The very strength of communications satellites to provide wide coverage of land, sea and air, also makes them potentially vulnerable to unintentional and intentional radio frequency interference. As an industry, we have fared reasonable well over the decades, with relatively few episodes of RFI that rise above the level of nominal concern. The number of satellites continues to grow as does the number of potential RFI sources: from video uplinks to unattended terminals transmitting bulk data, to VSATs now operating from millions of homes and businesses, and from ships, vehicles and aircraft. CTOs are in the position of assessing the general state of play with RFI and with how it can be kept below a dull roar. What are the techniques in the offing to locate and remove RFI when it occurs? What can be expected in the future as the quantity of transmitters increases – will we see “hackers” who currently infest the Internet also arise on the airwaves between space and earth?

This session is the starting point for the non-technical manager working within the global satellite market. Seminar leader, Dr. Mark R. Chartrand, will present a comprehensive program offering study of the technology and issues surrounding satellites. Find out how satellites fit into the total telecommunications market, who is doing what in satellite communications, major issues and trends in satellite delivered services and what the ambiguous terms, jargon and acronyms used in the satellite business mean.

Military, government and commercial enterprises use Internet Protocols (IP) over satellite to support mission-critical applications. These applications provide timely, reliable and secure information to users in remote locations. This seminar focuses on efficiency of IP-based satellite networks. The techniques discussed in this seminar will help you minimize the cost of expensive space spectrum to support the data rates necessary to meet the performance requirements of converged voice, video and data applications over satellite.

One technique is to minimize traffic loads by compressing voice traffic, data traffic and IP protocol overheads and impairments. Another approach is to employ Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms and traffic engineering to ensure that critical data can meet performance requirements when networks are congested. TDM and TDMA DAMA satellite terminals enable the use of statistical multiplexing to maximize the information bits transported per unit of space segment. Advanced modulation and coding (modcod) techniques provide more bits per second per unit of spectrum. Adaptive coding and modulation increases throughput in clear sky conditions and enables more efficient use of the higher frequency bands which are susceptible to rain-fade. High throughput satellites, where available, significantly reduce the cost of space segment by use of high power, focused spot beams which support higher modcods. The seminar will conclude with a detailed case history that shows how to use the concepts described above to field converged IP data networks to meet performance requirements while optimizing the use of satellite resources.

Even as we were getting accustomed to the New Normal last year, events were quickly approaching on the horizon that would shake it up and redefine how we view the future. In this panel, experts will address three major events from the past year that had a profound impact on the market: the Intelsat IPO, the launch and initial operations of O3b’s first satellites, and Eutelsat's acquisition of Satmex. How successful were these three deals and what is their aftermath? What is the next act for the industry leaders involved? What are their implications for satellite industry investment activity?

Bandwidth in this context means “bits per second”, or more likely “Gbps”. Delivering high data rates to end users has remained a challenge, owing to limitations imposed by raw bandwidth available from the satellite and the ability of modulation and coding to efficiently employ this basic commodity in orbit. Now that DVB-S2 is well established in both the broadcasting and broadband communications fields of SATCOM, we are at a point where one might ask, “What comes next?” How will commercial and government power users approach and ultimately reach the goal of a Gbps to the remote and mobile “desktop?” Can satellite services keep pace with terrestrial innovations from forward-thinking companies like Google and Facebook? We ask these innovators and experts in the relevant technologies to provide their insights into satellite transmission and bandwidth efficiently in the future.

Captains in the 21st Century maritime service are simultaneously experts in crew leadership, in mastering thousands of tons of advanced sea-going equipment and marine engineering, in executive leadership of remote business premises, and in some instances, in charge of the safety of many thousands of passenger lives. In all four roles solutions to the problems of communication are mission critical – a criticality that is almost wholly dependent on satellite. Are current MSS and FSS up to the job? If not, what still needs to be done? What do the seafarers really think, and what do they really want? This keynote will offer up the inside view.

A sequence of federal fiscal crises has made this a challenging period for leading change in U.S. Government space sector business practices. Nevertheless, NASA and the Department of Defense have begun to look toward the commercial space sector for more cost effective space solutions.

This panel of government experts will discuss plans and processes their departments and agencies have for
• Exploring inventive, nontraditional arrangements for acquiring commercial space goods and services to meet United States Government requirements,
• Employing measures such as public-private partnerships and hosting government capabilities on commercial spacecraft,
• Purchasing operational data products from commercial satellite operators in support of government missions
• Expanding mission architectures to include commercially hosted capabilities.

As part of this discussion, panelists will explain the challenge their departments and agencies have faced and the mitigation strategies they are leading to adapt existing acquisition practices to expand the scope of goods and services they are purchasing from the commercial sector and how they are adjusting their cost analysis and evaluation processes to account for commercial pricing and business tempo.

When analyzing your business strategy, how do you measure disruption to the industry and your operating environment? Which current or anticipated industry changes do you anticipate to have the greatest impact and which companies will reap the most benefit? Bring your point of view and your questions to engage with leading satellite industry CEOs, and gain insights on how they are proactively getting ahead of the cycle of change, and whether they hedge their bets or put it all on the line for new initiatives. This session will also explore who is setting the disruptive agenda versus responding to it, which disruptors are most anticipated or feared, and how anticipation of market changes can drive deal flow.

