Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) June 2018 Volume 35, Issue 5 | Page 29

June 2018 DISTRIBUTION 29

STN brings a flexible approach to a dynamic market

BY MITJA LOVSIN
Mitja Lovsin is managing director of STN .
Asia is a vast , diverse continent with a wide range of cultures and countries at different stages of development . It is also an intriguing market that holds enormous potential , with a huge diaspora moving into new regions of the world , including Africa and the Middle East .
Business in Asia is booming and there are many players that have made the decision to move in and take on the region , providing connectivity solutions for broadcasters , telcos and ISPs . This connectivity is in great demand as the Asian population has become more mobile than ever before , setting up home outside of their native continent . Couple this with a rapid rise in demand for the local content that these people are used to , and you have a powerful combination .
Over the past two years , STN has successfully progressed into the Asian market , but is taking a somewhat different approach . The company ’ s teleport , located in Slovenia , boasts impressive and extensive infrastructure , which allows it to deliver its media and broadcast solutions to just about anywhere on the planet . This is a cutting-edge facility with world-class infrastructure — and the STN team is leveraging this capability to enable it to serve the Asian market with the services that its population demands , no matter where in the world they happen to be .
The Asian market is very strong and is still booming . However , we did not want to hit the market with solutions that are already mature there . We constantly ask ourselves : What is it that the Asian population located outside their continent need ? What do they want ?
The STN team approached several big satellite operators in Asia and began looking at the distribution of their international channels . We asked how we could help them — for example , how we could help them broach the enormous Asian community that now lives in the US , the Middle East , Europe and Africa .
The operators whom we spoke with told us that they have been trying to break into these markets in order to send regional content out to the expats who need it , but have had little success .
STN is already engaged and working with operators that will be providing the services that are set to transform communications as we know them .
An advantage STN has is the site on which the teleport stands . The infrastructure is purposebuilt and there is plenty of spare capacity and room for growth . Not only this , the infrastructure is truly cutting-edge and future-proof .
Today , STN is helping these operators to deliver their channels outside of Asia . However , this is only part of the story . To look at the other part , we need to examine some trends .
The first is data , which is beginning to dominate . The influx of high throughput satellites ( HTS ) and the hundreds ( and possibly thousands ) of small satellites in low Earth orbiting ( LEO ) that are scheduled for launch will catalyse access to broadband data to the as yet underserved or unserved .
This is a new era of connectivity . Through HTS and new technologies that are enabling data transfer over satellite , we are working on providing a service to telcos and ISPs that need to be connected via satellite , either as a main connection or a redundant or backup connection . Prices have come down dramatically for us and for our customers , so this makes sense .
The demand to transport data out of Asia is not unique to Asia , but is also sought after in other regions . For example , there is a lot of Middle Eastern telcos that are very poorly connected to Asia , so they need twoway traffic . Hence , there is interest for both sides . Africa , too , is looking to be connected with Asia — there are many Asians in Africa . This is all twoway traffic and it is all data — either mobile phones or for mobility .
This is where STN sees the opportunity for the future — in data — and to back this up , we only need to look at the trend that is sweeping the world and is creating enormous global demand : mobility . Mobility is probably the biggest transformation that the entire communications industry has seen . We want to be constantly connected , no matter where we are : on land , sea or in the air . This expectation is driving communications everywhere and in Asia , this is no exception . In fact , Asia , as a very tech-savvy nation , is a key region for mobility .
It is very obvious to everybody where the trends are going . Today , people want to be connected anywhere and everywhere . There was a time when a plane journey was devoid of any communications . Today , that is changing fast — whether you are flying to the moon or travelling across the Atlantic Ocean .
Technological changes are accelerating and innovations in the development of flat-panel antennas ( FPAs ) will have a massive impact on the way we communicate on-themove . We are just at the beginning in terms of the development of FPAs but there will be a time , in the near future , where you will fit one of these FPAs to the roof of your car and we will have access to 10Gbps of capacity at any time . STN is already engaged and working with operators that will be providing the services that are set to transform communications as we know them .
So , why should Asian companies be considering STN as a partner ? First and foremost , companies must look for partners who will support them completely , who can be agile and flexible and cater for their requirements , no matter what they are . We are a very lean operation and we are very flexible . What we offer our customers is a dedicated and responsive team . In some cases , the operators and telcos that we have spoken to were struggling because they had teamed up with equally big partners .
Then , there were problems with a lack of communication and , in some cases , an inability to be able to solve particular problems . They prefer to work with smaller partners who can offer responsiveness and who can solve problems when it is required . That is one of our key advantages .
The other advantage that STN has is the site on which the teleport stands . The infrastructure is purposebuilt and there is plenty of spare capacity and room for growth . Not only this , the infrastructure is truly cutting-edge and future-proof .
We can move in lots of directions with potential partners , and we have the infrastructure and the space to grow with them . We see this as a long-term relationship , not just a one-off . We build a rapport with our customers . We get to know them and develop that mutual respect . That goes a long way in business and we strongly believe in that .
With our understanding of the Asian market and deep respect for its culture , the STN team sees an extremely bright future working with Asian broadcasters , telcos and ISPs , and enabling them to extend their reach comprehensively and reliably outside of their respective countries . A flexible approach and can-do attitude has already given STN an esteemed reputation , and the team looks forward to growing their brand and business in the dynamic and diverse continent of Asia . ❑