Market characterized by innovative capital investments, emergence of new players, and diverging performances
Paris and Montreal, July 12, 2012 –Euroconsult, the leading international research and analyst firm specialized in the satellite communications sector, today announced the findings of its most recent study of fixed satellite services. Company Profiles, Analysis of FSS Operators, now in its 5th edition, is the only report available worldwide which provides in-depth profiles of all 38 currently-active FSS satellite operators, plus nine companies that will launch commercial satellites in the near future. Through these detailed profiles, Euroconsult provides insight into individual operators and paints a picture of the overall market. 2011 was a particularly important year for FSS operators as a number of countries announced their national satellite systems and several historically hot geographic markets such as Afghanistan and Africa saw decrease in business due to political changes or the arrival of fibre networks.” said Wei LI, Senior Consultant at Euroconsult. “As the result, FSS operators are becoming “smarter” in investing their space assets. We see a number of partnerships, co-shared satellite, and hosted payload announced in the last 18 months.”
Mr. LI continued, “2011 saw more contrasted performances among operators than previous years. 80% of all active FSS operators saw revenue growth in 2011, with 13 operators even achieving growth of 10% or more; however more than half experienced slower revenue growth than during the previous year.”
The report indicates that regional operators in particular continued to see strong business growth from various applications including DTH TV broadcasting, cellular backhaul and enterprise networks. Many of these regional operators are continuing their ambitious expansion plans with growing satellite fleets and a number of satellite launches still ahead in the coming years.
Other report findings include:
– 19 operators had revenues of more than $100 million
– More than 77% of all FSS operators increased the number of transponders leased throughout 2011
– 20 operators had fill rates of 80% or more; 8 of which had fill rates of 90% or more
– 32,140 TV channels and 138 DTH pay-TV platforms were broadcasted by satellite operators in 2011
Although the top five operators accounted for about 70% of the industry’s revenues, the rest of the market is still fragmented with growing competition among the operators. In particular, the Asian market is increasingly crowded with 18 operators active in the region in 2011.
Report Profile
Company Profiles: Analysis of FSS Operators is a unique survey of active and pre-operational FSS operators. The report includes publicly-listed and privately-held companies, global and regional operators. The result is a detailed profile of each company, providing exclusive data, expert review, and in-depth analysis of both complex publicly-available information and hard-to-obtain private information.
About Euroconsult
Euroconsult is the leading international consulting and analyst firm specializing in space applications, communications, and digital broadcasting. Euroconsult provides strategic consulting and analysis, develops comprehensive research reports and forecasts, and organizes events including the annual World Satellite Business Week, the industry’s leading executive-level gathering (www.satellite-business.com). With more than 25 years of experience Euroconsult has over 560 clients in 50 countries, including leaders throughout the satellite industry: satellite operators and service providers; government agencies; satellite manufacturers and launch service providers; equipment providers and integrators; media and broadcasting companies; and banks and investors. The company has completed over 500 satellite-related consulting projects. Euroconsult is based in Paris with offices in Montreal and Washington, DC. www.euroconsult-ec.com.