As FSS operators continue to launch capacity over the oceans, traditional mobile service providers are shifting from L band to Ka band to better compete with the speed and capacity of Ku and C band. As the market looks forward to widely spread Ka services for maritime (as well as other COTM markets) it is vital to consider how Ka will coexist with the traditional frequency bands, and how the market can leverage it to increase value to the user. Therefore, the big question of the moment is: “Will mobile satellite services continue to expand through the decade, or are Ka-band competitors such as Global Xpress and O3b likely to slow their growth? This session will have the objective of clarifying the current trends in mobile VSAT (both maritime and aeronautical), looking at projections to the end of the decade, and comprehensively overviewing the continuing prospects for C & Ku bands over the oceans versus the advances in Ka. The session will also review how affordable multiband support can help the industry not only to better harvest current infrastructure, but also to maximize the potential of the new coming of Ka and HTS, and examining: Why Multiband is the MSS future; The challenges for achieving good multiband solutions; and, Roaming models between different satellite types.

First launched 30 years ago, NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system has done yeoman work for the space programs of the US and other countries. The European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS) represents advancement by the European Space Agency (ESA) to improve the bandwidth and reduce latency in their science missions around the Earth. These programs are government driven and operated; and they are funded by the respective taxpayers. Another area of development in space is the small science platform, known as the “Cubesat,” for which viable communications are still somewhat out of reach. We wish to learn how these relay services could be addressed by a commercial venture akin to those that serve earth-based mobile users on the seas and in the air. There are some early initiatives in this area, but we have yet to see a private-sector undertaking comparable to either TDRS or EDRS. Our panel will consider the technical strategies and operating concepts for a commercial space-based relay of the coming decade. What could this look like; and how will it make the operator(s) make money yet save on investment by NASA and others?

The emergence of the hosted payload as a viable mission configuration has been mirrored by the return of smallsats as an option for operators regardless of mandate. Advocates of smallsats essentially sing the same song as proponents of hosted payloads – mission flexibility, lowered costs, less risk, faster time to orbit, reduced operational and technical complexity. The attributes may be similar, but the trade-offs can be profound. Which option will work better, given mission and funding? Is decreased operational autonomy on some fronts worth more than full control on others? Can a shared platform attract the investment and commitment that a dedicated spacecraft demands? And how can mission planners and spacecraft owners effectively evaluate the pluses and minuses of two very different approaches?

Not so long ago, discussions of commercial spaceflight were met with a few rolled eyes, mounds of skepticism, and a long view of the future. Now, evidence such as SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation’s successful delivery of cargo to the ISS under commercial contracts with NASA, powered test flights of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, and development of the spaceport infrastructure in several locations, shows that future is at our doorstep. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is tasked with facilitating this development, through avenues such as regulatory and policy advocacy, standards development, industry tracking, and facilitation of research agenda. As both the president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and a long-time former NASA astronaut and former ISS commander, Michael Lopez-Alegria has the enviable front row seat for this transformation. In his keynote address, Mr. Lopez-Alegria will discuss his personal experience with human spaceflight, the journey of the commercial spaceflight industry as it evolves from fantasy to reality, and where the next steps will take us.

Often, we welcome change and innovation as a step forward in our business, but questions arise in how disruptors such as high throughput satellites, all-electric technology, smallsats, and innovative ground segment technologies will change the industry. What does the market expect or demand in terms of a cash-flow ramp to make investments in these technologies a reality? How has the fundraising process changed in the past decade or two? Industry executives, investors, and bankers will debate the impact of these disruptive technologies, where innovation is establishing gaps in the value chain, how those might give rise to new industry structures possibly with new ventures, and more importantly, how this all may affect financing requirements, particularly for angel investors or venture capital.

Ground stations have proliferated over the years, especially when you consider the quantity of video uplinks, satellite control stations, and gateways accessing the Internet and other network facilities. At one time, the quantity of these sites was measured in the dozens; now there are over one thousand significant ground stations around the world. Some operate as a single entity providing a connection for basic tracking, telemetry and command (TT&C) or origination of a TV broadcast to a particular country or market. Many ground stations are integrated into a network to deliver broadband data to local and regional markets, some national and others international. Operating these facilities is a major expense and complication since they historically have required highly trained staff and resourceful management. In this session, we will provide some guidelines for success when automating the ground segment and share the tools and best practices of leading companies that have taken automation to higher levels.

The key to communicating the detail of the multi-faceted satellite value proposition to the maritime sector is a comprehensive appreciation by network operators and service providers as to exactly which of the various maritime segments wants what particular services and where they want them, whilst remembering that the user is not necessarily interested in the minutiae of the satellite technologies to be used to effect the service solutions. Only then can dedicated and targeted communications solutions be successfully addressed to a marketplace with wide-ranging requirements. This session will explore the variability in the sea-going communications requirement which varies by type of vessel, type of owner/operating company, data volumes, and crew requirements (and passenger demands).

Earth observation and weather monitoring is a growing area of importance. We now live in era of extreme weather conditions where natural disasters are more commonplace than ever. With the needs greater than ever for intelligence in this area, hosted payloads could offer an opportunity to bring more capability at the fraction of what it would cost to put dedicated satellites into orbit. Some companies have already gone this route. Will others follow? The demand for intelligence is there. The question is will hosted payloads be key in providing government officials around the world the intelligence they need to deal with ever changing climactic conditions?

