Satellite Pro Middle East

ISSUE 12 | NOVEMBER 2012

Extreme Broadband

In Yemen and Afghanistan

What miners want?

More than just bandwidth

Towards UHDTV

HEVC to enable satellite operators

EXCLUSIVE

SPECTRUM AND

SECURITY UAE’S TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATORY AUTHORITY CRACKS DOWN ON ILLEGAL SALE OF SATELLITE PHONES

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

Register

SatellitePro ME Influencers Roundtable on Oil & Gas: 14 November 2012, Abu Dhabi

EDITORIAL Publisher Dominic De Sousa

Let’s celebrate excellence

Group COO Nadeem Hood Managing Director Richard Judd richard@cpidubai.com +9714 440 9126

November is the month when we write about excellence, as always, but this is also the month when we go up on stage in a ballroom in one of Dubai’s finest five-star hotels and celebrate excellence.

EDITORIAL Group Editor Broadcast Division Vijaya Cherian vijaya@cpidubai.com +97150 768 3435 Editor Supriya Srinivas supriya@cpidubai.com +971 55 105 3776 ADVERTISING Publishing Director Raz Islam raz@cpidubai.com +9714 440 9129 Group Sales Manager Sandip Virk sandip@cpidubai.com +44 7734 442526 Sales Manager Rodi Hennawi rodi@cpidubai.com +971 4 440 9106 PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Design Director Ruth Sheehy ruth@cpidubai.com Graphic Designer Glenn Roxas glenn@cpidubai.com Database Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh@cpidubai.com +9714 440 9147 Production Manager James P. Tharian james@cpidubai.com +9714 440 9146 DIGITAL SERVICES webmaster@cpidubai.com

It is special to be recognised by your peers.

This year at the annual BroadcastPro Summit and Awards 2012, we will be lauding three achievers in the satellite industry in the categories: MENA Satcom player of 2012; The Satcom Project of 2012 and The Oil & Gas Project of 2012.

Building a company and a brand is not for the faint-hearted and certainly not for the fickle.

I have had the privilege of watching our sister publication BroadcastPro ME carve a niche for itself and while there are sleepless nights along the way, there is an overriding sense of self-belief.

You see this self-belief in our guest of the month –Riyadh Al Adely – who along with his team, took stock of an industry in crisis in 2010 and decided to change course. And going by the projects he has on hand, his ‘taking stock in 2010’ worked.

Brand building is also about recognising individual stories of commitment as we do Dave Suffys’ personal account of Newtec’s recent landmark achieved in satellite throughput.

And lastly, building a brand, even a nation’s brand, is about determination. I saw this determination in the eyes of the two gentlemen from the Telecommuncations Regulatory Authority of the UAE – the men on our cover this month. While the MSS industry is unsettled as the rules are enforced, both Khalid and Tariq Al Awadhi know they have a mandate to ensure the security of the country.

With the impending summit and awards and our inaugural Oil and Gas Roundtable in November, I am trying to muster some of that determination.

Supriya Srinivas Editor

Digital Services Manager Tristan Troy Maagma Web Developers Erik Briones Jefferson de Joya Published by

1013 Centre Road, New Castle County, Wilmington, Delaware, USA Head Office PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 (0) 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 (0) 4 447 2409 Printed by Printwell Printing Press LLC

© Copyright 2012 CPI. All rights reserved.

While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

In this edition: “Since one of the roles of MSS is to provide critical support for disaster relief, it is important to support the industry and not impose high regulation fees or restrictive controls” - Jassem Nasser, vice president of business development, Thuraya – page 10

“During tests, we used three equally sized DVB-S2 carriers both with and without CCT carriers at equal or unbalanced power to simulate fading conditions” - Dave Suffys, sales support manager, Newtec – page 28

“We are talking of supplying speeds of 10Mbps to homes. This is unheard of in Yemen where the fastest you have is 2Mbps and even then, in reality, you will get only 256k” - Khalid Al Dhabbi, general manager, YemenSatcom – page 14

“ At that time [2004], there were two markets – Afghanistan and Iraq. We were providing straightforward VSAT links for VOIP for the welfare of troops” - Riyadh Al Adely, MD, SkyStream FZ LLC – page 40

ONLY DTH Interference Free -

Satellite capacity in the Middle East.

Gulfsat Communications is one of the leaders in the communication service industry and pioneers in satellite communications. Gulfsat designs, integrates,Installs, and provides advanced satellite solutions for enterprises, government organizations and home users.

www.gulfsat.com

CONTENTS

Issue 12 | NOVEMBER 2012

14

News

4

SatTechnology: Ka-band

24 On satellites and sausages

Oil and gas, operators, broadcast and broadband

Louis Zacharilla of SSPI, on the emergence of broadband satellite

RigNet, Cisco, Eutelsat, Gulfsat, Globecomm, Hermes Datacomms

SatTechnology: Throughput

28 The 500Mbps barrier

Cover Story

10

Dave Suffys of Newtec on the landmark tests at Eutelsat and Intelsat

Spectrum and security As the UAE enforces regulations, we get responses from TRA and MSS operators – Thuraya and Inmarsat

32

SatTechnology: HEVC

30 HEVC enables operators

SatVertical: Broadband

Ian Trow of Harmonic underscores the significance of adopting HEVC standards

14

Extreme Broadband

SatTechnology: Inclined orbits

YahClick service providers, YemenSatcom and Safa Telecom to launch consumer broadband in Yemen and Afghanistan respectively

32

SatVertical: Mining

Julian Crudge of Telenor outlines the advantages and challenges of an inclined orbit

Miners want more

SatTechnology: Product reviews

Inclined to serve

20

34

Philip Hayaert of Astrium Services on the booming mining sector in Africa

Mobile hotspots to M2M Thuraya, Viasat, Vislink, Panasonic Avionics, Bentley Walker, Advantech, Quicklink and more

ISSUE 12 | NOVEMBER 2012

SatGuest

ExtrEmE BroadBand

In Yemen and Afghanistan

40

What minErs Want?

More than just bandwidth

toWards UhdtV

HEVC to enable satellite operators

ExCLUsiVE

SPECTRUM AND

SECURITY UAE’S tELECOMMUNICAtIONS REGULAtORY AUtHORItY CRACKS DOWN ON ILLEGAL SALE OF SAtELLItE PHONES

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

REGIStER

SatellitePro ME Influencers Roundtable on Oil & Gas: 14 November 2012, Abu Dhabi

On the cover: (L to R) Tariq Al Awadhi and Khalid Al Awadhi of TRA

Adjusting the sail Global MilSatcom 2012 27 – 29 November

38

Riyadh Al Adely of SkyStream gives an insight into the turbulent first decade of the millennium and his recipe for survival

SatNews

RigNet offers expanded services to Qatar-based drilling company

RigNet Qatar W.L.L., has been chosen by an unnamed drilling services provider active in Qatar to deliver managed network solutions for one additional offshore accommodation jack-up drilling rig and two additional land drilling rigs in the company’s fleet. These services have been added to an existing five-year fleet contract between RigNet Qatar W.L.L. and the unnamed customer.

On the shelf

Services include VoIP, enterprise data and internet access services, supported by network monitoring tools, 24x7 telephone support services and onsite field services, as required, with backhaul to the company’s office via MPLS connection The solution includes network design, equipment and installation, as well as service and 24/7 network monitoring and support from RigNet’s new Global Network Operations Centre. ‘’We are very proud and wish to thank this world-class drilling services provider for selecting RigNet’s managed remote communication services for these additional remote assets,” said Chris C. Lambert, general manager of RigNet’s Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia Region with headquarters in Doha, Qatar. www.rig.net

Blood donation

by Yahsat team In a bid to support the local community, Yahsat, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank, organised a donation day for the Yahsat team. The campaign was created by Yahsat’s social committee in an effort to engage and educate employees on the pressing medical need for blood across UAE hospitals.

Teleports in a Gigabit World explores how the continuing evolution of the Ka-band market and the technology race for gigabit throughput in C and Ku-bands are most likely to affect service providers. It examines the threats and potential opportunities and offers advice on what service providers can do today to defend against the downside and seize the upside. www.wta.org 4 | SatellitePro | November 2012

Alliance between Inmarsat and Cisco Inmarsat and Cisco have announced the creation of a longterm alliance that will enable Inmarsat to deliver services, from applications Rob Lloyd, president, development and sales, to business Cisco collaboration and video to multimedia content over Inmarsat’s new high-throughput satellite broadband network, Global Xpress (GX).

Cisco will also develop a router for satellite network end-users that will utilise not only the Inmarsat GX capabilities but also the current BGAN global network Cisco will reportedly build and operate the network on a fully managed basis before transferring it to Inmarsat, and will use its key software stacks of Service Delivery Platform and Prime to enable advanced capabilities such as voice, video, cloud application services and high speed internet access.

Rob Lloyd, president, development and sales, Cisco said, “Imagine watching on-demand TV in an aircraft, using TelePresence on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean, or accessing cost effective HDTV broadcasting from any location.

We are truly excited about the possibilities this unique alliance creates.” www.inmarsat.com www.cisco.com

GPS shoes to be commercially available in the U.K and Ireland, enabling tracking of wandering Alzheimer’s patients who wear them

Emirates to offer in-flight mobile phone service Emirates will begin offering in-flight mobile phone service on its fleet of A380s, as part of the Dubai carrier’s connectivity package with OnAir. The OnAir system uses EDGE and GPRS connections to allow passengers to make and receive phone calls and text messages through their individual mobile service providers.

Emirates said the OnAir mobile service has reportedly been installed and tested on one of its A380s, and will be retrofitted to its entire fleet of 25 A380s going forward.

“Our goal on every flight is to exceed our passenger’s’ expectations. We believe that exceeding expectations should not only apply to our cabin crew’s award-winning in-flight service and our Skytrax ice system,

but also to our passenger’s desire to stay in touch while travelling,” said Patrick Brannelly, VP of corporate communications at Emirates. www.onair.com

Protest against jamming

Hermes wins Hermes Datacomms was recognised in the category: New Technologies and Industry Development, at the 6th International Exhibition “Turkmentel-2012” in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Lyubov Arhangelskaya, branch manager of Hermes Datacomms Turkmenistan, says “We are thrilled to receive this award for New Technologies and Industry Development. This year, Hermes demonstrated the capabilities of mobile satellite communication technologies for land, sea and air from Intellian and iDirect.” www.hermes.uk.com

Eutelsat Communications made a new appeal to international regulatory authorities to urgently intervene in order to put an end to, what the company described as, repeated jamming of satellite signals reportedly from Iran.

