{"id":68257,"date":"2017-05-16T01:35:05","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T17:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/leo-vs-geo-top-regional-ceos-engage-in-heated-debate\/"},"modified":"2017-05-16T01:35:05","modified_gmt":"2017-05-15T17:35:05","slug":"leo-vs-geo-top-regional-ceos-engage-in-heated-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/leo-vs-geo-top-regional-ceos-engage-in-heated-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"LEO vs GEO: Top Regional CEOs Engage in Heated Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Throughout SATELLITE 2017, a major point heralded by speakers was the need to cooperate to ensure the satellite industry\u2019s survival in the coming years. In that respect, Tuesday\u2019s closing general session, which featured an international gamut of satellite CEOs, had a much different feel. Though cordial, the tension on stage was palpable as the speakers clashed on different ways to address global connectivity and rapidly encroaching competition from the mobile market.<\/p>\n<p>For Tom Choi, CEO of ABS, OneWeb\u2019s focus on Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) seems like folly. Rather than deploying as many spot beams as possible across the planet and \u201c[hoping] customers will come,\u201d Choi believes a more conservative, selective approach is the best way to ensure profitability.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/K4dUFuzITRarxdHQFXcn_ShowDaily17_Cover_Wrap_DGTL-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"width: 120px; height: auto;\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/K4dUFuzITRarxdHQFXcn_ShowDaily17_Cover_Wrap_DGTL-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/K4dUFuzITRarxdHQFXcn_ShowDaily17_Cover_Wrap_DGTL-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/K4dUFuzITRarxdHQFXcn_ShowDaily17_Cover_Wrap_DGTL-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/K4dUFuzITRarxdHQFXcn_ShowDaily17_Cover_Wrap_DGTL.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"fs-5 mt-0\">Explore the Show Daily 2017 Wrap Up Issue<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-0 fs-smaller text-balance\">Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-primary\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"offcanvas\" data-bs-target=\"#offcanvasMENU\" aria-controls=\"offcanvasExample\" aria-label=\"button\" style=\"white-space: nowrap;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tView More <i class=\"bi bi-arrow-right-circle\"><\/i><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat LEO network is traversing around the Earth every two hours \u2026  A third of the time it\u2019s going to be above or below the Arctic circle, so you\u2019re throwing away a third of your capacity immediately,\u201d he said. \u201cSeventy percent of the Earth is water. There are no people there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>OneWeb CEO Eric Beranger was quick to object, highlighting his company\u2019s lofty goal of bringing connectivity to the 4 billion people on the dark side of the digital divide. Due to backing from Softbank, which includes $1.7 billion raised in equity, Beranger said he is confident that OneWeb can achieve deployment of a global LEO system that provides seamless global coverage and also ensures a return on investment. \u201cOnce OneWeb is there, anybody anywhere on earth or on the oceans or in the air can have exactly the same experience using broadband internet as if we were sitting in an office or at home,\u201d he said, citing the low latency of LEO constellations as a game-changer.<\/p>\n<p>Hughes President Pradman Kaul said his company is taking a more incremental approach more in line with Choi\u2019s beliefs. \u201cWe launched Brazil into commercial [broadband] service about six months ago and have about 40,000 subscribers. We are also working hard in Mexico,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to blanket the Americas first and then we\u2019ll go into other parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a69ce9f96caa;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a69ce9f96caa = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a69ce9f96cab').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a69ce9f96cab'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kaul also intends to bring connectivity to India, but cited regulatory hassles there as a hindrance. Still, he noted that the low latency of OneWeb\u2019s constellation is important to consider. \u201cHaving low latency will allow us to provide applications that make sense which we can\u2019t provide today with GEOs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Khalid Balkheyour, president and CEO of Arabsat, and Masood Sharif Mahmood, CEO of Yahsat, had similarly moderate mindsets. \u201cWe are considering looking to low orbit satellites, either by investment or by partnering with some existing pioneers \u2026 I think it will have a future. I expect some market share will be given to the LEOs and taken from the GEOs. We don\u2019t want to miss the boat,\u201d Balkheyour said. \u201cBefore the end of the year we\u2019ll make a strategic decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a chance for this to work,\u201d Mahmood said in agreement. \u201cWhen, in which form and at which cost \u2014 if you ask each person you\u2019ll get a different answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Choi remained unconvinced, arguing that the lack of infrastructure in developing countries and rural areas will make it difficult to serve consumers there. \u201cThose people are challenging to serve because their income levels are very low and the availability of electrical power is almost non-existent. There\u2019s a reason why people are not connected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Choi warned that mobile operators pushing 5G will become a very real competitive threat, stating that the reason Iridium and Globalstar went bankrupt in previous decades was because they didn\u2019t foresee what the mobile operators would do. \u201cI\u2019m just worried about what our industry is doing today. Maybe we\u2019re charging ahead, throwing so much money into HTS excitement but not understanding what is really going to happen on the ground,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the 90s, investors lost over $10 billion on random