Many factors can disrupt the market, including new products or substitutions, changes in the customer environment or in the economics of service delivery, and have an impact on competition, demand, or pricing. In this session, we’ll address some of those disruptors coming from the market, including FSS cannibalization of MSS, emergence of new competitors in the earth observation arena, changes to the U.S. Government’s behavior as a customer (including budget cuts and sequestration), growing competition from emerging markets, growth of government (globally) as a source for satellite financing, and adoption of a 4K standard for DBS. Panelists will discuss how market disruptors can shake up financing requirements, as well as considerations for M&A, and implications for investors holding satellite industry assets.

The communications payload of a satellite is the business end of the space segment. We have evolved through the basic bent-pipe transponder to multi-beam antenna systems with on-board processors, and now to high-throughput satellites capable of over 100 Gbps of raw capacity. But, how will new payloads expand markets and integrate with the rest of the global information infrastructure? Are there necessary innovations on the payload side, and what technologies will make these a reality? Our panel of technology executives will consider these questions and provide some of their insights into payload capabilities yet to arrive on orbit.

Crew and passenger safety in times of distress will always be of paramount concern and the Global Maritime Distress & Safety System (GMDSS) is still the critical link between endangered vessels and rescuers. However, as global maritime traffic continues to increase, and as piracy on commercially strategic sea lanes remains a significant and growing threat, concerns may follow that current satcom technologies supporting GMDSS will be inadequate and, in some cases, potentially no longer available. This session will discuss existing technologies, outline timelines, and examine new technology offerings for service adoption. It will also examine how expanding equipment choices with greater capabilities and higher degrees of sophistication will greatly enhance communication and crew safety. The key objectives of the session will be to: Understand the current satcom technology environment as it relates to GMDSS, including existing product end-of-life dates and future technology needs and timelines; Learn how technology advances can and will provide greater safety through expanded communications options for vessels; and, Provide insight into how advanced currently available technologies and emerging technologies will enable us to refine and update GMDSS.

Hosted payloads may fan the fires of space-based development and commerce across the already red hot regions of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and parts of Eurasia. High-profile deals such as EMC-Arabsat and GeoMetWatch-Asiasat offer a template for expanded access to orbit for existing operators as well as new players keen to broaden their horizons. An appetite for regional and national space assets addressing myriad applications and localized needs could make hosted payloads a well-received default choice for quick deployment. Can hosted payload arrangements foster increased regional cooperation in space and on Earth? Will bandwidth scarcity, demand for sophisticated services, orbital congestion, and other factors mitigate for or against hosted payloads in the world’s developing markets?

The satellite industry has experienced years of success and growth, but good fortune can be a double-edged sword, and the industry must now adjust to new expectations. After the immediate, high-return investments – both organic and acquisitive – have been done, new growth initiatives are either higher risk or lower return. Has pressure to grow shifted views of offensive versus defensive initiatives? Has it put an end to “capex holidays?” Is industry maturity itself a disruptor, forcing experiments that fall beyond the risk frontier? How do these issues affect the way corporate management goes about fund raising and considering potential merger and acquisition activity? CFOs from leading companies in the satellite industry join the stage to share their insights on what the future holds.

As the shipboard passenger requirement increases, this session will investigate how the cruise industry's communications needs are being met by the satellite sector. Against the backdrop of satellite industry innovations which have expanded the ability to connect virtually every ocean region whilst simultaneously improving operational efficiencies, safety, and crew morale and welfare, we ask a number of key questions:
• How is the satellite sector responding to enable connectivity of every device and data source on a ship to a single network?
• With the IP revolution driving an explosion of new products and services, what is the satellite sector doing to meet dramatically increasing demands on maritime communication networks.

The session will cover opinion on where cruise ship communications market demand is going with details on the key current drivers. Additionally, discussion will focus around new technologies on the horizon, considering whether networks should use open or closed/proprietary systems, and the importance of hybrid networks that also use GSM, WiMAX, or Small Cells. Ultimately, we ask how satellite-based communications systems have evolved to meet the growing needs of the cruise ship segment?

oin thousands of satellite professionals for the official kick off of SATELLITE 2014 - the Welcome Reception! Enjoy drinks, light hors d'oeuvres and plenty of networking with fellow attendees of SATELLITE 2014. The Welcome Reception is open to everyone and included with your SATELLITE 2014 or MSUA-11 registration.

Close out the Satellite Finance Forum with a look back at the discussions throughout the day and what this means for the future of the satellite finance industry.

Where the world’s big four satellite operators – Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat, and Telesat – go, the rest of the global satellite-enabled marketplace is bound to follow. The past year has been marked by significant fleet expansion, new strategic alliances, key acquisitions, an expansion in services offered, and other key milestones. The real challenge for The Big Four in the coming year and beyond is maintaining global leadership in the face of significant challenges from rapidly expanding telecommunications alternatives. How will The Big Four cope with terrestrial competition in the future? Also, with regional operator’s showing more ambition than ever before, how will this impact The Big Four in key growth markets such as Asia, Latin America, Africa? What disruptive technologies threaten the continued viability of communications via satellite? What will drive growth for the balance of this decade and beyond?

