A new generation of satellites, and spectrum assigned to mobile satellite services, will play a prominent role in the next major development in television and radio broadcasting.
· Satellites will enable relatively rapid roll-outs across major regions of the world and spectrum assigned to mobile satellite services holds the key to unlocking this potentially massive market.
· A combination of satellite and terrestrial transmission will deliver the next generation of television, radio and associated multimedia services to mobile and in-vehicle receivers.
· Mobile television will initially be dominated by free-to-air channels, while subscription radio services are more likely to be adopted for use in vehicles.
Those are among the key conclusions of a major new management report, Satellite to Mobile: Television and radio broadcasting — Global markets and opportunities, released at the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam in September 2008.
A number of new satellites have already been launched or are scheduled for launch in the next year. The European Commission has invited proposal from prospective operators of a pan-European service. The technology has already been proven in Asia and plans for new satellite services are well underway in the United States.
“Broadcast services will transform the mobile television market, led by free-to-air channels, with satellite playing a key role,” suggests Dr. William Cooper, co-author of the report and founder of the informitv consultancy which specialises in the convergence of communications services. “This will happen sooner than many people have previously assumed. By the time of the London Olympics in 2012, mobile satellite services will be in operation across most of Europe.”
The Satellite to Mobile report critically examines the business models and technical standards available for broadcasting to mobile receivers. It considers the outlook for mobile television in Europe, provides case studies of deployments in Asia and plans for services in the United States. Following the merger of Sirius and XM Satellite Radio, it also looks at the worldwide prospects for satellite radio subscription services.
With suitable spectrum at a premium, the report considers the value of frequencies assigned to mobile satellite services in the context of the vast sums paid by mobile operators and the prospect of the digital dividend following the end of analogue television. “Satellite has a number of competitive advantages. Spectrum is available, some of it essentially in the same band as used for 3G mobile communications, and much of it without being subject to auction,” says Roger Stanyard, co-author of the report and an international authority on satellite broadcasting with 25 years experience in market research and management consulting. The report concludes that current and prospective satellite operators have a window of opportunity to exploit spectrum available to them to provide the next generation of mobile satellite services. Rather than attempting to forecast the future, this analysis explains the relevant issues and technologies in simple terms, to empower decision makers to formulate their own strategy in response to this opportunity. Satellite to Mobile: Television and radio broadcasting — Global markets and opportunities is published by informitv and is available online for £1,995.00 +VAT from www.informitv.com
