Photo by mayorgavinnewsomBusiness leaders are begining to embrace the cloud as the next big thing in IT.  Business processing such as document management and outsourcing are more easily done with this technology in place.  As a result,  permits businesses to add IT capabilities or capacity in a flexible manner without the need to invest in a new resources and tools.

The business benefits can be detailed as:

• Economies of scale: When you take advantage of a centralized infrastructure that supports multiple clients, you get an economy of scale.
• Unlimited storage and processing power: With unlimited capacity, it follows that businesses don’t have to expand a data center or add servers to a network.  Furthermore, it allows for a vast computational power with no impact on a business overall energy consumption.
• Flexibility and scalability: Because there is no infrastructure to manage and maintain for the cloud, and businesses only pay for what they use, there is a huge advantage in flexibility. Instead of investing in permanent resources that may not be needed in the future, businesses can just tap into the cloud for immediate needs.
• Benchmark technology and best practices: Leading providers of cloud services are able to provide innovative technology and current best practices thanks to size and resources.
• Streamlined implementations: The cloud is an efficient platform for service delivery and provides great cost effectiveness, better quality, and faster implementation processes.
• Improved access to information: A key resource for any employee to share information, create and revise documents and collaborate in real-time.
• A sensible solution for a mobile workforce: Offer flexibility for employees to work anywhere.  Subsequently, the cloud improves business productivity.

Cloud Perception
Many businesses are delaying the decision to direct their processes and resources into the cloud.  The perception is that of a data and system security, the maintenance of privacy for people and organizations, and the possibility of being locked into one provider. However, as with any other technology the perception can be overcome when explained that cloud computing mitigates any concerns by providing experts, with latest security updates for free and SLA with compensations in place.  It follows that it involves the aggregation of computing power and data understandably gives rise to concern.

We provide some pertinent questions to help convince sceptics below:

• What are the current benefits of cloud computing?
• Can anything stop its progress?
• Are the cloud computing benefits worth the risk?

One aspect of these concerns centers on security. Putting confidential records in public clouds increases the risk that unauthorized people can gain access to sensitive information. When organizations store their data with programs hosted by a provider, they lose some of control over their sensitive information. The responsibility for protecting that information from data breaches by unauthorized parties then falls into the hands of the provider rather than the organization.

In addition to security and privacy concerns, cloud computing gives rise to apprehension about being locked in by a vendor. Proprietary architectures or unique data models could potentially make it difficult to switch vendors and move into or out of a cloud vendor. In addition, if the provider goes out of business, there’s a question of what happens to the organization’s data it holds. Before jumping into the cloud, an organization should consider whether their vendor has standardized processes, proven service delivery methodologies, and transparent governance.

Trustworthy Providers
Cloud computing can be regarded as a form of outsourcing,  therefore the key issues from data security, privacy, service quality and reliability must be met by a trustworthy provider.  When looking for a provider, businesses should choose one that offers ROI analysis identifying which applications would provide the best returns when migrated to a cloud environment, an implementation plan, an explanation of how the plan aligns with business strategy, and guidelines for deployment.  Furthermore, businesses should also consider the factors below:

• Security policies to enhance the business process.
• The security design should be flexible enough to adapt to changing business situations and evolving technology.
• The use of standards is essential to minimize risks.

Photo by sir_watkynThe Government of India is seeking to acquire a technological solution that will allow it to block direct downlinking of satellite television channels distributed through direct-to-home (DTH) services and cable operators. However, this will involve compliance from a slew of companies including DTH operators or multi-system operators.

The move is being considered to stop illegal broadcast of some foreign television channels in the country, distributed largely by local cable operators. According to senior government officials, the step was contemplated in the aftermath of riots that broke out in Jammu and Kashmir following reports about the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in the US. The news was aired by an Iranian television channel that was downlinked by local cable operators in the valley, leading to protests in the valley, resulting in several deaths.

Photo by jon smith ‘una nos lucror’Humax has confirmed that the TV Portal update for its Freeview HD receiver range will be released in December.

