Telecom World took place in Geneva, Switzerland from 24 to 27 October 2011, an event that focused on the latest technologies, services, regulatory issues and trends in the telecommunications sector. It was also the 40thanniversary of the ITU Telecom event that started in Geneva in 1971. This year’s event was the 12thedition, having been previously held every four years.  Over 300 VIPs, head of states and governments, ministers, CEOs of global corporations attended the event this year to celebrate this important milestone.

After receiving a hit with very few contracts from the U.S. Government’s National GeoSpatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), Europe’s largest EO data provider, EADS Astrium, seems to have set sail east to Asia where demand for EO satellites and imagery is growing across the board.

Point Topic’s Oliver Johnson to review broadband mapping, the challenges involved and the solutions at ITU Telecom World 2011

Broadband continues to spread throughout the world’s population, getting faster and benefitting millions, but according to leading analyst firm Point Topic this has also increased the need for accessible and transparent mapping. It is such mapping of take-up, coverage and speeds that highlights to governments and regulators the evident disparities of broadband availability and where investment funds are best spent.

The Indian telecommunications industry is one of the fastest growing in the world. The industry has witnessed consistent growth during the last year on the back of rollout of newer circles by operators, successful auction of the third-generation (3G) and broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum, network rollout in semi-rural areas, and increased focus on the value added services (VAS) market. Market entry strategy for Wireline telecommunication companies by eprobe Research Pvt Ltd explores the consequences and opportunities arising from this situation.

The CASBAA Convention 2011 has the industry covered through a compelling range of sessions featuring internationally renowned guest speakers. Themed TV365: Watch Closely!, the show will be staged in Hong Kong, October 31st - November 3rd at the Grand Hyatt.  “As a key event in the industry calendar, delegates expect the best speakers covering items relevant to their businesses,” said Simon Twiston Davies, CEO, CASBAA.

In September 2011, O3b Networks announced a multi-year, multi-million dollar commitment with Ozônio Telecomunicações, a Brazilian multimedia communications and Internet service provider. The precise contract value was not disclosed, but it follows a series of O3b deals over the past two years.

Some of the contracts O3b has signed in the last two years include:

Hybrid set-top boxes are rapidly being deployed by pay-TV operators worldwide to help them deliver advanced services and manage bandwidth scarcity in broadcast networks, according to a recent report by ABI Research. In 2010, only 40% of set-top boxes worldwide featured hybrid capabilities, with many not yet enabled by software as operators were not ready to deploy IP video services. Hybrid box penetration will rise above 60% by 2016 as operators look at IP-based video on demand (VOD) and advertising solutions, as well as interactive content.

The number of homes using the internet to watch television shows and movies on the TV screen has reached more than 42 million across the US and Europe, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices (CHD) service. The report, “Multiscreen Connected TV: Assessing Device Usage and Ownership,” bases its findings on a survey of 4800 respondents.

American consumers are increasingly connected and are increasingly multitasking when it comes to multimedia.  Roughly 40 percent of tablet and smartphone owners in the U.S. used their devices daily while watching TV, while only 14 percent of eReader owners said they watched TV while using their device every day, according to a recent survey by Nielsen.

With the sluggish mature markets of North America and Europe, the focus has been on emerging regions such as Latin America which has been experiencing a major boom in the last few years.  The demand for satellite services in Latin America is only expected to grow exponentially in the next few years with the Soccer World Cup in 2014 and the  Olympics in 2016 slated to be held