This new appeal follows, what the company claims, deliberate interference from Iran since October 3 of international networks, including BBC Persian, the Voice of America’s Persian service and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda, that broadcast via Eutelsat satellites. www.eutelsat.com

UAE’s HorizonSat taps ASC Signal for new teleport Under the contract, valued at nearly US $2 million, ASC Signal will design, manufacture and install a combination of 9.4 Hisham Ansari, managing director, HorizonSat metre antennas, which are designed for use with Ku- and Ka-band frequencies, and 7.6-metre Ku-band antennas, all with specifically engineered feed designs to meet HorizonSat’s technical requirements.

The contract will include design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of large-aperture transmit/receive earth station antennas and custom feed systems.

The new teleport will enable HorizonSat to access more satellites to serve their customers’ broadcast, voice, data and IPservices requirements.

In addition to the antennas, a major driver behind HorizonSat’s purchase is the provision of ASC Signal’s Next Generation Controller (NGC), which will reportedly give HorizonSat one central device to control and operate its multiple antenna systems for their critical tracking requirements.

The new HorizonSat teleport will be located near Munich, Germany. It will support satellite transmission services for large corporations, telecom operators, broadcasters and internet service providers.

“ASC Signal worked closely with HorizonSat to understand their requirements,” said Keith Buckley, president and CEO of ASC Signal. “We will also deliver complete end-to-end services including the NGC to simplify operation of these antennas.”

“HorizonSat is continuing to expand rapidly in the EMEA region with the development of this new, European teleport,” said Hisham Ansari, HorizonSat’s managing director. www.horizonsat.com November 2012 | SatellitePro | 5

SatNews

Saudi and Russian channels join YahLive’s HD bouquet

Mohamed Youssif, CEO of YahLive

Television viewers across the GCC, Levant and South West Asia regions can now enjoy Saudi 1, Quran Kareem, El Sunnah, El Ekhbariya, El Thaqafiya, and sport 1 in HD. The agreement, which reportedly makes YahLive the first and only satellite broadcast platform to offer Saudi TV channels in HD, was signed by Dr. Abdulaziz Muhiddin Khoja, Saudi Arabia’s

minister of culture and information, and Mohamed Youssif, CEO of YahLive, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Mohamed Youssif, CEO of YahLive, said: “The Saudi market in particular has been witnessing a number of positive, dynamic developments in the broadcasting sector, but the most significant is the advent of HD. We broadcast at 8 megabits per HD channel to give viewers true picture beauty and interaction that comes only with the HD experience.”

In addition , two international news channels, RT’s Rusiya Al-Yaum and Russia Today joined the High Definition (HD) television bouquet offered by YahLive.

Available free-to-air (FTA), both Rusiya AlYaum and Russia Today broadcast 24/7 to reportedly more than 550 million people in more than 100 countries around the world.

The channels are based in Moscow with a network of bureaus all over the globe. www.yahlive.tv

Sky News Arabia Capacity over chooses Envivio MENA boosted Sky News Arabia has deployed Envivio Muse software-based encoders for its real-time web streaming service. The broadcaster, based in Abu Dhabi, uses the Envivio video processing solution to compress and stream its live video content to its website for overthe-top (OTT) viewing on PCs and mobile devices by people around the world.

“It is important for Sky News Arabia to be able to deliver a high quality streaming service to all of our subscribers as well as other interested viewers from various countries,” said Ihsan Yahya, project engineer at Sky News Arabia. www.skynewsarabia.com 6 | SatellitePro | November 2012

Satellite broadcasting in the Middle East and North Africa will soon be gaining new broadcasting resources following the order announced by Eutelsat Communications of a new satellite from Thales Alenia Space.

Called Eutelsat 8 West B, the spacecraft will be launched in 2015 to 8° West, joining satellites already operated at the adjacent 7° West position by Eutelsat and the Egyptian satellite company, Nilesat.

Broadcasting services from both positions are received by satellite TV homes with a single small Direct-to-Home dish. www.nilesat.com.eg

KEY APPOINTMENTS Mohammed Al Haj appointed COO of Kuwaitbased Gulfsat

Mohammed brings with him more than 19 years of experience in the fields of telecommunication, technology and multimedia. www.gulfsat.com

Somalia to have triple-play through Globecomm Globecomm has been awarded a contract for a new broadband wireless system technology from Somcable Limited (SCL) valued at US Paul Knudsen, VP of $2.7 million.

Eastern Atlantic Team for Globecomm Under the terms set forth in the contract, Globecomm will provide the infrastructure that will allow Somcable to deliver voice, internet, TV and video communication services to SCL subscribers with the goal of developing a framework of a carrier class communications service provider. This will enable SCL to roll out these services at minimal entry level cost and expand the network as the project permits.

Paul Knudsen, VP of Eastern Atlantic Team for Globecomm, said: “This is an exciting project.

The system Globecomm will design and deploy will allow Somcable to offer high speed wireless voice, internet, TV and video services to their subscribers. The network we are supplying utilises wireless technologies that can deliver fibre speeds to the customers.” www.globecommsystems.com

Hermes Datacommunications International Ltd has over 20 years of experience delivering high quality, reliable and accurate communications to the oil & gas industry, in some of the most remote and challenging locations worldwide. The company has been operating in the Middle East for more than a decade and established its Dubai office in 2008 to answer growing demand in the region.

Middle east head office: 18th Floor, Office 1801, Indigo Icon – Jumeirah Lake Towers, P.O Box 454714, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 (0) 44279838 E mail: info.me@hermes.uk.com

www.hermes.uk.com

Our world. Now sharper than ever with the HDTV portal of the Middle East. Your world.

www.arabsat.com

See the difference with the region’s largest satellite operator With the reach, power and unmatched capacity of Arabsat’s state-of-the-art satellite fleet, the largest Arab community in the sky now brings you more power to experience the future in incredible detail. No wonder over 90% of free-to-air HD-TV channels in the MENA region are now exclusively broadcasting on Arabsat satellites. Join our premium community today!

SatLead

SPECTRUM AND

SECURITY The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has begun to enforce regulations on licensing and type approval of satellite equipment including satellite phones and terminals through a combination of surprise raids on dealers and negotiations with satellite operators

I

n a press release from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) issued in August 2012, was the figure 27,600 – the number of unauthorised devices that included satellite phones and terminals that were confiscated over a series of raids across the UAE. In a country that has a mobile penetration of 156% and nearly 100% of territory covered by mobile networks, the sheer number of mobile satellite services (MSS) equipment that was unearthed during the raid, would have been surprising to a casual onlooker.

As Drew Brandy, Inmarsat’s director, land mobile business, puts it aptly: “The UAE is not a big market in terms of revenue generation but is a critical market in terms of point-of-sale. A lot of our partners are based here so it is important that we not only have a presence here but are legally compliant.”

Proactive approach by authorities The raids by the TRA were preceded by a warning letter that stated that it was unlawful to sell any unauthorised products.

That the TRA would back their written warning with action came as a surprise to many in the industry and underlined the seriousness of official intent.

“One of our big concerns is the security of the UAE and we have to ensure this will not be breached with unregulated acts in the market,” affirms Khalid Al Awadhi, manager space services at the TRA in conversation with SatellitePro ME. As the situation stands, Iridium and Inmarsat phones and terminals cannot be sold in the UAE pending compliance with TRA’s licensing and type approval requirements.

10 | SatellitePro | November 2012

Drew Brandy, director, land mobile business, Inmarsat

“The UAE is not a big market in terms of revenue generation [for MSS] but is a critical market in terms of point-of-sale. A lot of our partners are based here so it is important that we not only have a presence here but are legally compliant” Negotiations between TRA and operators So did the raids catch the MSS industry offguard, I asked Drew Brandy of Inmarsat.

“Yes and no. We have been working with the TRA for some time now and we recognise that the service needs to be regulated and we need to be compliant. A lot of our partners are based here and the UAE is a critical hub for distribution to places in North Africa, among other regions. There are numerous discussions on what needs to be put in place.

Basically it revolves around how we will bring the products in the market , the visibility of those products and how it will be distributed.

It is a difficult situation and quite a protracted process, but I am quite pleased to report that we have made progress.”

With Inmarsat’s chairman Andrew Sukawaty reportedly meeting with TRA officials last month, the discussions have apparently taken place at the highest level.

This was followed by a meeting of service

28

Number of unauthorised telecom devices confiscated by the UAE’s TRA in August 2012

TheTelecommunications Regulatory Authority confiscates over 27,600 unauthorised devices.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in the UAE confiscates over 27,600 unauthorised devices as part of its extensive regulatory campaigns.

Tariq Al Awadhi, executive director, spectrum affairs, TRA

Khalid Al Awadhi, manager space services, TRA

“The operators, dealers and end users must understand that our primary concern is the security of the country and we cannot allow that to be breached by unregulated sale of telecom equipment.

Even the act of selling in the UAE to persons who may use it outside the UAE, is not lawful without a licence”

“This unique space service (MSS) does pose challenges. For instance, in aviation and maritime, the terminals are largely built in and it would be impossible to restrict entry to the ships or planes. For a regulator, these areas pose a challenge”

providers and Inmarsat where Drew Brandy reportedly assured the service partners that a solution is close at hand.

To understand the issues, we stopped by the office of Jassem Hassan Salman Nasser, vice president of strategy and business development, Thuraya. A telecommunications professional, Nasser has been with the UAE’s mobile satellite services provider – Thuraya – since 1998. And he has been closely involved with the licensing activities since 1999 even before Thuraya had launched its first satellite.

“Since the early days, we pursued licensing in different countries and we continue to do so. We started with the top countries in our target areas and depending on local regulations, we secured licences either in our name or our local partners secured the

same. Over the course of 12 years, we have developed processes and tools to meet and comply with regulatory requirements in different countries and, in some countries, we helped in drafting the regulations because the concept of MSS regulations was new.