TV Portal will add broadband enabled functionality to the HD-FOX T2 and HDR-FOX T2 including BBC iPlayer, Sky Player, YouTube, Flickr browsing and ‘many more exciting internet and on-demand services’.

Photo by marcoPapale.comIreland’s answer to Freeview – called Saorview – launched across Ireland on October 31.

The first-stage service reaches 90 per cent of the population and carries RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, TG4 and RTÉ News Now. There are also several radio channels, and TV3 is expected to join when it haas overcome some commercial issues.

A second stage will launch in Spring 2011 with high definition sport, drama and film; news services; interactive services and dedicated children’s services, and will reach 98 per cent of the population by 2012.

RTE is also planning to launch Saorsat – a free-to-air satellite TV service exclusive to Ireland – in Spring 2011 to reach the final two per cent.

This can’t be achieved with the Astra 2 group at 28 degrees East – used by Freesat and Sky – because it also covers the UK and parts of Europe.

But is might be done with Eutelsat Ka-Sat, a new satellite launching later this year which uses highly focussed beams in higher Ka-band frequencies.

The Irish government is already planning to use Ka-Sat to supply broadband to remote communities, so it would be ideal for getting TV to the same locations.

However, no deal for TV has yet been announced between RTE and Eutelsat.

Like all EU countries, Ireland must switch off its analogue TV transmitter network by the end of 2012.

Photo by Andy Field (Hubmedia)The new channel will be available on Freesat channel 108, Freeview channel 50, Sky channel 143 and Virgin Media channel 108.

The new channel – a simulcast of BBC One – will free up the existing BBC HD channel to showcase more programming from BBC Two, Three and Four.

Viewers may need to retune their satellite receivers to pick up the new channel, as reported here.

The BBC’s internet blog features a piece on the extensive technical preparations for the channel launch.

Photo by Luminis KantoSatellites have a very definite lifetime, being usually designed to last for about 15 years. However, what if the satellite is in perfect shape but has simply run out of fuel at the end of 15 years? The onboard fuel is only needed for station-keeping. The satellite’s existing solar panels give it enough power for reception and re-transmission of TV signals. Refuelling in orbit is not an option.

Space exploration specialist MDA Corp of Canada thinks it has a solution. MDA knows a lot about robotics in space. It designed the Canadarm robotic arm on the Space Shuttle. Its solution was to send up into orbit a smaller satellite that would attach itself to the existing craft and then push or pull the older craft onto its correct orbital position.

There was a similar scheme from Orbital Recovery, which saw itself as an RAC-type operator in space, waiting with a perfectly fuelled craft for someone to break down. Its plan relied on satellite owners or their insurance companies being able to pay a fortune for an Orbital Recovery space tug to quickly come by and rescue the ailing craft.

Indeed, in 2005 Arabsat even backed the venture, such was its concern for its planned batch of satellite launches. Orbital made good commercial sense, it was thought, for firms with a busy launch manifest but not much orbital back-up. The likes of SES, Intelsat or even Eutelsat can re-position an asset in the event of a failure. Small oufits like Arabsat didn’t have that flexibility.

Then in 2006 Arabsat lost a satellite. Arabsat 4A was launched in to an unusable orbit (a Russian rocket had part-failed after lift-off) and while Orbital Recovery was extremely keen to see one of its satellites launched onto a dramatic rescue mission, Arabsat and the craft’s official owner (the insurance company) decided to de-orbit the satellite over the Pacific Ocean. Arabsat received the insurance payout and built another satellite.

But now the news is not good. MDA says it’s even ready to scrap its programme, which was to try to create a commercial business from servicing in-orbit satellites if an inaugural customer does not materialise within the next couple of months. In a conference call with investors on July 29 the firm’s CEO said it had solved most of the technical hurdles confronting the service, which would have been a first for the space industry. But substantial financial and liability related questions still remained.

‘It boils down to figuring out what exactly is the modus operandi of when the refuellings are going to happen in the lifetime of the satellite, and the issues if something goes wrong, and what is the price… It’s never been done and people have to think of new business models.’