Sponsored by Thales Alenia Space

The Washington Space Business Roundtable will host its annual Flagship Luncheon and Silent Auction to raise funds for its scholarship program.

To purchase tickets or donate an auction item visit www.wsbr.org.

Since 1995, WTA has presented annual awards to companies and individuals who have dramatically demonstrated excellence in the field of teleport operations, development and technology. Celebrate the winners and network with colleagues during the Awards Luncheon.

Tickets can be purchased when registering for SATELLITE 2014.

Join your fellow colleagues in the mobile satellite community as MSUA honors mobile satellite innovators and pioneers with the Pioneer and Innovator Awards. MSUA will present a Pioneer as well as an Innovator Award and both will be showcased at the MSUA-11 Awards Luncheon. The luncheon is highly anticipated and well attended by industry movers and shakers, and this year will be no exception. One ticket is included with your MSUA-11 Conference registration.

Additional tickets can be purchased when registering for SATELLITE 2014.

Deployment of new Ku and Ka-band in-flight connectivity solutions is now well underway in short and long haul aircraft, and Inmarsat’s Global Xpress service is expected to add to the range of available options in 2015. However, to date the financial results for providers such as Gogo and Row44 have been somewhat disappointing, because only a limited number of airline passengers have been prepared to pay for connectivity. Substantial investment is also required both to upgrade Gogo’s North American Air-To-Ground network and to secure the satellite capacity necessary for global coverage. In this panel, representatives from many of the key industry players will discuss how they expect connectivity revenues to grow in the next few years to provide a return on their investment, and debate which solutions will win out in the long run.

The rolling waves of change in technology, customer preferences and corporate alignments are giving birth to a new generation of satellite service companies. They serve specific niches in video, enterprise, resource industries, maritime and the like, and they create vertical business models within them that capture more value. Satellite operators continue rebalancing the wholesale and retail aspects of their businesses, while advances in processing power drive transponder throughput to levels considered a fantasy not long ago. What is the model for the next-gen satellite service company, which will remain a strong competitor in the coming years? How much of older business models will continue to be relevant and how much will have to change over the next three years?

As a major customer of U.S. spacecraft, services and equipment, changes in U.S. federal government spending have a different market impact for each satellite industry segment. Though sequestration was presented as a blanket cut across the federal government, different agencies have in practice applied ongoing cuts required by sequestration in varying ways. This panel will discuss how industry and government partners have responded to budget cutbacks and what lies ahead for U.S. government markets. With sequestration in place for more than a year, what lessons can be drawn about its impact on the satellite industry? What should suppliers to the U.S. government markets look for as indicators of spending and demand – and national security space priorities – in the years ahead?

The broadcast industry is characterized by innovation and disruption. On the one hand, the moves from SD to HD through 3-D TV and ultra-HD are hot industry topics, particularly ultra HD which is causing a great deal of excitement. However, with new business models emerging, and companies like NetFlix trying to make an impact in the broadcasting space, the challenge for traditional broadcasters is to stay relevant, as well as provide content in a multitude of formats across an ever expanding array of devices. This roundtable will talk about where broadcasting is going and also where satellite fits in this new exciting video landscape.

World radiocommunication conferences (WRC) are held every three to four years. At this international gathering at the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva, Switzerland, terrestrial interests compete with satellite interests in an attempt to claim valuable spectrum. WRC-15 takes place in November 2015, but already planning meetings are underway and initial positions have been mapped. The first regional preparation meetings for WRC-15 predate SATELLITE 2014 by several months, so some clear lines of demand for the future of communications via satellite should be emerging. How will satellite fare at WRC-15? Are there opportunities for regional or even continental collaboration to improve the prospects for space-based services and requirements? What challenges will the terrestrial competitors pose to continued viability for the world’s satellite-enabled markets?

In January 2013, the U.S. Congress passed satellite export control reform legislation to permit significant modernization of the U.S. export rules for satellite and space items. With the implementation of new rules and processes well under way, the U.S. satellite export control system will look completely different, creating new opportunities for satellite and components trade, and impacting virtually every part of the satellite industry, both in the U.S. and internationally. What is the status of the new export control rules authorized by law in 2013? What should U.S. satellite prime manufacturers, component suppliers and service providers know about the new export control system, and what are the key areas of uncertainty? What opportunities does the export control reform create for U.S. international competitiveness and partnership?

The debate between Inmarsat and Intelsat over the technical merits of their forthcoming Global Xpress and Epic satellite systems has continued to heat up over the last year, as commercial launch of these new systems approaches. However, a bigger issue may be whether the current model of maritime VSAT as a largely custom solution, which Epic is designed to support, can be sustained in the face of Inmarsat’s attempts to create a standardized GX product much like its current L-band services. Some high end customers such as energy and cruise ships may prefer a customized service, but others such as merchant shipping may be more open to standardized services as they have become accustomed to in L-band. Nevertheless, service providers may see their current margins on maritime VSAT eroded by GX, so it is still uncertain which solutions they will prefer to sell. This panel will feature both satellite operators and service providers discussing their views of the technical and business model issues, and will consider how the maritime broadband market will develop as these new services are introduced.

