News Analysis

Building Satellites amidst the TWTA Bottleneck

by NSR

July 20, 2011--Ideally an operator would like to have a satellite go from RFP to orbit in 25 to 30 months. However, the reality is that manufacturing satellites is far from an assembly line operation where every component is sourced with sufficient inventory support. Often the equipment onboard the satellite is highly specialized and vendors are few, which put constraints on delivery and in effect, time to market for satellite services.

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Mobile TV in Europe Gets Second Wind

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, July 15, 2011--Broadcasters and producers are experimenting with strategies that stream on demand applications to mobile devices. Hampered by steep fixed costs, limited distribution and scheduled services that proved less than appropriate to small screen viewing, the first generation of Mobile TV has been superceded by streamed on-demand applications more in tune with the way we want to consume content on the go.  When Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany and Austria shuttered theirDVB-H networks in quick succession last year it left Italy with the only successful service in Europe.

Demand for TV Everywhere Widespread in Western Europe

30% of Broadband Homes consider Live Multiscreen Service as a Top TV-Service Feature

Dallas, Tex., July 13, 2011--Receiving live TV on a mobile phone, tablet, or computer is a popular feature throughout Western Europe, with 30% of broadband households highly interested in these TV Everywhere services, according to Parks Associates’ recent consumer survey Connected Consumer in Europe.

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O3b: A Work in Progress

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass., July 12, 2011--O3b signed a "multi-year, multi-million dollar reseller agreement" with Sky Fiber Corporation in June 2011 following on a similar announcement with Mavoni Technologies, South Africa in May 2011. Yet, beyond these two recent contracts and one additional framework agreement with Etisalat, O3b has been fairly quiet in terms of client deals since it completed its funding in November 2010. NSR’s take on this period of contracting calm is that O3b has largely depleted the early adopter market, and most of the rest of the industry is now waiting for O3b to make concrete progress in the construction and launch of its network as well as - and especially key in NSR’s view - provide detailed information on the cost and performance of its upcoming Tier 2 ground equipment.

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As NASA Mimics Arianespace over SpaceX, Is History Repeating Itself?

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass., June 23, 2011--George Bernard Shaw once said that “if history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience”. NSR is not as critical about the future of the launch industry for North America and Western Europe but does extend a word of caution towards the development of next-gen launchers.

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2010 SIA State of the Industry Report Shows Continued Growth

Washington, D.C., June 20, 2011 – The Satellite Industry Association (SIA)  released its 2011 State of the Satellite Industry Report, showing a five percent growth in overall world satellite industry revenues in 2010. Global 2010 revenues for the satellite industry totaled $168.1 billion, for an 11.2 percent average annual industry growth rate over the past 5 years.

Multi-play Services Drive Global Pay-TV Service Revenue to $53 Billion in 1Q 2011, According to ABI Research

Singapore, June 9, 2011--The worldwide pay-TV industry continues to grow in terms of both subscriber numbers and service revenue. “At the end of first quarter of 2011, pay-TV service revenue generated from satellite, cable, terrestrial and telco TV totaled $53 billion. That is a 10% increase from the first quarter of 2010,” says Jason Blackwell, digital home practice director at ABI Research.

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Annual Global IP Traffic Will Reach the Zettabyte Threshold by the end of 2015 according to Cisco

San Jose, Calif. June 2, 2011-Annual global IP traffic will reach the zettabyte threshold (966 exabytes or nearly 1 zettabyte) by the end of 2015 according to the latest Visual Networking Index by Cisco.   In 2015, global IP traffic will reach 966 exabytes per year or 80.5 exabytes per month.

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IP Trunking: A Three-Way Battle

by NSR

Cambridge, Mass. June 1, 2011-A recent agreement to build a submarine cable by 2012 between two Islands, (Vanuatu and Fiji) emphasizes a clear trend: remoteness of a territory is not a barrier for cable connections as long as the market is valuable. Another announcement from the ITU on the sharp decrease of fixed broadband prices (50% between 2008 and 2010) with the 10 countries in the world with the biggest relative change in price all located in Africa illustrates the effect of the many cable projects that were completed recently in Africa, formerly the last satellite IP trunking stronghold.

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Ovum Finds Investment in 3D content is Low Priority for Broadcasters

London, May 23, 2011--Broadcasters rate production of 3D content and channels as their lowest technology investment priority, and the lack of programming for consumers who have bought a 3D TV is set to continue, according to Ovum. In a new report analysing the state of the 3D market, the independent technology analyst unveils findings from its Media and Broadcast Technology Investment Strategies survey which reveal a clear lack of enthusiasm for 3D in the broadcast industry.