Growth of Mobile Backhaul Test Equipment Market
Mobile backhaul test equipment
MDA won communications payload deal for Israeli satellite
Amos satellite by Spacecom
Satellite Demand is Growing – Mike Kenneally, NewSat VP of Satellite Strategy
Mike Kenneally VP of Satellite Communications Strategy
Mr Kenneally, the vice president of Satellite Strategy of NewSat, expects the size of the company’s teleport engineers to increase in the coming years due to the rising demand for mobile backhaul, satellite communications and satellite-based services.
A communications specialist and information management expert, Kennealy has been with the satellite carrier for six years. He also worked at the Department of Defence, the Prime Minister’s Department and IBM. Under his supervision as technical auditor, the national census adopted spatial information systems in 1996 for the very first time.
In an interview with Sa Defense Business journal, Kenneally talked about the teleport operations and future satellite communications fleet of the independent SATCOM carrier.
NewSat is poised to become a global player in satellite communications business with the launching of its first Ka band satellite. The company runs two teleports in Australia which serve both local and internal clients. It acquired the Perth and Adelaide teleports from SES Newskies Satellites in 2005. The Adelaide facility boasts of twelve antennas. These facilities are run by radio frequency engineers who mitigate latency problems and ensure timely transmission of signals to and from geostationary satellites.
NewSat’s satellite reselling and teleport business passed the Australian government standards for public contracts, making the company an officially “Endorsed Supplier”. NewSat has been a satcom supplier to US and Australian defense agencies. It was also nominated for the 2012 World Teleport Association’s Awards for Excellence, along with two independent teleport companies.
South Australia is a strategic location for running teleports due to its good reception pathway for satellite signals. Kennealy points out that it is critical consideration when choosing contractors for military communications since combatants often have to rely to satellite antennas to communicate in areas not reached by cable lines or cellular sites. He said NewSat teleports have a global reach, thus they can communicate with antennas outside Australia and connect end-users with another satellite terminal wherever it may be to facilitate two-way real-time communications.
Lockheed Martin has begun building the company’s first Ka band satellite, Jabiru-1, and the project is likely to get finished in 2014. Arianespace will then launch the satellite, which will be located in a geostationary orbit to serve Australasia, the Middle East and Africa.
Kenneally expects more engineers at the Adelaide facility in the near future.
“..We have secured nearly $600 million of pre launch satellite contracts,” he said. NewSat is the satellite communications partner of the US army under 20 different contracts which mainly involve service coverage in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Jabiru satellite communications program will enable NewSat to increase its satellite communications, teleport and mobile backhaul coverage from 75% to almost 100% of the world’s surface.
Míla to Deploy Overture 1400 and 4800 Mobile Backhaul Solutions
Overture_4324 Mobile Backhaul solution
Overture announced its mobile backhaul deal with Míla ehf. Iceland’s incumbent operator will be using Overture 1400 and 4800 solutions. Mila operates the country’s trunk and access networks. Faced with rising bandwidth demand, Mila will integrate the flexible Carrier Ethernet platforms into its existing backhaul network.
Mila is committed to operate as a progressive carrier in the global arena, said Halldór Guðmundsson, director of network. To meet the stringent requirements of the national carrier, the company chose the long-proven Ethernet over Copper products of Overture to develop layer 2 optical networks.
Telecommunications providers are seeing a rapid rise in bandwidth demand, prompting them to expand capacity while balancing revenues and expenses. Thus, mobile backhaul solutions that support 3G and 4G data services like 10GigE platforms are increasingly becoming an integral part of modern backhaul network. Vijay Raman, vice president of product management and marketing at Overture , expects continuous growth in in bandwidth pressure as laptops, mobile phones and consoles become more prevalent.
With headquarters in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Overture is among the world’s leading provider of Carrier Ethernet backhaul and aggregation solutions, serving 450 providers and network operators around the world. Overture technology enables service providers to leverage Carrier Ethernet to improve profitability and operate in high-capacity Ethernet platform via fiber, copper or TDM. The technology is ideal for cloud computing and mobile communications that rely on smart networks.
In other news, 2DAY Telecom sealed a long-term capacity agreement with SES, enabling it to expand its GSM backhaul services across Kazakhstan to meet rising demand.
[ Mobile Backhaul and Satellite Broadband Strategies in 2012 CommunicAsia Summit ]
2DAY Telecom had a 50% increase in capacity utilisation on SES’ NSS-12 satellite , achieving 54 MHz. At such capacity, the GSM operator will be in a better position to deliver mobile communication services across mountainous terrain in Kazakhstan. NSS-12 also supports telecommunications networks.
2DAY Telecom’s parent company, VimpelCom, is a global leader in voice and data services , offering wireless, fixed and broadband technologies in Ukraine, Russia, ,Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Armenia and Cambodia. VimpelCom and its operating companies manage the “Beeline” and “Kyivstar” brands. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company trades at the New York Stock Exchange.
Satellite Dishes and Solar Panels on Historic Buildings
Satellite Dish On Historic Buildings
Recommended: Interview with Australia’s Satellite Communications Pioneer, Adrian Ballintine
Satellite Discussions and Forums at CommunicAsia 2012
Communicasia Satellite Forum
Recommended: Potential of China’s Satellite Dish and Broadcast Communications Market
China’s Untapped Satellite Broadcasting and Dish Market
Illegal satellite dishes
Economic liberalizations and improvement in income levels in developing countries in Asia are making the region a key part of the growth strategy of global satellite communications vendors. China and India are poised grow into a huge satcom market despite current political and market obstacles. China has more than a billion of inhabitants, and the local economy is the third largest in the world, growing at the fastest rate for the past 30 years. The gray market for cable television is growing in many Chinese cities, which is a good sign of growing middle class population who seek international shows. The black market for cable TV and satellite dishes allows cheap access to BBC, CNN , MTV and the likes.
