 |
Pradman Kaul, Chairman and CEO of Hughes Network Systems, LLC has been named Via Satellite Magazine’s Satellite Executive of the Year for 2008. The ability of Kaul and his executive team at Hughes to anticipate the evolutions of the satellite market and maintain Hughes leadership, has earned Kaul this award.
Scott Chase, Conference Chairman of SATELLITE 2009, sat down with Pradman Kaul to discuss his achievement as Satellite Executive of the Year and the new products and services you'll see in Hughes booth #201 on the SATELLITE 2009 Exhibition floor.
SATELLITE 2009: You’ve been honored as Via Satellite’s 2008 Satellite Executive of the Year. Why was last year a pivotal year for Hughes Network Systems?
 |
| Pradman Kaul |
Pradman Kaul: Our business model withstood the economic turmoil and we continued to deliver on our promises, with four more quarters of results that met or exceeded all financial metrics. We crossed the $1 billion revenue milestone while improving EBITDA to $155 million The top highlight was launching commercial service on SPACEWAY® 3 last April, which turned Hughes overnight into a fully integrated satellite service provider. It has positioned us well to expand our broadband service business in both consumer and enterprise market segments.
SATELLITE 2009: How will you keep the momentum going this year and in the future?
Pradman Kaul: Recurring service revenue from an ever-growing base of repeat customers in North America, Europe, India and Brazil now exceeds our hardware product revenues, and is growing at a faster rate. We’ll keep the momentum going by continuing to invest in new technologies and products that lead to more service business worldwide.
SATELLITE 2009: What new things specifically can we expect from Hughes at SATELLITE 2009?
Pradman Kaul: On the product front, we’ll be showcasing our new mesh broadband router, the latest addition to the successful HX family, along with HX System capabilities for maritime, airborne and land mobile applications. On the service side, we now offer high speed Internet plans up to 5 Mbps on SPACEWAY 3, and we’ll show how its unique capabilities of onboard switching and bandwidth- on-demand enable instant deployment of private networks, especially suited for government COOP, emergency response and military applications.
SATELLITE 2009: What does the world VSAT industry have to do to remain competitive with established and evolving terrestrial alternatives?
Pradman Kaul: We need to keep investing in new hardware and software that pushes down the cost of service delivery. At the same time we need to keep expanding the breadth and value of broadband applications. Broadband satellite is the most affordable way to reach customers unserved or underserved by terrestrial alternatives. It behooves everyone in the industry to seek ways to exploit this advantage and grow the addressable market.
SATELLITE 2009: What do satellite operators need to do to support the continued growth of VSAT-based broadband solutions?
Pradman Kaul: We need to invest in the next generation of satellites that will reduce the space segment cost per bit. And our industry must now show the same creativity in generating new applications and value added services that in the past has been focused on providing connectivity economically.
SATELLITE 2009: When you’re not going about your life as the top executive at Hughes, how do you like to relax?
Pradman Kaul: I enjoy time with family and friends, occasionally taking it out on the golf course.
Pradman Kaul will be honored at the Satellite Executive of the Year Luncheon sponsored by Boeing on Thursday, March 26 followed by a reception sponsored by Arianespace Thursday evening. The luncheon and reception are included with your SATELLITE 2009 Conference registration.
 |
If you haven't registered yet, there's still time! The SATELLITE 2009 Conference and Exhibition officially kicks off Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. with the Opening General Session The Big Four: Setting the Pace for Expansion. Visit our web site to view the entire SATELLITE program.
TODAY is your LAST CHANCE to save up to $300 on the Conference and for free access to the Exhibition. Rates for the Conference and Exhibition increase tomorrow! Register today!
Congratulations to the winner of the St. Patrick's Day promotion for receiving $50 gift cards to fadó Irish Pub & Restaurant!
Bill Black, Deputy Director, PD&I, Defence Material Organisation
Lisa Lewnes, Production Manager, Reuters Television
Mark Shlien, Principal, iPeople LLC
We look forward to seeing you at SATELLITE 2009!
 |
The SATELLITE 2009 Exhibit Hall is Sold-Out!
This year’s event will feature an exhibit hall packed with leading-edge satellite-enabled solutions from more than 300 exhibiting companies – the most in our 28 year history! If your company wasn’t able to exhibit at SATELLITE 2009 but you’d like to have an exhibit presence at SATELLITE 2010, please join us in the Space Selection Room, Room # 201 of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 11:30 AM on Friday, March 27 to reserve prime exhibit space on the SATELLITE 2010 show floor at a discounted rate!
