Make a power play at the Capitals game! Connect with colleagues, treat your customers to a fun afternoon of hockey as the Washington Capitals take on the New Jersey Devils. SATELLITE 2008 has secured discounted tickets to the game, which takes place just a couple of blocks from the Washington Convention Center. Tickets are $60 for lower level and $35 for mezzanine level and are available through the SATELLITE 2008 registration system. Learn more or order tickets here.

Military, government and commercial enterprises are increasing their use of Internet Protocols (IP) via satellite to support mission-critical applications in locations not well served by the terrestrial infrastructure. These satellite-enabled networks must provide timely, reliable and secure information to users in remote locations.

This seminar will address the major issues involved in building satellite-enabled networks and how users can benefit from their application. Attendees will learn the fundamentals of IP-based packet switching, how the protocols work over satellite and how satellite systems interface with terrestrial Internets. Emphasis will be placed on quality of service and security issues and how to build networks that can support converged voice, video and data applications.

Specific topics include:

This session, a marquee seminar offered in a convenient one-day format, is the starting point for the non-technical manager working within the global satellite industry. Seminar leader, Dr. Mark R. Chartrand, will present a comprehensive program offering a study of the technology and issues surrounding satellites. Find out how satellites fit into the total telecommunications industry; who is doing what in satellite communications; major issues and trends in satellite delivered services; and what the ambiguous terms, jargon and acronyms used in the satellite business mean. Dr. Mark R. Chartrand has more than 23 years of experience conducting telecommunication training programs and conferences.

This well-known entertaining and educational seminar focuses on the fundamentals of space flight for industry and government professionals working in the satellite community. Seminar leader Marshall H. Kaplan offers an energetic and insightful look at the fundamentals, limitations and realities of launching and operating satellites in Earth orbit. Executives, managers and engineering personnel will gain insight into how current and projected developments, new policy initiatives and economic trends that will shape global satellite business in the 21st century. Many anecdotal examples are included.

Specific topics include:

• How is it possible to get from Earth to orbit and survive
• The truth about space launch costs
• How many things can we do in space
• New entrepreneurial space activities
• What separates “space fact” from “space fantasy”

Marshall H. Kaplan, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized expert on space flight, satellite technology and launch vehicle design. He has been lecturing on satellite-related topics for more than three decades to audiences on four continents. His professional experience includes assignments in industry, academia, and government. Dr. Kaplan currently is a senior space advisor to the highest levels within the government and industry. He was instrumental in the design and development of modern control systems for communications satellites, and is the author of three books including the text, "Modern Spacecraft Dynamics and Control." Dr. Kaplan holds advanced degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from M.I.T. and Stanford University, and he is a Fellow of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and the American Astronautical Society.

The days of one-size-fits-all satellite enterprise solutions are ancient history. To succeed in today’s business, savvy satcom players are refining and adapting their entire approach to suit the vertical marketplace: Their systems, their services, their personnel, their marketing, and their sales channels. This workshop will begin with an overview of how, where and why the industry is succeeding, and leading experts will then “drill down” to reveal the inner workings of some of the most lucrative vertical markets in the world today.

Opening Remarks
8:30 AM -8:40 AM

Redefining The Vertical Marketplace
8:40 AM -9:15 AM
Jay Gullish, Futron Corporation

e-Government: The Next Big ‘Thing’?
9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
Robert Feierbach, ViaSat Inc.

Service Differentiation, Customer Retention and Training
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Ralph Brooker, SatProf

Business Continuity vs. Emergency Management: The Unvarnished Truth about Sales Cycles, Budgets and ROI
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Murad Raheem, U.S.D.H.H.S. & Tony Bardo, Hughes

Lunch Break
11:45 AM – 1:30 PM

Guns, Bombs & Satellites: COTS, MilSpace & Everything in Between
1:45 PM – 3:00 PM
David Cavossa, Arrowhead & Ralph Puckett, DISA

Cracking Vertical Markets: The Legal Implications
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Bruce Olcott, Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP

Satellite Communications and the ‘Digital Oil Field’
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Dave Simpson, Schlumberger

Back by popular demand! Futron Corporation presents an entire day of sessions that examine the satellite marketplace from every angle—the state of the industry, investor relationships, expanding services, mergers and acquisitions. If you want to know the financial future of the satellite-enabled communications, then you must attend the SATELLITE 2008 Finance Forum!

