Satnews Daily
February 19th, 2018

An Impressive 2018 Program Agenda for Global VSAT Forum and Event Management Partners


The events partnership of Global VSAT Forum (GVF) and UK Event Management Partners (EMP) has announced details of its series of programs taking place in March, May, June and July 2018, starting with Connectivity 2018: Evolving the "New" New Verticals – Air – Sea – Surface - Rail, to be held in London’s Canary Wharf district on March 21, 2018.
 
Sponsored by Integrasys, iDirect, Comtech EF Data, ND Satcom and Newtec, the latest iteration of the annual Connectivity program to address the growth of satellite communications verticals encompassing the mobile aeronautical, maritime, land, and rail environments will feature four principal panel-based discussion themes focusing on [1] Space & Ground Segment, [2] The Varied Connectivity Ecosystem, [3] Mobile Connectivity, the Cloud & IoT, and [4] Building User-Vertical Applications – Development & Deployment Environments.
 
On May 10, the City of Aberdeen will once again be the host location for Oilfield Connectivity 2018: The Next Generation Digital Oilfield. The conference, sponsored by Comtech EF Data, ND Satcom and Newtec, will be the 11th program in the series dedicated to communications in Europe’s oil & gas ecosystem, bringing to the market an ICT-oriented dialogue at the crucial interface of demand for ICT solutions by the energy vertical and the supply of those solutions from the satellite connectivity industry.
     The dynamics of oil market supply and demand are set against the backdrop of the always dangerous, harsh, and remote environments where exploration and production (E&P) take place, and against the constant demands of the industry’s commercial and operational centres for cost and efficiency innovation enabling communication with E&P rigs and platforms. Robust communication is a Digital Oilfield imperative, and in this context the conference will discuss issues surrounding mobility, M2M/IoT & Big Data, the Cloud, HTS satellite capacity and capability, cyber security and hybrid technology connectivity solutions. This event will focus on the evolving challenges.
 
The second and third quarters of 2018 will also bring innovation to two further, and already established, GVF-EMP programs — Cellular Backhaul and AeroConnect.
 
Cellular Backhaul: Smartphones & Tablets - To the Satellite Network & the World, a regular feature of the GVF-EMP calendar for the last three years, changes venue, context, and format this year and will be held on June 14 during, and in association with, KNect365’s 5G World | IoT World Europe | Digital CX World | Smart Transportation & Mobility, which runs over June 12 to 14.
 
The KNect365 event — held at the Excel Exhibition Centre in London’s Docklands and which has the 3GPP as a Strategic Partner — attracts the participation of 2000+ telecoms professionals representing around 100 Telcos and MNOs and the GVF-EMP program, sponsored by Comtech EF Data, SES, iDirect, ND Satcom and Newtec, will feature alongside such other elements as Executive Keynotes, a 5G Standards & Spectrum Workshop, a Demo Zone & Content Theater, a Network Security Focus Day, and an Antenna Evolution Focus Day.
 
Martin Jarrold, GVF’s Chief of International Program Development and Chairman of many of the GVF-EMP series events, noted that in 2018, the format, as well as the venue will be different, in that the program will take place embedded within the exhibition space. The format will bring added value for exhibition attendees but moreover will give key focus to the imperatives of the role of satellite in a 5G networking future.

David Hartshorn, Secretary General of GVF added that the future is a global communications ecosystem, integrating satellite and 5G in unified networks as recognized by the 3GPP and 5GPPP, and as represented by the European Space Agency Satellite for 5G Initiative (S45G) to which GVF is signatory.
 
Farnborough International Air Show (FIA), which takes place 1July 16 to 22, this year opens its new multi-functional Exhibition & Conference Centre and during Farnborough week the center will be the venue for AeroConnect2018@Farnborough (July 19). The Air Show, one of the most important events in the global aerospace calendar, occurs every two years and in 2016 it brought the participation of 82 of the top 100 aerospace companies in the world with 71 per cent of the 1500 exhibitors from outside the UK and representing 52 countries. The show also attracted 1451 accredited broadcast, print and online media from across the globe.
 
Comtech EF Data, Newtec, and iDirect will sponsor the 2018 iteration of this established event series with more sponsors expected in due course, this year specially branded as AeroConnect@Farnborough in recognition of this significant pairing. Paul Stahl, Executive Director of EMP, noted that this is a major innovation. Today the aerospace market, the scale and scope of which is nowhere better illustrated than at this most prestigious of industry shows, is as much about communications connectivity as it is about airframe design, engine efficiencies, aircraft performance, etc. Many of these (and many other parameters), as the objects of inflight measurement, generate mega-data that is gathered in real-time over satellite connectivity.
 
Connectivity 2018: Evolving the "New" New Verticals - Air - Sea - Surface - Rail, the first of 2018’s events, takes place at De Vere, No. 1 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, E14 4HD. The program will examine some of the key themes, technological developments, and market trends that feature on the path to a universal via-satellite connectivity ecosystem. The program will analyze continuing developments in the satellite communications marketplace, with HTS payloads — in geostationary orbit, in medium and in planned LEO constellations — serving multiple new and emerging vertical markets. The program will reference such varied topics as: Future of Mobile Backhaul; Satellite & MNOs; Communications-on-the-Move; Mining & Remote Resources; Hospitality & Mobile Connectivity; Networks & Cyber Security; M2M & IoT; Vehicle Telematics & Smart Cities; Intelligent Highways; Connected Rail Services; The Cloud Interface; Satellite + Terrestrial Wireless Synergies.
 
As at the date of this release, the program has attracted registrations from 50 companies and other organizations, including: Access Partnership; AKD Sat-Com; Anver Ltd; Avanti Communications; CETel; Comtech EF Data; European Space Agency; Europasat; Eutelsat; FBS UK Ltd; General Dynamics Satcom; Global Eagle; GTS Ltd; Hispasat; Honeywell; Hughes Network Systems; Inmarsat; Innovate UK; Inster; Integrasys S.A; Intelsat; IP Access; Isotropic Systems Ltd; Karlsen Associates; Kratos; M&J Communications; Navarino UK; ND Satcom; Neuco; PA Consulting; Paradigm; PHASOR; PTC/ThingWorx; Razor Secure Ltd; RDP Media; Satellite Applications Catapult; Satellite Evolution; Satellite Mobility World; Sematron; SES; Soracom; Talia; Telenor Satellite Broadcasting; Thales Alenia Space UK Ltd; Thorn SDS; ViaSat; VT iDirect; Yonet Ltd; Zuckert Scoutt & Rasenberger, with more companies registering daily. Details of the panellist/speaker line-up will be released shortly.
 
Delegate registration for Connectivity 2018, which is free-of-charge, remains open. Please contact Paul Stahl at EMP for details. For further information on all GVF-EMP programs, visit www.uk-emp.co.uk/current-events.