Volume III, No. V May 2018
Gottlieb's
Independent Analysis and Commentary on Maritime, Aero and Land-based Satellite Technologies
Cover: GomSpace Nanosatellite
In This Issue: "Reshaping the Satellite Industry: The Coming of Nanosatellites" An Interview with GomSpace CEO Niels Buus "Acquisition and Recapitalization Brighten Globalstar's Future" with Globalstar CEO, Jay Monroe For Cruise and Trunking: Load Balancing for Ultra High Bandwidth" with Comtech ED Data Sr. V.P. Andrew Lucas " What's Ahead for The Satellite Industry " An Interview with Industry Veteran David Hershberg, CEO of STS Global "
Satellite mobility World
Now Including Exclusive Coverage of NewSpace!!
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Welcome to the May 2018 issue of Gottlieb's Satellite Mobility World. Our magazine is over two years old and in just 27 issues, we've opened a whole new chapter in Satellite Industry publications. We're now read in 43 countries around the world. We're continuing to follow the satellite and mobility sector with a series of candid interviews with the Industry's leading CEOs. This month's feature continues our focus on nanosatellites and NewSpace in an interview with Niels Buus, the CEO of GomSpace, the leading manufacturer of nanosatellites. Next, we're covering the just announced Globalstar Merger with Fiberlight. with CEO Jay Monroe. We're also hearing from Dave Hershberg, CEO of STS Global with his thoughts on the state of the satellite industry and its future, and in an interview with Andy Lucas, Sr. V.P. at Comtech EF Data, we're offering a look at how Load Balancing can be deployed to vastly increase the amount of bandwidth in high demand markets like cruise and IP Trunking. Gottlieb's Satellite and Mobility World is published monthly (except August) by Gottlieb International Group., Inc. Suite 100, 1209 South Frederick Street, Arlington, VA USA 22204 © Copyright 2018 (Tel +1-703-622-8520) Interested in our unique Promotional Capabilities? Contact us today!
SATELLITE MOBILITY WORLD
GOTTLIEB'S
Table of Contents:
Industry Trends and Analysis: (pg. 3) "What's Up In Satellite: Can the LEOs survive GEO HTS? (pg 5) "Reshaping the Satellite Industry: The Coming of Nanosatellites" An Interview with GomSpace CEO Niels Buus (pg. 8) "Acquisition and Recapitalization Brighten Globalstar's Future" with Globalstar CEO, Jay Monroe (pg. 21) "For Cruise and Trunking: Load Balancing for Ultra High Bandwidth" with Comtech EF Data Sr. V.P. Andrew Lucas (pg. 27) " What's Ahead for The Satellite Industry" An Interview with Industry Veteran David Hershberg, CEO of STS Global (pg. 35) Upcoming and Recommended Satellite Mobility Events (pg. 42)
Industry Trends and Analysis
Eutelsat and ViaSat vs. Inmarsat's EAN: The Battle Rages On... Washington April 27th - Eutelsat and ViaSat continue in their efforts to derail Inmarsat's launch of the EAN services in Europe after the French telecom regulatory regulator, Arcep, granted Inmarsat the right to operate the EAN in France. Appealing to the French Council of State, Eutelsat claims that the Arcep decision to allow the network to operate was based on the contention that it would ease the Digital Divide when, in fact, it will be used to deliver Internet service to aircraft, not under-served consumers on the ground. The Eutelsat appeal comes after the European Commission rejected their argument that Inmarsat was deploying a cellular based service using a satellite license. Unable to successfully argue against the EAN at the EC level, they are now going country to country in an effort to block implementation of the service. Given that Eutelsat has significant leverage as a major French company, the Eutelsat/ViaSat alliance may have the best chance, if they have any chance at all, of delaying or blocking the EAN. Of course, even if Inmarsat does launch the EAN, chances of its success, we believe, are not assured. Unlike the original Gogo ATG service in the U.S. which was launched in the absence of competing services, the EAN faces significant competition from satellite Internet providers Gogo, Panasonic, ViaSat and Global Eagle. In addition, unlike in the U.S. , European business travelers frequently travel by high speed rail, and flights are much shorter. So, Inmarsat will have to charge less than in the U.S. While the company has been successful in securing several contracts in the hotly contested aero Internet segment, its growth in this area represents a mere 12% of its revenue and, consequently, is expected to have little effect on the overall financial performance of the company. AG STECCOM to Provide Premium Inflight Connectivity over Europe and CIS Region with SES Networks Commercial passenger aircraft and business jets operating in the region will benefit from high-speed broadband and wide range of inflight communications and operational applications Luxembourg, 16 April 2018 -- Sputnik Telecommunications Entertainment Company (STECCOM), Russia’s major satellite communications operator and leading developer of VSAT-based communication systems, will elevate the passenger and crew inflight connectivity (IFC) experience across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region and Europe by utilizing SES satellite capacity and associated services via SES Networks, announced SES today. Under the agreement, STECCOM will leverage a high-capacity, global managed services platform built on an open architecture. SES Networks global mobility solution will enable the service provider to customise and efficiently distribute bandwidth, adapting their offerings according to the needs of commercial passenger aircraft and business jets operating on their network. Additionally, STECCOM’s customers will benefit from high-speed, high-throughput connectivity. Also, SES Networks and STECCOM will use each other’s ground facilities, opening up opportunities for enhanced connectivity across Europe, Russia and Central Asia. This ground infrastructure is key in ensuring efficient delivery of bandwidth to meet the rising demand for high-quality IFC services in this dynamic market. “With this agreement STECCOM is positioning itself to extend its aeronautical network throughout Europe and is able to create opportunities for future reach beyond this geographical area,” said Oleg Kuts, CEO at STECCOM. “Our partnership with SES Networks gives us access to a multi-band, multi-orbit aero platform, which allows us to offer differentiated solutions.” “Passengers today expect to have quality connectivity when they are up in the air, just like they do when they are at home,” said Elias Zaccack, Executive Vice President, Global Sales, at SES Networks. “SES Networks is delighted to be supporting STECCOM in its ambition to reliably deliver the highest quality of connectivity and elevate the travel experience for air passengers in Russia and adjoining markets, and to help airlines in the region expand their number of connected aircraft.” Speedcast (ASX:SDA) Bandwidth On Demand(TM): Unparalleled Connectivity Flexibility for the Yachting Market Sydney, April 27, 2018 - (ABN Newswire) - Speedcast International Limited (ASX:SDA) (FRA:7SC), the world's most trusted provider of r! emote communication and IT solutions, today unveiled Speedcast Bandwidth on Demand(TM), a portfolio of new subscription plans for the yachting market for