ISCe Conference Discusses Pivotal Role of Satellites in Hybrid Networks
The opening session of the ISCe Conference featured a panel moderated by GVF Secretary-General David Hartshorn which featured distinguished speakers such as Andreas Georghiou, CEO of Spacenet; William LaShell, Vice-President, Americom Government Services; John Orway, Partner-Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe; Paul Pardee of Hughes Network Systems; Scott Rau of Newpoint Technologies; Rick Sanford of Cisco Systems and Brian Skimmons of Loral Skynet.
SAN DIEGO, CA, June 6, 2007 - Satnews Daily - The ISCe 2007 Conference here got off to a good start with the Global VSAT Forum (GVF)/ World Teleport Association (WTA) Workshop on “Profiting from Hybrid Solutions.”
The whole day workshop tackled important issues on the role of satellite technology in hybrid networks. The day’s workshop was led off by a panel chaired by GVF Secretary-General David Hartshorn and featured distinguished speakers such as Andreas Georghiou, CEO of Spacenet; William LaShell, Vice-President, Americom Government Services; John Orway, Partner-Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe; Paul Pardee of Hughes Network Systems; Scott Rau of Newpoint Technologies; Rick Sanford of Cisco Systems and Brian Skimmons of Loral Skynet.
Hartshorn sparked the discussion with the issue of interference from terrestrial networks on the C-Band spectrum—which is traditionally reserved for satellites. He said that the C-Band spectrum should be preserved for satellites in order to ensure the workability of hybrid networks. The issue of reallocation of C-Band spectrum to terrestrial users will be discussed in the forthcoming World Radio Communications conference in Geneva later this year. He proposed that an “exclusion zone” be declared in areas covered by C-Band frequencies to avoid interference.
Another issue that impedes satellites from being competitive with terrestrial technologies such as cable or fiber are export regulations which treat satellite technology as a matter of national security by US authorities. Cable and fiber are not covered by export regulations. It was pointed out by John Orway that only the US imposes such restrictions on satellite technology and no other government does so.
The panelists took turns in emphasizing that almost all networks today are hybrid in nature and satellites with their distinct advantages especial for ubiquitous coverage and last mile solutions has an important role to play in any communication network design. “Hybrid networks are the only viable way to implement end-to-end solutions for our customers,” said Andreas Georghiou, CEO of service provider Spacenet.
Paul Pardee of Hughes Network Systems said different technologies complement each other and satellites have certain advantages that will just not go away. Rick Sanford mentioned that there are huge opportunities in hybrid networks not on in the US and Europe but also in emerging markets such as Asia and Africa .
The panel ended on a very optimistic note for the hybrid market network for satellite service provider and the discussion provided a good springboard for the rest of the day’s sessions. Two sessions in the afternoon tackled the issue of hybrid solutions for multicasting and mobility.
The first session on “Hybrid Solutions for Mobility” was chaired by Bruce Elbert, President of Applications Strategy, Inc. and featured speakers that included Wade Alt, Vice President, MSV; Christopher Baugh, President , NSR; Alan Kittson, Vice President of Government Services and Sales,Spacenet; Leslie Klein, Ph.D., President , C-COM Satellite Systems; Michael Shakarji, Senior Vice President, Arrowhead Global Solutions; George Spohn, Vice President, Thrane & Thrane, Americas and Stephen Yablonski, Vice President Globecomm Systems Inc.
The session discussed the viability of satellite hybrid solutions that include a substantial terrestrial component for military, commercial and even consumer applications. Shakarji said that whatever limitations satellites might have can be complement by the terrestrial component of a network.
The panelists were in agreement that any future network solution will be hybrid in nature and that satellites will play an important role.
Another session on “Hybrid Solutions for Multicasting” chaired by Andrea Maléter, Technical Director of research firm, Futron Corp. discussed how hybrid networks are changing the way we receive information and entertainment products. Joe Amor, Vice President and General Manager - Microspace Communications Corp., said that Internet Protocol (IP) technology is driving multicasting.
Amor said IP is enabling the natural benefits of satellite technology for point-to-multipoint applications with IP. “IP and the Internet as a return channel has made it possible to do applications that we couldn’t do before,” he added.
Another panelist, Gary Hatch, CEO of ATCi, said the increasing hybridization of the broadcast and IPTV markets is changing the way content is being delivered and received. He used the example of why News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch bought Internet portal, Myspace.com. He said that the Internet can increase the valuation of his satellite assets by providing two-way interactivity. He said that by doing so, Murdoch is getting the “best of breed,” by combining the unique advantages of satellite and the Internet.
