SATELLITE 2008 Downlink

August 20, 2007 - Volume 5, No. 2

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SATELLITE 2008 is just over six months away!

Scott Chase

SATELLITE 2008: The Sixth Decade will look to the future of the satellite-enabled communications market and where new technology will take us.

The verticals we serve – enterprise, military, commercial, broadcast, government, among others – continue to shape the satellite-enabled communications landscape. Ever-changing demand, new applications, and degrees of profitability will determine future business opportunities. A casual perusal of Satellite Today confirms what analysts are already saying: It’s good times for satellite out there right now, with just about everyone seeing their indicators headed in the right direction.

To pick up on just a few general topics sounded out over lunch the other day, the “swap meet” of companies, new ownerships and consolidation that has offered a focus in the past may be tapering off - not because the appetite for acquisition has diminished, but because there are so few pieces left on the game board. Mobile satellite services continue to grow, with new users and new applications fueling demand. On the space segment technology side, smallsats are increasingly cropping up in discussions and forward thinking across just about all sectors. Manufacturers who spurned the phenomena are taking a second look, operators who didn’t see workable answers for specialized markets and applications are rethinking their approaches to spacecraft procurement, and launch services providers are making sure that everyone who needs to know is aware that there’s a ride out there for every configuration.

SATELLITE 2008 will provide an interactive forum on these topics and more. As mentioned, world financial indicators for satellite technology are, in large part, positive across the board. For a marketplace that has suffered through a number of cycles, these statistics don’t point to a “recovery” – they instead point to a dynamic of solid, sustainable growth.

And that creates a solid platform of excitement for SATELLITE 2008.

SATELLITE 2008 Calls for Speaker and Session Nominations

New for 2008! SATELLITE 2008 invites all exhibitors and members of the satellite community to nominate themselves, their customers or end users of satellite-enabled communications solutions to speak, or propose session topics for the conference.

Nominations are being accepted through the SATELLITE 2008 web site. Learn more!

As the countdown to SATELLITE 2008 continues and we near the 6 month-out mark, the centerpiece of the event - the exhibit hall - is now 88% sold-out! If you are planning on having an exhibit presence at the upcoming event and have not yet secured your company’s space, we encourage you to call or email us today to lock in a strategic location on the show floor. Great locations are still available, but will not last long.

If you are already exhibiting and would like to discuss how a sponsorship can promote your brand and drive traffic to your booth, please contact us by phone or email today and let us customize a package that will enable you to meet and exceed your marketing and sales goals.

Contact:
Michael Cassinelli – Exhibit Sales Manager
Phone: +1-301-354-1691
Fax: +1-301-340-7136
Email: mcassinelli@accessintel.com

The SATELLITE 2008 Press Room is the one-stop shop for the latest news, product launches and trends in satellite-enabled communications. Here’s just one of the recent headlines:

Fox Cable Networks to Distribute New Channel with WEGENER Equipment

Wegener Corporation (Nasdaq: WGNR), a leading provider of equipment for television, audio and data distribution networks worldwide, announced that the Big Ten Network (BTN) will use WEGENER satellite receive equipment to make available programming of the Big Ten Network to BTN’s affiliates. The Big Ten Network is a new national cable/satellite programming service dedicated to covering both the athletic and academic content of the Big Ten Conference. Read the full story here.

See all the SATELLITE 2008 Exhibitor Press Releases

SATELLITE 2008 is a proud member of the U.S. Department of Commerce International Buyer Program, which encourages the export of U.S. made products by matching international buyers with domestic firms. SATELLITE 2008 and the Department of Commerce will provide a comprehensive international business center, The Center for Global Commerce, for international attendees at the show which will include matching services, private meeting rooms and business services.

Important Visa Information
In order to obtain travel visas to attend, many U.S. Embassies require that you have an Official Letter of Invitation from SATELLITE 2008. Request an Official Letter of Invitation today.

Free Business Support for International Buyers
The U.S. Commercial Service wants to help you, the International Buyer, find American suppliers of quality products and services at SATELLITE 2008.

Located in most American embassies and consulates, your local U.S. Commercial Service office can help you get the most out of SATELLITE 2008. If you are planning to visit as a representative of a qualified company, you are automatically eligible to attend under the auspices of the U.S. Commercial Service as part of an official Embassy/Consulate Delegation -- even if you prefer to travel alone. Here are just some of the benefits you will receive as an international delegate:

* Friendly, local language support
* Free assistance arranging and scheduling appointments with U.S. exhibitors before and during the show
* Free assistance with registration and logistics at the show
* Free Matchmaking Service
* Free assistance with your visa application
* Access to The Center for Global Commerce
* Discounted registration
* Invitation to the Welcome Reception

To learn more about joining an official embassy/consulate delegation, or how the U.S. Commercial Service in your country can help you, contact SATELLITE 2008 for assistance: register@SATELLITE2008.com.

LIVE! on your computer –
Register for all Three Webinars and Save $150.00!

