Journalist
Chris Forrester.

Chris Forrester of Advanced TV  and a Senior Contributor to Satnews Publishers, is reporting that Eutelsat, while a minor player in the USA’s probable switch of some satellite C-band capacity to 5G usage, nevertheless has used a U.S. financial roadshow to say it is possible that other nations would follow the FCC’s footsteps and adopt a similar approach to help boost local 5G adoption.

A report, timed to coincide with the opening of Eutelsat's World Satellite Business Week, from investment bank Exane/BNPP and authored by analyst Sami Kassab, to highlight that Eutelsat expects its video division to return — at long last — to slight growth next year.

Sami said that such was “driven by favorable pricing trends and capacity usage, especially in emerging markets.” Kassab added that Eutelsat’s transition to HD is seen as accelerating, noting that capex efficiency gains on the replacement of video satellites at 5 degrees West, 7 degrees East and, more importantly, at Hotbird, should help enhance the cash generation and return profile of these key video neighborhoods, the bank added. Management remained confident that top-line growth would accelerate in FY21 as the company implements their consumer broadband strategy in Europe and Africa. Now that the required satellites have been procured, the company is focusing on putting in place the correct distribution network.