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VIEW FROM THE TOP:Titus Yong, SingTel

BROADCASTERS CORNER:Mark Scott, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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November 2011 v ia Satell ite magaziNe WWW.Satell itetoDaY.Com

table of contentsNovember/11 Vol. XXVI Number 11

FeaturesInternational Milsatcom: Five Countries, Five Programs, Five Viewpoints Mark HolMes While the United States may invest more than any other nation in milsatcom assets and capacity, there is a great deal of innovation to be seen in international milsatcom strategies. As nations struggle to fund next-generation milsatcom programs, we look at how some countries are trying to meet the bandwidth needs of their armed forces.

Satellite Necessities for the Offshore Oil Platform: An End-Users Perspective JeFFreY H Ill Oil and gas companies are potentially lucrative customers for satellite-based communications. However, while demand for services like HD video on oil rigs is good news, the competition from fiber based networks is not and makes for an intriguing market for satellite players.

Middle East and Africa: Rich Pickings for Satellite Players? GIoVaNNI Verl IN I The Middle East and Africa remain fertile grounds for satellite with the demand for capacity significantly increasing. Yet, with fiber rollouts growing, do these markets still represent a golden opportunity for satellite?

2011. Via Satellite (ISSN 1041-0643) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, LLC, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 20850. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly involved in the satellite industry. All other subscriptions, U.S.: one year $99; two years $188. Canada: one year $129; two years $228. Foreign: one year $149; two years $278. Contents November not be reproduced without permission. Periodicals postage paid at Rockville, MD, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to Via Satellite, P.O. Box 3098, Northbrook, IL 60065-3098. Change of address: two to eight weeks notice requested. Send both new and old address, plus mailing label (if possible) to: Via Satellite Magazine, P.O. Box 3098, Northbrook, IL 60065-3098, or call 847/559-7314. Internet: [email protected]. Canada Post PM40063731. Return undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5.

Cover: This month, Via Satellite looks at different milsatcom programs around the world. Design: Vince Lim.


WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2011

Columns> Global Regulations Indian Remote Sensing SatellitesGERRY OBERST

With a land mass of more than 3 million square kilometers and a population of well over a billion, India has many reasons to develop earth observation capabilities. This could be for applications ranging from agriculture to urban planning.

> Satellite Policies Privacy Issues for U.S. Companies Expanding to EuropeRAUL MAGALLANES

The European Data Protection Directive prohibits transfers of personal data to non-European Union (EU) nations. While the EU and the United States share the same goal of enhancing privacy protection for their citizens, the EU and the United States take different approaches to achieving this goal.

> Dollars and Sense The New Normal, Part IIOWEN KURT IN

This emerging era of low growth, low interest rates, slashed government spending, higher unemployment and hoarded cash on corporate balance sheets may take a greater toll on the satellite sector than did the great recession of 2008-2009. Several analysts insist that the global economy has actually never emerged from the recession. The challenge for the industry is how to survive and thrive in the new economic environment.

WHO READS Brian Lenz, BSkyBs director of product

development, reads Via Satellite at IBC 2011 in Amsterdam.


NOVEMBER 2011 V IA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM

OnlineWebinars On Demand Satellite Broadband on Airplanes:A New Era Set to Begin (Part Two) U.S. Government Market Focus: The Risks of Insatiable Demand vs.

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For more information on upcoming and on-demand webinars, visit www.SatelliteTODAY.com/webinars

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> Editors Insight> View From The Top

Titus Yong, SingTel> Industry Events > Broadcasters Corner

Mark Scott, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

> Industry At Large> The Marketplace> Advertiser Index> Web Directory

Editorial 301/354-2000 MArk HolMeS, Associate editorJulie BlondeAu SAMuel, director, Satellite online, ext. 1770deBrA riCHArdS, Managing editor, ext. 1877JeFFreY Hill, news editor, ext. 1805Contributing WritersoWen kurTinGerAld e. oBerST, Jr.rAul MAGAllAneSMAx enGel

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Access Intelligence, LLCdon PAzour, Chief executive officered Pinedo, exec. Vice President & Chief Financial officerHeATHer FArleY, divisional President, Business information GroupMACY l. FeCTo, exec. Vice President, Human resources & Administration

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EDITORS NOTE


According to Simon Bull, a senior consultant at Comsys, 2010 was, the year of the non-event for the VSAT industry. As he opened up proceedings at Comsys VSAT event in London with this statement, I have to be honest it was not the answer I had been expecting for my questions concerning the current state of the VSAT market.

Satellite events always seem notorious for giving upbeat forecasts about the state of the industry, and often with good reason. However, Comsys highlights that the fiber threat to satellite, in some markets, is very real, and while we all talk about the latest and greatest advances in satellite technol-ogy, the industry still has a fight on its hands to make sure it remains a very relevant part of the communications chain going forward.

Bull also issued Comsys attendees a stark warning about the perils of the VSAT industry not adapting to changing mar-ket conditions. While Bull spoke of many opportunities for the satellite sector, there was an undeniably sober tone to what he was saying. What made these comments at Comsys even more interesting was a conversation I had at IBC with Zakie Karam, general manager for Don Telecom, a major service pro-vider in the Middle East. Karam noted that the satellite data communications market in the Middle East was shrinking as

Fluid Comms Landscape Offers New Hope to Satellite

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November 2011 v ia Satell ite magaziNe WWW.Satell itetoDaY.Com www.arabsat.com

Reaching farther than ever with the new generation of Arabsat satellites

The youngest satellite fleet in the region continues to grow. This year, our new state-of-the-art Arabsat-5C satellite will bring even more capacity and in-orbit redundancy to the Middle East, the whole African continent, Europe and the Indian subcontinent. This means even more choices, more flexibility including Ka-band spot beams, and more capacity for communications, broadcast, telephone, broadband, VSAT and interactive services. Tune in to the future, today.

