WCA January 2013

Telecom news

Recent jamming has also come from within Bahrain, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia: each, Mr Forrester said, targeting the signals of channels which local authorities find offensive, or which are “transmitting infor- mation or programming deemed controversial by one or other ministry.” The ITU statement appeals to all its 193 Member States “to exercise the utmost goodwill” in the matter. However, Mr Forrester observed, “The problem with the ITU and its dedicated Radio Regulations Board is that there are no penalties or sanctions that [they] can apply for transgressions.” Iran and Syria are full members of the ITU. Carriers, doing well out of their fixed broadband networks, are slow to invest in next-generation fixed access technologies Investment in next-generation wireless networks is seen by operators to cut into the funding available for their broadband wireless networks. This is the conclusion reached by Infonetics Research and presented in its latest Global Service Provider Survey, which explored operators’ plans for next-generation fixed access technologies. “It’s become a challenge for operators to know how much to invest in fixed broadband networks and services,” Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for broadband access and pay TV at the Campbell, California-based market research firm, said. “On the one hand, fixed broadband is among the most profitable services a provider can offer. On the other, the investment required to roll out or upgrade mobile networks is eating into their available capital.” What the survey results disclose to Mr Heynen is that the transition to next-generation fixed access technologies (10G EPON, XGPON1, variants of WDM-PON) will take longer than many in the industry had hoped.

Credit Suisse: The coming roll-out of Ultra HDTV will benefit satellite operators

Test channels for ultra-high definition TV (Ultra HDTV, or U-HD), the next-generation broadcasting standard, will likely be launched in 2012, according to Credit Suisse. Having examined the state of health of Europe’s satellite industry, the Zurich-based investment bank said in a recent report to clients that transmissions of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels (8.3 megapixels) would raise demand for satellite bandwidth. This is good news for satellite operators. As noted by Chris Forrester of London-based Advanced Television Ltd, which serves the broadband media industry, Credit Suisse expects broadcasters in Europe and the US to be starting their roll-out of U-HD in 2015/2016. “We forecast five Ultra HD (4k) channels in 2013 (estimated), growing to 135 by the end of 2017 (estimated),” the client report reads. “From the HDTV launch in the late 1990s/early 2000s the number of HDTV channels grew to 548 in 2010, after roughly 10 years, and reached 797 by the end of 2011. (“Ultra-HD: 135 channels by 2017,” 4 th October) On advanced-television.com, Mr Forrester cited the Credit Suisse view that the roll-out (plus take-up) is likely to be speedier with U-HD than with HDTV. In the early 2000s, when HDTV was launched, many consumers were still watching analogue TV. Analogue customers cannot watch HDTV, even if they have an HDTV set. This, according to the bank’s report, reduced both customer uptake and initial willingness among broadcasters to invest in HDTV. As to what is different this time: “We believe that all SD [standard-definition] TV customers will be able to add Ultra HD programming if they have an Ultra HDTV set in the same way as they can currently watch HDTV programming.” According to Credit Suisse, the replacement cycle of TV sets is now around six years, shorter than the ten-year replacement cycle when HDTV was launched at the end of the 1990s and in the early 2000s. Accordingly, this could drive a quicker uptake “as the penetration of Ultra HDTV sets of households will be quicker.”

Of related interest . . .

✆ In response complaints of satellite jamming in the Middle East, the International Telecommunications Union on 26 th October issued a strong condemnation declaring all “harmful interference” to be an infringement of the ITU Constitution. ✆ As reported by Chris Forrester of Advanced Television Ltd (29 th October), the jamming has reached proportions described by one local broadcaster as “catastrophic.” The London-based site for the broadband media industry noted that the BBC, France 24, Deutsche Welle, and Voice of America are among the channels affected by jamming originating in Iran and affecting incoming satellite feeds. to

✆ SES has commissioned Boeing Corp of the US to build a new communication satellite to serve the Luxembourg-based satellite operator’s Asian markets. The spacecraft – ordered through the SES Satellite Leasing affiliate – will expand SES capability in communications services in Northeast Asia, South Asia, and Indonesia, and in maritime communications for vessels in the Indian Ocean. The new satellite, SES-9, will be positioned at the orbital slot of 108.2 degrees East and provide incremental as well as replacement capacity to the established SES slot over Asia, in a co-location with the SES-7 and NSS-11 satellites.

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Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2013