use with Kymeta(TM) KyWay (TM) terminals, the world's only commercially-available flat-panel antenna technology. This innovative service provides the flexibility that yacht owners and captains demand, giving them short-term, unlimited usage, and quick bandwidth upgrades and downgrades. Speedcast Bandwidth On Demand simplifies communications, removes contract requirements, and will attract more customers to enjoy seamless, reliable connectivity at sea. Speedcast Bandwidth On Demand is available exclusively through the company's partner, e3 Systems and their Certified Distribution Partners, and is paired with Kymeta's state-of-the-art flat-panel antenna. Speedcast is the first service provider in the yachting market to use the revolutionary KyWay terminal for bandwidth-on-demand requirements. "Speedcast Bandwidth On Demand provides the yachting community with the flexibility they are seeking," said Roger Horner, Group Managing Director at e3. "We are excited to be the partner of Speedcast and Kymeta in bringing this new way to deliver connectivity to the marketplace." "Together with e3, Speedcast is demonstrating our leadership in the market by delivering an innovative and customer-friendly way to subscribe to satellite connectivity. Customers use and pay for the satellite communications when they need it," said Athina Vezyri, Executive Vice President, Maritime, Speedcast. In the future, the service will be expanded to reach the key yachting regions, further strengthening the Speedcast yachting solutions portfolio. Iridium Announces Target Launch Date for the Iridium-6/GRACE-FO Mission Unique "Ride share" Mission will Deploy Two Sets of Satellites in Two Separate Orbits MCLEAN, Va., April 09, 2018 - Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that the Iridium-6/GRACE-FO rideshare mission, the sixth Iridium® NEXT launch overall, has been targeted for launch by SpaceX from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California for May 19, 2018 at approximately 1:03 PM PDT (20:03 UTC). An exact instantaneous launch window time will be available closer to launch. The second of four Iridium launches planned for 2018, this mission will deliver five Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit, alongside the twin satellites for the NASA/German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission. Collaboratively chosen by all parties and considering range availability, this launch date maintains scheduled completion of the Iridium NEXT manifest in 2018. This unique "rideshare" launch, will first deploy the twin GRACE-FO spacecraft, after which the Falcon 9 second stage will continue onward to the deployment orbit for the five Iridium NEXT satellites. Upon completion, the Iridium-6/GRACE-FO mission will increase the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 55, leaving just two launches, of 10 satellites each, remaining. Iridium NEXT satellites are scheduled to begin shipping to the launch site this week while the twin GRACE-FO spacecraft are already onsite at the VAFB Harris Corporation facility, and have been stacked, attached to their dispenser and are preparing for transfer to the SpaceX launch complex. For this mission, all five Iridium NEXT satellites will be delivered to orbital plane six. The Iridium network is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 operational crosslinked satellites, for a total of 66 satellites in the active constellation. The 2018 Iridium NEXT launch series will bring a total of 35 new satellites to space, completing the constellation of 66 operational satellites and 9 in-orbit spares. In total, 81 new satellites are being built, with the six remaining satellites serving as ground spares. Iridium NEXT is the company's $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. Iridium NEXT will replace the company's existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely on to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more. Speedcast Expands Capacity on AsiaSat 9 to Serve Asia-Pacific Upgraded Capacity Enhances Quality and Efficiency for Networking and Connectivity Hong Kong and Sydney, 10 April 2018 – Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), Asia’s leading satellite operator announced an expansion and renewal agreement with Speedcast International Limited (Speedcast; ASX: SDA), the world’s most trusted provider of remote communication and IT solutions, to utilise multiple C- and Ku-band transponders on the brand new AsiaSat 9. This upgrade will enhance high quality managed network services for Speedcast’s global customers in the Mobility, Maritime, Energy, Enterprise and Government sectors, and for cellular backhaul solutions to emerging markets. With AsiaSat 9 in service at 122°E since year-end 2017, Speedcast has been seeing benefit from the superior power and efficiency of the high performance beams. This new agreement faciliates Speedcast’s flexible access to AsiaSat 9’s enhanced C-band and Ku-band beams serving East Asia, Indonesia and Myanmar, which allows the company to expand and upgrade the communications networks based on customer requirements. AsiaSat has been a long-term partner of Speedcast in the Asia-Pacific region since 1999. Together, they provide high demand, wide-range, robust and reliable communications solutions for mission critical networks – from voice, video and broadband data, to safety and cybersecurity, as well as cellular backhaul solutions to telcos and critical connectivity solutions for remote regions and in emergency situations. Barrie Woolston, Chief Commercial Officer of AsiaSat said, “We greatly value our unique relationship with Speedcast and the fantastic history working together to deliver high quality, flexible and reliable networking and communication solutions to their customers. Amid this dynamic market and evolving customer requirement, we are grateful to continue to support Speedcast’s expansion and success in the Asia Pacific.” “AsiaSat has been an important partner for Speedcast in the Asia-Pacific region for many years and we are eager to further strengthen the relationship with the upgrade on AsiaSat 9,” said Moti Shulman, Senior Vice President of Capacity Management & Network Planning, Speedcast. “Our growing customer needs in this region warrant enhanced capacity that performs reliably and efficiently, and our partnership with AsiaSat is an invaluable asset that allows us to deliver on our promise of the best possible managed connectivity services for our customers’ critical operations.” RigNet Expands its Services Portfolio in the Energy Sector with the Acquisitions of Auto-Comm and SAFCON RigNet expands its services portfolio in the energy sector with the acquisitions of Auto-Comm and SAFCON HOUSTON, April 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RigNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:RNET) announced today it has acquired two separate, US-based, leading oil and gas services providers: Automation Communications Engineering Corp. (Auto-Comm), a diversified telecommunications services company, and Safety Controls, Inc. (SAFCON), a safety and security service provider. These acquisitions will expand RigNet’s services in the oil and gas industry and will add value across its systems integration and managed communications services businesses; combining the companies