Regulations are driven by a number of factors including the economy, the geography, culture and so on. These factors determine whether the approach to regulations will be more liberal or conservative.”

On the issue of TRA vis-a-vis MSS regulations, the process began four years ago, according to Nasser of Thuraya.

“The licensing regime came into effect in 2008 and we applied for type approval and registration of all our terminals and whenever we have terminals coming in they are type approved by the TRA.”

Based on the TRA’s policy which aims at protecting the telecommunications market in the UAE from the use of unsupported telecommunication devices which are non-compliant with the specifications, the TRA has carried out, what is reportedly, the widest and largest campaign of seizures resulting in the confiscation of over 27,600 devices and handing them to the Economic Department in Dubai.

In the past two years, the TRA has reportedly taken action to prevent the spread and use of unauthorised devices through the adoption of standard and international specifications for the registration of local and international manufacturers, licensed operators, and companies importing telecommunications devices. This is in addition to issuing warnings or imposing fines that may reach in some cases to licence suspension.

Security concerns underlying enforcement On the current issue with regard to mobile satellite terminals, Nasser believes there is a general misunderstanding of rules among the service providers who sell to the endusers directly.

“Some service providers believe that just bringing the terminals in to the country and selling them to users outside the country should be alright, which is not the case. This involves trans-border movement of terminals and one can use the UAE as a distribution hub only if the terminals are compliant with local regulations. This applies to any telecom equipment, not just satellite equipment.”

In charge of regulating the market, both Khalid Al Awadhi and his boss Tariq Al Awadhi who is the executive director, spectrum affairs, reiterate that the process of licensing November 2012 | SatellitePro | 11

SatLead

A statement from Thuraya on reports that their devices are traceable in Syria: “In the past there have been false reports circulating in Syria of the tracing of Thuraya satellite callers, or cracking encryption and other unsubstantiated allegations. It is true that satellite telephony is based on terrestrial GSM standards, and like any technology, has its security characteristics and its limitations, including risks of tracing and hacking.

“At early stages, Thuraya reconfigured our network such that to ensure users can access the service in a way that we believe will render tracing extremely difficult. We believe that our network is the only one that has the capability to offer such feature to ensure the security of user location.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of journalists and relief workers operating in Syria using our network.”

of operators, type approval of equipment and registration of dealers is straightforward.

Most importantly, there should be no ambiguity, Tariq Al Awadhi says, about TRA’s primary concern – the security of the UAE. “The operators, dealers and end users must understand that our primary concern is the security of the country and we cannot allow that to be breached by unregulated sale of telecom equipment. Even the act of selling in the UAE to persons who may use it outside the UAE, is not lawful without a licence.”

The region, not just the UAE, is clearly in transition, with regulations only beginning to catch up with the esoteric world of mobile satellite services. The Arab spring and general political turmoil across the region has probably accelerated an otherwise passive approach to enforcing the rules. Inmarsat’s licensing department faces similar issues in countries such as Oman and Saudi Arabia. Both Inmarsat and Thuraya claim that they are compliant in more than 80% to 90% of the countries they 12 | SatellitePro | November 2012

Jassem Hassan Salman Nasser, vice president of strategy and business development, Thuraya

“Since one of the roles of MSS is disaster relief or providing critical support to sectors such as maritime and oil and gas, it is important to support the industry and not impose high regulation fees or restrictive controls”

6000-8000 Estimated number of satellite phones sold in one month in Dubai

cover, underscoring the continuous challenges regulatory regimes pose to MSS operators.

Critical to support niche MSS sector Nasser of Thuraya says it is important for regulators to encourage the MSS sector.

“In Europe, which is a mature region for MSS, authorities have largely understood that it is a niche market. And since one of the roles of MSS is disaster relief operations or to provide critical support to sectors such as maritime and oil and gas, it is important to support the industry and not impose high regulation fees or restrictive controls. In these mature markets, they allow for free circulation of terminals, exemption from individual licensing and they only look at critical

aspects of frequency usage and interference issues that need to be regulated.”

Critics have said that countries in the region have exorbitant rates in terms of licensing fees. Their argument is that in a country with a mobile penetration of 156% and where MSS is used only for specific verticals and as backup for disaster relief, the high licensing fees is not justified. Whereas a large country with less mobile penetration and a bigger addressable MSS market, such as Algeria, has lower licensing fees.

Who is regulating the regulator, they ask.

Khalid Al Awadhi refutes the charge that licensing fees are disproportionately high.

“If our licensing fee was high, you would not find a lot of motivation for operators to provide services in the UAE. We are doing a lot of benchmarking in terms of determining the fees and charges. While we take into account other markets, we take into consideration the nature of the industry in the UAE. As a regulator we do not look at the demand for the products.

“We have other concerns such as – for instance – the nature of competition among service providers. If the competition levels are high, we raise the ceiling of entry given that our resources are limited. We also study the global nature of the service and take into the account the costs and difficulties the operator has to bear.”

He concedes that it is a work in progress given the many challenges posed by MSS for regulators.

“Since the establishment of the TRA, there has been a big improvement in terms of regulations in satellite services, among other areas, where previously you did not have the best regulation possible.

“MSS is a specific space service and given that the UAE hosts one of the global operators, namely Thuraya, we have made concerted attempts to ensure a regulatory framework. This unique space service does pose challenges.

“For instance in aviation and maritime, the terminals are largely built in and it would be impossible to restrict entry to the ships or planes. For a regulator, these areas pose a challenge. The good news is that we are reaching the final stages in terms of addressing these pending issues.” PRO

Extreme Broadband

Life has moved on in Yemen and Afghanistan beyond the 24/7 breaking news cycle of daily turmoil. These intrepid solutions providers believe the countries are ready for consumer broadband via YahClick

I

t was the political uncertainty around 2011 that saw an exodus of oil and gas companies from Yemen, that had Khalid Al Dhabbi, general manager of satcom services provider, YemenSatcom, thinking about alternative verticals.

Today the oil and gas companies have started to come back, but Al Dhabbi is just a month away from diversifying into the hitherto unknown, albeit exciting territory of consumer broadband.

SatellitePro ME caught up with Khalid Al Dhabbi, enroute to Yemen for a two-month preparation for the launch of Yahclick, Yahsat’s consumer broadband service in Yemen.

Al Dhabbi has partnered with Dubai-based SkyStream towards launching this service.

Asked for the reason behind the partnership, Al Dhabbi says, “There are two main reasons.

We have a history of dealing with Skystream for over a decade and secondly we add value to each other given our strong presence in the region and Yemen respectively.”

With an eye on the future, Al Dhabbi hopes that their partnership will allow them to expand operations in parts of East Africa.

Currently it is all systems go for YahClick across Yemen.

“We have established a new call centre with a new billing system for Yahclick. Both the hardware and software has been sourced and developed in the UAE. In addition to customer 14 | SatellitePro | November 2012

Khalid Al Dhabbi, general manager, YemenSatcom

“We are talking of supplying speeds of 10Mbps to homes. This is unheard of in Yemen where the fastest you have is 2Mbps and even then, in reality, you will get only 256k” service training, the engineers were trained in Abu Dhabi. At the outset, we will have four agents manning the call centre that we believe will be able to support up to 1000 sites. This is

our target for the first year based on the initial forecasts worked out with Yahsat.”

Going by past experience, Al Dhabbi believes the target is modest.

“When GSM was launched in Yemen, the forecast was 30,000 subscribers in year one.

But we ended up with 200,0000 subscribers.

And now after eight years, we have three million subscribers. So while corporate customers are our first logical targets, we are not underestimating the consumers.”

The challenging landscape of Yemen, the dispersal of population and the history of indifferent infrastructure – all lend credibility of sorts for the optimism underlying Al Dhabbi’s forecasts for Yahclick.

“Though Yemen has a population of 25 million, it is dispersed widely over urban and non-urban areas. So there are limitations to the spread of fibre. Moreover, terrestrial broadband is not of very good quality primarily because of the inadequate amount of bandwidth the government provider purchases. And what makes matters difficult, the provider does not distinguish between consumer and business users.”

The coming two months will be busy says Al Dhabbi with firstly the Alpha phase, where the equipment will be tested internally followed by a soft launch where the service will be offered to 50 pre-selected customers.

“This is a process that has been laid

Dominique Audion, managing director, Safa Telecom

“The system is good as our tests reveal, but it is new and we will have to see how it performs on the ground in Afghanistan. It is a learning process for us and Yahsat” out by Yahsat. The idea is to work with existing customers with who we have a good relationship while we are in the initial troubleshooting phase.”

The USP for Yahclick, in Yemen, in Al Dhabbi’s words, is the bandwidth.

“We are talking of supplying speeds of 10Mbps to homes. This is unheard of in Yemen where the fastest you have is 2Mbps and even then, in reality, you will get only 256k. I would like to see people’s faces as they experience our service. You will not have to wait endlessly for websites to buffer. While consumer packages will range from 1mb to 10mb, for businesses it will start from 2mb to 15mb.”

The US $600 for equipment is not a worry for Al Dhabbi.

“When you consider the cost of VSAT equipment, the cost of the Hughes modem and a 70-cm antenna is very reasonable, also keeping in mind the huge improvement in quality of service.”

From B2B to B2C With a history of B2B dealings with corporates and oil and gas companies, Al Dhabbi concedes that consumer broadband is a new area and will be a challenge in terms of operations.

“For the first time we will be moving into a B2C operation. With the setting up of the help desk, we are already making critical shifts in our approach. The customer service training

at Yahsat underlined the need to make those customer-friendly shifts in operations.”

Excited about the prospect of diversifying his business, Al Dhabbi believes that while the target is 1% of internet users in Yemen, his company will quite easily exceed those targets to reach 2 to 3% of the internet users. He is also hoping for a public-private partnership of sorts with the government owned Telco, Yemen Telecom.

“With their reach and our enterprise, we will service a wider audience.”

This is a story that we will track as we move focus to another restive country, Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan is ready for some quality broadband” Dominique Audion, managing director of Dubai-based Safa Telecom is optimistic that his premium offer of YahClick services will find ready resonance among corporate clients in Afghanistan ranging from banks, hotels, security companies, NGOs and UN organisations, among others.

