[Via Satellite 02-23-2015] SpeedCast<\/b>, a Hong Kong-based global satellite communications provider with a large presence in the Asia-Pacific is evaluating ways to leverage capacity from new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems coming online around the world. In January the company partnered with O3b Networks <\/b>to provide Ka-band HTS capacity to Papua New Guinea. Other HTS partners include Intelsat<\/b> with its EpicNG HTS debut slated for early 2016, and Inmarsat<\/b> with its three-satellite Global Xpress constellation, which is now two thirds complete. Speaking to Via Satellite<\/i>, SpeedCast CEO Pierre-Jean Beylier highlighted mobility markets where the company sees value in adding HTS services.<\/p>\n
\u201c[We are] certainly interested to look at HTS for cellular backhaul applications,\u201d he said. \u201cIn countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan Indonesia and Malaysia, we\u2019re keen to see what we can do with HTS capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beylier said the dominant need for C band to provide satellite services in voice networks has limited the use of HTS in such applications today. Other bands are not as effective at meeting the reliability and availability required. SpeedCast typically uses C band for backup services in the Asia-Pacific as well, particularly when fiber is only comprised of one or two cables. Beylier expects greater diversity in spectrum could open up more doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cC band is the preferred band, so I look forward to HTS developments in the C-band arena. Intelsat has that on their roadmap, and that will be quite interesting, but we try to do Ku band as well, and potentially even Ka band with O3b, which for certain parts of our cellular backhaul solutions could be interesting, in particular data traffic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Beylier described SpeedCast as frequency agnostic, adding that availability is the key criterion. The company has global networks in C and in Ku band, and could use HTS to overlay existing networks for more demanding services.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the offshore oil and gas sector there is a need for significant amounts of bandwidth as well, and even more than cellular backhaul, availability will be key,\u201d said Beylier. \u201cThat\u2019s an area where we have to do more work to offer the availability that those customers need, maybe by combining HTS Ku band or Ka band with some C band, until HTS C band capacity becomes available.\u201d<\/p>\n
SpeedCast is also evaluating ways to provide various kinds of new IT services. Beylier said he sees this as an early stage trend in the industry \u2014 for satellite communications providers to take on more outsourced solutions \u2014 but one that will gain momentum over the next three to five years. SpeedCast already provides a large suite of value added services such as network monitoring and support, and will work with customers to extend VSAT networks through terrestrial technologies such as microwave and wireless. Expanding further into IT requires greater resources, but Beylier views this as an essential step to stay competitive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the value of a service provider is much more than an uplink and a VSAT hub. Those who do only that, yes they should be worried,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
SpeedCast has completed several notable acquisitions in recent years, including Australia Satellite Communications<\/b> in 2012, Elektrikom Satellite Services <\/b>and Pactel International <\/b>in 2013, and Oceanic Broadband <\/b>in 2014. The majority of the company\u2019s Merger and Acquisition (M&A) activity has been in the Asia Pacific. SpeedCast now provides services in almost every Pacific island nation. Beylier declined to comment on any future M&A plans or inclinations, but said the companies purchased in recent years have had a defining impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcquisitions have influenced a change in SpeedCast. None of the companies were for sale, they were selected to fill gaps in our approach to the market and compliment what SpeedCast was already doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[Via Satellite 02-23-2015] SpeedCast, a Hong Kong-based global satellite communications provider with a large presence in the Asia-Pacific is evaluating ways to leverage capacity from new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems coming online around the world. In January the company partnered with O3b Networks to provide Ka-band HTS capacity to Papua New Guinea. Other HTS […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72714,"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-74965","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\/74965"}],"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=74965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}