The report shows an expected 6 percent annual growth before crossing the US$20 billion threshold by the end of the decade.

“This is a resilient market”, said Futron’s CEO Joseph Fuller. “The change between our 2010 and 2013 outlooks reflects the continued value of satellite’s efficiency, ubiquity, and reliability in delivering communications services.” The forecast projects global demand for Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) in terms of 36MHz transponder equivalents, Gbps, and revenue. Futron also forecasts demand growth to 13,000 36MHz transponder equivalents (TPEs) in the same period.

Futron believes the industry stands ready to deliver technology innovation and customer service to support steady long-term growth. Evidence includes:

• Deployment of broader capacity in all frequency bands.
• Growth of consumer-oriented services, such as Direct-to-Home (DTH) video and mobility-based broadband technologies.
• Growth in global mobility applications, particularly maritime and aeronautical.
• Continued growth, albeit at a slower pace, of military demand for commercial satellite communications.
• Expansion of the service delivery model from (commoditized) wholesale transponder capacity to end-to-end solutions and managed services.
• Technology innovation, such as electronic propulsion and Creative partnerships are being established with satellite manufacturers, equipment providers, resellers, and customers – including everything from hosted payloads to hybrid network operations, to the repurposing of on-orbit assets for new services, new markets and new customers.

Futron’s 2013 demand forecast provides analysis and data by application, by region, and by frequency band (including C-, Ka-, Ku-, and X-band) measured in both transponders and throughput. Additional features include a five year transponder supply forecast, as well as commentary on technology developments, key market drivers and potential growth inhibitors, and pricing trends. Detailed data charts in the Appendix offer sufficient granularity to enable user-defined analysis.