Samena Trends Exclusively for Samena Telecommunications Council's Members Building Digital Economies
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Volume 06 _ Issue 04 _ April 2015 SAMENA TRENDS EXCLUSIVELY FOR SAMENA TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL'S MEMBERS BUILDING DIGITAL ECONOMIES A SAMENA Telecommunications Council Newsletter Articles To cooperate, or to coordinate: alternative... Page 29 3 reasons telcos should care about environmental sustainability Page 54 Innovating against Adversity Page 61 The Networked Society: a new paradigm shift Page 63 New bands has never Exclusive Interview been more promising Khalid Ahmed Balkheyour with ARABSAT projects President and CEO Page 66 Arabsat Page 04 The future of satellite broadband and the need for innovative spectrum management solutions www.samenacouncil.org SAMENA CONTENTS VOLUME _ 06 _ISSUE _ 04_April_2015 TRENDS The SAMENA TRENDS newsletter is wholly owned and operated by The REGIONAL & MEMBERS SAMENA Telecommunications Council UPDATES FZ, LLC (SAMENA). Information in the 09. Members News newsletter is not intended as professional services advice, and SAMENA Council 16. Regional News disclaims any liability for use of specific information or results thereof. Articles and information contained in this REGULATORY & POLICY publication are the copyright of SAMENA UPDATES Telecommunications Council, (unless 22. Regulatory News otherwise noted, described or stated) and cannot be reproduced, copied or 29. To cooperate, or to coordinate: printed in any form without the express alternative... written permission of the publisher. The SAMENA Council does not necessar- 31. A Snapshot of Regulatory Activities in ily endorse, support, sanction, encour- SAMENA Region age, verify or agree with the content, comments, opinions or statements made 40. Regulatory Activities Beyond the in The SAMENA TRENDS by any entity SAMENA Region or entities. Information, products and services offered, sold or placed in the newsletter by other than The SAMENA WHOLESALE UPDATES Council belong to the respective entity 49. Wholesale News or entities and are not representative EDITORIAL of The SAMENA Council. The SAMENA TECHNOLOGY UPDATES Council hereby expressly disclaims any 03. 3 reasons telcos should care about and all warranties, expressed and im- 54. plied, including but not limited to any environmental sustainability warranties of accuracy, reliability, mer- chantability or fitness for a particular 56. Technology News purpose by any entity or entities offer- ing information, products and services in REGIONAL 61. Innovating against Adversity this newsletter. The user agrees that The SAMENA Council is not responsible, and The Networked Society: a new shall have no liability to such user, with PERFORMANCE 63. paradigm shift respect to any information, product or service offered by any entity or entities Consumer Satellite in this newsletter. The SAMENA Coun- 07. SATELLITE UPDATES cil’s only liability in the event of errors Services Revenue Growth 66. New bands has never been more shall be the correction or removal of the promising with ARABSAT projects erroneous information after verification. 67. Satellite News Editor-in-Chief Bocar A. BA Contributing Editors Awais Amjad Javaid Akhtar Malik Zakir Syed Contributing Member Alfa Telecom, Lebanon Analysys Mason Arabsat Paltel Group Vodafone Qatar Publisher SAMENA Telecommunications Council 04. 73. Subscriptions [email protected] EXCLUSIVE SAMENA COUNCIL Advertising [email protected] INTERVIEW ACTIVITY Legal Issues or Concerns Khalid Ahmed Balkheyour Beyond Connectivity 2015 [email protected] President and CEO 11th May 2015 SAMENA TRENDS Arabsat [email protected] Tel: +971.4.364.2700 © 2015 - All rights reserved. SAMENA TRENDS is a trademark of SAMENA Telecommunications Council. EDITORIAL SAMENA TRENDS _ APRIL_2015 The future of satellite broadband and the need for innovative spectrum management solutions In the SAMENA region, where satellite different means such as alliances, sales broadband is growing, the demand for partnerships among others, to get applications such as digital content, maximum business from the high growth cellular backhauling, and satellite TV, is markets within the SAMENA region. expected to further fuel the growth of satellite broadband. Satellite broadband According to Satellite Industry subscriber-base appears to continue to Association’s figures, commercial grow over the next few years with services communications satellites represent such as video-on-demand, Internet TV, over 37 percent of the total number of data, VoIP and cellular backhaul. How the satellites. With a number of international satellite operators will manage to tackle players looking into the regional markets this situation and to get maximum return for investment in satellite industry, the on investment is an important area that