Doing business in space equips our industry with unique competitive advantages on the ground. How well the industry exploits those advantages will play a big role in determining its future. Service providers have unique skills, technologies and facilities for configuring and managing complex satellite-terrestrial solutions that are far beyond the capabilities of most terrestrial carriers. They understand how to make protocols designed for fiber work over satellite and how multiprotocol networks can be optimized to make the best use of the skyway and the highway. In this session, business, technology and operations experts discuss the opportunities in delivering complex networks across all the major markets and the challenges of both winning the business and making sure that solutions deliver what they promise.

Issues of satellite interference cost the satellite industry millions of dollars each year. It is a recurring problem and while advances such as Carrier ID represent progress, there is still a long way to go. While satellite interference may never be totally eradicated, efforts to limit its damage will continue in the hope that satellite operators can stem the flow of lost revenues. This panel will look at the latest state of play of where the industry is with satellite interference, the impact of Carrier ID, and where the industry goes next.

Without a reliable ride to orbit, the global satellite-enabled marketplace would be dead on the launch pad. For decades a stable of highly reliable rockets – Ariane, Atlas, Delta, Proton, Soyuz, Zenit - has propelled the development of businesses worldwide. Through innovation or adaptation, boosters such as Falcon 9 and Antares have made the scene, expanding choice and addressing specific market opportunities. Add to this mix the re-entry of China’s Long March, continued enhancement of the H-IIB variants, and hopefuls from India and others, and once again this market of razor-thin margins and huge expenses is poised for struggle as downward pressure on pricing takes center stage. How are the primary launch services companies adjusting to a marketplace increasingly segmented by payload and mission? What new technologies show promise for the twin goals of increased reliability and lowered costs? Is the current vogue for smaller spacecraft and hosted payloads perturbing the established market, or is it creating newer, smaller, pieces of a growing pie? How will new opportunities such as resupply of the International Space Station alter the competitive set?

In 2012 and 2013, growth in the MSS market slowed, hit by reductions in military usage in the Middle East, and poor economic conditions in the merchant shipping industry. Though some progress has been seen in the handheld and low speed data markets, even these segments have grown more slowly than expected, and as much as half of industry wide L-band service revenue growth in the last two years has come from Inmarsat’s maritime price rises. As a result, MSS distributors and suppliers have consolidated, and in some cases have moved to diversify into terrestrial cellular or VSAT services. However, very substantial investments are still being made in new satellites from Inmarsat, Iridium, Globalstar and Orbcomm. Will these new spacecraft bring renewed growth, or simply add to overcapacity? What new opportunities are emerging that will drive future revenue expansion? This panel will hear from MSS distributors and suppliers about their expectations for the future.

Delivering satellite services is a business of niches, from media & entertainment to maritime, government to enterprise. But as service providers grow, they come across opportunities to bring their expertise, technology and specialized facilities to new kinds of customers. It may be established broadcast service providers seeking profits in enterprise data, or IP data specialists finding ways to meet demand for video distribution. In entering a new market, however, what you don’t know frequently can hurt you quite a bit, as business plans falter on unexpected costs or surprising customer requirements. In this panel session, senior executives from service providers specializing in different niches describe their experience in new market entry and explore how old skills and processes can find new value, as well as face new risks, outside their core markets.

Civil and military use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) continues to expand, driving growth in U.S. government demand for communications bandwidth. With UAV sensors and related backhaul continuing to respond to demand from government users, satellite operators and service providers view this market vertical key driver of strategic growth. How is the commercial satellite industry adapting to the unique requirements and strong demand driven by UAV growth? What new requirements will civil and military UAV operators apply, and how can the satellite industry adapt to continue to serve this important market?

A key to any successful business is maximizing your resources. For the satellite industry, bandwidth management is an area where new technologies can help operators get the most return from their available capacity. With demands for satellite bandwidth still high, and the potential for bandwidth hungry video applications still on the rise, this is a critical issue for our industry. This panel looks at the latest developments in terms of bandwidth management and why the technologies being developed here are some of the most critical in our sector.

The global satellite manufacturing sector continues to show great agility in adapting to changing customer needs while providing a line-up of customizable “off the shelf” options designed to accommodate most current and anticipated services as well as specialized spacecraft for evolving applications. Increasing capacity on-orbit remains a key driver, with flexibility a key attribute. In addition to large multi-mission spacecraft, customers are sizing up smallsats and other on-orbit options. What is driving the marketplace as we approach mid-decade? How do price, schedule, payload configurability, and security figure into these drivers? If, as some industry observers note, the government and commercial markets are converging, what impact does this have on demand for spacecraft? What are the prospects for additional sales of all-electric satellites? Will the global availability of low-cost satellites from non-market economy manufacturers disrupt the viability of the major suppliers?

Sponsored by Space Systems/Loral

The Gala offers a unique opportunity to visit with clients, customers, suppliers, colleagues and industry friends. From the champagne reception to a gourmet meal to the end-of-evening dessert and cordials reception, the Gala is always the talk of the industry.

For the first time, SSPI will offer a reception only ticket, allowing guests to participate in the networking opportunity provided by the Champagne Reception, yet still attend any offsite dinner plans they may have that evening.

Venue to be announced. Separate ticket required.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.sspi.org or contact SSPI at .