will also further strengthen RigNet’s relationships with oil and gas exploration and production companies. Auto-Comm provides a broad range of communications services, for both onshore and offshore remote locations, to the oil and gas industry. The company brings over 30 years of systems integration experience in engineering and design, installation, testing, and maintenance. SAFCON offers a diverse set of safety, security, and maintenance services to the oil and gas industry. Auto-Comm and SAFCON have developed strong relationships with major energy companies that complement the relationships that RigNet has established over the years. "We are excited to welcome the Auto-Comm and SAFCON teams to our RigNet family,” said Steven Pickett, Chief Executive Officer and President of RigNet. “These acquisitions further affirm RigNet’s commitment to grow and expand technology services throughout the energy value chain. With RigNet, our customers are Always Connected, Always Secure, and Always Learning.” Panasonic Avionics Announces B787 Deal With EGYPTAIR Hamburg, Germany - 10 April, 2018 – Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) has today announced an agreement with EGYPTAIR to provide inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) systems for six Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Panasonic’s eX3 inflight entertainment solution features the industry’s largest selection of options including HD monitors, capacitive touch handsets, in-seat power, and ensures a premium experience in every cabin class. Hideo Nakano, Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, says: “We are honored to partner with EGYPTAIR to install inflight entertainment and connectivity across their widebody aircraft. “The powerful combination of our eX3 IFE system with our global, high-speed communications service are designed to meet a wide range of passenger and crew needs, and we look forward to working with EGYPTAIR to help them make the most of their passenger experience investment.” Safwat Musallam, Chairman, and CEO, EGYPTAIR Holding Company, says: “High-quality inflight Wi-Fi is changing the way people think about flying and how they spend their time in the air. Accordingly, in addition to our fleet upgrading strategy implemented, we needed a solution not only capable of providing a reliable system, but also a truly immersive inflight experience to our passengers.” He added: “With this additional support of Panasonic Avionics, we will continue to offer the seamless flight experience to our valued passengers, as we are looking forward to continuing strengthening this relationship with Panasonic Avionics.” The agreement will see the six Boeing 787-9 aircraft fitted with Panasonic’s eX3 IFE system along with inflight connectivity. In Business Class, each seat will feature an 18-inch screen, a video touch handset, a USB jack for high power charging in-seat and a noise cancelling audio jack. In Economy Class, passengers will each have a 12-inch screen and shared access to power outlets. Each aircraft will also be fitted with overhead 16-inch screens throughout each cabin. Panasonic’s eX3 system is capable of delivering more than 700 hours of on-demand audio and video entertainment and offers excellent picture quality with enhanced colour and contrast features. Its inflight connectivity services include high-speed, global Wi-Fi, multiple channels of live television, and the ability to use smart phones to make and receive calls, SMS messages, and emails, and browse online. EGYPTAIR has also opted for a range of additional software applications across the fleet that include passenger surveys, onboard shopping, 3D moving map and OneMedia - Panasonic’s advertising platform.
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With Alan Gottlieb "Satellite Mobility World" Publisher
With the massive increase in GEO HTS capacity going skyward in the next three years, GEO operators will almost certainly endeavor to cover any geography on earth where the potential for revenue exists. So the real question is what market or markets will be left unserved for the mega-LEO constellations, and will the purveyors of these giant, speculative projects face the same fate as the original Iridium business? This question was raised by Dave Hershberg in our interview in this issue and is a good one. While Iridium promised connectivity for everyone at a high price, it was soon rendered uneconomic by the spread of inexpensive GSM cellular into every major global population center. Could ubiquitous GEO coverage do the same to the LEOs? While it's possible to calculate how much additional GEO satellite capacity will be available based on planned launches, no one knows how fast demand will rise. Predictions are highly speculative, and the continuing collapse in Ku and Ka-Band pricing is certainly proof that demand is not rising fast enough to absorb even existing capacity - let alone the capacity from new HTS satellites that will soon be available. Time after time, smart people have made the same mistake of over-estimating market demand, and there is no reason to believe that it's any different in today's satellite world. With even more GEO HTS slated to come on-line long before the mega-LEO constellations, the situation can only get worse, driving operators to penetrate every available geographic market. Indeed, we are seeing massive amounts of investment capital being poured into hugely expensive global LEO projects - investments that in many cases that can only be justified by reaching billions of potential subscribers who supposedly exist in areas not served by expanding fiber networks or the new HTS GEOs. Consider O3b, the last constellation intended to serve the billions of the unserved. Despite its original altruistic objective, its business plan soon evolved into serving potentially profitable niche markets, where coverage was needed and users could pay. The evolution of the original business model was certainly proof that investing billions to dump capacity everywhere in expectation that business will come is a flawed and risky strategy made even more risky today by the massive amounts of HTS GEO capacity soon to be available and the uncertain build costs of the mega-LEO projects. That's why we are highly skeptical of these ventures. It's interesting to note that venture capitalists who demand predictable ROI are not fond of backing these new "Internet for all" constellations. Instead, we find the mega-LEOs initially funded by mega-corporate investors who benefit largely from the proceeds from the enormous contracts awarded to build the constellations and who take little risk even if the projects turn out to be financial disasters. In conclusion, while we believe that the mega-LEOs can be built, we may well find that too few unserved markets exist to make them economically viable. A.G.
What's Up in Satellite: Can the LEOs Survive GEO HTS?
"In market after market - from fiber to the collapse of oil prices in the 80's - "smart people" have made the same mistakes. Overestimates of market demand fed by a never ending flood of over-optimistic analyst projections have led to disaster."
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Reshaping the Satellite Industry: The Coming of Nanosatellites
An Interview with GomSpace CEO, Niels Buus...