For the first time, non-exhibiting companies will have the option of participating in the on-site space selection process – this is your best and only opportunity to reserve a prime location at the discounted, on-site rate. More than 75% of exhibit space is typically reserved on-site; if you like what you see at SATELLITE 2009 and want to reserve your piece of the action for the 2010 event, we look forward to meeting with you on Friday, March 27 in the Space Selection Room!
 |
SATELLITE 2009 Welcome Reception
Tuesday, March 24
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Location: L Street Bridge, outside of Halls D/E
Sponsored by 
You'll have the opportunity to network and collaborate with thousands of your peers as you enjoy an evening of food, drink and fun! Access to the Welcome Reception is included with your SATELLITE 2009 registration. Register today!
|
|
For the latest news on exhibiting companies, product lauches and the satellite community, visit the SATELLITE 2009 Press Room. Here's a recent headline:
Sevis Systems to Launch Innovative Mobile Backhaul Solution at Satellite 2009 Conference
6000 Series Platform Will Provide Both Optimization and Enhanced Applications on A.bis Links
Plano, TX, USA - Tuesday, March 17th 2009 - Sevis Systems, a global provider of advanced mobile solutions, announced today the introduction and General Availability of its new 6000 Series mobile backhaul products. Sevis will launch their new mobile backhaul offering at the SATELLITE 2009 Conference (Booth 1319) from March 24-27 at the Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
The 6000 Series is purpose-built for mobile backhaul applications and includes redundant power supplies, hot swappable IO modules, and enhanced clocking for IP backhaul. The products support all GSM voice codecs, provide bandwidth optimization on all traffic types including A.bis, A.ter, A, E, GPRS, and EDGE, and are designed to improve overall performance and quality of service over both satellite and terrestrial infrastructures. The 6000 Series is also highly scalable, supporting configurations of up to 4E1’s, 10 E1’s, and 20 E1’s in a single 1U chassis.
Read More
Read all press releases
 |
 SATELLITE 2009 is a proud participant of the Department of Commerce's International Buyer Program. The International Buyer Program matches buyers with companies currently exporting goods and arranges for delegations to attend SATELLITE 2009 at a discounted rate. Please contact your local U.S. Embassy for more information on attending with an official delegation from your country.
As an international delegate, you will enjoy the following benefits:
- Friendly, local language support
- Free assistance scheduling appointments with SATELLITE exhibitors before and during the show
- Free Matchmaking Service to ensure you meet with the companies who fit your needs
- Access to The Center for Global Commerce, located on the SATELLITE 2009 Exhibit Show Floor
- Free assistance with visa application
- Discounted Conference registration
- Invitation to the Welcome Reception
Click here for more information on the International Buyer Program, to request an official letter of invitation and tips on obtaining a visa.
 |
GlobeCast Launches New Satellite Broadcast Platform
GlobeCast has launched its second MCPC platform on the AsiaSat 3S satellite, GlobeCast announced March 18.
The C-band platform is located at 105.5 degrees East with a footprint covering the Middle East to East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, targeting a potential audience of more than 95 million households.
German broadcaster Deutsche Welle is the transponder’s first client, delivering transmissions via GlobeCast’s international RIBU fiber network to a Hong Kong teleport for uplink to AsiaSat 3 and distribution to the Asian-Pacific region.
GeoEye Signs Reseller Contracts with Asian, EMEA Customers
GeoEye Inc. has signed agreements with several international resellers to provide high-resolution satellite imagery and value-added products from GeoEye-1 to Beijing Earth Observation (BEO), Space Imaging Middle East in Dubai and INTA Spaceturk, located in Ankara, Turkey, the company announced March 18.
GeoEye said it also has signed seven new non-exclusive resellers in Russia to sell Ikonos and GeoEye-1 imagery in that country.
"I am very pleased we are increasing imagery resources for these three important business partners and expanding our ability to sell imagery in China, the Middle East, Turkey and Russia. Their strong market presence will contribute to GeoEye's success and assure rapid adoption of GeoEye-1 products into these markets," Paolo Colombi, GeoEye's vice president of international sales, said in a statement.
The financial details of the transactions were not disclosed.
EchoStar Europe Targets European Cable
EchoStar Europe is targeting the European cable market with a new range of advanced set-top boxes, the company announced March 18.
