|
Satellite
& Cable
September
24, 2002
Intelsat on the go with its new 906 satellite
Kaushik Phukan
UNITED STATES -- Intelsat, the global satellite company
offering Internet, broadcast, telephony and corporate
network solutions around the globe via capacity on more
than twenty geosynchronous satellites in prime orbital
locations, recently launched the new Intelsat 906 satellite
on an Ariane 44L vehicle. The satellite is expected
to be operational by early October this year.
The
launch is the sixth in a nine-satellite campaign to
replace and enhance the system capacity by the end of
2003. The 906 satellite will be deployed at 64ºE
and offer capacity for telephony, corporate networks,
Internet, video and hybrid space/terrestrial solutions
to customers on its 72 C-band and 22 Ku-band transponders
(measured in 36MHz equivalent units). The satellite
will provide high power Ku-band spot beam coverage for
Western Europe and part of Asia, and additional C-band
capacity to customers in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Intelsat's next launch -- the Intelsat 907 satellite,
is scheduled to take place from French Guiana, aboard
an Ariane 44L launch vehicle, during the first quarter
of next year.
Larry
Valenciano, Intelsat's regional vice president, APAC,
sales and marketing, spoke to Convergence Plus about
the new satellite and company's plans. Excerpts from
an interview:
CP: Can you give us a brief technical description about
Intelsat 906 and its coverage area?
Larry Valenciano: The IS-906 is the latest state-of-the-art
satellite from Intelsat. The 906 is designed to provide
high-power telephony, Internet, and broadcasting solutions
to Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. Soon to be deployed
at 64ºE, IS-906 will offer space segment/terrestrial
solutions to customers on its 72 C-band and 22 Ku-band
transponders (measured in 36 MHz equivalent units).
The 906 satellite has the capability to uplink and downlink
data streams from different beams and operating frequency
bands. Customers can uplink in Ku-band in Europe where
interference and co-ordination are reduced.
The
satellite also provides additional capacity and enhanced
coverage to a well established public switched network
community including VSNL India, British Telecom, Cable
& Wireless, KDDI, Reach and TeleDenmark.
The
IS-906 will provide increased power up to 2.2dB for
downlink, e.i.r.p., over the IS-804 satellite. Additionally,
the IS-906 provides 12.5 percent more capacity in C-band
as well as a 57 percent increase in Ku-band capacity,
which is in high demand. The IS-906 has greater switching
flexibility that allows us to enhance our ability to
adapt to connectivity needs as they grow.
CP:
How will it benefit India?
Larry Valenciano: India is a large user of capacity
at this orbital location. The arrival of Intelsat-906
will provide increased high-power and Ku-band capacity
over India, which makes it ideal for the use of small
antennas. Hence, the satellite supports video applications
as well as all of Intelsat's GlobalConnex solutions,
including Internet trunking and international private
line (IPL), a service that provides a secure, high-speed,
dedicated point-to-point connection for high-demand
voice, data or IP traffic over an integrated satellite-fibre
network.
CP:
Where do you think will be the major usage and from
where will the revenue for 906 flow?
Larry Valenciano: The major usage for this new
satellite will likely come from high-power public-switched
network services, video and Internet solutions.
CP:
What will be the role of 804 and which are the areas
that it will cover?
Larry Valenciano: The IS-804 will be relocated
at 176°E to support additional customer demand in
the Pacific. As an extension of this deployment, and
pending regulatory approval, the 702 satellite, currently
at 176°E, will be placed at in a new role at 85ºE.
It will serve India, China and other parts of Asia from
this location. So, the launch of the IS-906 satellite
also facilitates new capacity for India and Asia in
that way.
CP:
Quite a number of your competitors are planning to launch
new satellites. New companies are entering into this
arena. In addition, several companies are laying cables
connecting the world end-to-end, hence, creating the
means for communications. How do you plan to keep ahead
of competition and meet the challenges?