Nanosatellites are coming of age. An era that was once dominated by huge capital intensive satellite projects and giant satellite operators is evolving into a new era, one in which new low-cost and powerful small satellites will take on more and more applications once reserved for GEOs. It will soon be possible to launch ventures which target niche markets and offer highly predictable financial returns, rather than hugely expensive constellations that need millions or billions of subscribers from vaguely defined multiple markets to justify their astronomical costs. To find out just how far nanosatellite capabilities have advanced and the functionalities we can expect from them in the near future, we are pleased to present our exclusive interview with Niels Buus, CEO of GomSpace, one of the major manufacturers of nano-satellites. SMW: Could you give us a general overview of GomSpace including the history of the company, recent major initiatives and long term strategic direction? Niels Buus: GomSpace was founded in 2007 in Aalborg, Denmark when several students at the University began sending up nano-satellites . The industry grew rapidly with the availability of low cost launch capacity derived from Ballistic missiles developed during the Cold War, and more and more universities initiated nanosatellite projects. Originally, GomSpace was funded by a local innovation company that was state-backed. We didn’t get much money from the European Space Agency or government but later we raised more funds from commercial investors. In 2016, we went to the stock exchange for an IPO. I became the board chairman when the company was founded, and I became the CEO in 2014. In the beginning, We were very, very commercially focused because we started selling modules to universities around the world - a computer, a power unit - essentially whatever you needed to build a nanosatellite. The biggest step forward came when the Air France Rio to Paris flight crashed in mid Atlantic and it took nearly a year to locate the wreckage. That gave us the idea of putting ADS-B receivers on board a satellite. For that project, we sought and received received funding from a high technology foundation in Denmark. We built an ADS-B receiver and incorporated it into a satellite in 2013, making us the first commercial company in the world to demonstrate the use of ADS-B to track aircraft globally. From that point, we moved forward from education - by demonstrating that a nanosatellite could actually be built and launched to support actual scientific investigation in space and defense applications, many of which focused on technology testing and even quantum computing. We are now moving on to our next stage of evolution which encompasses planning, funding and launching full constellations. Today, our customers are typically small companies, disruptors, that can see the possibilities for a new service. However, we are now seeing interest from larger companies that are beginning to see that nanosatellites can provide viable mainstream satellite-based solutions. SMW: There has been a lot of interest in nanosatellites recently, and the technology seems to have advanced considerably. Please provide us with an overview of the most widely used applications available given the current state of the technology, how you expect the technology to advance, and what new types of applications might soon be possible? Can you give us some examples? Niels Buus: First of all, the technology has advanced considerable. Size of the modules has been standardized to 10 X 10 cm units which has helped the development of the nanosatellites market. We are now able to offer a complete satellite with reaction wheels to point the satellites, propulsion units to move and de-orbit the satellite, inter-satellite links and unfolding solar panels and radios with a wide variety of frequency capabilities – essentially a complete vehicle suitable to lift a variety of scientific or commercial payloads into space. So the industry evolved from launching nanosatellites with educational and scientific capabilities, to satellites capable of supporting significant commercial and military applications. We believe the next level of technology advancement will be the ability to deliver broadband communications using the Ka-Band frequency. In this regard, we believe the market for nanosatellite broadband will be to deliver services to niche markets with specific applications vs. a strategy of providing services to everybody. When you have a niche focused product, you can deliver a very high-quality service since you don’t have to serve a multitude of different markets all at once. Keep in mind that big, expensive satellites require large markets to justify their costs. Nanosatellites do not. Currently, quite a few entities are coming to us with projects focused on specific niche applications and new, disrupting services conducted from low earth orbit. Sky and Space Global is one example, a company focused on the provision of M2M, IoT and narrow band voice using S Band radios. Essentially, they are attempting to exploit the lower cost structure of nanosatellites to compete with satellite firms employing much higher cost infrastructure. Another example is Aistech, a Spanish company focused on the use of nanosatellites in asset tracking, space imaging and aircraft tracking. The company plans to offer customized information products and have 100 nanosatellites orbiting Earth by 2022. We are also seeing significant interest in the defense industry. Recently, in cooperation with Danish Defense and the European Space Agency, we launched a test mission consisting of two six-unit satellites with propulsion and inter-satellite links designed to survey the Arctic area. SMW: Another GomSpace initiative involves satellites designed to monitor the positions of aircraft between +37 and -37-degree latitudes with ADS-B receive capability. Can you tell more about this project and the use case? Niels Buus: The application in this case is to provide African nations with airline over flights of their territory in support of an initiative to charge fees for use of their airspace. SMW: In one of our previous conversations, you mentioned that Ka-Band radios are being designed for nano-satellites. In the past, uplink and downlink frequencies for nanosatellites have been limited to the UHF band which us bandwidth constrained. Assuming Ka-Band radios become available and regulatory approval is granted, do you believe that a global nano-constellation incorporating Ka-Band, miniaturized transponders and large, deployable antennas (i.e. NSLComm) is practical and could provide broadband connectivity similar to the much higher cost initiatives now underway with constellations like OneWeb? Niels Buus: Yes. We will use a phased array antenna to deliver Ka-band services and believe we will be able to provide a highly competitive service at very low cost. We are focusing on building very, very energy efficient satellites and will be initially targeting niche and “gap filler” type broadband applications. I believe that ultimately the satellite industry focus will move away from building faster and higher capacity satellites to offering niche services delivered by application specific, lower cost, nano technologies. You can now look at small markets and how to serve them better. SMW: In imaging applications, would nanosatellites be complementary or competitive with existing satellites? I understand that launching a constellation of these satellites would provide near real-time imaging of ongoing events on the earth’s surface vs. the delayed coverage now enabled by existing earth imaging satellites. Yet, it is unclear whether nanosatellites could equal the imaging capabilities of the current satellites. Will nanosatellites make current earth imaging satellites obsolete in the future, or is their functionality limited by their size? Niels, Buus: Nanosatellites are not likely to displace large satellites in the imaging market . While there are imaging missions today, the size of nanosatellites cannot support payloads with large aperture, high resolution imaging cameras. While electronics such as radios can be miniaturized, optical resolution is limited by the laws of physics. You need big, heavy optical systems with large lenses to achieve really high-resolution imaging. On the other hand, micro-processor technology is advancing rapidly. So, given that nanosatellites are very inexpensive vs. conventional satellites to build and launch, it is easier to take advantage of the rapid advances in processing power. For example, over a five-year time span, processor capability could increase three to five times because of Moore’s law. Recall that GEOs are placed in orbit to last 15-20 years whereas our nanosatellites are made from standard components and are designed to last five years, and we replenish them. So, we are much less subject to the technological obsolescence and high cost of manufacture associated with GEOs. As processing power advances, nanosatellites will be able to do more and more in terms of processor and micro-electronics dependent applications rather than in earth imaging applications. Radar imaging would be a good example since it is electronic, not optics dependent. SMW: Are nanosatellites limited to missions in LEO orbits or is their potential for them as MEO or even GEOs? Niels Buus: When you are in LEO orbits, you are protected by the earth’s magnetic field from radiations. We don’t know how well standard components will be able to survive when you get in MEO or GEO orbits. The other issue is the amount of increased power required to communicate from higher orbits. SMW: What are the typical costs associated with the design and build of nanosatellites? Can you cite the cost of some projects to give us some perspective? Niels Buus: What we are saying to the market is that the one unit (1 Kg or 10 X 10 cm) is around $120,000. If you are only doing a test mission, you can piggy back on another satellite launch. However, if you have to send up a constellation of