VIA SATELLITE: What is the makeup of the satellite?
DERBAS: It will be Ku-/Ka-/C-band satellite. We know that Ka-band may not be much needed at this time in the region, but over the next few years everything will change. The future for Ka-band is positive, so we have to prepare to have the bandwidth for this technology.
VIA SATELLITE: How do you see the broadband access market developing in the Middle East?
DERBAS: We think satellite broadband will be an attractive business opportunity. This is a channel we have to open. We are looking to open up this market. This satellite will give us the opportunity to create new markets such as satellite broadband.
VIA SATELLITE: Have you finalized all the details in terms of satellite location?
DERBAS: In terms of orbital slots, we have a wide range of options to choose from. We have already shortlisted two of them and shall announce it very soon.
VIA SATELLITE: Is there a demand for all this capacity which is going to come into the Middle East over the next two years?
DERBAS: In this region, the demand for capacity is very high. The growth in Internet and telecommunication usage requires a lot of capacity. The number of Arab TV channels is growing. The demand is huge. When you look at SmartLink there are customers who want bandwidth for telecoms services via satellite. Unfortunately, the market is saturated. It is difficult to find capacity.
VIA SATELLITE: Who is going to be buying SmartSat’s capacity?
DERBAS: We will be open for every sector. We are targeting the GSM operators. We think we can differentiate our satellite as a communications satellite, so part of it will be for broadcasting. But we are also mainly targeting the GSM operators. We are also looking at telco/ISPs as well as the capacity being used for military purposes. We have a customer base through SmartLink. We are providing satellite services to 35 countries.
VIA SATELLITE: Why would a broadcaster come to SmartSat rather than an Arabsat or a Nilesat, for example?
DERBAS: We have the freedom in terms of price and power. We can provide exactly what the customer wants. We can give them a price which we think is competitive in this region. We have the freedom to select our customers. We have no outside forces to dictate our price structure or marketing structure. We have the freedom to give different price structures to customers. We think we can open opportunities for companies to get to market faster. There are no obstacles in the market. When you have bandwidth available, this will reduce the price and benefit the customers. If the market is saturated, the price of capacity goes up. We have seen this happen in the Middle East.
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