“From the antennas of 98 cms and above to cables and modems, our offer will cover premium solutions. In addition we will be

providing the corporate bandwidth of 10Mbps and 15Mbps as offered by YahClick,” says Audion in an interview with SatellitePro ME in his Dubai-based office.

With existing Telcos not enjoying a high degree of trust among consumers in Afghanistan owing to unreliability of service, Audion is mindful of the trust deficit his brand will have to overcome.

“We have to ensure a high degree of service to create a sense of confidence among consumers. It is a new brand and establishing reputation is of primary importance.”

The insufficient spread of fibre is a key driver for consumer broadband solutions such as YahClick.

While not an exclusive partner for the AbuDhabi based provider, Audion and his team at Safa Telcom believe they have a few advantages.

“We are the only providers in Afghanistan that can offer the YahClick service outside the country and across the region. This would serve regional clients well. Moreover we have a joint venture with our local partner, a provider of private education services that also has extensive experience in providing IT-based solutions. With their local knowledge and our Telco and MSS experience, we believe we are positioned well to launch this service in Afghanistan.”

No stranger to the Afghan capital, Dominique is poised to launch the service November 2012 | SatellitePro | 15

SatVertical: Broadband within a month.

“We have the licence and the joint venture is called Safa Telecom. In the Kabul office, we have appointed a manager and we are putting together a team of installers. We’ve found a good pool of local technical talent when it comes to VSAT installation. The first batch of YahClick terminals are being shipped as I speak.”

The installation of Ka-band antennas for YahClick has reportedly been simplified by Hughes allowing the installer to monitor the installation on his laptop without the need to be connected to a gateway as in the case of Ku or C-band antennas.

Audion won’t commit to a goal in terms of clients, insisting that quality of service and

cementing their reputation with a range of corporate clients is critical.

“Our USP will not just be the reliability of service but the value added elements including services from Thuraya and Inmarsat, if required.”

And while consumer broadband is a new area for the company, he believes the challenges can be overcome easily.

“For instance, billing for MSS services is far more complicated. In addition, we have a Dubai-based help desk to support our local presence in Kabul ensuring that regional clients are offered flexibility in terms of service.”

The testing of the hardware and bandwidth was going according to plan in the office in Dubai, revealed Audion.

With the harsh Kabul winter looming, Audion is relishing the prospect of testing the equipment on the ground.

“The system is good as our tests reveal, but it is new and we will have to see how it performs on the ground in Afghanistan. It is a learning process for us and Yahsat. For me personally, it is not about numbers but working with clients towards not just meeting his present needs but his future operational requirements and explaining to him both the capabilities and limitations of the system.”

At SatellitePro ME, we plan to hunker down for the long haul and follow Dominique Audion and Safa Telecom as they move into uncharted territories. PRO

Postcards from Ethiopia Gleb Larionov, managing director and Vivian Suarez, marketing manager of UAE-based X SAT FZE share snapshots of a recent project in Ethiopia

The client brief “The client is a regional government administration in one of Ethiopia’s provinces.

The task was to provide the data and voice communications in remote areas in 10 different locations of the province”

Training and deployment “One of the training issues we faced was mainly the language barrier. In addition, during the installation, especially, of the radio repeaters, you have to deal with interruption in the supply of electricity since you have to utilise existing telco towers and infrastructure”

The solutions “Inmarsat BGAN TT 700 and TT 500 for data, Thuraya handheld solutions for voice communications and radios together with radio repeaters”

Maintenance and feedback “Feedback has been positive so far. The BGAN and Thuraya equipment are tough and, virtually, maintenance free. As for radio repeaters, since you have to install the equipment with other telecom equipment, it requires proper maintenance and environment”

16 | SatellitePro | November 2012

SatVertical: Enterprise

Balancing the network over 24 hrs Shivaji Chatterjee, vice president of enterprise services at Hughes India shares his company’s approach to bandwidth management, that is both an art and science, in a market dominated overwhelmingly by terrestrial operators Typical Daily graph of a Service Provider Peak usage

“We have a good mix of customers across market segments and applications. We took a closer look and saw that anti-virus and media, which is digital cinema applications, were really offline applications. They were the FTPkind of applications and not real-time unlike the others.”

“This is a typical usage. Since we are an enterprise service provider, you see a peaking during the day and by night the usage goes down.”

Off-peak usage

With Application Break-up

Deleting “Off-line/Batch Traffic”

Peak usage

Peak usage reduced greatly!

Offline/batch apps

Off-peak usage

Switching offline apps to off-peak hours A balanced network!

“We rescheduled these offline applications and shifted them to the off-peak hours in the night. By using the 24-hour cycle effectively and creating a network that was more balanced, we achieved bandwidth savings of 40% – thus getting the best bang out of the bandwidth.”

18 | SatellitePro | November 2012

BANDWIDTH SAVINGS OF 40%

“Without the off-line applications, you can see a huge drop in peak usage rates from 90Mbps to 50Mbps.”

Extract of presentation made at VSAT2012

Advertorial

Building relationships and providing efficient after-sales support is key to retaining clients: XSAT Global

Unlike all customers, satellite-phones customers will look for those Service Providers who do more than ‘box moving’. Those customers tend to be long term clients and building a fruitful relationship with them is the key to selling our products and to our continuity in the market.

Receiving the payment for a satellite phone is not the end of a relationship with your customer; it is the beginning of a long-term relationship especially for those whose life and safety is dependent on the satellite phone or whose business is dependent on the honesty and professionalism of their Service Provider in whatever country they are located.

The long-term relationship is determined by the knowledge of the product, price competitiveness, products’ portfolio, ability to offer technical support whenever needed, promptness of service and the willingness to go the extra mile.

Prospective customers have all the required information at their fingertips and they can choose the Service Provider they want to deal with based on their own priorities. For some, price is the most

decisive factor in their decision; for others it is the knowledge of the product offered and the technical support. Whatever the reason, a Service Provider cannot survive in today’s market without having the skills to deal with diverse clients or without understanding their needs.

Yes there are a variety of clients; clients who do not have clear requirements, clients who do not know the products or their features, clients who do not plan their stock levels, and clients who keep negotiating the offered prices and who do not pay on time; but at the same time there are those ‘Perfect Clients’ who know what they want, who plan ahead and never fail to pay on time.

As a Service Provider, we have to understand the needs of our clients, and how to approach each one of them based on their requirements and expertise.

Throughout many years of dealing with clients, we found out that an attractive advertisement could be eye catching and appealing but what is more effective is word of mouth. Our survival and success in the market is linked to our reputation and we need to work hard to gain the clients’

trust and to keep it. More than 2000 years ago, Socrates said it best: “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear”… we truly believe in that.

At XSAT Global, our priority is to offer the best service and after sale support to our clients whether they buy one phone only or a number of phones during the year. Our clients are located in different parts of the world and our only means of communication are emails and rare phone calls but we have gained the trust of those clients based on our wide products portfolio and our dedication to offer the best support.

We apply the simple rule of “give your clients the service that you would expect and want from your own suppliers”. After all, we are all in that position at one point or another.

Munira Kazwah is Executive Manager at X SAT FZE

email: mesales@xsatglobal.com web: www.xsatglobal.com

SatVertical: Mining Remote diagnostics Emergency comms

Wifi Environmental monitoring

Remote telemetry

Miners want more than just

Remote video Voice comms

Tracking

bandwidth Pierre Hayaert, head of strategy, Astrium Services, offers his views on meeting the specialised communication, connectivity and networking requirements of the mining sector in Africa

O

ffering an overview of the mining sector, Pierre Hayaert, head of strategy, Astrium Services says, “The mining market consists of three major activities – finding, producing and distributing. With the increased demand and prices over the last few years, there has been a rise in activity involving the identifying and selecting of new exploration sites.”

With rising prices spurring the spread of new development projects and with

activities, for obvious reasons, focused in remote and inaccessible areas, the Satcom industry has witnessed an increase in demand across the mining sector.

According to 2011 figures from the Metal Economic Group, exploration budgets totalled US $12.1 billion in 2011.

Top 40 mining companies have reportedly announced US $300 billion of capital programmes with over US $120 billion in 2011. With metal prices remaining strong or rising throughout

There are five key topics while servicing a mining company, says Hayaert: 1.

Installation, operation and maintenance

One of key areas while servicing a mining industry, according to Hayaert, is the area of installation quality that focuses on planning, civil engineering, equipment installation

20 | SatellitePro | November 2012

and VSAT configuration.

“Consistent power supply is critical for maximum uptime so high quality installation and UPS is vital,” says Hayaert. He adds, “This key area includes training for IT personnel so that issues can be resolved without waiting for an engineer to travel ensuring consistent uptime.

In addition, given the rugged nature

of the operations, the platforms deployed need to be field proven with spare parts available on site to avoid waiting for delivery that entails overcoming the twin challenges of logistics and customs across Africa. Lastly to ensure timely troubleshooting and effective maintenance, local or regional support should be readily available.”

2.

Optimisation

Hayaert highlights latency sensitive applications such as ERP and engineering software.

“Mining company networks are often distributed across nations and continents with internet access often outside of the country of operations. Factors such as

12.1

Total exploration budgets in 2011

Explore and Appraise

Develop/Settlement

Produce

Voice, small internet access for email, geological data transfer

ERP, corporate applications, voice

ERP, corporate applications, voice, recreational – to support the many applications on site

Voice: GSM when available, Sat phone radio

Voice: IPBX GSM Data Radio

Data: BGAN Transportable VSAT (contented) WiMAX

Data: Multiple VSAT links, dedicated links, WiMAX, SCADA/Telematics

Voice: IPBX GSM Data Radio Data: Multiple VSAT links, dedicated links, fibre, WiMAX, SCADA/Telematics

Mining lifecycle & telecom solutions Source: Astrium

“Mining company networks are often distributed across nations and continents with internet access often outside of country of operations. Factors such as redundancy and security are crucial to business continuity so it is not always about bandwidth” Pierre Hayaert, head of strategy, Astrium Services

redundancy and security are crucial to business continuity so it is not always about bandwidth.”

Stressing the need to optimise, Hayaert says, “WAN optimisation includes factors such as acceleration, compression and local caching. In addition, to ensure quality of service, traffic shaping is required to optimise or guarantee performance, improve latency, and/or increase usable bandwidth for some

kinds of packets by delaying other kinds of packets that meet certain criteria. The solutions provider needs to be proactive in suggesting the appropriate modular network architecture be it mesh, multi-star or a combination of the two.”