satellites, then you have to have the satellites placed in specific locations with pre-determined spacing, and that would require launching them in groups on dedicated launch vehicles. So, if you are going to do a global constellation that requires 100 satellites in five orbital planes, you need five launches of 20 satellites each. Providers like Virgin Orbit are able to accommodate this sort of requirement. SMW: GomSpace, I am told, is building its own Tracking and Control facility. Can you tell us more about this initiative? Niels Buus: We call this “constellation management.” We are opening an office in Luxembourg to do T&C in order to provide our customers with the service. We are also investing in special constellation management software that is highly automated, so you don’t need to have numerous people sitting on the ground managing the satellites. The problem of managing these satellites is similar to managing a mobile network in the early stages of network development. So, we can “borrow” tools from the mobile network business. We just started hiring people to do that kind of development. The aim is to do much of the management automatically included station keeping, orientation, technical conditions and measurements with only a small number of people attending. So, we would do the management of the satellite, and the customer could control the actual on-board functionality i.e. imaging, communications, etc. through a web portal. SMW: Given the increasing functionality of nanosatellites, do you believe that major satellite operators will have interest in deploying them? Niels Buus: : We are committed to changing the world with use of these small satellites and we believe the small players will be the “first movers.” However, we also believe that once the satellite capabilities are at any interesting level, the big operators will find opportunities to deploy them. SMW: In sum, given the transition of many applications in the computing world from mainframe to desktop machines, do you see a similar pattern emerging in the satellite world. If so, what applications will likely remain with GEOs and what applications will move to micro and nanosatellites? Niels Buus: We also use that example that what is happening in the satellite industry is similar to what happened in the computer industry. However, it is not only the transfer some existing functionality now done by GEOs to nanosatellite. The question is what new applications can be enabled that are impractical in the high-cost GEO market. That is what’s interesting. I believe that ultimately, the primary market for GEOs will be when you need to get a lot of data to a lot of people. So, there is a tremendous growth opportunity for nanosatellites in other markets in the years to come. Thank you, Niels. You make it very clear that the future of the satellite industry will go far beyond the traditional GEO model and that nanosatellites will play an ever increasing role.
"When you have a niche focused product, you can deliver a very high-quality service since you don’t have to serve a multitude of different markets all at once. Keep in mind that big, expensive satellites require large markets to justify their costs."
ESA Arctic Survey GOMX-4 Mission
"The question is what new applications can be enabled that are impractical in the high-cost GEO market. That is what’s interesting."
About Niels Buus: Mr. Buus has been CEO of GomSpace A/S since 2014 and was chairman of the board of directors of GomSpace ApS until December 2013 and board member until February 2016. In 2017 he was named Denmark's "Leader of the Year." Prior to GomSpace, he was chairman of the board of directors of Logistikkompagniet until August 2012 and iDoc Engineering ApS until August 2012 and was also a board member of Necas A/S until May 2015, and Miitors until March 2015.2 Niels holds a Master of Science degree in Leadership and Management from London Business School (London, UK), a Master of Science degree in Applied Optics from Imperial College (London, UK) and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Aalborg University (Aalborg, Denmark).
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Acquisition and Recapitalization Brighten Globalstar's Future
As of April 26, Globalstar announced a proposed merger that will transform the company from a small satellite-focused and financially challenged business into a new life with wireline, wireless and satellite potential. Renamed the Thermo Companies, the new entity features an acquisition of fiber networking company, Fiberlight, a large equity stake in Century Link and a significant cash injection of $100 Million - the net result being a financially strong, much larger company with significant growth potential. In essence, the addition of Fiberlight to Globalstar is significant for the industry and creates a diversified telecommunications company providing core infrastructure services to next generation networks. In an exclusive interview with CEO, Jay Monroe and President and COO, Dave Kagan, we asked about Fiberlight and the transaction. SMW: Jay, could you give us some background on Fiberlight and how you envision the acquisition can result in an accretive valuation for the combined companies. Jay Monroe: Fiberlight is a fiber network operator with a very large footprint in some of the highest growth areas of the United States - Texas, the Southeast and especially those areas around Washington D.C. as well as a presence in the Bay Area. It has dense fiber footprint that includes 1.5 million miles of fiber and serves 40 of the 50 largest bandwidth customers in the United States. The principal strategic rationale for the transaction is that contained in one vehicle, you have a fiber company, a spectrum company, a satellite company and a telecom investment company. How these companies are positioned, adjust and grow in a changing telecom world will be the key to the future of the business over time. Because we can collaborate across operations, the combined company is much, much stronger than the individual companies could ever be. For example, Globalstar’s satellite services can be used to serve FiberLight’s enterprise customers while FiberLight’s fiber can be used to complement Globalstar’s spectrum in metro markets. This opens opportunities for IoT applications. Broadly speaking, there are two different types of IoT, some of it will require high bandwidth connectivity, like high resolution video which will require clean spectrum and dense fiber deployments. Other IoT services need near global connectivity and can accept lower data rates. The newly combined company can deliver on all of those services. The need for raw spectrum is a particularly exciting area over the long run because you cannot create any more high quality spectrum only improve wireless capabilities or clear regulatory limitations on certain bands. Globalstar has four spectrum bands, one of which is already approved in the U.S. and two others with global potential over time. SMW: I understand some of Globalstar's customers are already using new IoT devices recently introduced by the company. Can you give us some examples? Jay Monroe: I'll ask our president and COO, Dave Kagan, to comment on that. Dave: Kagan: Thanks Jay: We just launched a new tracking product called SmartOne Solar. It’s a solar powered tracking device with one-way narrow band transmit capability fully certified for use in oil and gas markets. Because it is capable of carrying location and other narrow band IoT transmissions, it can be used in any other market to send sensor data. This is just one product that is already being sold old by Fiberlight to its customers. My point is that that is tremendous potential for cross selling within the new company structure. SMW: Could you give us an idea of the structure of the financial transaction? Jay Monroe: Of course. We are actually injecting the equivalent of $400 Million in cash and cash and equivalents which includes the value of CenturyLink stock. The stock itself spins off $34 Million in dividends which will also go to the business combination. Fiberlight had EBITDA last years of roughly $67 Million and, of course, we have Globalstar which has two components, one of which is spectrum and the other is the growing satellite business, which last year has $32 Million of EBITDA. After we close the transaction in Q3 of this year, we estimate that for the full year 2019 total EBITDA for the combined company will be roughly $165 Million. So, it is a four to five times increase in EBITDA for Globalstar. If you look at the growth in FiberLight, the growth in Globalstar and the contribution from the dividend and income from the $100 Million of cash, we see the $165 Million adjusted EBITDA as quite reasonable with the opportunity for continues growth. This puts us in a situation where the new company, Thermo Companies, will have only modest total debt, around $200 Million, in relation to its projected EBITDA, and instead of having the very high debt to cash flow associated with Globalstar as a stand-alone entity, Thermo will have a very low one. In addition, the new company pays no taxes based on the $1.7 Billion operating loss carried forward from Globalstar which can be used by the combined entity. That provides a huge economic advantage as cash flow can be generated on a favorable after-tax basis which will free the company from requiring additional equity or capital to be raised over time. SMW: Thank you, Jay and Dave. I think the the acquisition and re-capitalization will give the new company a diversity of products, an enhanced income stream and the size and stability necessary to capture major projects from leading industry companies. It is certainly a major step forward. I wish you success. AG
An Interview with Globalstar's CEO, Jay Monroe and President and COO Dave Kagan
The real strategic rationale is that you have a fiber company, a spectrum company and Globalstar, a satellite company – all rolled into one. How these companies interact in the changing telecom world is a key part of our story.
