News Analysis

Mobile is both Facebook’s Achilles Heel and Future

London, UK, May 17, 2012--Mobile is both Facebook’s Achilles heel and future says Guillermo Escofet, Senior Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.
Facebook has been at the forefront of the big growth in mobile data usage in recent years. It is indisputably one of the big stars of mobile; one that most operators have wanted to ally themselves with to drive the sale of data plans on their networks.

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The Global Content Delivery Network Market to Grow At A CAGR Of 23.5 Percent over the Period 2011-2015

Dublin, Ireland, May 10, 2012--The Global Content Delivery Network market to grow At A CAGR Of 23.5 percent over the period 2011-2015  according to a new Research and Markets report entitled: "Global Content Delivery Network Market 2011-2015" report. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the efficient utilization of bandwidth. The Global Content Delivery Network market has also been witnessing the Media Entertainment sector adopting IP-based networks. However, the high cost factor could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.

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SES' HD+ Service Reaches 2.6 million German Households

Luxembourg, May 10, 2012–SES  announced today that its German HD+ platform reached more than 2.6 million households at the end of the first quarter of this year. More than half a million of them are paying the annual service fee. Nearly three million HD+ receivers have been sold since the launch of HD+ at the end of 2009.

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HTS-Powered Consumer Broadband Services: Are They Late to the Party?

by Rajiv Hazaray

Bordertown, NJ, May 2, 2012--During Satellite 2012, the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) bestowed the Industry Innovators Awards on Eutelsat Communications and ViaSat Inc in recognition of the development and launch of their High Throughput Satellites (HTS), KA-SAT and ViaSat-1, respectively. High frequency reuse and multiple spot beam architecture have packed 10 times capacity on these Ka-Band satellites without any deployment cost penalties.

Prospects in the African Satellite Market

by Peter Galace

Johannesburg, South Africa, May 1, 2012--This month the West Africa Cable System (WACS) that will link Southern and Western Africa with Europe will start providing 15 African countries with 5.12Tbps submarine cable bandwidth capacity. In another month or so, the US $700 million Africa Coast to Europe(ACE) 5.12 Tbs submarine cable that will connect 23 countries will also start carrying broadband Internet traffic commercially.  The two cable systems will play a key role in reducing digital divides across the region and in connecting Africa with the rest of the world. The question is, willthe sudden increase in fiber connectivity cause satellite’s appeal to lose luster?

Hispasat Reached Record Revenues of 187.5 million Euros in 2011

Madrid, Spain, April 24, 2012--Spanish satellite opeator Hispasat achieved record revenues of 187.5 million euros in 2011--a new high for the company.  Consolidated EBITDA was at 154.7 million euros, 7 per cent more than 2010. EBITDA margin increased 2.8 percentage points to 82.5 per cent, which shows  HISPASAT´s efficient management in 2011, a year in which the company reduced operating costs 120.9 per cent from 2010.

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New Report on the The State of Telecommunications and Internet in Afghanistan

Arcata, Calif., April 20, 2012--A new study on the state of telecommunciations in Afghanistan by Javid Hamdard of Internews was recently released under the USAID-funded Afghanistan Media Development & Empowerment Project (AMDEP).The State of Telecommunications and Internet in Afghanistan - Six Years Later 2006-2012, presents a comprehensive overview of the ICT sector in Afghanistan, covering: developments and intersections across the areas of infrastructure; policy; internet and telecommunication services; accessibility and affordability; key players and operators and the legal and regulatory frameworks governing the sector.
 

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Navigating the ‘Great Content Shift’

by Elisabeth Tweedie, Associate Editor

Los Angeles, Calif., April 6, 2012-The theme of this year’s NAB to be held this month in Las Vegas is “the great content shift.”   If you haven’t attended the NAB in the last five years, you’ll hardly recognize it now.   The focus is still on traditional broadcasting, but it has since incorporated the many changes in how content is  created, managed and distributed in the new multiplatform environment. The NAB now covers Over-the-Top (OTT), IPTV and other new and emerging technologies.  

Satellite TV Industry Revolutionizing the Way We Watch TV

Los Angeles, Calif. , April 5, 2012- The Satellite TV  industry is in the midst of a revolution according to a report by IBISWorld. Satellite TV providers  supply popular family shows, news, movies, sports, documentaries and other products to a growing swarm of eager subscribers willing to pay for in-home entertainment. For example, the introduction of high-definition (HD) TV vastly improved the quality of shows and attracted subscribers even as disposable income dropped during the Great Recession.

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Global Space Industry Grew 12.2% in 2011

Washington, D.C., April 5, 2012-- The global space economy grew to US$ 289.77 billion in 2011, reflecting a surprisingly robust single-year expansion of 12.2 percent and five-year growth of 41 percent in a global economy that has been suppressed in many other sectors, according to the Space Report 2012 published by the Space Foundation.

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