Industry performance has been strong over the past year, but is that performance sustainable in light of the late summer 2007 lending crisis and its impact on credit markets to fund projected satellite operator financings? Leading industry analysts give their perspectives on how these trends will come together to position the satellite industry for continued growth.

The world's top satellite investment bankers will provide a hands-on commentary of the year's top satellite deals, including M&A, banking and capital markets transactions. What's the prognosis for future funding of capital expansion and further industry consolidation in light of the changing availability of credit? Bankers from the leading financial institutions will offer their insights and share their experience covering these and related topics.

While there's been a lot of attention paid to the merger of Sirius and XM in North America, across the Atlantic the satellite radio business is getting ready to take off. At the center of this new market is Ondas Media, with satellites on order, initial automotive deals in place, and content deals in development to address the diversity of the European market and the technical issues raised by its geography. Dave Krueger, a satellite industry veteran, will discuss the challenges and opportunities inherent in bringing this innovative service application to market in today's financial environment.

Changing market conditions are affecting both the availability of capital, and the cost of capital. What is the impact of this on satellite operators plans for new investments to replace existing fleets or start innovative businesses? CFOs of the major operators – and some new players – will address these issues and how they plan to pull it all together.

2007 was a challenging year for satellite launch providers, operators and their insurers. What changes are these companies making to address these challenges to ensure they meet the needs of diversified customer and investor interests? Insurance providers, operators, and investors offer their views on ways to identify, quantify, and minimize risk as companies continue to expand or build new businesses.

How do CEOs continue to drive high performance in a time of growth with uncertainty? What makes a CEO decide to seek out innovative partnerships and new markets? What sector of the industry will be next to seek new financial or strategic partners? This outstanding panel of senior executives will answer these questions and more.

Mingle with fellow satellite professionals in this relaxing opening reception, hosted by Via Satellite and sponsored by DataPath. Enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres as you catch up with friends old and new.

Global systems are the backbone of satellite-enabled communications, and the CEOs who run these businesses establish the pace for expansion of market growth and development of new applications. They set priorities and, ultimately, create opportunities. With existing businesses as the base, and massive resources as the trump card, these CEOs approach the challenge of increasing profitability and managing costs in ways that define how satellite will build its share of the global telecommunications marketplace.

FIND SOUGHT-AFTER SOLUTIONS - Dozens of new products are unveiled during the SATELLITE Exhibition. Whether its voice, video, data, or all three, the SATELLITE Exhibition showcases the products and solutions you need to ensure your communications are cost-effective, mobile, global and secure.

CONNECT WITH COLLEAGUES - With more than 8,000 in attendance, plus 270 exhibiting companies, you'll see old friends and make new during the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition.

DISCOVER NEW TECHNOLOGY - Get up close and hands on with hundreds of products, new technologies. Comparison shop as you walk the show floor and discover what technology will enhance your business.

Plan your visit to the SATELLITE Exhibition and contact exhibitors before the event here.

WSBR will hold its heralded Flagship Lunch and Silent Auction during SATELLITE 2008. With pleasure, WSBR announces that Secretary-General of ITU Hamadoun Toure will be its Executive guest speaker making this a perfect opportunity to bring colleagues and customers to maximize all that you can learn and experience at SATELLITE 2008.

New in 2008! You may purchase tickets when registering for SATELLITE 2008 or through WSBR at WSBR@erols.com or 703-522-7745.