FULL PAGE VIA Sattelite 20 x 27.3 cm

a result of the onset of fiber. In the future, Don Telecom sees more revenue opportunity in Africa than it did in the Middle East as far as data communications was concerned.

The key takeaway from this meeting was that while one market may be closing, another one is surely opening, but it was still a surprise to hear such downbeat assessment of the Middle East market. It shows that the industry has to be flexible and constantly on the move. In my view, the satellite sector seems much more fluid nowadays. Satellite broadcasting has, for the most part, not been impacted by online video, but satellite companies are recognizing the need to be savvy in adapting to new markets and seizing new opportunities.

It is obvious to say that the dynamic communications/broadcast landscape is experiencing rapid change, and almost everyone has been seeing more of an increased presence of blended technologies than ever before. This could be why there is such excitement generating for sat-ellite operators to tap into cellular backhaul markets wireless operators are realizing just how valuable satellite technology can be in helping to serve customers.

As telcos try to reach out to new customers and their needs become more complex, they will need satellite tech-nologies even more. This collaboration between telcos and satellite will be interesting to observe during the next few months. I expect to see more and more deals in this direc-tion, as the perception of telcos moves further away from the multi-headed monster that could kill satellite.


www.arabsat.com

Reaching farther than ever with the new generation of Arabsat satellites

The youngest satellite fleet in the region continues to grow. This year, our new state-of-the-art Arabsat-5C satellite will bring even more capacity and in-orbit redundancy to the Middle East, the whole African continent, Europe and the Indian subcontinent. This means even more choices, more flexibility including Ka-band spot beams, and more capacity for communications, broadcast, telephone, broadband, VSAT and interactive services. Tune in to the future, today.

FULL PAGE VIA Sattelite 20 x 27.3 cm


View From The Top


The Satellite Industry Directory is your essential reference tool to remain competitive and profi table. Inside you will fi nd:

Satellite Operator Pro les. More than 300 pages long, this comprehensive section is 100% verifi ed and updated for each edition. The profi les are completely indexed so you can search by operator, satellite system, geography, or by service type.

Market trends and forecasts. Compiled by the editors of Via Satellite magazine, the most trusted source of satellite industry information in the market today.

Transponder frequency charts. Conveniently organized alphabetically by satellite name, each chart includes satellite name and orbital position, transponder number, downlink polar-ity, uplink frequency and downlink frequency.

Transponder Brokers & Resellers. This section contains an alphabetical listing of companies that supply transponder capacity on a full-time or occasional-use basis or for outright sale.

Comprehensive whos who in the satellite industry. Locate satellite equipment providers, support services, regulators, government agencies, and trade associations worldwide.

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Titus Yong Vice President of Satellite Business, SingTel

Asian telco SingTel prides itself on progressive strategies towards satellite. It has recently launched its ST-2 satellite, a joint-venture project with Taiwanese telco Chunghwa Telecom, which aims to give SingTel even more coverage in its core broadcast, maritime and oil and gas markets.

With most of the capacity already taken on this satellite, howev-er, the operator is looking to develop alternative capacity on other spacecraft namely, an upcoming ST-3 satellite. Titus Yong, Sing-Tels vice president of satellite business, talks about the operators plans beyond ST-2.

VIA SATELLITE: How much capacity have you sold on the St-2 satellite now that it has launched?

Yong: Most of the capacity on the ST-2 is more or less sold right now. It has been sold to customers in Singapore and India. A big chunk has been sold for maritime services, as well as some into the Middle East and Afghanistan.

VIA SATELLITE: Considering that most of the St-2 is sold out, has there been a situation where you have had to turn customers away due to lack of available capacity?

Yong: We have to be selective in terms of talking to our better cus-tomers. ST-2 is a high-quality, high-powered satellite. We dont turn

executive Q&a

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Market trends and forecasts. Compiled by the editors of Via Satellite magazine, the most trusted source of satellite industry information in the market today.

Transponder frequency charts. Conveniently organized alphabetically by satellite name, each chart includes satellite name and orbital position, transponder number, downlink polar-ity, uplink frequency and downlink frequency.

Transponder Brokers & Resellers. This section contains an alphabetical listing of companies that supply transponder capacity on a full-time or occasional-use basis or for outright sale.

Comprehensive whos who in the satellite industry. Locate satellite equipment providers, support services, regulators, government agencies, and trade associations worldwide.

Satellite Product/Service Locator. The buyers guide allows you to search for vendors by product or service offered.

And More!

For more information, view sample pages and order online go to SatelliteTODAY.com/sid or call +1-301-354-2100.

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View From The TopView From The Top

noVember 8-10 Offshore

Communications 2011 Houston, Texas (Conference information: www.offshorecomms.com)

16-19 VietnamComm 2011 Hanoi, Vietnam (Conference information: www.vietnam-comm.com)

29-1 Global MilSatCom 2011 London, United Kingdom (Conference information: www.smi-online.co.uk/2011 globalmilsatcom14.asp)

january 2012

15-18 PTC 2011 Honolulu, Hawaii (Conference information: www.ptc.org/ptc12)

march

6-10 CeBIT 2012 Hannover, Germany (Conference information: www.cebit.de)

12-15 SATELLITE 2012 Washington, DC (Conference information: www.satellite2012.com)

april

14-19 NAB 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada (Conference information: www.nabshow.com)

16-19 National Space Symposium Colorado Springs, Colorado (Conference information: www.nationalspace symposium.org)

calendar

noVember 2011 Via SaTelliTe magazine WWW.SaTelliTeToday.com

customers away, but we can move them to other satellites if they are more appropriate. We also have our ST-1 satellite, which has a life-time of another three to four years and we are able to bring some budget price capacity into the mar-ket where we can serve lower-end markets as well. We also have an investment in APT, so we have the possibility of customers taking capacity on those satellites.

