The government often is both the largest employer and consumer of goods and services in a country, and in many countries a better description for the government would be a collection of entities with multiple interests and demands. For instance, citizens of the United States elect representatives on a national, state, county and sometimes local basis which provide various levels of service to different sets of the population. Each governing entity provides a unique set of services and must maintain its own infrastructure to serve constituents. Collectively, these many different forms of government represent a tremendous market opportunity for civil satellite programs in the United States and around the globe.
Non-defense government satellite programs are enjoying healthy sales growth with governments of all sizes showing an eagerness to adopt satellite technology. Although the market for non-defense satellite networks is dwarfed by military spending it is still an important one. "In general, non-defense satellite projects accounted for about 10 percent of overall government spending given that the thrust has been driven largely by military-related activities, specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan," says Jose del Rosario, analyst for NSR. "The biggest opportunity we see in the United States is in broadband initiatives. NSR estimates in its "Broadband Satellite Markets, 8th Edition" study, released in April, that North American single-site satellite broadband Internet access services will be a market of over $2.4 billion. This is more than tripling from today’s revenues."
What types of satellite programs are resonating well with governments around the world? What does the outlook for satellite hardware and services look like for the next few years?
Fertile Ground
If you were to view a government entity as you would a large enterprise customer, one quickly sees that governments have the same basic communication needs as businesses. "There are a number of applications that governments have recognized where satellite technology provides significant advantages," says Mike Cook, senior vice president, North American Division, Hughes. "These include distance learning, continuity of operations, remote access, public safety, and video broadcasting." A number of departments of the U.S. federal government use Hughes for data connectivity, including the National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Agriculture Food Safety & Inspection Service and Forest Service. "Some of these clients are seasonal and some are full time," Cook says. "We work with many different branches of the federal government. Agencies can acquire our satellite and managed services through our GSA schedule, and other contract vehicles."
Hurricane Katrina was a defining moment on many fronts for the United States, and sometimes it takes a disaster of this magnitude to change the prevailing thought processes of an entire industry. Haunting pictures of a flooded New Orleans got the attention of telecommunication managers and carriers alike. Attitudes on business continuity changed literally overnight. No longer were two terrestrial circuits entering a building from opposite directions deemed adequate to insure continuity of operations. Governmental agencies quickly realized they must safeguard their networks against natural or man-made disasters. Continuity of government services and the ability of emergency management services to function during disasters became much more important. Hughes unveiled its Inter-Government Crisis Network earlier this year, which provides an example of how satellite communications can help governments continue to operate during disasters. The system operates over the Spaceway 3 satellite, which provides onboard switching and routing.
Dallas based Squire Tech Solutions has placed a heavy emphasis on serving the communication needs of government agencies which respond to disasters. "We see a tremendous interest from regional governments that want to use satellite communications to restore 911 dispatch centers," says Michael Zalle, vice president of sales and marketing, "Getting those regional centers back up and running is critical during a disaster. Satellite is the best answer." Squire Tech Solutions recently released its pCom 300 trailer, which was designed and built for emergency responders and mobility applications. The trailer incorporates a 0.96- or 1.2-meter auto-point antenna system capable of transmitting at speeds 10 megabits per second or more, a 10 or 25 kilowatt diesel generator, and a telescoping mast with internal cabling for lighting, video cameras or radio antennas. Squire Tech sells the pCom 300 directly to government agencies and provides associated mobile response satellite and phone services and also sells the trailer to other satellite service providers requiring mobilization of their unique network solutions.
"Telemedicine is another important application," says Zalle. "During a disaster, operations at many remote medical and triage sites are disrupted. Having a robust communication system in place allows experts from a distant location help triage incoming patients. In addition, we see video scene monitoring as a growing incident management application. For instance, a state’s governor may want to view and monitor live video from an important public transportation corridor. This is just one example. A government can monitor just about anything with live and stored video to better serve the public."
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