Since 1995, WTA has presented annual awards to companies and individuals who have dramatically demonstrated excellence in the field of teleport operations, development and technology. Celebrate the winners and network with colleagues during the Awards Luncheon.

TV and radio program distribution is slowly eroding as the dominant application on the world’s satellite networks, even if the growth of HDTV will provide a near-term boost in bandwidth demand. Satellite service providers are counting on new lines of business, from hybrid content management services to mobile backhaul and digital signage, to pick up the slack and create tomorrow's new growth. What will be the five most important new geographic, industry or application markets to watch in the next five years? This panel of visionary executives will share their views on where to place your bests.

WiMAX and other broadband wireless networks present both opportunities and threats to satellite communications. There are competing and complementary aspects; however, the debate and analysis on the interplay of these technologies has largely centered on the controversy on spectrum as a number of countries have reportedly already identified the satellite downlink frequencies in the C- and Extended C-bands for BWA. The Global VSAT Forum (GVF) was likewise quoted as stating that significant in-band and out-of-band interference problems and service interruptions have been identified as having occurred. This session will scrutinize the regulatory and technical issues surrounding these technologies. But equally and just as importantly, the panel will examine demand aspects that present opportunities for satellite platforms to service BWA and WiMAX for services such as backhaul, terrestrial integration and redundancy.

Commercial satellite industry sales to the government have been strong for the last 5 years. This panel will examine the fundamental changes currently taking place in the DoD commercial SATCOM marketplace. Panelists will examine how a wide range of issues, including possible troop redeployments, introduction of the WGS satellite system, the 2008 election, and a challenging budget environment, will effect DoD’s acquisition of commercial satellite bandwidth and services. Will commercial satellite sales to the military continue to grow? Or is the boom about to go bust?

Europe continues to set the pace for innovation across a continent while increasingly becoming a true global player. Service providers are populating the region with new broadband, direct broadcast, pay TV, and other offerings while expanding core applications at a rapid pace. What role will European pacesetters play in the globalization of satellite services, which companies and services will increase their market shares in region as well as around the world, and what are the opportunities for participation across the board?

The big and enduring price difference between satellite and fiber bandwidth is challenging the business model of many "satellite service" providers. Some are responding by moving as much business as possible off transponders and onto fiber. Others are developing specialized technologies and services that exploit the unique capabilities of satellite in new ways. All are focusing on using IP-based technologies to lower costs and create new applications. In this session, senior executives from innovative service providers discuss how their businesses are adapting under the fierce pressure of satellite economics.

Not only is HD the newest wave in content production, but so are ethnic and specialty channels for a wide variety of audiences. But how many channels are enough? Numerous studies have shown that most people watch the same five or ten channels eighty percent of the time. So why do you need packages with 500 or more channels to choose from? This may be the old cliché that variety is the spice of life run amuck, but where do all these channels come from, how does the content get to the TV screen, and just what is the untapped potential for new channels? Is the “variety” limitless or at one point does the industry reach saturation when every sub-sub-niche has its own specific program. And what is the future of the existing channels? Does everything go HD, or is SD sufficient for the majority of channels? And what of the different grades of broadcast quality? When is HD truly HD or just a spruced up SD channel? This panel will help to define the boundaries of channel growth so as to bring greater understanding to this key segment of the satellite industry, assuming such boundaries even exist.

Satellite services have rapidly become an indispensable tool of the modern war-fighter. As DoD’s reliance on satellite capacity has grown, so has the awareness that new techniques are necessary to assure access to these vital services. The panelists will examine a range of creative strategies for assuring military access to satellite bandwidth, including: Hosted payloads, Operationally Responsive Space, Pre-positioned capacity, public-private partnerships, and much more.

Last year's panel initiated a discussion among satellite builders, system operators and launch providers illuminating the interdependence of these vital segments of the satellite industry. This year's panel will address the challenges of continued industry consolidation, increasing demand and tightening supply, and the always present uncertainties associated with schedule delays, launch and in-orbit failures. Are things getting better, or are they worsening? Come and hear this panel of industry veterans question each other and field questions from the moderator and the audience.