satellite broadband sector is expected needs attention. Globally, the number experience considerable growth. of subscribers to satellite broadband is Consumer satellite broadband revenues expected to reach 6 million in 2020. have increased from US$68 billion in 2008to almost US$100 billion in 2014 Traditional satellite technology uses showing an ample growth. Demand for a broad single beam to cover entire satellite capacity is evolving and operators continents and regions. The industry are thus exploring new ways to offer has more recently witnessed the use of satellite broadband services in an efficient multiple narrowly focused spot beams and cost effective way. and the reuse of frequencies has resulted in spectral efficiency thus increasing We at the SAMENA Council have always bandwidth as compared to traditional been cognizant of the significance of satellites. The satellite broadband satellite broadband industry and have a systems based on the Ka band deploy very active working group (Satellite) on spot beam technology, where satellite this very subject so as to provide a prolific downlink beams cover an area of the platform for knowledge, experience order of hundreds of kilometers. This sharing, and collaboration in light of enables frequency reuse, resulting in the growing demand in the regional a considerable increase in the overall markets. The purpose of the Satellite capacity of the satellite. Latest satellite working group is to take a leadership broadband systems are being tailored for role in developing and shaping the target markets to reduce bandwidth costs emerging technologies for the satellite and increase capabilities to keep pace with communications industry in the SAMENA the increasing subscriber-base. With the region in the interests of the Council’s growing number of subscribers, and the membership as well as the overall emerging applications, the demand for industry. demand for capacity is expected to grow too. An increasing number of operators are thus eyeing the Middle East and North Africa. The Operators are investigating Yours truly, Bocar A. BA Chief Executive Officer SAMENA Telecommunications Council page_3 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW SAMENA TRENDS _ APRIL_2015 Mr. Balkheyour has over 30 years of Q. What change experience in the telecoms industry, have you seen in the Khalid Balkheyour has held the role of the President and CEO of the Arab developments and Khalid Ahmed Satellite Communications Organization evolution of the satellite Balkheyour (ARABSAT) since 2003. He came to industry in the past 5 Arabsat from Lucent Technologies where years? Is the industry President and CEO he was the Executive Vice President for keeping up the pace of Arabsat Marketing and Sales from 1999 to 2003. Prior to that, he was the Vice President its progress? of Operations and Maintenance in the A. Major developments Saudi Ministry of PTT, later known as in the satellite industry in the Saudi Telecommunication Company past five years took place in (STC). He holds Master degree in services business modeling and Electrical Engineering from California manufacturing and launching, for State Polytechnic University Pomona in example: 1981. He serves as Vice Chairman of the • More satellite companies of Board at Thuraya Telecommunications national interests Company. • Cooperation and agreements between satellite operators to reduce cost • Consolidation trends are picking up • Electrical/Hybrid propulsion • High throughput satellites • Hosted payloads • We have also witnessed market price degradation by 25% to 30% from industry peaks in 2010-2013. page_4 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW SAMENA TRENDS _ April_2015 Q. What is Arabsat promote its video neighborhoods at issue up in all relevant national and looking for in its future 26deg E for the MENA and 39deg international bodies. E for Europe through its Hellas-sat satellites as well as how subsidiary. Arabsat was recently selected as a does the company plan to member of the Board of GVF and make best use of future look forward to continue working Q. What initiatives have with industry stakeholders on all assets? you taken so far that are related matters. A. Arabsat has now two satellites under manufacturing; aimed at speeding up the Badr-7 to be launched in Q4, 2015 at resolution of interference Q. Arabsat and CeTel 26deg E, and HS-3 (joined satellite and improving the quality recently joined hands with Inmarsat) to be launched end of service for satellite of 2016 at 39deg E. Arabsat has also in extended C-band awarded two new satellites’ contracts communications users? partnership in Africa; please recently, HS-4 (Joined Satellite with A. Arabsat is an active tell us more about this joint King Abdulaziz city for Science member of the IRG group and continues to play a major role in venture. and Technology in Saudi Arabia)