Developing Nations’ Access to Space Poses New Problem for Satellite Operators

The satellite industry made some short-term regulatory strides this year at the World Radiocommunication Conference, though problems remain on the horizon, said Romain Bausch, CEO of SES. Growing concern from smaller nations over their access to spectrum and orbital slots may need to be addressed in coming years, he said Tuesday at the Satellite 2012 conference.

Measures taken to deal with orbital spot warehousing, for instance, are positive developments, said Bausch. New questions raised during the WRC about emerging nations’ access to geostationary arcs orbital slots potentially pose a more difficult situation for the larger operators, he said. While Bausch said he understands the concerns over inequitable access to space, there are both good and bad ways to move forward. Some have pushed for revamping the entire system, he said, though there also been “more sophisticated” proposals such as queue jumping. Satellite operators may increasingly forge partnerships with smaller countries looking for space access to help quell some of the concerns and reduce the likelihood for wholesale regulatory change, said an industry executive. Such partnerships could look similar to Eutelsat’s agreement with Qatar for joint use of a satellite, scheduled for launch next year (CD March 14 p17).

Eutelsat CEO Michel de Rosen urged the industry to band together to fight intentional jamming. The company has had problems with Iran over the issue. This is a topic that the ITU and “states around the world and United Nations should handle,” de Rosen said. It’s about the right to information and “a political problem” that should be handled within the political processes to “improve regulation” and “increase sensitivity”, he said. Unintentional jamming also remains a problem for Intelsat, said CEO Dave McGlade. For that problem it’s “incumbent on us to use technology to stop not only the jamming but unintentional interference,” he said. The Space Data Association, which allows satellite operators to share certain information within a secure environment, has been helpful, he said. The use of Carrier ID, with Comtech leading the effort to standardize the technology, will also be helpful in dealing with interference, he said.

The concern about over-the-top TV and a major shakeup of the TV industry are somewhat overblown, said Dan Goldberg, CEO of Telesat. The move of TV services to the Internet doesn’t actually change much within the value chain, he said. The providers will still need to buy content and the ability to deliver it around the world, he said. Satellite will continue to be the best for point-to-multipoint distribution, he said. While there may be some changes in the TV industry, the challenges are the same, he said.