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.