New York, NY, March 25, 2008 — After building a successful career on Wall Street as one of the foremost satellite and telecommunications industry analysts,  J. Armand Musey will leave tomorrow on an expedition to scale Mt. Everest in an adventure that will both complete a personal goal and raise funds for the American Red Cross' International Response Fund (IRF). 

With all the fears of a recession and a tightening financial market hanging over the satellite industry in 2008, one  particular market that has provided a good revenue stream for the industry in recent years may remain constant or even continue to grow.  That market is the military and government sector worldwide.   The US government alone is estimated to spend nearly half a Billion dollars a years in commercial satellite prodicts and services, according to space consultant, Vice-Adm. Lyle Bien, USN (ret.)

Markets for satellite communications equipment and services have expanded to fill the gaps in terrestrial broadcasting and telecommunications networks. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Middle East, which is the focus of this article. Comprising this picture are satellite operators, such as Arabsat and Nilesat; teleport operators in particular countries such as Dubai, Egypt and Jordan; and service providers who utilize these facilities to deliver applications to their Middle Eastern customers.