VIA SATELLITE: What lies beyond ST-2 in your efforts to increase your capac-ity options?Yong: We are now very commit-

ted to our ST-3 satellite. The ST-3 program is being done in collabo-ration with Asia Broadcast Satel-lite (ABS). Our program with them involves us getting capacity on ABS-1 soon. A lot of capacity on ABS-1 will be used for SingTel. We are also starting long-term leases with another provider for capacity into Central Asia and the Middle East, and we are in discussions with other Middle East satellite operators to develop capacity par tnerships and offer end-to-end IP-based satellite services into Africa.

Other capital expenditure pro-grams we are looking at involve


WWW.satell itetoday.com Via satell ite magazine noVember 2011

View From the top

launching our play-out services and HD channels. We have just launched an end-to-end play-out service for our own IPTV head-end and we are launching an Asian Ethnic content channel, which is a 24/7 channel that is done in-house. This has all come about because of our invest-ment in more broadcast capability.

We are also putting a lot of capital expenditure investment into val-ue-added services. We recently launched a managed voice service on IP links. We are probably the first in the world to offer a codec service that is most efficient at 6 Kbps. We are looking to develop IP prepaid voice services over satellite that will be delivered to mari-time as well as branch offices.

We are also spending a lot of money in delivering our own software for maritime services, as well as an integrated management system that would allow us to have end-to-end management of all devices and satellite links. This way, we can provide customers with a portal so they can have true visibility of these services.

VIA SATELLITE: When do you expect the talks with potential middle eastern partners to come to fruition?Yong: We might have an announcement closer to the end of the year,

but it depends on the customer base we are looking to open services to. We may or may not disclose too much. This is really about an Asian provider like SingTel and a Middle East provider coming together to do a marketing alliance in respective markets. The deal will likely be signed with an FSS operator or a service provider.

VIA SATELLITE: Has the economic downturn had any impact on the demand for satellite capacity in the region?Yong: I think it depends on which segment you are talking about.

For the FSS segment of customers, we have yet to feel the pinch of the recession. This is perhaps due to all the long-term projects we are committed to. People are still ordering capacity from us. In terms of maritime and oil and gas, we are seeing a stronger pinch now, due to the glut in supply of vessels. Rates are still dropping, and there-fore, people are most cost-conscious and looking for a more low-cost


November 2011 via Satellite magaziNe WWW.SatellitetoDaY.Com

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bandwidth type service with us. There are still strong drivers from the maritime market such as crew welfare communications. Compa-nies are under pressure to deliver a basic crew welfare environment and they are being forced to move into that direction. As broadband prices are dropping there is still growth, but growth is undoubtedly slowing down. That situation is unlikely to change during the next 12 to 18 months.

VIA SATELLITE: What are Singtels international aspirations in terms of new verticals for satellite business?Yong: Our maritime business is pretty global, but when it comes to

FSS, we definitely want to go a bit further. With ABS-1 and ABS-2, we have C-band that will allow us to offer branch network support for Sin-gaporean companies and Asia based customers who are branching off to emerging markets such as Africa. We are also beginning to see services from North Asia going to the Middle East and Africa, so we are working with some Middle East partners that can offer us some end-to-end service to resellers into these kinds of markets.

VIA SATELLITE: Does this mean that Singtels revenue mix is changing?Yong: There are a couple of ways to look at it. The maritime mix is

changing rapidly from narrowband to broadband. The ARPUs of ves-sels are increasing, and they are driving the demand for managed services and broadband. When you look at the mix between the mari-time business and the FSS business, the FSS business is growing stronger now, as there has been a commitment to long-term projects and transponders with IP-based services. We now have a more even mix between FSS and maritime services.

VIA SATELLITE: are new service markets opening up for satellite capacity in the asian region?Yong: We are investing considerably in developing software-based

services in order to be bundled together with our satellite services. We want to look at more managed services, and have software behind all of these links. We are also seeing ourselves as having a stronger


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Giving you the competitive edge to grow your business with hard-hitting data, news and analysis.

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role in crew welfare solutions. You can see us playing a bigger role in offering totally managed network operation solutions to service pro-viders. We are going very strongly into these fully managed VNO ser-vices. We are also going to get more involved in broadcast and mar-ket segments like digital cinema; we want to position ourselves to be a media hub. We also want to get into teleport alliances with other media hub owners probably in the United States, where we could get more involved in video distribution and digital cinema distribution.

VIA SATELLITE: How do you see the communications/broadcast landscape changing in the next 12 months?YONG: The Singapore government wants to position the country as

a strong media hub. Many new TV channels have launched in the region. Singapore remains a very strong broadcasting hub for the likes of HBO, Sony and Disney. We are also seeing more opportunities for disaster recovery in Singapore. We see the hottest growth coming from the big broadcasters that want more play-out services, etc. We are helping the big channels launch onto IPTV platforms as well as further into the region.

In terms of data communications, were seeing a lot more accelera-tion technology. We are examining the possibilities of deploying the next generation of technology where 352 Mbps can squeeze on a 72 Mhz transponder, for example. We see some of this new technology coming in to help us, and drive a lot more optimization. I think the growth in the demand for capacity will slow down a bit because we are already committed to a lot of new capacity, and there is a lot of bandwidth optimization coming to our network.


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Market Intelligence. Global Reach. Accurate. Timely.


Global regulations


With a land mass of more than 3 million square kilometers and a population of well over a billion, India has many reasons to develop earth observation capabilities. This could be for applications ranging from agriculture to urban planning. The country has a long history of launching and relying on these satellites, which India usually calls remote sensing satellites. India claims to have the largest national constellation of such birds and launched its eighteenth remote sensing satellite this year after two big failures in 2010. In addition, India adopted a new Remote Sensing Data Policy the RSDP 2011 in July to open the market more than it has been in the past.