Companies with their roots in the Internet naturally consider themselves the world's Internet Protocol experts. But the providers of satellite-based services have developed their own unique expertise at using IP in ways that its developers never imagined. This panel of experts presents thought-provoking case studies of IP-based applications for media delivery, mobile services, enterprise networking and much more, and identifies the common success factors in the deployment of new services.

The satellite ground segment sector is unquestionably on a growth path, as technical advances, emerging markets and new applications have all served to generate increasing sales for satellite ground segment providers. Broadband satellite networks, enterprise applications and government demand have all fostered growth for ground segment solutions in all regions. In addition, advanced coding and modulation, DVB-S2, MPEG-4 and mesh networks are only a sampling of the technical features now fostering growth. With the industry becoming more entrenched in the broader telecom landscape, where then will growth come from in the next 2-3 years. What technical requirements are driving the business, and how do satellite ground segment providers position themselves in an increasingly hybrid world? This panel of ground segment CEOs will answer these questions and more in this far-reaching session.

For 7 years, the DSTS-G contract has been the primary means by which the DoD has contracted for commercial satellite services. The DSTS-G contract is due to expire in 2011 and an active debate has already begun on how to structure the follow-on contract. In this lively discussion, satellite operators, integrators, and manufacturers will debate the future of DoD leasing, management, and oversight of commercial satcom usage.

Broadcast and Cable TV contribution and distribution services are the backbone of the satellite industry, representing the largest users of capacity worldwide. How will changing technologies such as IPTV, HD and MPEG-4 change this business? What are the broadcasters and satellite operators doing to plan for these changes? What are the equipment vendors doing to help them with the process?

The Society of Satellite Professionals (SSPI) will host its 25th annual Black Tie Reception and Dinner on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at the Grand Hyatt, Washington. The Gala is the satellite industry’s preeminent social and networking event of the year. To purchase tickets, or for more information, go to: www.sspigala.com or contact jhoil@sspi.org, 703-534-0885.

New for 2008! SATELLITE 2008 has partnered with GSA Schedules, Inc., experts in GSA Schedule Contracting for more than 25 years, to give your company a clear advantage in the extremely competitive government marketplace. This interactive panel session will be led by Lynn de Seve, President of GSA Schedules, Inc.

This session will cover:

• How to get on a GSA contract

• Benefits of the GSA program

• Setting up dealers under the GSA program

• Learn about GSA e-Tools
• New rules for services on GSA schedule contracts
• Current GSA contracts calling for satellite-enabled communications

A brief question and answer session will follow the presentation. This session is free and is open to all exhibiting companies.

MSS operators in 2008 will have to deliver on their promises of innovative new capabilities which can address a much wider market than the niches MSS has served to date. With the launch of ICO and TerreStar’s new satellites, we will see whether ATC really is the magic bullet that has attracted so much attention on Wall Street. Virtually all players need to raise more financing to fund their business plans. Will the markets cooperate, or is the cycle of bankruptcies we saw in late 1990s doomed to repeat itself? Hear what the CEOs have to say about their plans, and why they believe in the future of MSS.

FIND SOUGHT-AFTER SOLUTIONS - Dozens of new products are unveiled during the SATELLITE Exhibition. Whether its voice, video, data, or all three, the SATELLITE Exhibition showcases the products and solutions you need to ensure your communications are cost-effective, mobile, global and secure.

CONNECT WITH COLLEAGUES - With more than 8,000 in attendance, plus 270 exhibiting companies, you'll see old friends and make new during the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition.

DISCOVER NEW TECHNOLOGY - Get up close and hands on with hundreds of products, new technologies. Comparison shop as you walk the show floor and discover what technology will enhance your business.

Plan your visit to the SATELLITE Exhibition and contact exhibitors before the event here.