Over the past year, the MSS sector has surpassed market expectations by delivering strong results despite tough economic conditions including government cutbacks. Is this momentum sustainable in 2014 and beyond? What will be the drivers and key markets for growth for the MSS sector? What is the future of the industry? How successful is the industry in tapping shrinking government budgets? What is the social role that this industry plays and how can that be nurtured and encouraged? How are the plans for next-generation capabilities coming along? How are companies innovating on the ground and in space? What are the expected market dynamics and growth rates for 2014? Hear from the industry’s CEOs about how they are positioning their companies for the future, and which opportunities will be the most promising routes to success over the next decade.

Open to all attendees!

The satellite industry understands HTS for satellite broadband access services, has accepted its applicability to backhaul, is ramping up its use for mobility and enterprise VSAT. But now, the satellite industry must face the question of what is next for HTS services, and what is coming beyond the current and planned endeavors? In particular, this session will investigate the new business models and new technologies that could underpin future developments in the satellite industry. The session will also compare and contrast the HTS and MEO-HTS business models and plans. And most important, the session will ask what will HTS look like 10 to 15 years from today?

Despite a new era of constrained budgets, government customers’ needs for mobility solutions continue to grow. Flexibility to make use of either government or commercial capacity depending on availability and application requirements is becoming increasingly important across the aeronautical, maritime and land segments, and has driven innovation in terminals. This panel will discuss future military requirements for mobility, especially given the post-drawdown environment, and the impact these requirements have on the business and technology plans of equipment manufacturers, service providers and satellite operators alike.

New contracts, acquisitions, and major broadcasting events -- not least Brazil’s 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics -- continue to make Latin America a top satellite-industry priority. Further, many potential customers remain unserved, while other enterprises and consumers are bandwidth-deprived by poor-quality ADSL connections. As the satellite industry scrambles to secure market share, key questions remain: Will Brazil meet market expectations as the “B” in “BRIC”? (Or will the acronym require the addition of “M” for Mexico?) Will High Throughput Satellite applications get traction in the region and, if so, at what price points with what applications? Will there be co-existence or cannibalization of C- and Ku-band customers by Ka-band operators? More broadly, what effect do the latest deployments have on the supply-and-demand curve? Where do Triple Play, M2M, LTE, small-cell backhaul, and other emerging services fit in the regional-revenue pie chart?

Ultra-HD is no longer hype or the next big thing. It is here and over the next 12 months, it will start to weave its way into the mainstream. Chances are over the next 12 months when you walk into an electrical retailer, one of the things you will see is the stunning quality of ultra-HD quality images staring back at you. With the price of the hardware coming down, the future looks bright in a way it never really did for 3-D TV. The move to ultra-HD will lead to increased bandwidth demand, which spells only good news for the satellite industry. However, the move to ultra-HD is likely to present challenges as the whole eco-system needs to move together to make it a reality. This panel will assess where we are in the ultra-HD cycle and whether the satellite industry is ready for this new broadcast revolution.

Don’t miss the marquee event of SATELLITE 2014! Via Satellite magazine presents its Satellite Executive of the Year 2013, honoring the top satellite industry executive who made significant business impact in the global satellite arena. Tickets to the event are included with your SATELLITE 2014 conference registration fee.

Less than 15 years ago, more than 80% of the Commercial GEO Satcom launched had a payload power below 9kW; they now represent less than 50% and the in-orbit record stands currently at 20kW. But will this trend continue? Which change(s) in the short to medium term could impact the market and how? This session will discuss the main drivers and their strengths/weaknesses based on the type of satellite (FSS, DBS, HTS…) and the characteristics of their final markets. This session will also specifically discuss the impact of propulsion technologies currently available or soon to be. Finally, panelists will discuss their perspectives on the payload picture in 10 to 15 years, and the main consequences of this evolution.

Even though the “Internet of Things” has become a key area of focus for cellular operators, it remains unclear whether the satellite M2M sector will benefit from this trend. Satellite has an important role to play in supporting safety-critical applications and providing connectivity in remote areas, but satellite operators have far fewer resources available than terrestrial providers. As a result, it may be challenging for satellite to gain a foothold in mass market applications like vehicle telematics. In addition, several satellite M2M providers have merged with terrestrial solution providers in order to gain scale, but this has sometimes led to satellite being de-emphasized in favor of more immediately promising terrestrial opportunities. This session will discuss how satellite M2M providers are responding to this changing landscape, the new applications that are most promising for satellite, and how integration of both satellite and terrestrial connectivity with new software solutions for end users is boosting the revenues of leading operators.

The satellite industry has long had close ties with the public safety community, supplying connectivity to life-saving emergency communications and restoring services to ensure continuity of operations. The public safety community is eagerly looking forward to the next generation of capabilities being brought to market by the communications industry. At the same time, the U.S. government is also creating and implementing several policies and programs, including FirstNet, that will shape the environment into which new capabilities will be introduced. This panel will examine the current and future network and policy landscapes for public safety satellite communications. How are satellite communications capabilities being leveraged by public safety users? How will government policies and practices impact the introduction of new services for the public safety community?