To review the RSDP 2011, first one must identify the play-ers. The Indian Department of Space (DOS) is the central agency for all actions under the RSDP. The government calls these activities the Indian Remote Sensing Satel-lites program (IRS). Space activities are conducted by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which oper-ates the satellites and runs the National Remote Sens-ing Center (NRSC). The NRSC processes data from the Indian remote sensing satellites while Antrix Corporation, a commercial arm of DOS, sells the satellite imagery.

The Indian IRS operational histor y star ted with the launch of IRS-1A in 1988. In April 2011, ISRO successfully

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Global regulations

launched the ResourceSat-2 satellite, after failures the previous year of two satellites. The new satellite upgrades an existing ResourceSat-1, giving India a fleet of 10 remote sensing satellites, including ResourceSat 1, TES, Car tosat 1, 2, 2A and 2B, IMS-1, RISAT-2 and Oceansat-2.

The RSDP 2011 is a major update from the previous policy that had been in place since 2001. At that time, ISRO held a monopoly on the entire sector, including even the use of data from foreign sources. Moreover, the 2001 policy lim-ited the open release of data to resolution of 5.8 meters, far higher (i.e. of lower quality) than what was available on the satellites.

RSDP 2011 is said to open use of IRS data by other government agencies, which would permit agencies other than DOS to acquire and distribute data in India. It explic-itly provides that data up to 1-meter resolution shall be distributed on a non-discriminatory basis. To pro-tect national security, data with finer resolution must be screened and cleared.

This new policy came about par tially in response to strong criticism of the ISRO monopoly. The Indian Comp-troller and Auditor General (CAG) issued a tough perfor-mance audit in May 2011, noting big inefficiencies in the NRSC and claiming that almost 80 percent of the data was being unused. (By contrast, some reports say that other remote satellite systems use 90 percent of data.) Based on the audit, some critics claimed that ISRO had turned Indias large fleet of remote sensing satellites into white elephants in space, because their data was being wasted.



Global regulations

Gerry Oberst is a partner in the Hogan Lovells Brussels office.

CAG maintained that the revenue from sales of IRS data was not even covering the cost of operating the satellites, much less the capital cost of the fleet. In fact, revenues were covering only an average of 21.5 percent of operating costs. CAGs numbers indicated that between 2002 and 2009, India spent close the equivalent of $550 million in capital investment to construct and launch the seven satellites that were currently operating, while selling data worth about $39 million, recovering only 7.2 percent of the total expenditure.

Archived data was not being marketed or used CAG noted, idling in IRS data was high and was between 53 percent and 95 percent. Data turnaround and process-ing time steadily increased during the period of the CAG review. For example, CAG said that data processing times were going up and concluded that efficiency was going in the wrong direction even for data that was being used. Will the new RSDP 2011 cure this situation? At least the NRSC made a series of pledges to improve in response to the CAG report. The new policy of opening additional data at a finer resolution could make more efficient use of the data being collected.


SATELLITE POLICIES


By Rau l Maga l lanes

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The European Data Protection Directive (Directive) prohibits transfers of personal data to non-European Union (EU) nations. While the EU and the United States share the same goal of enhancing privacy protection for their citizens, the EU and the United States take different approaches to achieving this goal. The EU relies on comprehensive legislation, while the United States takes a market centric approach relying mostly on self-regulation. However, as U.S. multinational companies expand to Europe, the European subsidiaries are subject to EU data protection laws. Fortunately, thanks to a EU-U.S. treaty, U.S. companies can self-certify that they conform to EU data protection principles, and therefore be deemed a Safe Harbor for receipt of personal data from any EU company.

Safe Harbor AgreementIn order to bridge EU-U.S. differences, the U.S. Department of Commerce, in consultation with the European Commission, developed a Safe Harbor framework. The Safe Harbor framework provides a number of benefits for U.S. firms, including: all 27 EU member states will be bound by the finding of adequacy of U.S. organizations participating in the Safe Harbor program; data flows from EU member states to U.S. Harborees will be deemed adequate; and claims brought by EU

Privacy Issues for U.S. Companies Expanding to Europe

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Satellite Policies


citizens against U.S. organizations will be heard in the United States. For EU organizations, the Safe Harbor framework offers a simpler and cheaper means of complying with EU law when dealing with U.S. companies.

How to ComplyIn order to self-certify compliance with the EU-U.S. Safe Harbor agreement, U.S. companies must incorporate seven principles into their privacy policies and file a certification form with the U.S. Commerce Department. U.S. companies that have been accepted into the program are then listed on the department website. The seven Safe Harbor principles are as follows:1. Notice Company must inform individuals about the

purpose for collecting their personal data.2. Choice Company must allow individuals the opportunity

to opt-out of collection of their personal data.3. Onward Transfer Company may disclose personal

data only to third parties that adhere to the seven principles.

4. Security Company must provide reasonable protections against potential loss and unauthorized access to the information.

5. Data Integrity Company must process personal data only in a manner that is consistent with the purpose for which the data was collected.

6. Access Individuals must have access to their personal data and be able to amend or correct it.

7. Enforcement Company must establish independent recourse mechanisms for dea l ing wi th non -compliance.


Satellite Policies

Raul Magallanes runs a Houston-based law firm focusing on telecommunications law. He may be reached at +1 (281) 317-1397 or by email at raul@

rmtelecomlaw.com.


Helpful Hints on Self-CertifyingBefore applying for Safe Harbor compliance with the Commerce Department, a U.S. company must first take a series of steps: (1) make sure that the company is subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission; (2) develop a Safe Harbor policy statement that complies with the seven Safe Harbor principles; (3) draft a privacy policy that makes specific references to Safe Harbor compliance; (4) make sure that the privacy policy is available publicly; (5) establish an independent recourse mechanism to investigate unresolved complains; and (6) designate an internal contact regarding Safe Harbor.

