Bloomberg reported July 14 that Measat, privately owned by Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan, is in talks with Eutelsat Communications and Asia Satellite Telecommunications Ltd. (AsiaSat) to reach an agreement that would give them access to Measat’s four satellites. Krishnan, whose wealth is estimated to be $9.5 billion, also owns a majority stake in Malaysia’s largest mobile-phone company, Maxis Bhd.

    Measat CEO Paul Brown-Kenyon recently told Satellite TODAY Insider that it was in the midst of securing an additional satellite, Measat-3b, for its 91.5 degrees orbital slot. Measat scheduled Measat-3b for launch by the end of 2013.

   “Our strategy here is going as planned,” Brown-Kenyon said. “The reason for a fourth market on Measat-3b is to allow us more flexibility. There are two or three markets where we have had discussions and where there could be a good opportunity for us to secure a customer, but it won’t be a short-term play. You might see things in a two-year to three-year horizon.”

   According to some analysts, Measat, which beams signals to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Australia, may be looking to share assets and split the costs of new launches as a result of the negotiations. Ovum Analyst and Consultant C.W. Cheung said increasing demand from broadcasters and phone carriers in emerging markets is, “driving up average bandwidth prices by more than 5 percent annually in Asia. In some markets, prices of satellite bandwidth are starting to go up, and this is driving investment activities in the sector.”

   Brown-Kenyon hinted that one of the key parts of his company’s future strategy is finding new capacity. “We see strong demand for Measat-3b capacity and we expect it will be predominantly leased out before it is launched. We do see demand for capacity beyond Measat-3b. As such, we are in discussions regarding a ‘Measat-3c’ satellite, which will initially be back-up capacity, but in time will also be a more operational satellite supporting our core business.”

Nearly 200 Million Satellite DTH Homes Expected by 2016    Satellite Today   July 12, 2011
[Satellite TODAY Insider 07-12-11] The number of pay-TV DTH homes will increase from 139 million at the end of 2010 to approximately 195 million across 73 countries by the end of 2016, according to a Digital TV Research report issued July 11.

Measat COO: Thaicom Deal Driven by Asian Broadband, 3G Backhaul Demands    Satellite Today   June 1, 2011
[Satellite TODAY Insider 06-01-11] FSS operators Measat Satellite Systems and Thaicom are teaming up to bring satellite broadband services to Malaysia based on the Thaicom-4 satellite. According to the collaborative agreement, which was executed…

Paul Brown-Kenyon CEO, Measat Satellite Systems   Via Satellite   July 1, 2011
Measat Satellite Systems is one of the leading satellite operators in Asia, with a strong position in the region s video markets. It provides capacity for many growing DTH platforms across the region. In addition, the company is also looking to…