8
NEWS & VIEWS
July 2018
Keeping up with change
is the way forward
SINGAPORE – Stakeholders in the
satellite communications industry
need to “see change as a challenge
to grow, develop and become
stronger to benefit the larger eco-
system”, said Louis Boswell, CEO
of CASBAA.
Boswell was speaking at the
CASBAA Satellite Industry Forum
2018, which was held in Sin-
gapore on June 25, and which
discussed topics such as innova-
tion, the need for partnerships,
better revenue-generation mod-
els, the implications of video,
connectivity and 5G.
CASBAA’s Louis Boswell:
Stakeholders in the
satellite communications
industry need to “see
change as a challenge
to grow, develop and
become stronger to
benefit the larger
ecosystem”.
Highlighting the theme of
change, John-Paul Hemingway,
CEO of SES Network, emphasised
that the satellite industry must
become part of the mainstream.
“The industry cannot be limited
to innovating in space; we have
to be bolder, we cannot be niche,”
he said.
Mitsutoshi Akao, deputy group
president, Space and Satellite
Business Group, SKY Perfect JSAT,
added: “We are starting to think
how to expand our space business
not just in geostationary orbit
(GEO), but also in drones, low earth
Eutelsat Asia’s, Jean-
François Fenech: “Our
main business in Asia
is around mobility
and data, and we are
looking to grow our
video and direct-to-
home (DTH) business
in the region.”
Intelsat’s Terry Bleakley:
“5G will require a
hybrid network, and
the development cycle
offers the satellite
sector an opportunity
to become a core
part of the telecoms
solution.”
orbit (LEO) and medium earth orbit
(MEO).”
Change was also apparent in
the approach being taken by major
industry players in actively seeking
partnerships.
Huang Baozhong, vice-pres-
ident, APT Satellite, highlighted
that while the company maintains a
“good profit margin”, it is continu-
ously looking for partners in other
parts of the world.
As for Eutelsat Asia, its CEO,
Jean-François Fenech, said: “Our
main business in Asia is around
mobility and data, and we are
looking to grow our video and
direct-to-home (DTH) business in
the region.”
5G also featured prominently
on the CASBAA agenda, with Terry
Bleakley, regional vice-president,
Asia, Intelsat, commenting: “5G
will require a hybrid network, and
the development cycle offers the
satellite sector an opportunity to
become a core part of the telecoms
solution.”
Rounding up the event, Nile
Suwansiri, chief commercial offi
cer of Thaicom, cautioned that
for satellite to be successful, it is
not just about the cost, but about
establishing demand for satellite’s
role in 5G.
Blockchain is as disruptive as the Internet
1
8
The New Broadcast Content Econ-
omy on the Blockchain, which
explored how blockchain can be
leveraged to change the paradigm
of the content acquisition industry.
Flint, however, maintains that
blockchain, by itself, does not hold
all the answers. “But, in combi-
nation with other technologies,
blockchain can add exponential
physical efficiencies — in terms
of data storage — and emotional
support in the form of trust in the
data that it stores.”
Urging broadcasters and media
owne