September 25 – How Serious Is The Threat To Satellite’s C-band Spectrum?
October 30 – What Steps Can The Industry Take As WRC-07 Gets Underway?
December 4 – What Should The Satellite Industry Do In The Aftermath Of The Decision Made By WRC-07?

Satellite operators use C-band to provide essential services such as TV transmissions, distance learning, telemedicine and disaster recovery, and in some countries C-band spectrum serves as the core communications network. But communications via satellite using radio frequencies around 4 gigahertz may face an interference threat from the rollout of mobile broadband technologies.

This is a key issue on the agenda for the ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) and the satellite industry needs to be made aware of the situation.

Register Now for this Three-part Webinar Series! $299 per Webinar or $747 for all three webinars. You Save $150.00 when you register for all three!

Participate from your desk or from a conference room with your entire team for one fee!

Register Today!

BSAT-3a and Spaceway 3 Successfully Launched

Arianespace has successfully launched two satellites, Spaceway 3 and BSAT-3a into orbit, the company announced August 14. An Ariane 5 rocket lifted both communications satellites into space at 7:44 p.m. EDT (23:44 GMT) from Ariane Launch Complex 3 in Kourou, French Guiana.

Spaceway 3 is a Hughes Network Systems (HNS) satellite, and BSAT-3a is for the U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin Commercial Satellite Systems as part of a turnkey contract with Broadcasting Satellite System Corp. (B-SAT) of Japan. Spaceway 3 is a Ka-band satellite to be operated by HNS. BSAT-3a is the eighth satellite in Japan's BS series to use the European Ariane launcher, and the 22nd for a Japanese operator.

The latest launch of the Ariane 5 is the third so far to have taken place this year, with another three due before the end of the year. Arianespace, the European launch provider, has had a busy year so far. It has signed 11 new launch contracts this year, and now has a backlog of 42 satellites to be launched after last night’s successful dual-payload launch.

Since the successful launch last night, Boeing said August 15 that it had sent and received the first on-orbit commands from the Boeing-built Spaceway 3 satellite following yesterday’s launch. Boeing said that all data shows that Spaceway 3 is healthy and operating normally.

SSTL Receives Lunar Orbiter Study Contract

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has been awarded a study contract for a joint lunar orbiter mission that may be conducted by the United States and the United Kingdom, SSTL announced Aug. 13. The contract between SSTL and Mississippi State University follows the signing of a joint statement of intent between NASA and the British National Space Centre.

This first phase of the contract for the Magnolia mission will run for nine months, culminating in a preliminary mission design. The contract includes small satellite training for Mississippi State and NASA Stennis Space Center staff.

The next phase of the Magnolia mission is planned to start in 2008 and could lead to the launch of the mission in 2010.

MSV Goes For Custom Approach

Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) has launched Custom Capacity Service, a service it claims allows the customer to have, in effect, its “own virtual satellite system” at a low cost. MSV announced the launch of the service August 14. This service is part of MSV’s portfolio of services on its next generation satellite system.

Custom Capacity Service is a contract service that can be fully customized according to bandwidth, satellite downlink power, and beam coverage; and may be contracted for the life of the satellite system. The contracting customers will be able to choose their own air interface and further realize maximum flexibility by reconfiguring the satellite beams as needed during the life of the contract.

John Mattingly, MSV’s President of Satellite Services was bullish about the new service’s capabilities, saying, “A satellite operator has never before been able to offer the tailored, reconfigurable, high-performance satellite capacity that MSV is offering. End users will greatly benefit from the enhanced applications that result from the creativity that service providers will be able to leverage using MSV’s Custom Capacity Service.”

In other MSV news, the company announced a key ruling related to the launch of its next generation satellites. It said that the International Bureau of the FCC determined that MSV had met the beginning physical milestone associated with the authorization for the construction of the MSV-1 satellite.

MSV may therefore reduce its bond amount from $1.5 million to $750,000. “MSV is consistently meeting critical milestones and remains well ahead of schedule regarding the construction and launch of the MSV-1 satellite,” noted Jennifer Manner, MSV vice president regulatory affairs. MSV's two next-generation satellites are scheduled for launch in 2009 and 2010.

Boeing Wins Air Force Contract

Boeing has won a key contract extension, worth $30 million, to supply broadband services to the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command, the company announced August 14. The Boeing Service Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing, won a $30 million firm-fixed-price contract to continue providing Boeing Broadband Satcom Network (BBSN) service to the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command.

BBSN provides high-speed Internet communications and direct broadcast satellite TV service for the U.S. government's aircraft and airborne customers. Supported aircraft include C-32s, C-40s, E-4s as well as the full spectrum of VIP and special air mission aircraft.

iDirect Integrates DTech VOIP System To Broadband Platform

iDirect Inc. and DTech Labs Inc. have integrated a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system over iDirect’s iNfiniti VSAT broadband platform, the companies announced Aug. 13.

DTech’s Whisper VoIP system provide users of iDirect satellite hubs and remotes with up to a 600 percent increase in VoIP call capacity over a single remote satellite link, the companies said. The system can also reduce the amount of bandwidth required to support standard VoIP traffic by more than 30 percent.

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