Interconnecting satellite with terrestrial networks to provide advanced, uninterruptible services for telco customers is the next step in providing risk mitigation in telecom networks. In non-stop telco networks, the satellite fail-over fully complements the terrestrial network, increasing total network availability and mitigating the risk of outages.

Fueled in large measure by oil revenues, Arab entrepreneurs are making preparations to launch satellites and deploy new networks to serve a diverse array of enterprises in an increasingly deregulated marketplace. But… how are satellite service providers addressing the severe capacity crunch afflicting the region? And to what extent is the Middle Eastern market “potential” dominated by the conflict in Iraq? These and other tough questions will be answered by front-line experts during this hard-hitting session.

The military has been a key customer and arguably the single most important technology innovator in satellite communications with initiatives sponsored by the U.S.-based DARPA as well as other government agencies around the globe. For current and future implementations of “Netcentric Warfare” as well as the expected rise in intelligence gathering and reconnaissance missions in many of the globe’s hotspots and emerging flashpoints, COTM solutions for air, land and sea will become integral components of the network architecture. This session will examine the requirements for bandwidth, security protocols, terminal equipment, antenna systems, frequency bands, encryption and other emerging requirements the military will demand to implement a coherent and highly secure network umbrella for use by the future warfighter and other mobile assets.

The World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) in Geneva in late 2007 tackled issues of progress in the provision of telecom services worldwide, and the concurrent demands on limited radio frequency spectrum. How did satellite fare, and what are the dimensions of future battles over spectrum and allocations? What can be done now to maximize the progress made by advocates of satellite, and how can the industry maximize positive impacts of the decisions made in Geneva?

In 2008 we will see new North American MSS satellites launched by both ICO and TerreStar, whose funding was predicated on the value of their spectrum assets and the expectation that Ancillary Terrestrial Components (ATCs) would enable this value to be realized. ICO and TerreStar are taking different approaches to the market, with ICO focusing initially on delivering mobile video services to cars, and TerreStar on enabling interoperable first responder communications via its 4G wireless chipset. Mobile Satellite Ventures is following close behind, with its ongoing WiMAX trial and satellite launches set for 2009/10. However, all three of the companies need to raise more money to launch full commercial services and pay for their ground spare satellites. This panel session will discuss how regulators will view these new services, what benefits will be realized by end users, and, most importantly, which of the three approaches will deliver the greatest value to investors.

Don’t miss the marquee event of SATELLITE 2008! Via Satellite magazine presents its Satellite Executive of the Year 2007, honoring the top satellite industry executive who made significant business impact in the global satellite arena. Tickets to the event are included with your SATELLITE 2008 conference registration fee.

Asia, where regulatory and other obstacles have prevented the satellite industry from realizing its full potential for decades, is now home to the second largest regional deployment of consumer-class VSATs in the world. Further, Asian satcom interests are leveraging recent gains by investing in satellite programs in other growth regions like Africa and the Middle East. And foreign investment continues to flow into Asia, enabling the launch of new platforms and services. This session will deliver progress reports from the top players.

The U.S. Department of State’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) continue to present a significant hurdle for the U.S. commercial satellite industry while, conversely, opening up opportunities for aggressive non-U.S. vendors. The progressive evolution of manufacturing and launch capabilities in China, India, and other countries, and already well-developed consulting expertise outside of the U.S., is increasing pressure on the competitiveness and profitability of the U.S. commercial satellite industry. U.S. industry does not question the paramount importance of U.S. national security. But does the ITAR, and its current administration, enhance U.S. national security? Or, paradoxically, does the ITAR and its current administration actually harm U.S. national security?

Satellite business television has been around for awhile, but it is changing and growing. Let's talk about what real corporate satellite users are doing with their networks. Let's ask them about why it is successful in their company and what they see as the real benefits and reasons to deploy corporate satellite networking technologies. Join us for this open discussion with corporate satellite users and together we can learn from their experiences.