ConclusionWith the advent of the Internet, globalization and cloud computing, trans-border transfer of personal information is now inevitable. EU privacy laws are among the strictest in the world. Transfers of personal data to non-EU countries are generally prohibited, including transfers to the United States. However, given the enormous trade between the EU and the United States, a compromise has been reached through the Safe Harbor treaty. U.S. companies that comply with the Safe Harbor framework and self-certify through the Commerce Department are deemed to have adequate protection for personal data. Hence, they become a safe harbor for EU companies to use without the danger of violating EU law.


B Y M A R K H O L M E SB Y M A R K H O L M E S

The economic downturn is forcing governments and armed forces around the world to reassess their capabilities and, more importantly, their ability to pay for it. As nations grapple with debt issues, getting the

InternationalMilsatcom:Five Countries, Five Programs, Five Viewpoints

COVER STORY


While the United States may invest more than any other nation in milsatcom assets and capacity, there is a great deal of innovation

to be seen in international milsatcom strategies. As nations struggle to fund next-generation milsatcom programs, we look at how some countries are trying to

meet the bandwidth needs of their armed forces.

TThe economic downturn is forcing TThe economic downturn is forcing governments and armed forces Tgovernments and armed forces around the world to reassess their Taround the world to reassess their capabilities and, more importantly, Tcapabilities and, more importantly, their ability to pay for it. As nations Ttheir ability to pay for it. As nations grapple with debt issues, getting the Tgrapple with debt issues, getting the 07_VS_110111_CoverSt_DGTL_p30_39.indd 30 10/6/11 4:16:39 PM

WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2011 WWW.SATELL ITETODAY.COM VIA SATELL ITE MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2011

most from milsatcom capabilities at a lower cost has become a priority, however, lowering costs while increasing available bandwidth is not an easy equation to master. This equation presents a challenge to many governments around the world as they try to meet the requirements of their armed forces.

AustraliaAustralia has recently built its reputation for its open-minded attitude towards satellite. The Australian Broadband Guarantee (ABG) has put satellite front-and-center when bringing broadband to remote areas in Australia. It has been equally progressive using satellite in its defense strategy. In April 2009, the Australian Defense Force (ADF) signed a deal to purchase a specialized UHF communications payload aboard an Intelsat satellite scheduled for launch in 2012. As part of a hosted payload contract valued at approximately $167 million, Intelsat will arrange for the construction and integration of the UHF payload with its satellite.

Maj. Gen. Mike Milford, head of ICT operations division for the Aus-tralian Defense Force, says that in terms of whether the military would consider more hosted payload type deals, it is important to under-stand that, hosted payloads offer comparative advantages over the traditional owned and operated solutions including shared costs and risks between defense and industry, and the ability to leverage commercial satellite industry experience. At the same time, a hosted payload agreement puts a number of constraints on the commercial operator beyond those to which they would normally be exposed in a purely commercial sale. These include limitations in the positioning of the satellite, increased security requirements and stringent response requirements to support configuration changes and communications channel maintenance.

For future payloads, ADF will carefully consider capability, cost, sov-ereignty and the security environment, provided these issues are ade-quately addressed, Milford adds.

The partnership between Intelsat and the ADF is a textbook example of a close relationship between the government and the commercial satellite sector and Milford does not rule out fur ther par tnerships

07_VS_110111_CoverSt_DGTL_p30_39.indd 31 10/6/11 4:16:41 PM


between the ADF and other entities in the commercial satellite sector. Defense is always mindful of the need for affordable solutions to meet new and emerging requirements, and openly encourages innovation in the nature of commercial response to capability needs. The hosted payload solution offered by Intelsat is an example of an innovative approach that met the extant Defense requirement. Other partnering proposals that involve mature technologies to meet a known requirement and can be operated without a need to change the skill sets of the Defense workforce are worthy of consideration, he says.

Australia released a Defense White Paper in 2009 and currently has a Defense Capability Plan (DCP) in place which highlight Defenses requirements for global and beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) communica-tions. The ADF is set for a busy couple of years. The main challenge over the next two years is taking the space segment components from Joint Project 2008 from the acquisition stage to the in-service stage and achieving final operational release to the warfighter. These are traditional project management challenges rather than satcom specific. The payloads being acquired will offer the ADF global capa-bilities far greater than what was previously serving Defense needs and the operation of this complex capability in terms of managing power, frequency and beam allocation will be a new skill to master, Milford says.

Improving terminal capability is also at the heart of the challeng-es facing the ADF during the next two years. Joint Project 2008 is a multi-phase program which is delivering WGS and the IS-22 capabili-ties together with a major wideband ground station in Western Aus-tralia. The program is also now finalizing the DCP proposals, which seek to equip the ADF with a fleet of satcom terminals ranging from small to large aperture systems, designed to match the ADF require-ments for bandwidth and mobility. The emerging trend is a diminish-ing reliance on commercial wideband services to conduct operations, moving towards a balance of purpose designed military systems and commercial providers hosting both military payloads and conventional commercial services, Milford says.



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FranceFrance is one of Europes major powers and also very much at the heart of the European milsatcom landscape with its Syracuse program. France also is also partnering with Italy to bring more capability to its defense forces with the launch of two new satellites imminent, as part of this collaboration. There are already two Syracuse satellites in orbit, as well as a full ground segment.

Christophe Debaert, Syracuse III team leader, Ministry of Defense, France says the French MoD is working on a number of different ini-tiatives right now. We are working on complementary systems in cooperation with Italy through the Sicral-2 satellite, and the Ka-band Athena-Fidus satellite. The Sicral-2 and Athena Fidus contracts were awarded in the last year. The main timeline is regarding the launch of Sicral-2 and Athena-Fidus planned in 2013. We are beginning to work on on-the-move stations. Since late 2010, in Afghanistan Venus on-the-move stations have worked well. We are planning to soon have a contract on the Ka-band ground segment. After this, it is more about the preparation of the future and operations post-Syracuse.