About Jay Monroe: Jay Monroe is Chairman and CEO of Globalstar, Inc., one of the world’s leading Mobile Satellite Services providers. Jay is the founder of The Thermo Companies and has held the Chairman position at Globalstar since Thermo’s acquisition of the Company in 2004. Jay was originally appointed Globalstar’s CEO in 2005 and primarily manages the Company’s long-term strategic growth. Since becoming CEO, Mr. Monroe has launched several major initiatives, including the launch of the Company’s second-generation constellation, to extend the quality and reach of Globalstar’s service and expand its portfolio of voice and data solutions. Mr. Monroe has been the majority owner of The Thermo Companies since the group’s founding in 1984. Mr. Monroe has overseen investments and operations in a wide variety of companies at all phases of growth from startup through maturity. Under his direction Thermo founded or acquired companies in diverse industries including telecommunications, power generation, natural resource development, industrial equipment distribution, equipment leasing, real estate and financial services.
For Cruise and Trunking: Load Balancing for Ultra High Bandwidth
An Interview with Andy Lucas, Comtech EF Data Sr. V.P....
In markets such as cruise and IP Trunking, the demand for data and video transmission is soaring, stressing the single link capabilities of even the most advanced modems. To achieve the extreme levels of bandwidth required to provide cruise passengers with an at-home connectivity experience, Load Balancing offers the capability to vastly increase the amount of bandwidth available from a single modem link. To find out more about how this technology can be deployed, we sought out Andy Lucas, Sr. V.P. Satellite Operations and Mobility, for Comtech EF Data, a company that has developed a series of products and a Load Balancer designed specifically for data transmission over satellite. SMW: I understand that Comtech EF Data has developed an innovative Load Balancing solution. Could you explain what the current bandwidth limitations are using a single link, and how speeds can be increased through deployment of your Load Balancer? Andy Lucas: In simplest terms, Load Balancing aggregates multiple satellite links to reach levels of performance far beyond the capability of a single link. For example, in a single link scenario, our CDM-760, which is a dedicated SCPC modem, can be used to achieve an impressive aggregate throughput of around 1.4 Gbps. However, achieving this level of performance stretches the capability of the antenna and amplifier and may be beyond the capabilities of all but the most powerful satellites, and the practical considerations - such as radome size and weight - limit any opportunity to upgrade the antenna and amplifier. Load Balancing steps around these limitations by spreading the transmission over multiple links. In our model, the signal is spread across up to eight satellite links and using CDM-760 modems with our Load Balancer, it would be possible to achieve up to 3.5 Gbps. In another example, our network capable, Heights Pro Modem which facilitates the automatic beam switching can achieve speeds of 250 X 200 Mbps on a single link. Without Load Balancing, the link is limited to these speeds. With it, the throughput could be significantly higher. While both modems could be used independently, the products are complimentary. As the CDM-760 is a dedicated point-to-point SCPC modem, it is most suited when ultra high capacity is required and a vessels sails under one satellite i.e. if a vessel 's itinerary is confined to an area like the the Caribbean. In cases where a vessel transitions across multiple satellite as in a Transatlantic voyage, the H-Pro Heights Remote Gateway with automatic beam switching would be the more appropriate solution. However, both modems could be used in combination. In that scenario, when an SCPC link was not available for the CDM-760, the Heights Pro would provide the connectivity, and in a situation where both the SCPC link and other satellite links could be accessed, very high bandwidth could be achieved using both modems simultaneously. In this use case, up to eight modems, CDM 760 and Heights Pro modems, could be used in combination and the available capacity aggregated by a single Load Balancer thereby bi-passing the limited capacity of a single modem. SMW: In addition to increasing bandwidth capacity, are there any other advantages to Load Balancing? Andy Lucas: The primary advantage over a single link is that you are limited to one beam and one satellite. With Load Balancing, you can now access multiple beams and multiple satellites. Not only does this result in improved throughput but improves reliability. When transmission is confined to a single link, weather or blockages from ship infrastructure could interrupt the connection. With Load Balancing, the transmission is spread over multiple links and multiple satellites. So, an outage affecting a single link does not bring down the connection. Since most cruise ships have multiple antennas, all of the antennas can become primary antennas rather than have a collection of primary and backup antennas. The antennas can be pointed at different transponders and maybe even different satellites. So all assets are deployed concurrently resulting in higher speeds, greater passenger satisfaction and higher ROI on antenna investment. SMW: Can you give us an idea of the hardware requirements needed to employ Load Balancing and what are the limitations? How well does this approach scale in terms of bandwidth capacity? Can you combine an unlimited number of carriers? Andy Lucas: You need a modem per connection and theoretically you could do up to eight connections on a single antenna. However, since the amount of power applied to a single antenna is limited by the laws of Physics, it’s not likely that a single antenna would have enough power to support so many links. You would most likely need to use multiple antennas. On a cruise vessel this makes sense because you usually have multiple antennas. SMW: Does the technology work on both HTS and conventional wide beam satellites and on both Ku and Ka-Band? Is it frequency agnostic? Andy Lucas: Yes. Load Balancing is frequency agnostic. You could load balance over C, Ku and Ka Band simultaneously. Obviously, that would give you a very wide choice of satellites that you could access. SMW: What is the difference between your CDM 760 your H-Pro Heights Remote Gateway? Andy Lucas: To recap, The CDM-760 is a dedicated point-to-point SCPC modem capable of transmission rates up to 1.4 Gbps. It is the modem of choice when you have to have the highest possible throughput, and a high powered, HTS satellite is available. In contrast, the H-Pro Heights Remote Gateway utilizes H-DNA or dynamic SCPC. It sets up a dynamic SCPC link that adjusts to the capacity required– an approach that is more efficient that TDMA technology, and it can achieve speeds up to 250 X 200 Mbps. It’s also a network product and can also do Point-to- Multi-Point and beam switching. So, in sum, while the CDM-760 would be deployed when you need to achieve the maximum transmission rate possible, the H-Pro Heights Remote Gateway is a product designed for the mobility mobility environment where you need to roam automatically from beam to beam. SMW: Is this solution proprietary to Comtech EF Data? Andy Lucas: There are other solutions out there. However, unlike Load Balancing solutions designed for terrestrial, ours is designed specifically for satellite. The Comtech approach takes into account the variable quality of satellite links and the potential for intermittent interruptions. For example, our Load Balancer is fully integrated with our modems, so the modem knows in real time how much capacity is available. Load Balancers designed for terrestrial applications don’t understand the concept of variable bandwidth. So while you can buy an “off the shelf” Load Balancer that is suitable for terrestrial use, what you cannot buy is a load balancer that is part of an integrated an integrated satellite solution. In short, the Comtech EF Data Heights Load Balancer steps around the limits of transponder size, BUC and antenna capacity and multiplies up the available capacity to the ship depending on the number of antenna’s onboard and delivers this into a cohesive, seamless and integrated communications path. SMW: Thank you, Andy.
