations on a global online training program. The Global VSAT Forum (GVF), Sea Tel, and SatProf have announced that they will jointly launch a web-based training platform at www.gvf.org/training that enables faster, more cost-effective delivery of operation and installation training for personnel who either utilize or deploy Sea Tel marine VSAT terminals.

According to the GSM Association (GSMA), mobile penetration in the Asia Pacific will reach a landmark three billion connections in Q1 2012, nearly two years earlier than projected. More importantly, by 2015, the region is expected to reach 4.1 billion connections, growing at twice the rate of Europe and North America, and will account for 40% of mobile data traffic worldwide.

Fuelled by new smartphones, apps and services consumer demand for mobile data is accelerating beyond expectations, finds a new report from Arieso. Following a similar study in 2010, Arieso’s new analysis reveals that so-called ‘extreme’ users are becoming even more extreme, with 1% of subscribers now consuming HALF of all downloaded data. One thing is clear: the capacity issues plaguing mobile operators around the world will worsen in 2012.

As NSR stated in its Global Direct-to-Home Markets, 4th Edition report, OTT services are coming to DTH markets around the world. This year, the Super Bowl (the largest TV event in the United States) will be available over the Internet in near HD resolution. Netflix alternatives continue to boost content libraries and expand into new markets. And, rumors of an Apple-powered TV service continue to point towards a 2012 launch.

After expanding at 7% in 2011, Pyramid Research expects the global telecom services market to grow at a more modest 4% in 2012 as a result of the rising volatility and uncertainty facing the global economy. Pyramid expects total service revenue to reach $1.7 trillion - 2.4% of global GDP - in 2012.

Mobile broadband, enabled by the proliferation of high-speed mobile computing devices including smartphones and tablets, will be one of the largest growth areas in 2012. Particularly as the price of these computing devices comes down, enabling further penetration in emerging markets.

The CABSAT 2012 exhibition, 28th February to 1st March next year, will feature a stronger than ever GVF presence, as the global association representing some 230+ member organizations from the satellite industry sector provides the satellite communications stream of the event’s conference element.  Held at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center (DICEC), the GVF Interference Mitigation Forum, and the GVF Markets & Services Summit, will take place on the second and third days of CABSAT, a key feature of the international satellite communications events calendar.

“Experience,” author George Will wrote, “is like the light on the back of a train.  It reveals only where you have been, not where you are headed.” Yet as the year 2011 ends its service to the world, the satellite industry continued to quietly circle above it.  Perhaps there is a wreck ahead, but 2011 did not reveal where it would come from.  In 2011 our industry seemed above the economic climate that continued to derail the spirit of the business world as much as it had the material.