Asia has become one of the most robust regions for satellite-enabled services. Throughout Intelsat’s nearly 45 year history in serving the countries of Asia-Pacific, it has introduced a variety of satellite services: the rollout of broadband infrastructures connecting island nations to mainland countries; the provision of satellite bandwidth for maritime communications; direct-to-home television platforms; and the delivery of regional and international programming, to name a few. David Ball, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Asia-Pacific, recently shared his views on what is driving business growth in the region. Here is what he had to say:



SatMagazine
David, would you please share with our readers some of your Company’s recent business highlights.

David Ball
We have had some significant business developments in recent months. I would have to say the pre-commitment contract for capacity on our Intelsat 18 satellite by Office des Postes et Telecommunications of French Polynesia (OPT) was a huge testament to our excellence in delivering an infrastructure that enables a diverse grouping of applications such as DTH, VSAT and Internet delivery services; KT Corp becoming a distributor for our maritime service and hosting two new GXS Network Broadband hubs that expand our managed services portfolio in the region; and more recently, the contract win with ABS-CBNi where we are expanding its DTH services in North America.

SatMagazine
What is driving the growth for media services in the Asia-Pacific region?

David Ball
New video channels are gaining momentum, fueled by the globalization of content. We are seeing growing demand for regional content to be delivered to North America, as well as an increased demand for Asian programming to reach viewers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

SatMagazine
How important is deregulation in your region to allow Intelsat to grow its business?

David Ball
Regulatory change occurring throughout Asia-Pacific is quite important for near- and long-term satellite industry growth. Of course, we would like to see regulatory change in China, currently a closed market for us with respect to domestic services. We have had great success in distributing Chinese content globally, but with such a large land mass and minimal terrestrial infrastructure in place, satellite connectivity is becoming increasing more important for domestic delivery of not only video, but voice and data communications and we can have a robust and positive impact in China.

SatMagazine
When is HD going to become the headline story of Asia-Pacific?

David Ball
We are starting to see that occuring now. Special events and sports are really driving the growth for more HD content in the region. We saw that with the Beijing Games this past summer. Viewers in Asia, like any other region, once they view programming in HD, they begin to demand it on a regular basis. Today we are seeing an increase in the pay-TV channels arena starting to expand their programming into HD. Many countries are also starting to deliver regional content in HD throughout the region. As MPEG-4 continues its rollout, we believe programmers will accelerate their HD content offerings.

SatMagazine
Which applications will drive demand for satellite-enabled services in the coming years?

David Ball
We are experiencing tremendous interest for expanded video and network services throughout the region. There is strong demand across the Indian Ocean region for connectivity between Northeast Asia and Africa for telecoms services; while Southeast Asia continues to be a very strong video distribution region for us. I definitely believe Intelsat will have an enduring presence in Asia.

The replacement satellites within our fleet upgrade program will bring much-needed capacity and capabilities to the region. I don’t think there will be huge changes in application demands in the near term but if there are changes, we will be well-positioned to serve those growing needs for our Asian customers.