global satellite initiatives \u2026 I think we\u2019re doing the same thing again 20 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hispasat CEO Carlos Espinos Gomez was also wary, but thinks the satellite industry would have a better chance by focusing energy on places where there are no other connectivity solutions. \u201cWe think that satellite is not the right technology to compete against fiber optics or 5G; we have to become complementary. To conciliate our position will take some time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Kaul spoke similarly: \u201cWe don\u2019t expect to compete with 5G. Our approach is to find underserved homes and serve them. For example, in the United States, there are 18 million households that don\u2019t have fiber or cable and will not have it for at least five to six years. Our strategy is to serve those guys,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Staying firmly in the middle of the road, Balkheyour said he doesn\u2019t think there is any disagreement on the need for data connectivity but stressed caution moving forward. \u201cWhat bothers me is that there are too many players coming into the market, and they all have a good business case,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, for Mahmood, a debate on the merits of LEO global coverage versus more focused GEO coverage is entirely the wrong conversation to have. He stressed that profitability remains paramount. \u201cMost of the conversations I\u2019m hearing define the satellite industry and operators as an infrastructure play. To me, looking at lessons from other sectors, at the end you need to make a return,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why Yahsat\u2019s focus has been to make sure we have the distribution rights and the bells and whistles on top of our basic connectivity.\u201d <strong>VS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>,<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"widget-title\">In This Issue<\/h2>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 325:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/BBJCSvWQ5G5JRimCLKIT_Ship_Network-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/BBJCSvWQ5G5JRimCLKIT_Ship_Network-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/BBJCSvWQ5G5JRimCLKIT_Ship_Network-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/BBJCSvWQ5G5JRimCLKIT_Ship_Network-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/BBJCSvWQ5G5JRimCLKIT_Ship_Network.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tExecs See Need to Differentiate and Innovate in New Maritime Environment<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 299:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/75IW0DOPTdmBEc70XCMn_Marquee-header-02102017-Final-300x169.png\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/75IW0DOPTdmBEc70XCMn_Marquee-header-02102017-Final-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/75IW0DOPTdmBEc70XCMn_Marquee-header-02102017-Final-800x450.png 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/75IW0DOPTdmBEc70XCMn_Marquee-header-02102017-Final-640x360.png 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/75IW0DOPTdmBEc70XCMn_Marquee-header-02102017-Final.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tFast Forward: How to Win the Race for Business Opportunity<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 322:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/L5LWZ7DeRC0JeaVUr7DA_DSC_0492-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/L5LWZ7DeRC0JeaVUr7DA_DSC_0492-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/L5LWZ7DeRC0JeaVUr7DA_DSC_0492-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/L5LWZ7DeRC0JeaVUr7DA_DSC_0492-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/L5LWZ7DeRC0JeaVUr7DA_DSC_0492.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tFinal Panel at SATELLITE 2017 Raises  Familiar Issues<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 323:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/vOKijU4SIqkYHAnZ8uFm_Sat17_1182-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/vOKijU4SIqkYHAnZ8uFm_Sat17_1182-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/vOKijU4SIqkYHAnZ8uFm_Sat17_1182-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/vOKijU4SIqkYHAnZ8uFm_Sat17_1182-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/vOKijU4SIqkYHAnZ8uFm_Sat17_1182.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tSATELLITE 2017: Important Lessons and Some Surprising Takeaways<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 320:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dpksnykRQNCtCddY1VJF_jcsat16_streak-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dpksnykRQNCtCddY1VJF_jcsat16_streak-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dpksnykRQNCtCddY1VJF_jcsat16_streak-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dpksnykRQNCtCddY1VJF_jcsat16_streak-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/dpksnykRQNCtCddY1VJF_jcsat16_streak.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tTop Launch Execs Focus on SmallSat Impact and Opportunities<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 321:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/jhtkgIR3ToamrU32Ra3N_ThinkstockPhotos-595322430-300x199.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/jhtkgIR3ToamrU32Ra3N_ThinkstockPhotos-595322430-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/jhtkgIR3ToamrU32Ra3N_ThinkstockPhotos-595322430-800x531.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/jhtkgIR3ToamrU32Ra3N_ThinkstockPhotos-595322430-640x425.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/jhtkgIR3ToamrU32Ra3N_ThinkstockPhotos-595322430.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tWhere Will Satellite Fit in the Internet of Things?<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Throughout SATELLITE 2017, a major point heralded by speakers was the need to cooperate to ensure the satellite industry\u2019s survival in the coming years. In that respect, Tuesday\u2019s closing general session, which featured an international gamut of satellite CEOs, had a much different feel. Though cordial, the tension on stage was palpable as the speakers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68258,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68257"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}