Service diversification pressures have prompted telephone companies to bet on IP television, and satellite broadcast economics combined with the virtualization advantage of IP has given birth to new satellite-IPTV distribution models. There is, however, concern that despite satellites’ natural virtues for video distribution, demand for satellite-based services could be challenged by a wide range of factors. This panel will provide insight into real world satellite-IPTV cases and determine if satellite-IPTV is ready for primetime. Is the B2B U.S. model transferable to other regions? Are there niche-market opportunities for satellite service providers? Can satellite players better enable small telcos to capitalize on the IPTV differentiation promise, and is IP distribution also applicable to cable operators? Hear from the leading players about their experiences and expectations for the satellite IPTV play.

Broadband demand from mobile platforms is surging, with deployment of new MSS and mobile VSAT technologies on ships, trains and planes set to generate hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few years. Inmarsat’s land-based BGAN service, introduced in 2006, has achieved far wider use than any of Inmarsat’s previous generations of high speed data terminals, and its maritime and aeronautical variants are set for launch in late 2007. However, increasing attention is also being paid to mobile VSATs, whose cheaper bandwidth can offset their more expensive terminal costs. Despite the failure of Connexion, satellite operators are pushing forward with maritime Ku-band coverage, and equipment manufacturers are developing smaller terminals. Further competition is expected in 2008 from Iridium’s new broadband maritime terminal. Who will come out on top? Can Inmarsat’s recent rapid growth continue, or will its dominant market position be eroded? Hear from all the leading players about their expectations for the next generation of satellite-delivered mobile broadband.

Resurging economies, demand for e-government networks, and sustained downward price pressure on bandwidth are but a few of the key variables driving satcom markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. Meanwhile, though, there have been growing pains: Some local satellite and network operators have taken a financial beating in recent years, and there are whispers of further consolidation. Terrestrial wireless deployments are on the rise. Do these represent new opportunities, or additional challenges? To find out, don’t miss this session.

This international session will present updates on the current and forecast future trends in the European and Middle Eastern Military Satellite Communications market, including undersupply in commercial markets and progress on alternate frequencies such as X-, Ka- and S-band. Speakers will touch on end user requirements such as the surge in requirements for UAV satellite datalinks and Comms on the Move and Pause for Ground Forces.

This session will present data to show trends for development in satellite communications, including use of transponders, growth of demand for various services, the actual fraction of transponders in revenue producing service, and numbers of subscribers to various MSS systems, DARS, DBS, broadband, and other applications. New data collected specifically for presentation at SATELLITE 2008 will be interpreted, and benchmarks will be set.

Through initial success of S-DMB services in Korea and usage of satellite capacity to distribute mobile content, satellite players are turning their attention to emerging mobile multimedia distribution models. Now, the pending launch of S-band capacity in Europe, recent ratification of DVB-SH, trials between broadband wireless providers and ATC players, and a greater volume of satellite deals to backhaul mobile video content all point to an industry poised to break away from hype and show real revenue. This panel will explore the growth opportunities for mobile video via satellite, in all distribution models, and identify how satellite companies will benefit from this multimedia application.

For the first time in history, Africa has begun launching locally-owned satellites, and there are more birds on order. Scores of local network operators are providing unprecedented levels of service for GSM backhaul, energy interests, military, banking, retail, disaster preparedness, humanitarian & aid, and a host of other well-funded markets. However, local experts predict that, with nearly a dozen new Africa fiber projects planned, bandwidth could be commoditized within five years. Attend this dynamic session to hear how the satellite industry is positioning itself to remain competitive in Africa’s dynamic marketplace.

The global roster of satellite manufacturers continues to grow even as competition tightens and the marketplace warns of a slow-down beginning after 2010. Chief executives of the leading firms in the United States and Europe, divided by fierce competition, may find themselves united in discrete attempts to fend off the market inroads already evident from Russia, China, India. What does the future hold for the historic industry leaders, and how will they meet external challenges while maintaining product lines that deliver value?