The post-Syracuse future is a key challenge facing the French MoD, and contracts could be awarded in a relatively short timeframe. One (of the main challenges) will be the renewal of the Syracuse satellites, which will occur by 2019-2020. We are now looking at possible orienta-tions for this renewal. This orientation phase will begin this year, and will be closed during the next two years, says Debaert.

One of the other issues that the French MoD has to examine is the potential use of Ka-band capacity going forward in its operations. Debaert says Ka-band offers a number of advantages. Most of the capacity used for milsatcom has been UHF or X-band, both in terms of ground and tactical infrastructure. But, more and more, we need high data rate throughput to complete X-band infrastructure. High data rate communications will be done with Ka-band. Ka-band seems to be the preferred technology and to have a big future for military operations. It provides scalability in systems, as well as this high data rates, he says.

Could France partner with a commercial satellite operator for Ka-

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band capacity? The question is more of a global issue, says Debaert. It is part of discussions regarding acquisition processes for buying capability for operational forces and it is not limited to Ka-band. For military Ka-band, commercial operators have shown interest to provide it on-demand. So, it is mainly an acquisition strategy issue. Partner-ships are an option. We have to consider all the options. If a partner-ship is determined to be the best cost-effective approach, we can go in this direction.

Encouragingly for the satellite sector, the importance of satellite in defense networks appears to be on the increase. The philosophy in France is to have satellite integrated into the global network; satcoms is a part of the global communications network. It has found a place between the tactical level networks and the global network infrastruc-ture, says Debaert. The importance of satcoms has increased in the last two to three years, and will continue to increase. It is now fully integrated into global networks.

United KingdomThe United Kingdom implemented the Skynet 5 program, which has been one of the most innovative milsatcom programs to be announced in recent years. Paradigm Secure Communications was established to deliver the Skynet 5 service for the U.K. Armed Forces as part of a 4 billion British pound ($6.2 billion) Private Finance Initiative (PFI) arrangement. Paradigm also has the ability to sell capacity not used by the U.K. MoD to other parties.

Three Skynet 5 satellites were launched between 2007 and 2008. The challenges for the program are more related to the fact that during the next couple of years, U.K. troops will start to be withdrawn from Afghanistan. Keith Norton, president, Paradigm Secure Communica-tions, says this will lead to a change in what communications will be required going forward. He says, The Skynet construct/contract sup-ports that very well. What we will see moving forward is a change from boots on the ground to eyes on the ground. The communications band-width required would probably be pretty much static over that period. It possibly even increases.

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Paradigm is working on a number of new systems to better support this new dynamic. We have a piece of work going on at the moment where we are developing a range of services on a micro-sat terminal, which is basically a flat antenna that is packable into a stowable case that can be taken onboard aircraft. That kind of terminal can be put on a small vehicle and taken out on patrol and put to one side, where you can set up a link very quickly. I think one of the things we are seeing coming out of Strategy Defense Security Review (SDSR) is there are big question marks on the large operational platforms, and to keep managing those platforms will be a key challenge for the U.K. MoD, Norton says. To that end, one of things we have started to work on is a remote asset data service which will provide logistics manage-ment capability in near real-time. That will allow the MoD for the first time to do real-time asset management of large groups of vehicles and effectively maximize their availability to the operational theater. This would be of huge benefit in the context we see, with the numbers of platforms being severely reduced.

One of the unique dimensions of the Skynet 5 system is the ability to generate revenues by selling capacity to third parties. Paradigm has sold significant amounts of capacity into the U.S. DoD. It has also made sales into other parts of NATO, NATO itself, Canada, The Netherlands, Portugal, Australia, Slovenia, etc. This is an important aspect of Para-digms strategy, Norton says. The U.S. DoD is the largest procurer of military satcom bandwidth in the world by far. And we see that as an important part of our third party marketing strategy going forward in terms of developing our revenue streams. We certainly have capacity available at the moment. Our sales department is actively selling into all of those markets.

brazilBrazil is the largest country in Latin America with a population of close to 200 million people. It has a number of challenges during the next two years as it looks to boost its milsatcom capabilities. Lt. Col. Luciano Martins Menna, milsatcom operations manager, Brazilian Ministry of Defense, says key decisions are likely to be made by the Brazilian MoD



in the next few years, including the possiblity of a dedicated Brazilian communications satellite.

For the next two years and beyond, we consider the following major challenges: Firstly, we have to consider the establishment of a Brazil-ian communications satellite, sharing mili-tary and government information. Second-ly, we have to consid-er the acquisition of maritime and airborne milsatcom stations (X- or Ka-band). We also want to improve the ground segment, says Menna. We intend to achieve these capa-bil it ies through the st ra teg ic p lann ing for the Command and Control Military Sys-tem (SISMC). Due to the large extent of our territory and the ever-increasing require-ments for operation-al communications, satcom has played a significant role on joint and single opera-tions over these last few years. As part of the Satellite Military Communications Sys-tem (SISCOMIS), sat-

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com is integrated to the defense operational network, making informa-tion available wherever this net reaches.

Launching dedicated military and government satellites is now an option that is being seriously considered, and Menna says Brazil is studying the viability of launching communications satellites along with other government agencies.

Improving border security is another key reason for ramping up mil-satcom capacity, according to Menna. Brazil is looking to increase its border and maritime surveillance capability, for which we have planned the Border Monitoring System (SISFRON), an Army initiative to protect our borders, and the Blue Amazon Management System (SISGAAz), which our Navy has created to protect our shore and our exclusive economic zone in the Atlantic. Both systems will use mil-satcom to make information flow, particularly for beyond line-of-sight communications, adds Menna.