3.

IT security

Hayaert concedes that a VPN solution while ensuring premium

security is very expensive to deploy at each site, and suggests that the way forward is to offer a cloud solution for security.

“Firewall VPN tunnels generate 30-40% overhead over satellite,” he says underscoring the prohibitive costs attached to providing security. “The cloud solution will offer a unified and centrally managed platform with content filtering,

intrusion detection, external backup facilities and so on.

This will increase security while reducing cost.”

4.

Added value

Touching upon often overlooked but significant factor of value added services while servicing the mining industry, Hayaert

November 2012 | SatellitePro | 21

SatVertical: Mining

“Mining Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) targets have begun to take into account access of employees to social media sites, web browsing, video streaming and calling home at affordable rates”

“Constraints [across Africa] include political stability and lack of integration across countries and regions. For instance, in countries such as Guinea, the mining code is still ‘in revision”

says, “Telecom often gets noticed only when there is a problem. Service providers can offer voice services thereby reducing GSM bills.

In addition, vital services such as video conferencing and worker-related services have the added benefit of enhancing operations and efficiency, while keeping worker morale high.”

22 | SatellitePro | November 2012

5.

2011, investment in new supply is increasingly focused on emerging markets.

Speaking specifically about the potential of mining in Africa , Hayaert says, “The African mining industry is on an upward trend, supported by the increasing price of metals. Africa produces over 60 types of metal and hosts 30% of world mineral reserves and major minerals include gold, base metals, coal, platinum and diamond. There are currently around 700 mining facilities and 650 ongoing projects.”

The Human factor

In line with trends in other verticals including oil and gas and maritime, worker welfare is taking centrestage.”It is important for service providers to implement a recreational service portfolio for internet access, telephony and VoD. Mining Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) targets

However there are specific constraints of mining in Africa, says Hayaert.

“Constraints include political stability and lack of integration across countries and regions. For instance in countries such as Guinea, the mining code is still ‘in revision’. Other constraints include poor transportation infrastructure and customs clearing challenges.”

With regard to developing terrestrial/ fibre/GSM infrastructure, Hayaert says there are operational constraints in Africa.

“Expertise is less available and hard to retain. Power supply issues exist even in cities.

Mines have to cater for their own power most of the time and the tax policy is not always clear, bringing in legislative hurdles.”

Hayaert stresses that it is important to understand the mining lifecycle to serve the industry. Upstream activities typically range from exploration and appraisal to development, production and settlement.

The exploration and appraisal stage typically lasts five to 10 years done on short period missions by five to 50 people who are sourced either in-house or as part of contracted teams of geologists.

The development and settlement phase lasts one to three years with thousands to tens of thousands of people involved. This phase is typically done by an engineering, procurement and construction management contractor (EPCM). And lastly, the production phase typically lasts 10 to 30 years with hundreds to thousands of people working for a mining company. PRO

have begun to take into account access of employees to social media sites, web browsing, video streaming and calling home at affordable rates.”

Hayaert is optimistic about the future.

“Mining in Africa is growing.

And given that there is a dearth of Telco infrastructure with no last mile solutions, there is ample room for satcom

solutions.”

He does add a caveat: “As the mining industry gets more sophisticated in their operations from production planning and logistics to business processes, solutions providers should be mindful that while it is absolutely important to provide mission critical communication solutions, the client is also looking for more than just bandwidth.”

We’re there for you Newtec technologies allow billions of people to connect to the world, their families and each other.

You can find our innovations and technologies anywhere. Whether we work for government agencies or private companies, we always see innovation as a way to reduce your costs and optimize your efficiency.

Our global experience in multiple markets helps us in achieving our ultimate goal: taking care of your satellite communications while you can focus on your core activities. We’re there for you. Always and everywhere.

www.newtec.eu

Check out our new modem portfolio!

SatTechnology: Ka-band

Satellites As the conservative satellite industry accommodates to the rigours of the ‘broadband economy’ there will be bumps and bruises says Louis Zacharilla, SSPI director of development

24 | SatellitePro | November 2012

T

he great German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck remarked famously that “If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either being made”.

After moderating panels at IBC and World Satellite Business Week recently, it appears that those of us who like the stable satellite industry might relate to his quote when it comes to broadband satellite. It is evolving quickly, but the process of accommodating the needs of what I call “The Broadband Economy,” is not pretty to watch. Nor has it been cheap to enter this game, or working quite as planned.

The good news, however, is that it is working.

The industry’s players, including ViaSat, Avanti, Eutelsat and the soon-to-be launched O3b are adapting to a robust appetite for their broadband offerings. For the most part, Ka-band, has begun to deliver.

The main question asked of the panels I moderated was heard also in the hallways in Paris and at stands in Amsterdam. “Do these ventures have it right?” Are ViaSat-1, Hylas and KA-SAT good bets? For sure, the satellite industry will never win the World Series of Poker. It is conservative, which probably accounts for its survival.

However for a satellite industry heading into 2013 with hundreds of gigabits of new capacity in the sky, designed to deliver, as O3b says in its advertisements, “Fibre speed (with) satellite reach”, broadband is a big deal. This is new territory to conquer, especially when delving into consumer markets, as both Hughes and ViaSat have done in North America. For these two operators, the consensus is that the business model may work.

Yet a question begging to be answered is: does a satellite, which takes years to manufacture, have the adaptability for telecommunications and media appetites

Louis Zacharilla, director of development, SSPI

“A question begging to be answered is: does a satellite, which takes years to manufacture, have the adaptability for telecommunications and media appetites that change as quickly as the menu in a stylish restaurant?” that change as quickly as the menu in a stylish restaurant? Or will satellites fall short of providing the necessary velocity and innovation when it comes time to accelerate and adapt to the next iPhone or cloud-based phenomenon?

The default answer is that “there will always be a role for satellites.” There will

85 always be a role for horses too, but it narrowed when automobiles hit the streets.

When it comes to Ka-band, the question to ask is how large a role will we play? There is little doubt that today’s broadband fleets were funded and built with the massive global telecommunications industry in mind. Now that they are built and in the sky (with the exception of O3b), we are learning something new: to stimulate demand requires imagination, not a launch pad.

Here is where this will either rise of fall.

The industry needs to show its customers how to innovate around the many possibilities of Ka-band and broadband.

The broadband economy is profoundly changing the way we consume media. And it is just the start.

It is also about to alter the way we function economically. Broadband will soon re-energise our businesses, cities and ways of life. It is the direct line into the global economy. Each person I interviewed agrees.

So do leaders of nations.

They are ensuring that broadband is rolled out in order for them to remain competitive. In the case of Finland and Australia, national governments intervened to ensure access. This should give you a hint of how broadband is viewed. It will literally change the fate of peoples. Recently, Eutelsat announced projects to ensure that Ireland, along with regions of Spain and Italy, have sufficient broadband.

Clearly, the affluent will fill their broadband gaps and satellite will play a role.

Most agreed that the adoption of broadband in the more affluent parts of the world is a “no brainer”. It is rolling along heartily. It is also making its way to vertical industries such as broadcasting.

During World Teleport Association’s Industry Dialogue series at IBC, Morton

The gain in leased HTS capacity between 2010 - 2011

“A bigger story is what satellites will do for those who are separated by the ‘Digital Divide’. If pricing is aligned with the ability of the markets to pay, consumption for educational networks, healthcare and governance will spike” Brandstrup, who heads news technology for TV2 in Denmark, told an audience how a creative use of Ka-band services has transformed the way that the anchor of TV2 news presents newscasts. “The ability to include social media and perform nightly newscasts in remote locations changes broadcast for us,” he said.

A bigger story is what satellites will do for those who are separated by the “Digital Divide.”

Unreached, or nearly, by fibre and adequate speeds, broadband satellites are a key to economic viability. If broadband satellites are not revolutionary here, as the heads of at least five broadband fleet operations claimed them not to be during World Satellite Business Week, they certainly are an evolution spiked with vitamins and growth hormones. If pricing is aligned with the ability of the markets to pay, consumption for educational networks, healthcare and governance will spike.

None of this will occur without bumps and bruises. So, if you can stand to watch “sausage being made,” watch the Ka-band evolution take its course. PRO

and Sausages November 2012 | SatellitePro | 25

SatDebris “Space debris are all man-made objects including fragments and elements thereof, in Earth orbit Dr. Heiner Klinkrad, head of ESA’s Space or re-entering Debris Office the atmosphere, that are non-functional. Collision avoidance has become a common operational practice for several space agencies and operators; however, collision avoidance requires accurate, actionable orbit data of both conjunction objects”

16,000 tracked space objects

64%

explosion & collision fragments from approximately 250 events

6% 13% active satellites

retired satellites

The perils of

space debris 14

evasive manoeuvers by International Space Station (with 2 in 2011, and 2 in 2012)

1000

Operational spacecraft (6% of the US Space Surveillance Network Catalogue) for which collision avoidance can be performed mainly in the LEO and GEO regions

50

grams of exploding TNT is the impact of a collision with 1 gram of space debris

29,000

Number of 10-cm sized objects in space likely to cause catastrophic satellite break-ups

26 | SatellitePro | November 2012

Information courtesy ESA Space Debris office

SatTechnology: Throughput

In a first person account, Dave Suffys, sales support manager at Newtec recounts the tests at the Eutelsat and Intelsat facilities towards breaking the 500Mbps satellite throughput barrier

“The equivalent of handing the keys of a Bugatti Veyron to Sebastian Vettel”

A Dave Suffys, sales support manager at Newtec

“During tests, we used three equally sized DVB-S2 carriers both with and without CCT carriers at equal or unbalanced power to simulate fading conditions” 28 | SatellitePro | November 2012

t Newtec, as sales support manager, one of my job roles is to perform measurements and field trials with customers to demonstrate new products.

Right now we are testing one of our newest technologies, Clean Channel Technology (CCT), which is a potential S2 extension candidate. It consists of three things; a reduction of the roll-off factors, significantly reduced RF sideband noise and a much cleaner carrier.

