Satellite operators: a healthy dish?

摘要

To make an obvious pun, the satellite industry has had its ups and downs over the past few years. Always a slow-moving sector, its close relationship with terrestrial operators has recently threatened to leave its strategies on the launch-pad... The failure of the Ariane rocket launch in December last year seemed eerily symbolic of the problems plaguing the satellite communications sector in recent years. The build up to the launch of the rocket―carrying a Eutelsat 'Hotbird' satellite on board╚Dhad been long and detailed, and so it appeared that the work of years had been destroyed in moments. The explosion epitomised the dual nature of satellite communications: on the one hand, glamorous and technologically awesome; on the other expensive, risky and specialised. In a telecomms industry currently shying away from glitzy, high-risk, projects, what is the future for satellite-based communications?