Still looking for customers

Nor has the recent rise in the cost of launching satellites helped the in-orbit servicing model, he said, as it raises the missions’ overall costs. Satellite insurance underwriters have long said that satellite refuelling would confront a broad array of issues, including who would pay if a satellite was damaged by the refuelling vehicle. Satellite operators have said they are unsure whether it is worth spending money to refuel an orbital asset depreciated over 15 years, especially as some satellite components unrelated to the fuel supply are more likely to fail after so much time.

Government agencies (i.e. the military), including the US and Canadian space agencies, have indicated a long-term interest in satellite servicing as part of space exploration programmes that require in-orbit assembly or transfer of hardware, and for removal of pieces of space debris.

‘We’re hopeful that over the next couple of months we can conclude this thing one way or another and move on,’ said MDA.

MDA has tons of work on its books, like supplying payload electronics for two Russian commercial telecommunications satellites, the Express AM5 and AM6 spacecraft – a contract estimated at more than 260million Canadian dollars.

Despite the difficulties, there is a clear interest in Space Tugs. They make business sense if insurance anxieties can be ironed out – and some brave pioneer is prepared to sign a cheque!

by Chris Forrester’s

Published in the September issue of What Satellite & Digital TV on September 9, 2010

Orange TV, part of the huge France Telecom organisation, has announced that its total European digital TV subscriber base has grown by a massive fifty three per cent to 3.217 million during the past year.

In France, which is of course the key area for France Telecom, Orange TV performed well, showing an incredible forty seven per cent increase in subscribers as at the end of December 2009.

However the French company includes online TV with its satellite subscriber base, which probably has more to do with providing advertisers with full viewer figures rather than any attempt to massage the amount of subscribers that the company has on its books at any one time.

Figures are up generally for Orange TV, with sport and film service users standing at 633,000 compared with 130,000 in 2008, while on demand services increased by 67 per cent to 8.5 million.

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The German pay TV satellite provider Sky Deutschland, which of course is controlled by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, is expecting to report a loss for 2010, but for the following year the broadcaster is expecting to see a profit.

Sky Deutschland, which is the country’s largest pay TV operator, will be posting a loss of between 130 million and 170 million Euros for the year 2010.

This will be reversed in the following year but by how much has not been predicted.

The company is in good shape and when it comes to average revenue per customer, the broadcasters is claiming that currently three quarters of its customers are paying in excess of thirty Euros per month.

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Italian public broadcaster RAI has had a long relationship with Eutelsat, but that hasn’t stopped it signing with SES Astra for a new channel launch.

SES Astra says it has signed a capacity agreement with RAI to use capacity from Astra’s 19.2 degrees East orbital position to broadcast its new international channel Yes Italia to a European audience.

The agreement follows successful test broadcasts in 2009 and also includes the delivery of uplink services from Astra’s broadcasting centre in Unterföhring near Munich.

Yes Italia is RAI’s new theme-based channel designed to promote Italy’s historical, artistic and cultural heritage to an audience across Europe.

The channel is managed by RAI’s subsidiary NewCo Rai and is broadcast in Italian with English and Spanish subtitles on a 24/7 basis.

Alexander Oudendijk, CCO at SES Astra, said: “We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with RAI, which marks an important milestone in our strategy to position ourselves as a partner for Italian broadcasters. Following our recent agreement with Milano Teleport, this is now the second commercial agreement we have signed in the Italian market within a relatively short period of time. We are very confident that this positive development will continue, and we look forward to signing additional agreements soon.”

The agreement is part of a larger strategic partnership which was founded to jointly test and develop innovative broadcasting services and interactive applications. In the framework of this agreement, SES Astra has already launched an Astra HD demo channel in cooperation with RAI on its 23.5 degrees East orbital position.

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Spacecom, the Amos satellite fleet operator,  announced that the Amos-5i satellite has reached its 17 degrees East orbital position and has begun commercial service.

With clients from Africa, Europe and the Middle East already on board, the Amos-5i satellite enables Spacecom to start serving the growing African market with C-band and Ku-band capacity.

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