{"id":68697,"date":"2017-03-09T00:43:43","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T16:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/leo-and-meo-execs-discuss-collaboration-and-differentiating-services\/"},"modified":"2017-03-09T00:43:43","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T16:43:43","slug":"leo-and-meo-execs-discuss-collaboration-and-differentiating-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/leo-and-meo-execs-discuss-collaboration-and-differentiating-services\/","title":{"rendered":"LEO and MEO Execs Discuss Collaboration and Differentiating Services"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Satellite executives are at a critical juncture in many ways in terms of determining how they will move forward with so much recent development with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) services. To be precise, 11 new Ku- and Ka-band Non-Geosynchronous Orbit (NGSO) systems have been filed at the FCC. However, that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean all of these executives are necessarily pitted against each other.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the discussion at Wednesday\u2019s SATELLITE 2017 \u201cLEO and MEO Focus: Critical New Developments for Low Earth and Medium Earth Orbit Services\u201d panel was, in fact, focused on how different companies can sometimes collaborate or differentiate themselves within the field.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/ztjyCWxZRYCyM1zlMzoh_ShowDaily17_Cover1_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\/ztjyCWxZRYCyM1zlMzoh_ShowDaily17_Cover1_DGTL-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/ztjyCWxZRYCyM1zlMzoh_ShowDaily17_Cover1_DGTL-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/ztjyCWxZRYCyM1zlMzoh_ShowDaily17_Cover1_DGTL-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/ztjyCWxZRYCyM1zlMzoh_ShowDaily17_Cover1_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 Day 4 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>\u201cThe challenge with LEO is business-based,\u201d said O3b Networks CEO Steve Collar. \u201cEverybody knows [that]. And all of these guys have got different solutions, so I think it\u2019s hard to speak generically about LEO. I think having hybrid infrastructure that you can leverage the right kind of traffic and for the right kind of customers is very important. We sort of stopped thinking of ourselves as a satellite operator a long time ago and started thinking about ourselves as kind of a data network company and how do we deliver the service and quality of the experience for the customers we serve and the infrastructure has almost become secondary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Collar drew laughs from the packed room a few times during the panel, including with the comment of infrastructure becoming secondary, noting how it\u2019s probably not a comment one should make at a satellite conference. The humor, though, highlighted how these executives were for the most part friendly with each other and even if they had a few disagreements along the way, they tended to view the industry as having room for multiple players.<\/p>\n<p>Telesat Senior Vice President Michael Schwartz said his company looks at LEO to provide a number of competitive differentiators from GEO and was upbeat about the near future. \u201cIf you step back and see what\u2019s driving us, it\u2019s what\u2019s happening with data,\u201d he said. \u201cThe explosion of data \u2026 has been fundamental over the last 20 years. There\u2019s going to be no one modality to solve everything. LEO plays an important role. When we look at things that keep us up at night, these systems are complex. We don\u2019t focus on demand and we don\u2019t focus on competition, but we think there\u2019s a lot of room for a lot of different solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a6b443fa878e;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_6a6b443fa878e = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a6b443fa878f').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a6b443fa878f'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>OneWeb General Manager Scott Sprague said his company is already embracing the future, referring to OneWeb\u2019s recent merger with Intelsat and noted there were certain markets that were ripe for hybrid solutions and areas where networks could be combined. \u201cI think [we] all have a different approach to how we\u2019re looking at markets \u2026 but one thing is clear, the growth of the data market is driving this demand,\u201d Sprague said. \u201cThere are still plenty of underserved markets in the world \u2026 We are not looking to replace what folks are doing today, we\u2019re looking to complement it in certain market segments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>LeoSat CEO Mark Rigolle also spoke of how companies could compliment one another and how they could differentiate themselves from the pack, such as his company\u2019s focus on offering premium products. But he also, like others, talked of the need to be open-minded about the future. \u201cDon\u2019t be surprised if there\u2019s an announcement one day that we\u2019re combining,\u201d he said, which drew some friendly banter from Collar and a laugh from the audience.