MEETING DEMANDS FOR PERSONALISED CONTENT
Satellite broadband playing crucial role in Asia ’ s digital transformation
Can you share with us how you plan to expand Newtec ’ s business in Asia , and what specific opportunities do you see in this region ? Sjoerd De Clerck : As Asia continues its digital transformation , there are a number of opportunities that will result in further growth for Newtec . Changing media habits , such as streaming and over-the-top ( OTT ), combined with an increasing demand for more bandwidth , are changing the way satellite capacity is used and consumed in a number of areas , including mobile , broadcast and connectivity .
Asia-Pacific is one of our most important regions due to the increasing demand for global geosynchronous earth orbit ( GEO ) high throughput satellite ( HTS ) services , which is expected to reach 1.5Tbps globally by 2024 , according to a number of studies , with Asia named as the secondlargest market for satellite capacity .
To fuel that growth , we have a three-track strategy : n Continue to invest in customer service to support our existing and future customers . n Expand our geographical reach further through new strategical partnerships . n Work even closer with our existing customers to help them realise their long-term plans towards profitable growth .
And , of course , all of this is based on the technological leadership and innovation that Newtec is known for , and will continue to bring to the industry .
How crucial is satellite communications in Asia-Pacific , and what are some of the reasons behind the increasing demand for global GEO HTS services in the region ? De Clerck : Containing nearly half of the world ’ s Internet users , Asia is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the many benefits that satellite broadband from GEO HTS services can offer . The
Appointed Newtec ’ s vice-president Sales , Asia-Pacific last December , Sjoerd De Clerck explains to APB why HTS services will continue to grow in demand , especially in Asia-Pacific .
geographical spread of its land mass — which comprises 30 % of the earth ’ s total land area and includes many rural and isolated areas — means that even the latest advances in fibre-optic terrestrial broadband does not make this a realistic solution .
Furthermore , the region ’ s incredibly busy aviation and shipping industries mean satellite connectivity can directly improve and expand operations , improving Asia ’ s commercial and domestic markets .
Would you like to expand on Newtec ’ s strategy for HTS ? De Clerck : As bandwidth becomes an increasing commodity , falling MHz prices are driving the satellite industry towards technologies that are even more flexible and deliver an increasingly enhanced performance .
HTS is the ultimate proponent for meeting this demand and , like all new innovations in the space segment , the advances that HTS infrastructures have brought require equally innovative ground segment technology . This , in a nutshell , is our strategy when it comes to enabling operators to make the most of HTS opportunities .
HTS re-uses different beams and have more advanced routing so ground technology needs to share this synergy to ensure optimal results . HTS also brings multiple gateways and feed beams connecting to multiple satellites , creating the need for scalable ground segment technology , which matches the dense space segment .
Our latest software release of Newtec Dialog , for example , is equipped with features designed with HTS innovations in mind , including DVB-S2X on the forward link , Layer 2 bridging and a protocol to enable communication with antenna control units for beam switching .
Meanwhile , our MDM5000 modem was the first VSAT modem in the market to support DVB-S2X . It is also capable of receiving wide-band carriers up to 140MHz , with throughputs exceeding 200Mbps .
Specifically , what will HTS bring for the broadcast and media industries ? Will it also potentially diminish the importance of C-band , particularly in Asia-Pacific , where its use is prevalent ? De Clerck : While mainstream broadcasting is likely to remain on convention wide-beam satellites , specific applications within this market might find HTS to be advantageous .
The increasing consumption of content on any device , at any time , at any place , forces broadcasters to exchange content in various , sometimes multiple , formats across different transmission channels , including OTT , IPTV , high-quality HD and low-quality mobile , around the world and in many different time zones . There is also more demand for personalised content , and HTS multi-spot beams give broadcasters the opportunity to deliver specific content to specific viewers .
In addition , users are behaving more and more like content providers through applications that enable the streaming and uploading of photos and videos such as YouTube and Instagram . This further increases the amount of traffic network providers have to deal with , as well as making operations even more complex .
What other technology trends do you expect to impact the satellite industry in 2017 ? De Clerck : We see a trend towards multi-service networks across our industry . Although most VSAT terminals are deployed for consumer broadband , much of the revenue actually comes from high-end applications , such as mobility , oil & gas and cellular backhaul . By combining all these applications on a single platform , network operators can maximise economies of scale while diversifying their business .
With a diverse and expanding modem portfolio and three return technologies , our Newtec Dialog multi-service platform was specifically designed to address a wide range of applications . Released in 2014 , it has already been chosen by many customers as a way of streamlining , expanding and future-proofing their businesses .
An Supplement
13