SPECIAL
SATELLITE 2015
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A multi-service era beckons : an industry survey conducted by
Newtec indicated that 82 % of broadcasters and broadcast service providers plan to launch additional services in the near future , which include broadband and cloud services , alongside more traditional offerings such as
DTH .
Furthermore , 71 % of respondents also viewed getting a return on investment as their top concern , followed by transmission and content production costs ( 67 %). While these factors remain relevant , the jury remains out on the time frame where broadcasters and operators are ready to adopt and offer 4K UHD services .
However , even when considering 4K UHD over satellite as a future service , the role of satellite in delivering essential services to a region as diverse and consisting of the sheer landmass as Asia-Pacific cannot be understated . In particular , DTH remains arguably the most efficient and cost-effective platform to deliver TV services to otherwise under-served audiences in Asia-Pacific .
Measat ’ s launch of the Measat-3b satellite last September continues the company ’ s efforts to create , as part of the Measat-3 satellite constellation , what it calls the strongest DTH orbital slot in Asia-Pacific . The launch of Measat-3c and Measat-3d , in 2016 and 2019 respectively , will add to the DTH capacity of Measat ’ s DTH hot slot , and allow it to better serve almost 20 million viewers across India , Malaysia and Indonesia .
Given the geography of these countries — a population spread over a wide area — and patchy terrestrial communication infrastructure , satellites will continue to provide the most effective distribution platform for the delivery of TV services , said Measat ’ s Lopez .
For Eutelsat , the company is entering into a new phase of expansion in Asia-Pacific with a “ bold new satellite programme ”, according to Eutelsat ’ s Loke . To be launched in 2017 , the Eutelsat 172B is a triple mission satellite designed to sustain demand for capacity for data , fixed and mobile broadband services , as well as video , Loke revealed .
Loke also foresees an exponential growth in the number of TV homes in Asia-Pacific , driven primarily by the increase in digital and HD channels as the region continues its digital switchover .
And as demand for satellite services in the region
continues to surge , teleport operators such as Singtel Satellite continue to provide a vital link in the satellite service chain . The growing demand for content has increased tremendously in Asia in recent years , and will continue to do so in 2015 , was the opinion of Lim Kian Soon , Head , Singtel Satellite .
This , added Lim , will see an increase in the take-up of uplink and downlink services , with Singtel Satellite ’ s ST-2 and ST-3 teleports ready to meet demands for these services in Asia , the Middle East and Africa .
Another endeavour Singtel Satellite is currently engaged in , revealed Lim , is in building a cloud-based storage solution that will allow the media industry to effectively outsource their content management .
“ In an increasingly connected world , cloud technology will offer broadcasters the opportunity to reshape their business and optimise user experience ,” Lim concluded .
The industry is moving towards a multi-service era , and operators are constantly looking for future-proof solutions to address the increasing OPEX and CAPEX challenges , while remaining agile to enable new satellite services in an ever-changing world , assessed satellite equipment and technologies provider Newtec .
According to a recent industry survey conducted by Newtec , 82 % of broadcasters and broadcast service providers plan to launch additional services in the near future , which include broadband and cloud services , alongside more traditional offerings such as DTH .
While continuing to work with satellite service providers such as Measat to advance 4K UHD , Newtec offers solutions such as the Newtec Dialog , which is designed to offer the flexibility , scalability and efficiency to allow operators to increase their operation efficiency and easily adapt their infrastructure to business or market changes .
The missing link From traditional offerings such as DTH , the digital transition ongoing in Asia- Pacific , and video and other broadbandbased services , satellite remains a key deli very platform in Asia-Pacific .
As the demand for satellite services increase , the scarcity of bandwidth will in turn become more acute . While the introduction of standards such as HEVC / H . 265 and DVB-S2X will serve to alleviate bandwidth scarcity , particularly for 4K UHD , there is reason to wonder if this is merely a short-term fix , if a more pressing issue is not adequately addressed .
At the International Telecommunication Union ’ s ( ITU ) World Radiocommunications Conference ( WRC-15 ) to be held in Geneva this November , satellite C-band spectrum , together with terrestrial broadcast spectrum , will be considered for mobile services .
C-band frequencies remain vital to the operation of satellite services , particularly in tropical and sub tropical regions such as Asia-Pacific , where other spectrum
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