Analysts estimate the number of illegal satellite dishes in China at around 50-60 million. The black market owed its growth to a regulation that only allows expatriates and hotel operators in the country to use satellite dishes. This regulation has been in place since the early 90s. As of 2008, more than 10 million dishes capable of receiving signals overseas in DVB-S (Digital Video Broadcasting-Satellite) standards got into China. And more than 40 million gray-market dishes were believed to be shipped in metropolitan areas for installation last year.
China DBSAT, known as the second largest operator in Asia, is tasked to act as the gatekeeper to the Chinese market. Founded in 2006, the company operates Zhongxing-9, a joint venture of China Satellite Communications Corp. and Sino Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. With five in-orbit satellites , it provides satellite bandwidth and integrated satellite communications services for government agencies, broadcasting networks, telecommunications providers, and other commercial enterprises. Except AsiaSat and APT Satellite Holdings, non-Chinese satellite communications providers are forbidden from delivering wireless service directly to Chinese end-users.
US has heavily criticized China for its protectionist policy. China has issued tougher measures to regulate the use of satellite dishes, but the black market for satellite dishes is unlikely to dwindle soon. China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has no mandate to enforce compliance across local governments.
According to SARFT, more than 400 million household population are in underserved regions, and an estimated 200 million households with TV but no cable service are getting signals via analog terrestrial transmission or illegal satellite dish or set-top box. Terry Lu, chairman of DVN Group, estimated the country’s digital TV user-base at 250 million. Yet this huge market is not yet fully tapped due to regulatory restrictions.
Adrian Ballintine’s Interview With Via Satellite
NewSAT SATCOM AND TELEPORT PROVIDER
Adrian Ballintine, CEO of NewSat, talks with Via Satellite about the Jabiru space project and the company’s major transition from being a teleport operator to a full-fledged satellite operator.
The June 2012 issue of Via Satellite features NewSat CEO Adrian Ballintine and other MSS leaders. Mr. Ballintine talks about the Jabiru space project and the company’s major transition from being a teleport operator to a full-fledged satellite operator. Read more…
Safeguarding Satellite Data from Internet Hackers
satcom cybersecurity
Network operators must learn from past hacking incidence in order to avoid bigger damages from security breaches. Surprisingly, many satellite companies and ground service operators fell victim to cyber intrusion due to widely accepted myths.
One of the most prevalent data security myths is that domain specific knowledge needed by hackers can be safely kept secret. This misconception continues to deceive many although it has been proven wrong by countless hacking stories. This shouldn’t be surprising as hackers become more unpredictable and cunning.
Contrary to popular belief, hackers do not need to get system specifications to get unauthorized network access. Many hacking stories proved that it is possible otherwise. It is undeniable that reverse engineering drives hackers out of incentives.
Due to wide acceptance of “security by obscurity” principle, a number of military and commercial SATCOM companies are unaware of their false sense of security. The assumption that only a strong encryption can prevent hacking 100% can render the entire network protection resources futile. Read more…
APPEA 2012: Satellite Capacity for Oil Projects
Satellite Communication Expert NewSat at APPEA 2012
Now on its 52nd year, the Annual APPEA will once again bring together oil and gas companies and technology providers together for three days of conference, networking and trade exhibit. NewSat , which is at the frontline of local teleport and satellite service industry, will showcase its Ka band services, teleport solutions, satellite broadband products, mobile backhaul support and future SATCOM capabilities.
This is one of the biggest trade shows and conferences aimed at the oil and natural gas industries. Ron Miller and James Hamilton will be there to represent the award-winning SATCOM provider. Around 80 petroleum and gas companies that comprise the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association Ltd. have been actively involved in petroleum projects in Australia, generating more than 98% of the gas and oil output of the country. The organizer calls this year’s gathering as unrivaled in its breadth and scope. Among the main sponsors that back the 52nd APPEA conference are Schlumberger, Clough, the Australian Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, SASOL, Conoco Phillips, Total, Exxon Mobil, Santos and Beach Energy.
Attendees are looking forward to hear plenary sessions with speeches from Total Chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie , Federal Resources & Energy Minister Martin Ferguson and South Australian Premier Jay Weatheri. Also gracing the event are public and private figures, notably the Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi; Siemen’s Executive Vice-President Andrew Logue; Maria van der Hoeven, former Executive Director of the IEA; and ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing Vice President (Asia-Pacific) Emma Cochrane.
Local experts will also share valuable trade knowledge and technological strategies. The lineup includes Santos VP Peter Cleary, Santos Limited Managing Director & APPEA Chairman David Knox, Chevron Greater Gorgon Area GM Colin Beckett, Origin Energy Limited CEO Paul Zealand, National Farmers’ Federation VP Duncan Fraser, GISERA Director Peter Stone, BHP Billiton Petroleum Chief Executive Michael Yeager, Woodside Energy Managing Director Peter Coleman and Deloitte Access Economics Partner Ian Harper.
Misters Miller and Hamilton of NewSat will be available to brief the petroleum industry of the satellite communications solutions offered by NewSat. The company offers satellite broadband services, mobile backhaul support and teleport facilities. Operating on 13 satellites, the SATCOM provider has deployed 2,500 services to various oil and gas projects worldwide.
Satellite Internet Australia 