In the aftermath of Africa’s massive fiber roll-outs -- which resulted in severe churn in the satellite communications customer base -- a recovery already has become evident. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, where initial expectations that fiber would become the substitute for all satellite services have been replaced with the growing realization that satellite and fiber are both essential. New C-, Ku- and Ka-band footprints, meanwhile, are providing unprecedented coverage of the region, and high-throughput spot beams are driving business in targeted country markets like Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, among others. But there are flies in the ointment: Wireless-backhaul growth has slowed. The influx of new satellite capacity is exerting downward price pressure on bandwidth, which is squeezing operator margins. Is this setting the stage for the next capacity drought? This session will explore how, when and where the industry is addressing these challenges in one of the world's most dynamic regional markets.

DVB-S2 over the past decade has become a workhorse of the satellite industry for distribution and contribution links. Can a good standard can be made better. The answer is a clear "yes" when it comes to professional transmission via satellite and for consumer applications like DTH. The DVB Project has concluded that the DVB-S2 specification also can be extended to include links with low SNR such as for mobile reception. The increased efficiency of DVB-S2 is needed by new applications like 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) transmission. Combining a more efficient satellite transmission scheme with the new video coding scheme HEVC and the new UHD video format will enable new opportunities for the satellite industry. Other relevant aspects are SNG links, video contribution, and non-broadcast applications like data transmission. How will this wide range of applications benefit from the new specifications? What new services will arise? Will UHD be the next HD?

Since the dawn of the Space Age, unmanned spacecraft have been disposable machines, functioning until their on-board consumables are exhausted, and then reaching the ends of their service lives even though the satellite bus and payload may have years of useful life left. The paradox of building ever larger, heavier, more powerful and more expensive vehicles that must be discarded when they run out of gas has not been lost on a small band of industry and government pioneers, who doggedly continue a quest to make in-flight satellite refueling and other on-orbit servicing a reality. Their efforts have taken satellite life extension from fantasy to fact. How close is it to happening? What will be the effects on the operator, manufacturer and launch service sectors when it does? A panel of industry and government experts drawn from those pioneers will discuss the current state of satellite life extension, and what to expect going forward.

From crew-centric Internet to real-time drilling data and video-based remote monitoring – energy markets continue to provide solid growth for the satellite communications industry. More bandwidth at more locations to enable more services is becoming the norm with Oil & Gas generating the most in revenues, utilities the most in-service units, and mining a steady opportunity – what role will satellite communications play in this increasingly terrestrial connected market?

Exploring the O&G, Mining, and Utility sectors, this session will assess the opportunity for satellite communications – from MSS to the latest HTS systems in the Energy Markets. The session will answer key questions facing industry players: What does the market for HTS-based services look like? Just how far can terrestrial solutions go in meeting end-user connectivity demands? What services are driving growth for energy markets?

The demand for low-profile Comms-On-The-Move antennas and terminals is growing in both land and aeronautical markets, not just for military applications, but also for civilian solutions such as in-flight passenger connectivity and newsgathering. Nevertheless, antenna challenges have proven to be a major barrier to rapid deployment of inflight connectivity, especially near the equator where beam skew is of particular concern. In the maritime market, smaller VSAT antennas are also playing a major role in the development of standardized (often hybrid) solutions, which can supplement or replace existing L-band only services. This panel session will highlight some of the latest advances in land, maritime and aeronautical antennas and discuss how new terminals will drive future market growth.

Across the satellite community, new entrants are emerging as satellite fleet operators, space launch providers, and space services businesses. With these shifts in the existing marketplaces come new questions and innovative approaches to U.S. government regulation, federal partnership and policies, and international space policy. This panel will examine the policy changes being sought by these new entrants, and how the existing players are responding. Which areas of policy and regulation need to change to enable innovation and new space businesses? What are existing players doing to adapt to disruptive market forces?

A growing number of international satellite industry players have de-listed the Middle East as a priority, and the logic is simple: Political disruption continues to dampen business in several country markets. Major military opportunities in Iraq and Afghanistan are history. And perceptions that the region is dangerous are not entirely unfounded, from the standpoint of both investment risk and personal safety. Yet, every problem is an opportunity. Where major international satcom players have withdrawn, entrepreneurs are moving to fill the vacuum. Where civil war has caused a Syrian mass exodus, UN refugee camps have created new demand for satellite connectivity. (Can election-monitoring and public-security VSAT networks be far behind?) As the dust settles in Libya and Iraq – two of the world’s primary sources of crude – new governments have taken steps to liberalize their satellite market-access policies. Broadcasters’ demand for capacity is strong. And new high-throughput satellite operators from Qatar and the UAE are now competing with Arabsat, Nilesat and other operators to support innovative satcom business models that not only survive… but thrive. This session will show how.

In a connected social media world, we have an insatiable appetite for news. Consequently, for news broadcasters’, providing quality broadcasts in hotspots around the world remains a challenge, especially to an ever more demanding audience. Thanks to advances in satellite technology, the quality of these broadcasts is now better than ever. The move to High Throughput Satellites (HTS) is likely to lead to further improvements in this area. In this panel, we talk about developments in satellite newsgathering, the potential impact of HTS here, and the unique challenges facing news broadcasters as they look to serve audiences hungry for news in all manner of locations with high quality video.