<\/p>\n<p>Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch also played up the importance of differentiating, noting features of his company, especially its focus on safety. \u201cMy strategy has been to avoid commoditization at all costs,\u201d Desch said. \u201cI see everybody trying to focus on different segments, and I think that\u2019s smart because, look, it\u2019s not just GEO vs. LEO, it\u2019s versus all communication types. While there is demand for broadband, what you have to understand is falling prices for broadband \u2014 especially as they fall by an order of magnitude in the next five to 10 years \u2014 are not really great for satellite business. Our view is to try to go where the elephants aren\u2019t so you don\u2019t get trampled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Desch, in a more deadpan way than Collar, used humor a few times to draw laughs from the crowd, but also to underscore his points, including a quip early on how it wasn\u2019t many years ago at a similar panel that the subject was the death of LEO, a panel which certainly wouldn\u2019t have predicted the sort of interest on display on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Also discussed in some detail at the panel was regulation. \u201cThe regulatory issues are very complicated on all of us,\u201d said Schwartz. \u201cWe just filed with the FCC different comments \u2026 The [International Telecommunications Union] ITU has a very simple and effective system and says everyone makes their filings and then go back and check with people above you. We think that process would be more effective than some regulator trying to give technical guidance on these complex and unknown constellations \u2026 that would be the most efficient way to get a public benefit.\u201d A similar issue brought up was the number of regulatory agencies in the field.<\/p>\n<p>Different companies weren\u2019t in total agreement on the emphasis that should be placed on the possibility of lost satellites, however, with Desch, in particular, citing the concern. <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 314:  \/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=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/seJxExJ0SrS3iGEdZkmD_Cyber-Security-2-300x169.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/seJxExJ0SrS3iGEdZkmD_Cyber-Security-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/seJxExJ0SrS3iGEdZkmD_Cyber-Security-2-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/seJxExJ0SrS3iGEdZkmD_Cyber-Security-2-640x360.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/seJxExJ0SrS3iGEdZkmD_Cyber-Security-2.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\tCybersecurity Roundtable Highlights Satellite\u2019s Holistic Approach to Managing Threats<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 318:  \/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\/SNrx1PaPROOAhFGMH7rA_ThinkstockPhotos-186176834-300x199.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SNrx1PaPROOAhFGMH7rA_ThinkstockPhotos-186176834-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SNrx1PaPROOAhFGMH7rA_ThinkstockPhotos-186176834-800x531.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SNrx1PaPROOAhFGMH7rA_ThinkstockPhotos-186176834-640x425.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SNrx1PaPROOAhFGMH7rA_ThinkstockPhotos-186176834.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\tGround Segment Focus: Diversify or Drill Deep into a Niche?<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 319:  \/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=\"160\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/u7x8M3RnKq0GpcYmHVnw_inmarsat20airservices20flight20track20satellite20copy-300x160.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/u7x8M3RnKq0GpcYmHVnw_inmarsat20airservices20flight20track20satellite20copy-300x160.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/u7x8M3RnKq0GpcYmHVnw_inmarsat20airservices20flight20track20satellite20copy-800x427.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/u7x8M3RnKq0GpcYmHVnw_inmarsat20airservices20flight20track20satellite20copy-640x342.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/u7x8M3RnKq0GpcYmHVnw_inmarsat20airservices20flight20track20satellite20copy.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\tIn-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity:  Who Picks up the Tab?<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 316:  \/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\/E74en8sSuelcPpnUN6l5_ThinkstockPhotos-612856472-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/E74en8sSuelcPpnUN6l5_ThinkstockPhotos-612856472-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/E74en8sSuelcPpnUN6l5_ThinkstockPhotos-612856472-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/E74en8sSuelcPpnUN6l5_ThinkstockPhotos-612856472-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/E74en8sSuelcPpnUN6l5_ThinkstockPhotos-612856472.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\tPanelists Link Flatter Antennas with Fatter Profits, But Offer Vague ROI Timetable<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 313:  \/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=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SMaxzggRS4ClvB4hBZsS_Satellite20manufacturers20panel-300x225.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SMaxzggRS4ClvB4hBZsS_Satellite20manufacturers20panel-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SMaxzggRS4ClvB4hBZsS_Satellite20manufacturers20panel-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SMaxzggRS4ClvB4hBZsS_Satellite20manufacturers20panel-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/SMaxzggRS4ClvB4hBZsS_Satellite20manufacturers20panel.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 Manufacturers Stress Collaboration to Overcome Industry Challenges<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Satellite executives are at a critical juncture in many ways in terms of determining how they will move forward with so much recent development with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) services. To be precise, 11 new Ku- and Ka-band Non-Geosynchronous Orbit (NGSO) systems have been filed at the FCC. However, that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68698,"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-68697","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\/68697"}],"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=68697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}