EchoStar Europe said it aims to help cable operators as they compete against satellite and IPTV operators in Europe by launching its high-definition, HDC-600 series platform. Available with either an integrated DOCSIS/EuroDOCSIS-based modem or IP return channel, the unit supports both broadcast and two-way/interactive services, such as video-on-demand.
“The cable sector is moving forward positively through strong analog-to-digital migration. Premium services such as high definition and digital video recording allow operators to tailor service packages towards specific consumer requirements. It is important that we develop product solutions to meet cable operator’s immediate needs whilst keeping a keen eye on future opportunities offered through added-value technologies such as home networking, place-shifting and IP service integration,” EchoStar Europe spokesman Rick Smith said in a statement.
The new line-up of products targets the migration of networks from analog to digital, the continued roll-out of high definition services and the growth in popularity of personalised, digital video recording. The offer includes advanced functionality through its SlingLoaded initiative/technology.
Türk Telekom Selects Envivio Encoding Platform for IPTV Launch
Türk Telekom has selected Envivio Inc.’s Convergence series video headend for its IPTV project in Turkey, Envivio announced March 17.
Türk Telekom will use Envivio 4Caster C4 SD and 4Caster HD30 HD MPEG-4 AVC encoders and the 4Manager NMS, to deliver standard and high definition channels through its IPTV service.
The headend is being installed by Birtel, an Envivio partner in Ankara, Turkey.
CCAP: TerraSAR-X Accuracy Exceeds Standards
The Civil and Commercial Applications Project (CCAP) group within the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) asid the geolocation accuracy and performance of Infoterra’s TerraSAR-X data product exceeds the product description’s own standards, according to a report released March 17.
Thomas Ager, author of the report titled “Geometric Precision in Space Radar Imaging: Results from TerraSAR-X,” said the results of an evaluation process of high-resolution SpotLight and StripMap acquisitions “are consistent with the accuracy values listed in the product specification. … It is plausible that the TerraSAR-X accuracy is even better.”
NGA's CCAP performs geolocation accuracy evaluations for civil and commercial imagery being purchased or considered for purchase by the agency.
Faria LRIT System Receives Iridium Certification
Faria’s WatchDog 750 long-range identification and tracking (LRIT) ship terminal has completed compliance and testing requirements for operation on the Iridium satellite network, Faria announced March 17.
Faria, a supplier of satellite vessel monitoring systems, said its terminal leverages Iridium's data links, network quality and satellite coverage over worldwide navigable waters.
The International Maritime Organization’s LRIT carriage requirement came into effect in January. All subject ships built after Jan. 1 must be fitted with an approved LRIT device, and existing ships must comply no later than the first radio survey after that date.
Idate: Falling Terminal Prices Driving Satellite Broadband Market Revival
There has been a revival in the satellite broadband market thanks to the falling price of terminals and the emergence of Ka-band satellites, according to the findings of a new broadband Via Satellite report by French telecoms and satellite consultancy, Idate, released March 17.
Idate estimates there more than 30 million households in Europe and North Africa remained uncovered by a terrestrial broadband solution in 2008, or 16 percent less than in 2007..
“Overall, the current price per megabit for the Ka-band is four to 10 times less than for the Ku-band, which has been made possible by a satellite capacity that has increased by a factor of 70 in a matter of years, for the same price. The price of the user terminals, which is also key to the success of high-speed Ka-band satellite access, has dropped by a factor of six in five years,” Idate researcher Maxime Baudry said in a statement.
Advertising
Stop by Booth 190 at SATELLITE 2009 For All of Your Business Information Needs
We’ll have on hand the latest edition of Via Satellite, Satellite News, Satellite Industry Directory, Satellite Transponder Guide and more! Plus special show discounts on these great products. Can’t wait until the show? Go to www.SatelliteTODAY.com for more information!
Satellite Industry Directory
90% Updated for 2009! Brought to you by the publishers of Via Satellite, this annual directory is your reference guide to global satellite coverage maps and hundreds of product and operator listings. Click here to get $100 off the cover price when you enter promo code DK5045 during checkout.
Satellite Transponder Guide
Click here to get $100 off the cover price when you enter promo code DK6503 during checkout. As always, Satellite Transponder Guide is your one-stop resource for information on North American transponders, including satellite coordinates and transponder programming data. In addition, you’ll receive key information on encryption and compression, carrier access/booking phone numbers, and key technical information about each satellite.
|
|