JapanJapan is one of Asias regional powerhouses, and despite a tough time economically, it aims to bring more capacity online during the next three years. Developing a new X-band satellite communications network will be a priority in the next two to three years. The MoD/SDF (Self Defence Force) uses three commercial X-band satellites: super-bird B2, super-bird C2 and super-bird D. The design life of both super-bird B2 and super-bird D comes to an end in 2015. Therefore, it will be the main challenge for us to develop a new X-band satellite communications network by 2015, says Kazuhisa Shimada, director, Defense Policy Division, Bureau of Defense Policy, Japans Ministry of Defence.

Shimada says the Japanese MoD is looking to secure budgetary approval for new satellites, despite these economic conditions. He adds, The MoD plans to develop two satellites through a PFI project. The budget acquired in 2011 is for a payload, which will be integrated into the bus of the superbird-B2 satellite replacement. This will be produced in a later timeframe. The budget that is to be acquired in 2012, but that we have decided to request this August, is for the PFI project that includes developing space segment (superbird-B2 and D satellite replacement



satellites), ground segment, as well as operational service, etc.Satellite remains a vital part of Japans defence strategy, and Shimada

admits advances in satellite technology are able to benefit the Japanese MoD. He says, In recent years, wider activities by the MoD/SDF such as international peace cooperation activity require an enhanced satellite communications network more than before in order to bring situ-ational awareness from the local units in remote areas with promptness and accuracy. Satellite communications will play an important role for MoD/SDF with regards to the interaction of individual military assets. We will tackle challenges we face such as inte-gration of various communication systems and enhancement of high-speed communication and large volume data communication based on mounting SDF demand for communications, says Shimada.

Mark Holmes is Via Satellites Associate Editor.

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Offshore Oil Platform:

Satellite Necessities for the

Oil and gas companies are potentially lucrative customers for

satellite-based communications. However, while demand for

services like HD video on oil rigs is good news, the competition

from fiber based networks is not and makes for an intriguing

market for satellite players.

B Y J E F F R E Y H I L L

An End-Users Perspective


08_VS_110111_Oil_DGTL_p40_51.indd 40 10/6/11 4:21:25 PM


TOffshore Oil Platform:The modern offshore oil rig is much more than a giant hulk of tubular steel it functions as a physical and virtual office, a temporary living space and a hub for communications. For oil workers, the oil rig has become a miniature home away from home, with its own communications infrastructure providing familiar comforts to narrow the divide between the worlds on land and on sea. The unprecedented access and connection that oil companies enjoy to their offshore rigs has raised standards and made their operations more efficient.

Satellite has long provided oil and shipping companies with a bridge to connect offices to fax and voice services, and with the advent and evolution of broadband, those services now include data, email and video applications. The delivery of high-definition (HD) video to the harsh environment of the oil rig, once considered unrealistic, is now a technological and financial reality.

One of the most valuable capabilities that satellite can and has deliv-

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ered to the oil industry is a constant information flow to and from the rig, says Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) spokesman Francisco Montano, who adds that access to information is the first step to being cost-effective. The introduction of broadband to oil platforms located in some of the most remote areas of the world was big deal for the indus-try. The fact that our exploration teams have the unlimited potential to communicate with each other is a real luxury at a realistic price. The rates for satellite broadband services via satellite have been lowered to the point where there are cost-effective options out there.

Pemex, the worlds fourth largest crude oil producer and Mexicos largest enterprise, has turned to satellite not only to enhance its own connections within its network, but to also put it all into perspective with a pair of eyes in space. Pemex was Earth imagery solutions pro-vider DigitalGlobes first customer of its Global Basemap subscription, which provides its imagery library via a cloud Services platform.

Pemex geospatial information system manager Margarita Jord Loza-no explains that the company is one of the few oil businesses in the world to manage all facets of production, from exploration and extrac-tion to refining, storage, distribution and sales.

Such complex operations require advanced data to support critical business decisions, says Lozano. Pemex operates nearly 60,000 kilo-meters of pipeline, seven refineries, 77 storage facilities and 15 gas processing plants throughout Mexico. Satellite imagery has become a vital source of information to help us quickly and accurately assess what is truly happening across all of these locations. Now, on demand access to constantly refreshed imagery will give us a ground truth basis on which to make our most integral business decisions.

The deal is just one of many examples and representations of sat-ellites diverse role in the oil and gas industry one that was created by a physical limitation and developed to tear them down. The biggest challenge for satellite operators and service providers is to evolve their technology as their offshore customers become aware of and famil-iar with the technology available to onshore consumer and enterprise markets.

Others are also taking advantage of the oppor tunities in Latin

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Frontline Communications Partners 1880 Century Park East, Suite 1011, Los Angeles, CA 90067

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Today, the requirements of satellite customers are more

challenging than ever. And day after day, launch after launch,

Boeing is meeting those challenges across the spectrum

with solutions that deliver total performance and superior

capability to end users. No matter what the requirements,

the commitment remains the same: performance as promised.

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America. Pablo Yaez, senior data product vice president, Global Crossing, says his company signed a satellite capacity deal with SES World Skies to support the significant growth it is seeing in its Latin America enterprise and energy markets, as satellite services account for about 15 percent to 20 percent of its revenue in the region.

Oil companies involved mostly in the explo-ration and extraction part of the oil process are one of our main customers for this service. This exploration usually takes place in remote areas. The only option for them here is satel-lite communication. You have other industries like mining and fishing that also benefit from satellite. I would say these are the three main industries which benefit most from satellite in Latin America, says Yaez. Where there is a lack of terrestrial infrastructure, the only option is satellite links. By extending our IP services by incorporating satellite, we provide a homogenous solution that customers can use to link different branches and sites.

Visual connection to the rigLike most executives, oil company managers arent satisfied with understanding their assets they want to see them. The ability for an onshore executive to share face-to-face time with his remote platform team brings a sense of confidence to the decision-making process, even when those decisions involve difficult challenges like diagnosing technical problems. Thus, v ideo is an enormously pract ical application for the oil and gas industry.

