[SatNews] With 1,400GHz of new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) capacity projected for launch by the end of 2016—an amount equal to 450 conventional satellites—Silicon Valley and Beltway interests are both becoming increasingly involved in the delivery of next-generation broadband satellite services for wireless, energy, aeronautical, maritime, consumer, and other lucrative sectors.
 
From Cisco to Google, and from “beltway bandits” to the “three-letter” U.S. government agencies, the GVF High Throughput Satellite Roundtable held recently at the Capitol Hill office of Jones Day revealed how interests from both coasts are moving to leverage the new technology to reach under-served user groups worldwide.  
 
“Clearly, HTS is taking satellite-delivered applications to the next level”, said David Hartshorn, Secretary General of GVF, the international association of the satellite communications industry. The High Throughput Satellite Roundtable was organized for the second consecutive year by GVF and EMP, the association’s U.K.-based event management partner, with support from Euroconsult in Paris, France.
 
“Consumer and enterprise users are already adopting fixed and mobile high throughput satellite solutions at a fast rate,” said Pacome Revillon, CEO of Euroconsult. “The High Throughput Satellite Roundtable explored how, when, where and why the technology and the business plans are effectively addressing real-world requirements.”
 
Throughout the two-day conference, industry and government delegates engaged with experts in open-forum discussion on a wide range of subjects, including:

• Cyber Security Measures: Rakesh Bharania, Network Consulting Engineer, Cisco Systems & Chairman, GVF Cyber-Security Task Force, unveiled a guideline that has been developed by the group in order to promote best practices that strengthen stakeholder efforts to defend against cyber attacks.
• Wireless Backhaul Trends: David Howgill, President, Huckworthy Applied Technology Consulting, and Chairman of the GVF Wireless Backhaul Group, led a roundtable discussion that re-affirmed expectations that satellite backhaul will extend the reach of LTE, small cell and other new wireless systems in the same way that it did for GSM.
• Aeronautical Market Potential: Aditya Chatterjee, CTO and EVP Engineering of Global Eagle Entertainment, reported that his company, which already serves 170 airlines, is preparing to tap a connectivity market that Frost & Sullivan estimates will realize 25 compound annual growth rate and reach $2.4 billion by 2020.

The next GVF High Throughput Satellite Roundtable will be held in London on December 2nd and 3rd—the program will focus on state-of-the-art technology, standards, business trends, and critical regulatory considerations. The conference will feature key players in the communications services arena, including operators, manufacturers, value-added resellers, distributors and retailers. An open-forum format, led by expert moderators from the broadband marketplace, will enable communications professionals to participate directly in the industry dialogue and get answers to their most pressing questions.
 
For more information on past and future GVF HTS Roundtables, visit the GVF infosite at http://www.gvf.org/