DISTRIBUTION
August 2017
25
to provide key connectivity
audiences
in providing the next generation
of services that can be delivered
by satellite, and the equipment
used needs to be flexible and effi
cient, emphasises Thomas Van
den Driessche, CEO of Newtec,
a ground segment technology
provider.
Connectivity is crucial to tele
ports, he continues. “To deliver the
services that satellite technology
can provide, teleports need to be
connected to high-speed fibre,
with gigabit connectivity to the
Internet and other services, in or
der to fulfil its role in the network
infrastructure.
“Alongside this, the teleport
needs to work hand-in-hand with
data-centre infrastructure and the
cloud, and to embrace this archi
tecture to provide cloud-based
services to their customers.”
The need to operate and host
modern applications in a cost-
effective way is also driving the
industry towards high through
put satellites (HTS) and spot
beam operation, Driessche notes.
Because HTS require multiple
teleports to handle the increased
capacity, operators need to be
able to cooperate with or act as an
infrastructure provider to HTS
satellite operators, he advises.
“A modern teleport will need to
accommodate for changes by
providing ultimate flexibility and
scalability through platforms such
as Newtec Dialog, which can be
‘plugged into’ to avoid unnecessary
duplication of equipment.”
The satellite industry is contin
ually in a process of re-invention
through HTS, small satellites and
an array of new applications, con
curs STN’s Lovsin.
“We are living in an era where
technology is advancing rapidly
— almost on a daily basis, and the
satellite, teleport and broadcast
ing industries are no exception,”
he says. “One thing is for sure,
technology will continue to move
at this blistering speed.” Lovsin
urges all teleport operators to be
prepared for a future where Ka
band eventually becomes satu
rated, taking the industry instead
to new frequency bands such as Q
and V bands.
And STN is convinced of the
❝ To deliver the services that satellite
technology can provide, teleports need to be
connected to high-speed fibre, with gigabit
connectivity to the Internet and other services,
in order to fulfil its role in the network
infrastructure. ❞
— Thomas Van den Driessche, CEO, Newtec
role teleport will continue to play
as the industry evolves, as Lovsin
describes: “While the traditional
broadcast market may be satu
rated, the Internet of Things (IoT)
is still in its infancy. Couple this
with an insatiable demand for
bandwidth in mobility and other
areas, and you be assured that the
teleport is far from extinction.”
Telstra, meanwhile, believes
that the “widespread” move to IP
and the adoption of virtualisation
and the cloud, coupled with evolv
ing viewer demands, is rapidly
changing the broadcast and media
industry.
“To address this, our strategy
involves creating signature cus
tomer experiences, rather than just
products,” explains Telstra’s Boal.
“This includes our investments in
Telstra Broadcast Services, which
brings together a dedicated team
of media industry professionals,
high performance media net
works, online video and cloud
platforms, among other offerings,
to give our customers a seamless
broadcast experience.”
And as broadcast content
evolves to a stage where content
providers and owners can deliver
more content than ever before,
Te