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Via Satellite May Issue: The Best 10 Quotes
[Satellite TODAY 04-23-13] In the May edition of Via Satellite, we have interviews with the U.K. Minister for Universities and Science, key executives from shipping companies and airlines, as well as an in-depth focus on the High Throughput Satellites (HTS) market. Here are some of the best quotes to give you a flavor of the edition.
“One of the things we have been pleasantly surprised by since we launched the service is that we have had a significantly higher interest in our accelerated speed than we thought we would have. That tells us that customers are clearly looking for a better speed experience and are willing to pay for that product.” – Mark Nasr, Managing Director of E-Commerce for United Airlines talks about some of the early learnings United Airlines has seen through offering in-flight connectivity services
“A 30 billion pounds ($45.73 billion) space industry in the United Kingdom by 2030 is a realistic figure if we continue to foster the sector’s growth through strategic investment and close partnership with industry, academia and other agencies.” – David Willetts, U.K. Minister for Universities and Science talks of the potential size of the U.K. space industry
“We are very comfortable with OTT as a means of expanding our reach and our brand awareness, and building that audience loyalty. However, in terms of what it means as a commercial proposition, the jury is still out.” – Tony Donovan, Chief Operating Officer, Sky News Arabia questions the prospects for OTT
“PBS was the first network to implement a satellite distribution system for television, so satellites are in our technical DNA and remain a big part of our daily operations. While we are using more terrestrial fiber every year for parts of our distribution, I think satellites will always have a significant role. Satellite technology is cost effective and very robust – two characteristics that are critical to our business.” – John McCoskey, CTO, PBS says satellite will remain at the heart of the broadcaster’s operations
“In turbulent times you might sell the ship, but what happens to your four year contract? You still have to pay; you might be able to transfer it but if Ka-band comes in cheaper and you are still paying a higher rate for two years, you have a problem. Hopefully [the market] will get better and we will have more money to spend, but we need space to move until then.” – Angelos Demetriou, IT Officer for Cyprus-based ship owner and manager Intership Navigation talks about the complicated dynamics when negotiating maritime satcoms contracts
“We have to be aware of the position of the provider. Will they make a successful launch and what happens if the service fails? We would like to use such technology but maybe in two or three years when we know how reliable they are and there is a market. We don’t want to be the guinea pigs in this scenario.” – Raimo Warkki, Manager, Commercials, Ship Communication & Systems, Stena Line talks about the ferry operator’s view of HTS services
“More customers today are interested in a spacecraft that would allow a lower cost launch vehicle, even though it may take six months longer to get into service, so we’re taking that into account.” – Chris Hoeber, Senior Vice President of Systems Engineering at SSL admits customers are expressing a liking towards all-electric propulsion satellites
“Electric propulsion satellites are likely to be used more and more systematically because of all the benefits of saving fuel like launch mass reduction, extended life and bigger payloads. For us, they’re not something that changes our view, they’re just one more way to use the technology at our disposal.” – Thierry Guillemin, Chief Technical Officer, Intelsat gives the operator’s view on the electric satellite phenomenon
“These satellites will just make our operations more efficient, better quality and simultaneously cut our costs. Obviously our specialty is news, but low cost/high throughput Ka-band IP transmissions can be used for email, Internet access, downloading movies and music, Skype chats with family and friends, low cost VOIP services – there are a lot of businesses that I could see benefiting from these launches.” – Ben Ramos, Senior Director of Field Operations and Emerging Technology, Fox News says High Throughput Satellites will benefit a number of businesses
“Today’s young adults who want to join the merchant marines or become a member of the drilling industry are used to staying connected. If you only have two megabytes on an oil rig with 200 people, they’re not going to be able to run those applications (such as Skype). High throughput satellite technologies will enable improved crew morale services, richer video-based applications and more real-time, remote decision-making.” – David Myers, President of Global Energy Solutions at Harris CapRock says access to bandwidth is key to attract young talent to certain industries
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