Singapore, June 21, 2007 – Delegates and government officials attending the June 18th CASBAA Satellite Industry Forum 2007 were warned that the unconsidered deployment of planned wireless broadband technologies is a critical threat to the operations of the Asia Pacific satellite industry’s C-band (3.4 GHz – 3.7 GHz range) services and the industry’s entire livelihood.
According to CASBAA, if regional administrations allocate C-band spectrum to much-hyped WiMAX services, the impact of a “spectrum grab” from Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) technologies could be disastrous.
Over 180 decision-making executives from the satellite industry drawn from around the world participated in the Singapore event, exchanging compelling industry insights and addressing issues facing the vibrant Asia Pacific market.
“Unlike BWA, which can be located in other spectrum bands, satellite providers do not have the option of changing frequencies. We cannot go anywhere. We cannot change frequencies for satellite services tomorrow,” said Peter Jackson, CEO of blue chip satellite operator AsiaSat.
In addition to WiMAX, various 4G mobile telephony initiatives are targeting the entire range of C-Band spectrum in meetings of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), officials attending the meeting from India, China, Hong Kong, Pakistan and Singapore were warned.
“Indeed, the entire satellite industry in the Asia Pacific could be affected, with operators forced to shut down satellite services along with hundreds of TV channels. If this proposed bandwidth grab is finalised, the effects on the media and satellite industries could be catastrophic,” said Simon Twiston Davies, the CEO of CASBAA.
Barry Turner, GM, Engineering of AsiaSat explained that “the severity of the interference from Broadband Wireless Access technology is now well understood, and in the countries where broadband wireless trials have been licensed, the “jamming” of satellite signals has blacked out numerous customers. It is telling that the ITU and BWA industry bodies already agree on the effects, now leaving each national administration to choose between killing satellite C-band or putting BWA in a different frequency band.”
That’s why Asia Pacific satellite industry leaders have been calling on governments to take a considered approach in the allocation of existing satellite services. Processes to consider such allocations are under way in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Australia, Taiwan and the Philippines, among others.
The provision of “open skies” with unrestricted access for satellite services to domestic markets was also discussed at the Forum. Once again, CASBAA delegates were united in a call for governments to allow the industry to realize the full opportunity of such policies.
“Satellite has great potential to bridge the digital divide,” said Ken Cheong, Regional Director Asia Pacific, of global operator Inmarsat. “As a worldwide provider, the more markets we can reach, the more we can bring down pricing and increase affordability. We can support rural and social development programs across Asia and do so in an affordable way.”
Nevertheless, while the operating environment in the region has been improving, the further adoption of best practices — both technical and regulatory — and the introduction of new satellite investment are essential factors for enhancing industry growth.
“The good news is that we are making progress and there have been substantial positive steps in the right direction. As we have more successes, we can provide better and cheaper services throughout Asia,” said Gregg Daffner, the President of Asia Broadcast Satellite.
The 180 decision-making delegates in Singapore also heard that the demand of mobile TV, Direct to Home (DTH) and HDTV services will be key drivers for massive future growth.
Emerging mobile TV services are sweeping the world with the Asia Pacific market benefiting from that development. Dr. Young-Kil Suh, President and CEO of TU Media of South Korea delivered an upbeat keynote address on the phenomenal growth of Mobile TV in his home market, where TU Media serves 1.1 million consumers via handheld TV devices. “Customers expect the same quality and coverage of our service as they get with voice mobile. Indoor is as important as outdoor,” he said.
Asia is also set to be the single most important DTH market in the world. For example, India’s DTH market has grown to 5 million subscribers in just over two years and the rest of Asia wants to follow. Mass audiences in Asia are also slowly gearing up for High Definition TV (HDTV) services following the US, where 24 of the 48 million HDTV sets in the US are effectively connected to HD content. HDTV has become a key demand driver for TV audiences the world over and 100% conversion is just a matter of time, delegates were told.
“Today’s gathering highlights the need for a technically enlightened, lightly regulated environment for our industry, which has made billions of dollars in long term investment in equipment and services,” said David Ball, the Chairman of the CASBAA Satellite Industry Committee and Intelsat’s regional VP, Asia Pacific.
“Open Skies, technologically neutral and open markets are essential for the growth of the media and telecommunication sector – and it will continue now in Asia – if our regulator colleagues can grasp the nettle of technological change,” said Mr. Twiston Davies of CASBAA.
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ABOUT CASBAA – www.casbaa.com
The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia is an industry association dedicated to the promotion of multi-channel television via cable, satellite, broadband and wireless video networks across the Asia-Pacific region. CASBAA represents some 120 Asia-based corporations, which in turn serve more than 3 billion people. Member organisations include Asia Broadcast Networks, Asia Broadcast Satellite, AsiaSat, ASTRO (Malaysia), Australia Network, Bloomberg Television, Chunghwa Telecom, Comverse, Discovery Networks Asia, Granada International, HBO Asia, Intelsat, Macquarie Bank, MediaFLO, Motorola, MTV Networks Asia Pacific, Nokia, now TV, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sony Pictures Television International, STAR Group, Sun Microsystems, TrueVisions (Thailand), Turner International Asia Pacific, Walt Disney Television International, Zonemedia, Amarchand Mangaldas, Arianespace, Asian Food Channel, BBC Global Channels, Asia Pacific, Boeing Space Systems International, EADS Astrium, ESPN STAR Sports, Eutelsat, Fu Yang Media, GMA Network Inc, ILS, JSAT, Lockheed Martin, Loral Skynet, Mabuhay Satellite, MEASAT, National Geographic, NDS, Orbit Satellite TV & Radio Network, Paul Weiss, ProtoStar, Satlink Communications, SES Global, Shin Satellite, Starhub, Tata Sky, Ten Sports and Zee Television.
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