While broadcasting is often seen as the oxygen of the satellite industry, the broadband opportunity is growing, and becoming more interesting by the day. With newer, more powerful satellites being launched, satellite is better equipped than ever to provide these services. While it may never match the speeds of super fast terrestrial alternatives in urban areas, the speeds and reliability it can now reach mean it can serve more than just the remotest areas of any given country. It can no longer be just classed as a ‘last resort’ technology for the broadband ‘have nots’. This panel assesses the state of the satellite broadband market and talks about just how the big the business opportunity for satellite is, and whether the new satellites going up here really are ‘game changers’ for the industry.

Wireless backhaul is one of the key markets where the battleground for new technologies, particularly HTS and MEO-HTS, is taking place. The campaign is being waged on land, air and sea for Fixed Land-based Towers and Mobility Platforms. Over time, the battle will need to integrate the equalization of services for high-end users in developed country markets as well as low income groups in developing and emerging economies. Government mandates such as USO and the saturation of urban markets will require rural and underserved strategic targeting where ROI metrics could be severely challenged.
This session will discuss key elements including:
• Evolution of mobile backhaul over HTS/MEO-HTS
• Technologies for enabling 3G/LTE backhaul over HTS/MEO-HTS
• Advancing mobile backhaul for 3G/LTE, including the emergence of 3G-4G offload/overflow applications
• Determining the optimal capacity rates, ARPU and service fees on a regional basis

The landmark announcement of Thuraya’s SatSleeve in early 2013 set the MSS handset business on a new path towards leveraging potential customers’ existing terrestrial cellphones, as opposed to just being a standalone solution that is kept in a cupboard for emergencies or remote travel. However, after the the challenges faced by TerreStar in breaking into the MSS market, and with continued shifts in terrestrial cellphone form factors, it remains unclear how best to take advantage of this opportunity. In the face of continuing reductions in satellite voice usage, as terrestrial coverage grows ever more widespread, it is also becoming critical for MSS operators to take advantage of growing data usage by cellphone users, despite the relatively limited data rates available on MSS phones. This panel will hear from the leading providers about how they plan to develop their handset products and services, and discuss their expectations for the future of the handheld voice market in 2014 and beyond.

The Department of Defense’s space programs and policies are at a crossroads, with existing military satellite procurement programs nearing the end of their delivery cycles, and numerous studies and new procurement models under internal consideration. This panel will attempt to answer the big question: what’s next for DoD space? What lessons is the Department learning from the current generation of satellite programs and budgetary pressures? Are new procurement models – including long-term leases of commercial satellite bandwidth or hosted payloads – likely to expand, or will a new generation of large military satellites be developed?

Explosive demand from new Asian TV channels is driving satellite-revenue growth, and regional operators -- as well as their value-added-reseller customers -- continue to expand their reach, both in local country markets and to regions throughout the world. Asian aeronautical and maritime interests are lining up for Satcoms on the Move. Energy-sector expansion in Southeast Asia holds strong promise. Universal service programs are expanding. What's the catch? New national satellite programs continue to be launched and announced, raising fears that they will dump capacity in a marketplace that is already the most competitive in the world. China and India are big, but obstacles in their domestic markets beg the question: Are two of the largest “BRIC” nations important as a source of new customers or, rather, as the next source of major competition throughout the region and the world. From mergers and acquisitions to condo-sats and co-opetition, this session will reveal the expansion plans and success strategies of Asia's leading players.

The technology-driven and capital intensive global satellite-enabled marketplace for more than five decades has relied on innovation to fire the engines of commerce. From multi-millionaire visionaries willing to “bet the company” on a new product or service to brilliant engineers laboring over the tiniest “mission-critical” component, entrepreneurs have fueled the development of commercial, government, military, and scientific satellite applications. Who defines the “right risks” to take? How does the value chain of big advances such as, for example, all-electric propulsion drive small-shop innovations in command and control? What visions of the future compel enthusiastic research and development in the art and science of communications via satellite?

Join our team, our sponsors, and thousands of your satellite marketplace colleagues as we launch a new annual networking opportunity to honor the Satellite Executive of the Year and the recipients of Via Satellite’s inaugural Excellence Awards. Tickets to the reception are included in the SATELLITE Conference registration package.

Join us for Via Satellite’s Excellence Awards Winners Breakfast to showcase the outstanding members of the satellite industry. The Excellence Awards Winners Breakfast will salute the innovative companies, technologies, campaigns and people who’ve helped shape the success of our industry. Ticket sales begin January 2014. Limited space available.

The line between The Big Four and the next tier of regional and international satellite systems operators continues to blur as alliances shift and regional operators look to expand beyond traditional horizons. While a regional focus continues to drive the strategy of most of this group, interest in markets by geography and by application is sparking the decisions of CEOs and companies worldwide. Can SKY Perfect JSAT re-ignite its revenue growth? In 2013, Arabsat acquired Greek operator, Hellas-Sat, Will we see other bold moves by regional operators? What role do these operators play in driving adoption of new applications in their spheres of influence?

Sponsored by Astrium

Via Satellite’s Satellite Executive of the Year is the highest individual award in our industry, and once won, the winners form a very select club. Winners’ are often judged on their ability to innovate and their ability to take their company’s forward and see opportunities before others do. In a first of a kind panel we get a selection of previous winners to talk about the future for our industry. In one of the most exciting panels of SATELLITE 2014, you will be able to listen to some of the key visionaries across multiple sectors and find out where out where our industry is going next.