Larry
Valenciano:
Being a leader in the Internet, and voice and data market
segments, we are obviously succeeding in attracting
and retaining customers in spite of the abundance of
fibre available. Our customers benefit from our four
core strengths:
- A
global satellite fleet of healthy and dependable satellites;
- A
track record of operational excellence, with 99.9993
percent average transponder reliability in 2001;
- A
portfolio of high-quality, flexible and rapidly deployable
satellite communications services; and
- A
unique depth of knowledge of satellite communications
we accumulated through our four-decade history, that
we believe provides our customers with a level of
satellite expertise that is unmatched in our industry.
Responding
to customer demand, we have complemented our satellite
system with a global terrestrial infrastructure consisting
of teleports, fibre and Internet termination points
at key exchange points. This infrastructure offers our
customers one-stop shopping, managed and cost-effective
connectivity options to cover their regional and global
communications needs.
Generally
speaking, our satellites play a complementary role in
the services portfolio of our customers, providing enhanced
flexibility to fully meet all of their communications
needs. This role stems from the technology's innate
ability to provide equal access to bandwidth to any
location falling within the footprint of the satellite.
The are the roles played by Intelsat satellites are
given below:
- For
locations with fibre connections in place, Intelsat
satellites can complete the connection --serving the
middle- or last-mile.
- For
regions underserved by fibre, or where the local provider
of services is unreliable, Intelsat satellite provides
complete independence from terrestrial infrastructure,
giving use to the creation of private data or telephony
networks for corporations operating in developing
countries.
- For
locations without connections -- nearly 50 percent
of the world's countries - our satellites can provide
valuable connectivity for thin and medium route connections.
- In
newly deregulating markets, satellite's independence
from terrestrial networks can put new providers in
business almost overnight. For new competitive carriers,
Intelsat can provide immediate global connectivity,
or even intra-country connectivity, potentially eliminating
the need for them to work through the domestic PTT,
their competitor, to establish service.
- Where
speed of implementation or flexibility are critical,
our satellites can play a prominent role -- providing
key connections in a matter of days -- or hours --
versus sometimes waiting for months for a terrestrial
connection.
- Satellite's
strong suit is point-to-multipoint delivery of data,
such as with broadcast television or with a corporate
data network. In addition, satellites provide seamless
transmission -- easily solving the last-mile dilemma,
for instance, bypassing congestion points of ground
networks. This is the primary reason why we believe
that broadband service via satellite is a major catalyst
in the industry.
CP:
Do you have plans for a new Ka-band satellite?
Larry Valenciano: Intelsat is evaluating a full-range
of options, which includes partial Ka-band payloads
on traditional Ku- and C-band satellites, as well as
next-generation of Ka-band satellites.
CP:
Can you give us a brief description about your soon-to-be-launched
Intelsat 907 satellite?
Larry Valenciano: The IS-907 has characteristics
very similar to the IS-906. The new satellite is scheduled
to be located at 332.5°E and offer services over
the Americas, Europe and Africa.
CP:
In this time of troubled economies, don't you think
that Intelsat is taking a big risk by its plan of launching
two satellites -- 906 and 907? How will these new satellites
help the company?
Larry Valenciano: Placing larger and more powerful
satellites into existing orbital slots is a win-win
proposition as it allows us to maintain our fleet with
competitive, healthy and technologically advanced spacecraft.
- The
new satellites provide Intelsat with technology-enhanced
capacity to meet current customer demands and the
ability to rollout new services.
- The
new satellites are more powerful and provide for greater
throughput and allow customers to use much less expensive
ground equipment, thus providing for more cost-effective
transition to advanced services.
- The
new satellites pave the way for the re-deployment
of still-productive satellites to other Intelsat-authorized
orbital slots where they can continue to generate
returns and attract new customers.
CP:
What are your future plans?
Larry Valenciano: We have been providing our
services to Asia and the rest of the world for almost
four decades. As we look ahead, we will leverage our
core strengths and past successes to continue our record
of innovation and leadership in the industries and markets
we currently serve, as well as new industries and markets
we wish to enter.
Contact:
Intelsat Marketing India Private Limited
No.21-24, 11th Floor
International Trade Tower
Nehru Place
New Delhi 110 019.
T: +91 11 860 8571
F: +91 11 860 8574
Email: sales.asiapacific@intelsat.com
Web: www.intelsat.com
|