CCT works by applying a smaller Roll-Off (RO) percentage than is currently used in the DVB-S2 standard. Roll-Off percentages of 20%, 25% and 35% are common. The bigger the Roll-Off, the more satellite bandwidth is needed in order to accommodate for a certain carrier rate.

Implementing low Roll-Off factors allows for carriers to be spaced more closely to each other. Of course the sidelobes of these

carriers will then create interference into the neighbouring carriers. Therefore reducing the Roll-Off alone is not enough, the slidelobes need to be suppressed even more and this is where Clean Channel Technology (CCT) comes into play.

With CCT one can reduce the Roll-Off to as low as 5%, increase the carrier rate in the same bandwidth and place carriers closer to each other without any degradation.

In order for new technologies to be accepted by the market we need to work very closely with satellite operators. With this in mind we visited both Eutelsat and Intelsat.

The process began with a brainstorm session between the technicians. We started by defining an exhaustive number of test cases and performing them in the Newtec labs.

Once complete we headed firstly for one of Intelsat’s largest teleport bases in Fuchsstadt, Germany. Theoretically we knew what our

120

Estimated number of DVB receivers deployed around the world

“With a few tweaks to the configuration, the headline transfer figure began moving in the right direction. Two carriers of 64.68Mbaud, 32APSK-4/5 were live on air. We quickly identified ways to improve this headline figure even further and lowered the Forward Error Correction to 3/4, which allowed the symbol rate to be upped to 67Mbaud”

headline figure even further and lowered the Forward Error Correction to 3/4, which allowed the symbol rate to be upped to 67Mbaud. With this we broke existing records and transmitted at 485Mbps on the 72MHz transponder. Not quite enough to hit that important landmark of 500Mbps but still an impressive achievement and a lot learned as to what could be done to improve.

Frederick Simoens, director of communication technologies at Newtec (left) and Dirk Breynaert, CTO and co-founder, Newtec (right)

latest developments were capable of, but we needed real-world proof.

Intelsat’s teleport base in Fuchsstadt, Germany During tests, we used three equally sized DVB-S2 carriers both with and without CCT carriers at equal or unbalanced power to simulate fading conditions. These tests were completed with several modulation and coding configurations from QPSK up to 32APSK. We were looking to reach the never before achieved rate of 500Mbps on a 72MHz transponder.

Initial results, transmitting at 8PSK-5/6 over 68Mbaud with bandwidth cancellation were promising producing a little over 320Mbps.

With a few tweaks to the configuration, the headline transfer figure began moving in the right direction. Two carriers of 64.68Mbaud, 32APSK-4/5 were live on air.

We quickly identified ways to improve this

Eutelsat’s teleport in Rambouillet With a high throughput rating achieved at Fuchsstadt, we were on to our next appointment. Now with masses of real-world data we saw our opportunity to break the world throughput record again, this time at Eutelsat’s teleport in Rambouillet, and this time, breaking the psychologically important half a gigabit barrier. This is the satellite transmission equivalent of handing the keys of a Bugatti Veyron to Sebastian Vettel for him to do an unimpeded circuit of the Nurburgring.

Instead of the Nurburgring, it was the Rambouillet teleport, Newtec’s CCT, automatic non-linear Equalink, our new wideband modem, Bandwidth Cancellation and Eutelsat’s transponder.

With this, nothing could stop us and we broke through the 500Mbps barrier at Eutelsat’s teleport in Rambouillet where, using a similar set-up during a two-way high speed backbone test, we combined our Bandwidth Canceller and next generation modem Newtec MDM6000 series to achieve a staggering 506Mbps

(2 x 253Mbps) ushering in a new era of bandwidth efficiency.

What does this mean?

Whilst terrestrial services are often achievable at a lower cost, they are not always available or the best option. Being able to offer a lower price per Megabit is central to the satellite industry’s continued prosperity. The demand for IP backhaul is increasing year-on-year, with smartphones driving a relentless surge in the use of data services.

The vast majority of mobile phone traffic now is IP-based. Even where satellite is being used as a backup, like in Asia and Africa, where terrestrial networks are unreliable and prone to failure.

The customers are still experiencing higher and higher service level agreements and satellite, as a backup, must be able to step in and bridge the gap at the same levels.

Being able to offer speeds of up to half a gigabit per second are no-longer nice-tohave. They are a requirement.

Needless to say that when breaking a barrier another one comes into sight.

With the upcoming extensions to the DVB standard which will enable even higher modulation modes and symbol rates plus new and more powerful satellites to be launched we are now aiming at the 1 Gbps barrier. Our recently launched new platform certainly has got the power under the bonnet, so stay tuned! PRO We invite editorial contributions from technical experts: supriya@cpidubai.com November 2012 | SatellitePro | 29

SatVertical: Broadcast

HEVC enables satellite industry support UHDTV Ian Trow, senior director, broadcast solutions, Harmonic Inc. says High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is the satellite industry’s answer to supporting Ultra-HDTV (UHDTV) video delivery over bandwidth-limited networks

A Ian Trow, senior director, broadcast solutions, Harmonic, Inc.

“One feature that may specifically benefit satellite operators is HEVC’s ability to more efficiently code larger block sizes, especially in regions where there is little change in the picture content”

bout 20 years ago, digital video compression was considered a novelty, but today it is ubiquitous as consumer demand for high-bandwidth video services like HD video-on-demand (VOD) continues to grow at an ever-increasing rate.

As broadcasters around the world complete the transition from SD to HD and create more VOD content, satellite operators must rely on advancements in video compression to cost-effectively deliver content over bandwidthconstrained networks.

A new video compression standard called High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) sets a new benchmark in efficiency by aiming to reduce the data rate for high-quality video coding by 50% compared with the current H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC) standard. Utilising HEVC, satellite operators can dramatically increase the amount of HD content they can deliver or support innovative new services, such as 4K Ultra High-Definition (UHDTV), to greatly improve their profitability by offering an enhanced user experience.

This article will provide an overview of the improvements made by the HEVC standard, as well as applications for the satellite market.

HEVC advancements HEVC introduces a number of additional tools to exploit spatial and temporal redundancy, including enhanced motioncompensated filtering, multiple coding block

30 | SatellitePro | November 2012

sizes, increased coding unit block sizes (from 8x8 to 64x64), hierarchical block coding, advanced motion vector prediction, improved context adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC) processing, expanded loop filters (de-blocking, sample adaptive offset, and adaptive loop filter), and optimised intraframe prediction.

One feature that may specifically benefit satellite operators is HEVC’s ability to more efficiently code larger block sizes, especially in regions where there is little change in the picture content. By coding larger images, HEVC will allow operators to more easily support future 4K and 8K UHDTV services, which offer television viewers a much higherresolution picture quality.

8K UHDTV (4320p) has a resolution of 7680 × 4320 (33.2 megapixels), or 16 times the number of pixels of the existing 1080p HDTV format, thereby enabling satellite operators to deliver a detail level comparable to 15/70mm IMAX to the home television screen Additionally, the HEVC standard optimises intra-frame prediction by combining spatial closed- and open-loop predictions to exploit redundancy within the current frame. By exploiting redundancy not only between neighbouring blocks but also within a coding block itself, the new tool — called Combined Intra-Predication — offers more prediction directions than AVC, thereby increasing the efficiencies of video compression.

HEVC also resolves contouring artifacts

8

that are visible in H.264/MPEG-4 AVC when coding flat or smooth image backgrounds.

Via an internal increase in precision (greater bit depth), HEVC can more accurately calculate the coding necessary for complex images, eliminating banding issues.

Future HEVC developments may include support for multi-view video coding or stereo 3D video combined with scalable video coding (SVC), allowing a video stream, sequence, or image to be represented in multiple ways and formats so that satellite operators can more efficiently prepare content in different resolutions, frame or bit rates, for viewing on any device, including TVs, smartphones, and tablets.

HEVC: Future and applications The HEVC standard is currently under joint development by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG). A final version is expected in early 2013, with approval to follow shortly thereafter. Once approved, HEVC will be the ideal video compression standard for a wide range of applications, including OTT delivery, digital cinema, broadcast, videoconferencing, mobile streaming, video storage and playback, VOD, fixed point contribution (newsgathering, live events, etc.), and UHDTV. The HEVC standard is already gaining momentum around the world based on its promise of high-quality video coding at

“While 4K screens and cameras are now available, they are too cost-prohibitive to enable widespread adoption of UHDTV. 4K content is limited beyond cinematic releases; and 4K set-top boxes, switchers, and encoding equipment still need to be developed”

8K UHDTV (4320p) has a resolution of 7680 × 4320 (33.2 megapixels)

approximately half the data rate of H.264.

French media regulator CSA has publicly mandated the use of HEVC for UHDTV starting in 2016, and the first HD OTT global deployments are expected in 2014.

HEVC will have a significant impact on next-generation HDTV displays and content capture systems that feature progressive scanned video and display resolutions up to UHDTV; however, its success is dependent on improvements to the broadcast ecosystem. While 4K screens and cameras are now available, they are too costprohibitive to enable widespread adoption of UHDTV; 4K content is limited beyond cinematic releases; and 4K set-top boxes, switchers, and encoding equipment still need to be developed. Finally, UHDTV lacks industry standardisation in terms of frame rate and resolution, as well as an agreement about an appropriate audio format and a business model.

Once the limitations of UHDTV are addressed, the HEVC standard has the potential to transform video delivery, enabling satellite operators and other content providers to more efficiently deliver higher quality and better resolution video using today’s already bandwidth-limited networks. UHDTV will be a game changer for TV, based on its ability to enable a shift from pan and scan to whole scene coverage of events, providing a truly immersive experience for the home viewer. PRO November 2012 | SatellitePro | 31

Inclined

to serve You have established inclined satellite operations at 4° West orbital location for coverage throughout the Middle East. How long, in your estimate will the satellite operate?

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) operates Thor III at 4° West. Thor III is an FSS satellite that was previously used to deliver broadcasting services into the Nordic region. As Thor III has a high-powered concentrated beam, which is a pre-requisite for broadcast services into small antennas, it is ideally suited to supply high data-rate internet services into the region. Based on current estimates the satellite has more than six years economic life left for inclined orbit operations.

What are the typical challenges of offering capacity from a satellite in an inclined orbit?

