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Published on September 18, 2007

The regional satellite era is entering a phase of exploring opportunities to provide new high-quality content to the individual markets.

Shin Satellite president Nongluck Phinainitisart, who also serves as president of Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC), said yesterday that the first phase of the satellite era was its boom time several decades ago when the satellite channel was the main broadcasting channel.

The next era was when the satellite operators had to compete with the rapid expansion of terrestrial high-speed fixed land lines and cellular communications channels as content broadcasting channels.

ShinSat has adjusted to the landscape change through exploring and providing broadband Internet access channel services such as the flagship iPSTAR satellite service to consumers. Besides the broadband satellite iPSTAR, ShinSat owns Thaicom 1, 2 and 5 conventional broadcasting satellites.

Nongluck believes that the satellite broadband service market has ample room for growth in many countries, where high-speed fixed-network coverage is still limited to certain areas and the cost of investment is still high.

Now the satellite industry is focusing on developing new high-quality applications and content for individual customers, such as the Global Positioning System, satellite radio channels and broadcasting of TV programmes directly to high-tech mobile phones.

"We expect to see regional growth of such services in the next five years," she said.

Nongluck was appointed as chairman of APSCC this year and her term will end next year.

The South Korea-based APSCC is a non-profit international association representing all sectors of the satellite and space industries, which was founded to exchange views on technologies and policies for the improvement of the Asia-Pacific satellite industry.

The council will host the APSCC 2007 Satellite Conference and Exhibition at the Millennium Hilton Hotel in Bangkok from today until Thursday under the theme "Asia - Ready for Challenge".

Among the seminar topics are Asian satellite business marketing strategies, space applications and disaster response, and regulatory issues. Leading industry players will also introduce their latest technologies and products over the course of the event.

Sirivish Toomgum

 The Nation