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"The primary advantage over a single link is that you are limited to one beam and one satellite. With Load Balancing, you can now access multiple beams and multiple satellites. Not only does this result in improved throughput but improves reliability."
About Andrew Lucas: Andrew Lucas is Senior Vice President, Satellite Operators and Mobility for Comtech EF Data. In this role, he leads the market development and direction of the Comtech EF Data product line for Satellite Operators and the Mobility market. By leveraging market insight, he directs long-term strategic initiatives and defines the required solution and feature sets for the Satellite Operator and Mobility Verticals. Lucas has over 20 years of experience leading the implementation of large scale operationally challenging solutions including end-to-end satellite and ground segment systems, deployment and support of complex telecommunications and satellite networks, business intelligence, and data center solutions in Mission Critical, Harsh & Remote applications in worldwide markets including Energy, Maritime and Cruise. Prior to joining Comtech EF Data, he held the positions of Connectivity Services Business Manager at Schlumberger, COO and CTO at Harris Caprock.
What's Ahead for the Satellite Industry
An Interview With Industry Legend Dave Hershberg
In this era of disruption and transition in the satellite industry, there is no one more qualified to comment on the industry and its future than Dave Hershberg, the former CEO and Chairman of Globecomm Systems and now the CEO and founder of STS Global. With 58 years of experience in the industry, many of Dave's colleagues consider him an oracle of sorts and a legend in terms of what he has achieved. After selling Globecomm Systems to private investors for $340 Million, Dave founded STS Global two years ago and is well on his way to another successful venture. As no one has seen more of the industry through its development than Dave, we were really pleased to have the opportunity to have his views on the state of the satellite industry and its future. SMW: Dave, since you left Globecomm, you started STS. Can you give us some background on your new company, the key players involved, some of the projects you have done and your future market/project focus? Dave Hershberg: In 2013, we sold Globecomm to a venture group for $340 Million. The buyers then proceeded to lay off many of the key executives. So, after our one year non-compete expired, we decided to get together and start a new company. As you know, we started STS in 2016. The new company has elements of old STS, for those who remember, and Globecomm. In terms of projects, we have built 6.3 Meter Ka-Band terminals for SES and other customers both overseas and in the U.S. The four terminals we built for SES are being used by Hughes Corporation for their Jupiter program for aircraft and are using SES satellites, SES 15 and SES 16. We also built three terminals for VSAT hubs in Asia, and we also did a network in the South Pacific for the UN and some terminals in South America to handle video. In the future, I would like us to get into the service business – managing networks, broadcast and otherwise - just like we did at Globecomm. Unlike the infrastructure business where you build something, collect the revenue and it’s over, the service business is attractive because of the ongoing revenue it generates. However, getting into the business requires some serious capital investment to build and operate a teleport operation along with a NOC. So, we have done quite a few different projects, and I am satisfied as to where we are going. SMW: These times for the satellite industry seem to be especially challenging. Satellite operators are struggling and many of the stocks of the publicly held operators have fallen 50% or more in the last year. Bandwidth prices, as well, are dropping rapidly reflecting a building oversupply of Ku-Band and Ka-Band HTS capacity. In this environment, what is the future of GEO operators? How long do you think the current bandwidth supply glut might last? David Hershberg: I think this happens in a lot of industries when the companies get ahead of themselves. When you look at growing demand for capacity to support Internet services and streaming video to homes in under served areas in developing and underdeveloped countries, the need to provide secure data transmission off the public Internet and growing demand in mobility markets, it's becoming increasingly clear that while demand may be there, it just isn’t rising fast enough to catch up with the capacity that’s available. However, I think that people like Pradman Kaul at Hughes and Mark Dankberg at ViaSat are smart guys and have looked at the market before making these investments in HTS. The challenge is we have gone in 14 years from 1 Gbps satellites to 500 Gbps satellites, and to multiple HTS constellations and the effect has become increasingly obvious - prices per Megabit are continuing to drastically decline. Not so long ago, the cost of putting 1 Gbps in orbit was $300 Million. Now it's $1.5 Million. So, you are really talking about a sea change in capital cost for putting these satellites in orbit. So, to soak up the excess capacity coming on-line, we have to stimulate the demand for new services. Satellite can now compete with terrestrial fiber to home in geographically remote and under-served areas because the cost of bandwidth is so low . Secure connectivity is also a big potential opportunity, and I think that is going to be a big growth area for the satellite industry. For example, while the power companies need to be on the Internet to service customers, their power grid management function could be routed over satellite completely eliminating the potential for intrusion. Mobility is a promising area and, in particular, provision of bandwidth to cruise ships, ferries and commercial aircraft. Wherever there is mobility combined with the need to service large numbers of passengers, there is opportunity. However, despite promising areas where markets exist, we have inserted magnitudes more capacity into the market in a very short time, It isn't like we have a 10% increase in capacity. In fact, we have more capacity up there than we have had in 40 years! While ultimately supply and demand likely will swing into balance, the question is how long will it take? The fact is that nobody knows for sure what the slope of the demand curve really is. So, the pressure for operators to consolidate will continue and those companies with the highest debt levels will be the most likely to be merged out of existence. SMW: Are there any other satellite applications that might ease revenue and margin pressures on the major satellite operators? Do you see mobility, IoT, M2M and as having a major impact on the satellite supply/demand balance now or in the future? David Hershberg: The question is that you don’t need a lot of bandwidth to do these services. I think that a lot of people are looking at satellite because they can go directly from an endpoint to their NOC. While the cost of Ku or Ka-band antennas for each point may not be practical, bunching signals together via Wi-Fi or Wi-Max and then transmitting them in bulk to the NOC could be a solution. There is some nice hardware out there that can do this. I think