The main technical challenges associated with inclined orbit operations have been to ensure that good quality tracking equipment and antennas have been specified by customers.

This is needed to provide reliability and to ensure that we can achieve the maximum data-rates possible with the modulation schemes and ACM modems. We have also faced interference challenges but these are not unique to inclined orbit operations as they frequently affect stabilised satellites as well.

In terms of cost reductions, by what proportion do costs come down with regard to offering services from an inclined orbit?

Inclined orbit services for large data-rate requirements are around 70% cheaper than the equivalent stabilised satellite solution.

Nevertheless, for data-rates less than 30Mbps the advantages begin to reduce, due to the higher costs associated with tracking antennas.

32 | SatellitePro | November 2012

Julian Crudge, head of network and data services, Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, outlines the advantages and challenges of the Nordic company’s inclined orbit operations over the Middle East Artist rendition of Thor III

Julian Crudge, head of network and data services, Telenor Satellite Broadcasting

“Inclined orbit services for large data-rate requirements are around 70% cheaper than the equivalent stabilised satellite solution”

In terms of technology, highlight innovations that have made it simpler and more reliable to operate satellites in an inclined orbit.

In general, tracking mechanisms for smaller antennas have become more abundant and therefore cheaper over recent years, making inclined orbit operations possible and more commonplace in the market.

What is the general profile of the clients using services on this particular satellite?

The main clients are internet service providers in areas where there is poor or limited backbone connectivity.

These customers require large datarates at competitive prices. For this reason, satellites originally designed for broadcasting services and now operating in inclined orbit are suitable for providing this connectivity. PRO

SMi Group - The Organisers of Global MilSatCom present

25 - 27

February

2013 AMWAJ ROTANA, JUMEIRAH BEACH RESIDENCE, DUBAI MEAs leading military communications event for satellite professionals The Middle East & Africa face extensive security challenges. SatCom technology provides enhanced capability for tackling the prevalent issues in the region such as disaster preparedness and management, border surveillance, aerial reconnaissance, deployed operations and multiple maritime, land and air operational requirements. The upgrading, maintenance and coordination of communications systems has therefore become a key objective for contingent states- attend SMi’s MilSatCom Middle East & Africa and…

• Receive strategic and technical presentations designed to analyse and educate about the MEA region • Meet and develop professional networks with regional SatCom stakeholders • Engage with the experts during panel discussions and question and answer sessions • Continue your relationship with the MilSatCom brand in an emerging marketplace

The conference programme will focus upon the following hot topics: Regional programmes; hosted payloads; MilSatCom solutions; international cooperation; pooling commercial and military assets; SatCom delivery and strategy; SatCom for UAVs; the development of satellite technologies in the MEA region.

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Brigadier Abdulaziz Falah Aldosari, Qatar Emiri Signal Corps., Qatar Armed Forces Commander Andy Rayner, SO1 Strategic Networks, Cap C4ISR, UK MoD Mohamed Ibrahim, Director of Satellite Systems Development & Test Laboratory, National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) Egypt Dr. Mohamed Ismail Elnaggar, Communication Engineering Department, Khalifa University Rodolphe Paris, CIS Project Officer, European Defence Agency Dr. Obaid Saif Al Hajri, Director, Sharjah Regional Office, Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organizations (ISESCO) Samer Halawi, Chief Executive Officer, Thuraya Linda Reiners, President, Commercial Ventures, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Matthew Malek, Director, Strategic Operations, AGi Anthony J. Colucci, Vice President Marketing & Sales, Space Systems/Loral David Cavossa, President Government Solutions, Harris CapRock Nicolas Stephan, General Manager Middle East, LSE Space Edgar Milic, Senior Manager Business Development, MENA & Government Services, SES Peter Marquez, Vice President of Strategy and Planning, Orbital Sciences Corporation Nikolaus Faller, Director International Sales & Marketing Middle East & Africa, Astrium Christopher Baugh, President, Northern Sky Research

POST-CONFERENCE SITE VISIT & TOUR - 27 FEBRUARY 2013 I THURAYA PRIMARY GATEWAY AND HQ LEAD SPONSOR

SPONSORED BY:

www.milsatcom-mea.com James Hitchen on +44 (0)20 7827 6054

jhitchen@ smi-online.co.uk

SatTechnology: Product Reviews

Satellite-based M2M services from Inmarsat Thuraya launches handheld hotspot at Inmarsat’s M2M portfolio reportedly features a broad range of devices and value added GITEX 2012 services designed to support typical remote monitoring and data collection needs across the market. The company has trained its focus on M2M communications in response to the growing global demand for uninterrupted, ubiquitous data connectivity that only satellites can provide.

“Satellite M2M services have traditionally been used by a relatively limited number of industries, those whose assets were entirely outside the reach of terrestrial networks,” said Joel Schroeder, director of Inmarsat’s M2M programme.

“We now see increasing demand from a number of companies in energy, finance and maritime as well as government entities who are recognising the value and benefits of using satellite to connect remote devices.”

The emergence in recent years of 3G and 4G LTE networks has only enhanced the popularity of M2M communications, used across a wide range of industries for backhauling data from remote SCADA applications including remote monitoring, ATM connectivity, asset tracking, environmental monitoring, border control and more. However, even 3G and 4G networks have coverage limitations, and the increased demand for consumer data sometimes limits their availability.

Satellite, once regarded as a costly option for back-up and redundancy, has moved to

the forefront for extending or, in some cases, completely replacing terrestrial networks as equipment and airtime costs have dropped and satellite reliability, at 99.9% network availability, is unmatched.

“Whereas satellite was once an afterthought, it’s now very much part of a company’s M2M strategy – not only to close gaps in coverage, but also to increase the reliability of communications – creating a truly seamless M2M environment,” Schroeder continued. “Because Inmarsat’s M2M services operate in the L-band spectrum, they are not subject to rain fade or impacted by other harsh weather conditions. The L-band also allows for a high degree of antenna pointing tolerance, simplifying installation and adding to the reliability of unmanned terminals in an open environment.” www.inmarsat.com

ViaSat C-band feed sets standards in tracking performance A new C-band antenna feed, designed to track fast moving targets and reportedly provide exceptional tracking resolution and autotracking performance, is being introduced by ViaSat Inc. The patent-pending C-band feed integrates into L- and S-band antennas without sacrificing, the company claims, any

antenna capabilities. The feed can be retrofitted in the field and also uses the existing RF chain to minimise both the cost of the upgrade

34 | SatellitePro | November 2012

and antenna system downtime.

The new tracking mode is particularly appropriate, the company claims, for telemetry, tracking, and control applications with GEO, MEO, and LEO satellites, both during orbit insertion and orbit maintenance operations. www.viasat.com

Mobile Satellite Services operator, Thuraya Telecommunications Company has announced the launch of its Thuraya XTHotspot product, a pocket-size router that creates a WiFi zone for multiple users to connect smartphones, laptops, and tablets to the internet over Thuraya’s mobile satellite network. The XT-Hotspot is reportedly the only WiFi router on the market offering a plug-andplay solution enabling, the company claims, easy and affordable internet access with the fastest satellite data speeds on a handheld of up to 60 kbps in the most remote of areas.

Thuraya’s vice president of marketing, T. Sanford Jewett said, “Thuraya is busy expanding our product line with innovative products to provide our users with convenient and practical mobile communication solutions. The XT-Hotspot is yet another example of Thuraya’s commitment to delivering simple and cost-effective communication tools that enhance the value of our satellite services.”

The XT-Hotspot uses the GmPRS connection of the Thuraya XT handset, which supports connection speeds of up to 60 kbps, as opposed to 9.6 kbps currently offered on the market. The router creates a WiFi zone of up to 30 metres, where multiple users can, the company claims, simultaneously access the internet seamlessly from their laptops or smartphones. It is a battery-powered device for users from diverse sectors including NGOs, government, energy and media. www.thuraya.com

140 Panasonic Avionics extends coverage over the Middle East and India Panasonic Avionics Corporation has secured additional Ku-band capacity on AsiaSat 5 to support its Global Communications Service.

This new capacity, which reportedly enhances the existing coverage and capacity on AsiaSat 5 that Panasonic announced in September of 2011, helps, the company claims, ensure the in-flight connectivity service for aircraft flying routes over the Middle East and India.

Panasonic’s Global Communications Service includes eXConnect, eXPhone and eXTV. eXConnect provides two-way broadband connectivity reportedly supporting a wide range of passenger and crew applications, including internet access, voice, data, and the ability to monitor and transmit airline operational data in real time at speeds of up to 50 Mbps to the aircraft. eXPhone, offered in collaboration with AeroMobile’s in-flight mobile phone technology reportedly allows passengers to use their mobile, Smartphone or BlackBerry to call, text, email, and browse and use their applications throughout the flight.

Panasonic’s eXTV television network delivers television programming to passengers during their flight. It reportedly provides live content to aircraft flying all over the world, even over oceans. The service offers, the company claims, several global channels as well as regional channels. www.panasonic.aero

Etisalat launches Managed Web Security Service for businesses The Managed Web Security Service, the flagship of Etisalat’s managed security services portfolio, reportedly allows businesses to safeguard their organisational web infrastructure and resources from malicious web traffic, viruses, spywares and other damaging data capture.

Etisalat’s Managed Web Security Service utilises cloud-based security-asa-service to deliver, the company claims, a multitenant, fully logged service

which helps organisations to secure web traffic from any location in the world including internet gateways, branch offices, data centres, home workers and mobile road warriors Powered by ZServices (Zscaler, Middle East Cloud), Etisalat’s Managed Web Security Service delivers businesses with tools to control web security, including URL filtering, advanced threat protection, inline anti-virus and antispyware, Web 2.0 control, bandwidth management,

web access control and data loss prevention.

The launch of the Managed Web Security Service adds to Etisalat’s investment in developing flexible and secure services, including the Managed Unified Threat Management and Managed SSL-VPN, and support for Etisalat customers including a customer network operations centre (CNOC), among other features. www.etisalat.ae

New satellite subscribers in four W Africa countries between 2012-16

Battlefield satellite terminal at 12.5kgs from Vislink

Vislink International has announced the availability of the military spec. Mantis MSAT, reportedly the world’s smallest and lightest satellite data terminal.

