MOBILITY: Word of the Year for SATELLITE 2017

Happy New Year 2017 and best wishes for what promises to be a wildly successful and innovative time for the global satellite-enabled marketplace, one that advances comprehensive solutions via satellite to all corners of the world.

What’s the SATELLITE 2017 word of the year? Mobility! If we look at a unifying theme for the satellite industry over the ten months since SATELLITE 2016, mobility leaps to the fore. It appears in our internal deliberations for the 2016 Via Satellite Satellite Executive of the Year honors, it touches nearly every aspect of the evolving agenda for SATELLITE 2017, it’s driving demand for the lectern at our new Startup Space, and it’s a capability and a promise that absolutely galvanizes and inspires the next generation of business leaders, engineers, technicians, and executives entering the global satellite arena.

So, what do we have on tap for mobility at SATELLITE 2017? I’m glad you asked. It’s our Mobility Forum, an all-day sequence of sessions and presentations on Wednesday, March 8. Here’s the rundown, and some of the key questions we’ll explore:

LEO and MEO Focus: Critical New Developments for Low Earth- and Medium Earth-Orbit Services

With 11 new Ku- and Ka-band NGSO systems filed at the FCC, how will regulators decide to allocate spectrum? What are the different business models for these systems, and how will operators seek to compete with or complement GEO HTS systems? What role will these systems play in mobility markets on land, at sea and in the air?

In-Flight Connectivity Focus: Service Providers and Airlines – Who Picks up the Tab?

Pilots, cabin crew, airplane systems, maintenance and passengers all benefit from in-flight connectivity and multiple providers are competing to serve this huge new market opportunity. How do the business models differ between satellite operators, inflight entertainment providers and connectivity service providers? And which business models will dominate in an era of every increasing capacity demands, passenger expectations for high quality, free services and constrained airline investment budgets?

MSUA’s Mobility Innovation Awards Luncheon

Author and Journalist John Bloom keynotes the MSUA’s Innovation Awards Luncheon to discuss his new book “Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story.”

Maritime Focus: Which Technologies Will Lead the Way in the New Mobile Maritime Era?

The rivalry between Ku- and Ka-band solutions has reached a critical phase with some predicting the shift from L-band to VSAT solutions will accelerate further. At the same time, new higher throughput L-band capability will soon be reaching market which could cause a reversal in recent L-band price rises. How will different products be positioned and what role will value-added services and antenna innovations play in differentiation between service providers and driving market growth?

Internet-of-Things Focus: Where Does the Satellite Piece Fit in the Puzzle?

There is a high level of interest amongst terrestrial wireless operators in the IOT/M2M market. Satellite can provide unrivalled coverage for critical infrastructure needs, but how does satellite become more than just a niche solution in a market with billions of connected devices? Will satellite service providers compete or cooperate with terrestrial wireless operators in this new era? Or will some satellite players even become acquisition targets?

Beyond mobility, SATELLITE 2017 covers all the bases of the global satellite-enabled marketplace. We expect more than 14, 000 professionals and 350 exhibitors to join us at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, to search for the best solutions, most economical applications, most robust technologies, to meet with colleagues, competitors, and friends. Take a moment right now to visit www.satshow.com for speaker details on the SATELLITE 2017 Mobility Forum and for answers to all your questions about the most important week of the year for global satellite executives.

Or drop me a line at [email protected] and I’ll reply!