there is definitely a market, but I don’t know what the total bandwidth requirement might be. SMW: There is massive GEO capacity coming on-line in the short-term, yet operational LEO constellations are mostly 3-5 years away. Do you think that there will be enough market left for the LEOs given their late entry into the market? Dave Hershberg: I think the big risk for the LEOs is similar to what bankrupted the original Iridium constellation. In that case ubiquitous availability of cheap GSM services left Iridium with insufficient market to be economically practical. In this case, it is the HTS with worldwide coverage and low cost customer premise equipment and lower cost bandwidth that will challenge the LEO constellations. While some say that GEO latency is a major disadvantage, I do not believe that it is a problem in most applications. Note that the cost estimates to LEO constellations like OneWeb are running into the billions of dollars and are similar in magnitude to the original Iridium investment. With so many HTS Ka and Ku-Band GEOs (not to mention MEO O3b) coming on-line, it seems realistic to assume that the operators of these satellites will be focusing their capacity wherever they see any market lucrative enough to contribute to their profitability. Consider that O3b's original intention was to serve the "other three billion." Just look at what it is doing now. You'll find it on remote Pacific islands with populations too small to support undersea cable connectivity focused on remote areas in the Brazilian jungle where population density is sufficient to support coverage or on cruise ships. With all of these GEO competitors along with O3b, its hard to see how hugely expensive LEO constellations can find enough users to be economic. SMW: Another significant trend is the emergence of a new generation of LEO nano and microsatellites. Unlike large GEOs and the LEOs that are attempting to provide ubiquitous global coverage, and cost billions, these satellites are very inexpensive - so much so that they can be launched to service very specific niche target markets. What impact do you expect that these satellites will have on the market. Dave Hershberg: I think it makes a lot more sense if you can go after a defined niche market at low cost rather than going after a multitude of vaguely defined markets simply because you need them to justify the multi-billion dollar cost of a big LEO satellite constellation. Looking at nanosatellites , I think the main applications will be environmental sensors, providing ship and aircraft tracking data, photo and intelligence collection. The low cost of these satellites due in large part to the development of hardware for the smart phone market, allows the launch of many satellites allowing almost real time data collection, and the ground infrastructure is simple and low cost. However. I do not see a global satellite communication role for Nano other than in niche applications because of the limited power and the complexity of establishing a network of nanosatellites. SMW: There is a huge rush on to develop flat panel ESAs. Phasor, Kymeta, Ball Aerospace, C-Com, Gilat, Thinkom and Cesium, Isotropic Systems and others have either launched product (Kymeta), are very close (Phasor) or are in the earlier stages of development. What is the future of these new ESAs – in GEO and LEO markets? Will they displace parabolic antennas? Dave Hershberg: I think they are not going to displace traditional parabolic antennas except in niche markets. In many cases they are power limited and expensive for the application. However, I think there is a lot of potential in LEO systems for gateways and customer premise systems, because of their ability to switch quickly between satellites. If they are sufficiently inexpensive, they could be deployed in Internet to home applications, but in reality they are more likely to find application in B to B markets such as "Fly Aways," stabilized , maritime, aero and rail and military applications such as "comms on the move." SMW: Thank you, Dave.
About Dave Hershberg Mr. Hershberg has been in the satellite communication business since 1959 at ITT, where he worked on the first active satellite system. In 1976 he founded STS that was sold to California Microwave where he served as excutive Vice President until leaving in 1994 when he founded Globecomm Systems Inc., and served as its Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer , before leaving in 2013 and founding STS Global. He is the winner of the Long Island Entrepreneur of the Year Award and holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University and an M.S. in Management Science from Stevens Institute of Technology.
There are many mobility related satellite industry events and unless you have an unlimited budget, here are the "must attends" and others that may be of interest. Note that the "hot" sectors are Cruise, Aero and Yachts. Upcoming Conferences: ***Posidonia, Athens Greece, June 4-8th, 2018: This is a key show due to the Greek shipping industry's leading position in the Tanker industry - the leading cargo maritime sector in terms of VSAT purchases. *****Global Connected Aircraft Summit, San Diego, CA June 4-6, 2018: In our opinion, this is the best event dealing with aircraft connectivity. As the commercial airlines struggle to upgrade and install Wi-Fi aboard their aircraft, the demand for bandwidth and associated Internet applications for both passenger entertainment and monitoring of aircraft systems is the prime focus. As the industry is also a leader in the use of IoT and M2M applications, what can be learned at this conference has applicability in other mobility sectors as well. ***CommunicAsia: June 26-28 2018: This is probably the best Asian satellite industry event. While not heavily focused on mobility, we recommend it for the excellent industry networking opportunities - expensive but well worth it. ***** World Satellite Business Week : September 2018: Notably the best conference for networking among top industry executives. A "must attend" with an excellent program. The 2017 conference was excellent. We attended the "Smart Plane" session and found it especially interesting. ***** 32nd Annual Small Satellite Conference August 4-9 2018, Logan Utah: This is the premier conference on small satellites and is highly recommended. Given the tremendous interest in this segment, the conference is a must attend: During the Conference, speakers will explore the new technologies, design methods, processes, operational constructs, and activities that inform and secure the success of small satellite missions. Other Conferences/Shows of Interest: ***Digital Ship CIO Forum/Cyber Resilience Forum: Held in numerous locations around the world, these events are notable for their focus mainly on IT related issues including cyber security, IoT and M2M. Sponsored globally by Marlink, they are held nearly everywhere. As the maritime cargo sector is in a major slump, the shipping people who attend these events are not in a buying mood. These events are probably worth attending at least once for their IOT, M2M and Cyber Security content - if you have the budget and the time. If you are interested in finding buyers, focus on the Tanker sector and attend Posidonia.
Upcoming and Recommended Satellite Mobility Events
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