At 12.5kg (27.5 lbs) MSAT is designed, the company claims, for one-man operation in operational environments. It is a rugged terminal, reportedly resistant to extreme environmental conditions, that is deployed from a single lightweight backpack. Initial military orders are now being filled, according to the manufacturer and MSAT terminals are currently undergoing field trials for battlefield, command centre and special operations’ implementations.

Vislink developed the military spec. MSAT to address demand, the official release states, from forces around the world that require a solution capable of delivering high bandwidth voice and data communications. Providing up to 5Mbps upstream data throughput, MSAT can reportedly be used to deliver high definition video intelligence in addition to standard voice and data requirements. Even in the most hostile operating environments, the terminal, the company claims can be unpacked and operational within five minutes.

A parabolic antenna is coupled, according to customer requirements, with interchangeable modem and encoder options. The terminal is reportedly available to operate in X, Ka and Ku bands. www.vislink.com November 2012 | SatellitePro | 35

SatTechnology: Product Reviews

Freedomsat from Bentley Walker

Freedomsat is a Ka-band service operating on the Hylas2 satellite, offering speeds, the company claims, of up to 10Mbps to military personnel and contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Previously the company offered a Kuband service that ran on the HX50 modem at 4Mbps. Freedomsat reportedly offers speeds over twice as fast and at a fraction of the cost.

The company claims to be the first ISP in

Advantech achieves landmark throughput

Afghanistan and Iraq to offer a high speed service, and the company spokesman stated that positive results are being achieved on smaller 98cm and 74cm size dishes.

The Freedomsat package reportedly comes with a unique pin service allowing 24/7 activation and access for users.

Bentley Walker also offers web filtering should it be required. www.bentley-walker.com

www.advantechwireless.com

SIS Live with DriveForce

Transmission in the rain With a generation of new Ka-band satellites available, Quicklink has upgraded their 3008 Encoder, Store and Forward software, live software and Merlin to help support new Ka technology resulting in, the company claims, cost-effective HD transmissions.

Back in June 2012 TV2 Denmark covered the Diamond Jubilee weekend using Ka-band satellite dishes connected to Quicklink software; despite the heavy rain, they were reportedly

able to stream live footage of the event.

“With Quicklink and Ka-band terminals, we were mobile and had a flexible setup. Quicklink was used on a PC laptop, connected via firewire to the camera, and not even the rain could stop the live signal,” stated Morten Brandstrup TV2 Denmark As the Ka-band is

36 | SatellitePro | November 2012

Advantech Wireless, a Canadian-based manufacturer of Satellite, RF equipment and microwave systems has reportedly pushed the envelope even further by recording 155 Mbps forward link throughput performance with its new generation of Discovery Hubs and terminals. This breaks, the company claims, previous performance records and secures Advantech Wireless’ dominance in the VSAT marketplace.

The Discovery Series product line-up starts with the Discovery 100. The mid-range Discovery 200 offers support for up to 1500 terminals and, finally, the Discovery 300 that provides full capacity and support for up to 10,000 simultaneously logged in terminals on a single hub. These next generation designs have been reportedly optimised for performance and reliability, with remote upgrade capabilities via softkeys (software licenses) as increased capacity is needed.

Powered by available A-SAT technology, the Discovery Series Hubs and terminals reportedly switch between SCPC and TDMA modes to optimise bandwidth and now offer up to 155 Mbps throughput on the forward link.

charged per Gb, Quicklink can reportedly reduce the operating costs of the bandwidth used whilst retaining the quality of picture.

To help identify the Ka available technology, Quicklink is placing a logo on each piece of equipment. www.quicklink.tv

www.sislive.tv

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SatEvents

Global MilSatcom 2012 This year’s 14th annual event taking place in London in November 2012 features 50 speakers including representatives from 20 mature and emerging MilSatCom nations’ militaries and governments.

Last year’s conference had attendees representing more than 30 countries in total.

Approximately 400 attendees visited the event over the four days.

A number of new initiatives will be taking place for the first time this year including a pre-conference gala dinner.

Featured speakers include: Gerard Donelan, head of public sector projects, SES Donelan brings more than 30 years experience in satellite and governmental communications. With SES Astra since 2003, his expertise covers commercial broadcast and communications services as well as public sector projects and government services.

David Bettinger, chief technology officer and senior vice president of engineering – iDirect In his role as CTO he is responsible for the oversight of all technology decisions within iDirect and serves to drive the strategic direction for product development. In addition to being the lead system architect for iDirect’s NetModem and iNFINITI series products, Bettinger is also active in industry standards organisations and forums and is a member of the Telecommunications Industry Association, IEEE and the IPv6 Forum.

Koen Willems, strategic marketing director, Newtec He has been in charge of market launches for professional IP modems and technologies, such as FlexACM, Clean Channel Technology, Bandwidth 38 | SatellitePro | November 2012

Cancellation and Cross-Layer-Optimisation, among other initiatives.

Major Dr Mohammed N Mubarek Alahbabi, information communication technology (ICT) advisor, United Arab Emirates Armed Forces Dr (Eng.) Mohamed N. Alahbabi is a serving officer in the UAE Armed Forces.

Currently he is the leading communication information technology advisor within the Centre of Excellence & Development.

For the last four years he has been heavily involved in the development of the UAE national (YahSat) satellite programme.

Dr Alahbabi leads a UAE Armed Forces Think Tank Project within the Centre of Excellence and has an active role in ITU-R, IPv6 UAE Task Force and other professional associations.

Topical issues in focus at the conference • Capacity & Versatility: Key Qualities of Next Generation Satcom

Register for the region’s premier broadcast summit and awards.

At a glance: Dates: 12 November, 2012 Venue: Al Andalus Ballroom, Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa, JBR, Dubai Registration: www.broadcastprome.com/ summitandawards2011

SMi Group and Thuraya launch MilSatCom event in Dubai

• New Platform Choices With High Throughput Satellite Capacity and its Practical Implications on MoD Requirements • Military SatComs in the Next Decade: An Insight into the Factors that will Shape Market Demand, Drive Technology and Enable New Service Propositions • Be Ready for More Data: How to Increase Efficiency Across Satellites for Beyond Lineof-Sight ISR Operations

At a glance: Dates: 27 – 29 November 2012 Venue: Millennium Gloucester Hotel and Conference Centre Registration: www.smi-online.uk

Robert Demers, Thuraya’s vice president of government services

This new regional conference and exhibition will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on February 25th to 27th, 2013. Thuraya, will reportedly be the lead sponsor at this inaugural event.

According to Robert Demers, Thuraya’s vice president of government services, “By sponsoring events such as global Milsatcom, we can provide our customers and industry experts, with a forum to meet and discuss trends, technological advancements and future trends.”

SatGuest

Adjusting

the sail service providers in the West and our local knowledge, we were able to move fast and make the most of the opportunities.”

In 2010, with the satellite industry in transition and competitors shutting shop, Riyadh Al Adely, MD, SkyStream FZ LLC, realised that it was time to change course or be “dead meat” Today Riyadh Al Adely is planning to move to a larger office in Dubai Media City. There are images of satellite installations on mega yachts and though names of owners are kept strictly confidential, he will tell you that the maritime vertical is booming.

Clearly the change in direction in 2010 worked for this Dubai-based satellite services provider.

“When we started in 2004, we were outsiders in the satellite industry. I, myself, came from a consultancy background and previously I was in the military,” reveals Al Adely speaking to SatellitePRo ME. Like most satellite services operators, the US government contracts around 2004 provided SkyStream the launching pad vis-àvis the satellite industry.

“We established what was probably the first or second iDirect hub in the region.

At that time, there were two markets – Afghanistan and Iraq. We were providing straightforward VSAT links for VOIP for the welfare of troops. Owing to the size of our operations as compared to established 40 | SatellitePro | November 2012

From military to resellers As the situation in the two countries stabilised and competition among providers grew stiffer, Al Adely and his colleagues at SkyStream shifted focus to resellers.

“While business from the US military contractors slowed down, resellers became key drivers of our growth. After two years, though, we realised that we were building markets for our competitors.”

It was all part of a learning curve, Al Adely admits.

“We decided to shift gradually from retail to verticals but we had no clear vision of the new approach. We simply continued providing the same products to our resellers, for two reasons – our ignorance at that time about the needs of certain verticals and also because the industry did not have that many niche products to sell. So we started to focus on corporates and phased out the retail side of business.”

In 2010, Al Adely along with a number of colleagues across the regional satellite industry were in for another jolt.

“In late 2009, early 2010, we started seeing more launches of new satellites with high throughputs. In countries such as Iraq, fibre was rolling out fast and offering rates much cheaper than satellites. In addition, technologies were becoming more efficient and producing more throughput. All that was leading to one direction - excess of Mbps as compared to demand thus challenging companies’ EBITDA. “As American historian, Bertha Calloway said – we cannot direct the wind but we

Riyadh Al Adely, MD, SkyStream FZ LLC

can adjust the sail. I told my colleagues, it is time to change course. The cost of satellite capacity will come down with the extra capacity and efficient technology. If we do not change, we will be dead meat in two years.”

Two years on, with Yahsat selling corporate broadband at under US $600, Al Adely could give himself a pat on the back for some accurate crystal-ball gazing.

Towards value added services “We began to see, what we considered, successful companies, disappear. We redefined ourselves as systems integrators.

We had an internal meeting where even the office boy was present and we stressed on the need to offer value added services to selected verticals.

“I indicated the revenue will come from consultancies, hardware and services, in addition to the space segment. We selected military as one vertical owing to the strength of our holding group ‘Atlas Group International’ in the region. Also we selected maritime and looked at the regional coverage we had over the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Red Sea and we decided to focus on leisure yachts. Finally we selected energy as the third vertical. We were blessed with some excellent projects from both military and oil and gas, but our pride is maritime. We currently offer services to leisure mega yachts that are 120 metres long and above, with coverage over two thirds of the globe.”

Today with regional marinas chockfull with leisure yachts and Basra slated to be the centre for some of the biggest upstream oil and gas activities, Riyadh Al Adely believes the soul-searching in 2010 is beginning to pay dividends. PRO

www.horizonsat.com

ON LAND AND AT SEA Telenor Satellite Broadcasting delivers fixed and mobile satellite broadband solutions throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa

www.telenorsat.com