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Vendor: Schawk

Job Number: BOEG_IDS_SAT_1738M_AApproved

Date/InitialsClient: Boeing Product: Integrated Defense System

PUBLICATION NOTE: Guideline for general identification only. Do not use as insertion order.Material for this insertion is to be examined carefully upon receipt.



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Today, the requirements of satellite customers are more

challenging than ever. And day after day, launch after launch,

Boeing is meeting those challenges across the spectrum

with solutions that deliver total performance and superior

capability to end users. No matter what the requirements,

the commitment remains the same: performance as promised.

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Job Number: BOEG_BDS_SAT_2338M_AApprovedDate/InitialsClient: Boeing Product: Boeing Defense, Space & Security

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The second of 12 GPS IIF-2

satellites Boeing is building

for the U.S. Air Force, now

called SVN-63, has achieved

operational acceptance and

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2ND BOEING GPS IIF-2

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WITH USAF.

AUGUST 22, 2011

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The expanded use of video applications has not taken offshore pro-duction companies by surprise. Pius Rolheiser, a spokesman for Impe-rial Oil, Canadas largest oil company with reserves of 1.7 billion bar-rels of oil and natural gas, expects the demand and usage of video to increase dramatically.

All of our transmission requirements for connectivity now include some sort of video element. Not only that, but were taking a future-oriented view that most companies have by looking to expand into social networking and the potential for applications on smartphones and iPads, says Rolheiser, citing a report released by NSR in April and agreeing with its assertion that enterprise buyers are looking to ser-vice providers for integrated, end-to-end solutions. There are some views out there that are either completely for or against satellite as an option to provide those solutions. But the smartest approach in our business is to always be looking for the right balance between perfor-mance, cost, availability and necessity.

Rolheiser refers to the view that some customers in the oil and gas industry still believe that satellite- or WiMax-only platforms are viable. While speaking at last years Offshore Communications Trade Show in Houston, Chevron IT Co. senior engineer Bryan Frederick was quite frank with his affordability assessment of WiMax versus VSAT. For Chevron, WiMax is slated to replace satellite VSAT connectivity in the future. While Frederick might have believed he was continuing the conversa-tion about whether WiMax and VSAT are enemies or friends in the oil and gas sector, his case study did not convince a majority of the con-ference attendees that had invested in the potential and capability of hybrid systems.

Tullow Oil has exploration operations spread around the globe, making its communications needs very complex. Tullow looks to use a mix of satellite and fiber to meet its needs, and CIO Andrew Marks explains that his oil company evaluates different communications technologies.

The is still a significant market for satellite and the long-term VSAT deal, because there are extremely remote locations onshore and, equally, a great deal of our operational work remains offshore, says Marks. You have to be realistic and say there is a long-term future



for VSAT and long-term deals to be done. There is clearly still a sub-stantial marketplace for VSAT. I dont think the end is nigh, but I do see the market narrowing and the growing influence of terrestrial. There is still capacity required by companies like Tullow Oil, and the terrestrial market cannot cover those requirements. VSAT does have that capacity.

The performance over cost argument changes when discussing data connectivity for oil rig crew welfare. Oil company executive Jamie Vazquez, president of independent oil and gas company W&T Offshore, understands that the oil industry exists in the top-speed-connectivity-or-bust world that most of its platform workers have grown up in.

Crew welfare connectivity has been a crucial element to attract work-ers from younger generations to work on drilling rigs. Most people in the millennium generation find it difficult to find food or friends without a GPS smartphone and a Twitter account. Very few people younger than 30 can go a whole day with-out streaming video as flash players now dominate almost every major news, informa-tion, social and sports information website. Netflix and Hulu are no longer luxuries they are considered basic standards of living.

The use of v ideo in the energy sector has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, most say progress accelerated dramatical ly in the past year. Customers are most interested in

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HD video solutions for teleconferencing and operations management, searching for platforms with the ability to deliver larger and larger file sizes at faster rates.

Ka-band video platforms have received a lot of attention from inter-national energy sector communications customers, according to GVF director of international programs Kristen Kloster. Satellites achieve-ments in delivering high-quality video over Ka-band VSAT is making a big impression on the sector. High-quality video conferencing is a crucial capability for offshore platform operators. Satellite providers made a lot of progress this year on delivering these services and, in return, we are seeing a lot of excitement and engagement from customers.

The offshore platforms basic functionality relies on a strong voice service backbone, but satellite data and video capabilities provide a significant advantage an always-on capability that supports critical areas of operational activity through emergencies and severe weather conditions. Kjr Mjs, frame agreement manager for Norwegian oil drilling company Odfjell, says this advantage motivated his company to spend $13 million on a complete, Harris CapRock VSAT communi-cations suite providing voice-over IP, corporate networking, Internet access, real-time monitoring, reporting and crew infotainment services to its drilling units.

We shopped around for an end-to-end communications service for seven of our mobile offshore drilling rigs and drill ships in the North Sea and Africa. We wanted this service so that we, as well as our clients, could focus on the day-to-day drilling operations and not worry about our connectivity whatever the weather situation may be, says Mjs. The North Sea provides plenty of harsh weather, but the operators onboard our rigs and drill ships expect our assets to be well-equipped with the latest in communications technology to enable their real-time operations requirements.

the Satellite Safety NetWhen an oil rig experiences an emergency involving the platform structure or the crew itself, offshore and onshore personnel want to know that a series of safety measures are in place and functioning



properly. Crews will say that the importance of communications cannot be underestimated in remote locations and harsh environments. Reliable communications provide both the ability to ensure the physical and mental health of offshore personnel and a healthy crew is infinitely more productive.

The environment out on an oil rig can be very isolated. In a sense, the offshore worker has the same needs as a member of the mili-tary serving in a battlefield allowing wor

Via Satellite Nov 2011

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