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Communications
Center
News
Release
New
Communications Satellite Usage Report Issued for
North America
Q2 2004
PLEASE
NOTE: We do not provide a press release for every quarterly
report and obviously the information provided below is old news
by now. We continue to monitor the transponder usage
and the reports are issued for March, June, September and
December.
Communications
Center
publishes only detailed report on transponders actually used in serving U.S.,
Canada
and Mexico
Communications Center Measures 50
Percent Increase In Occasional Video Satellite Transponder Usage
Across
North America In Q2 2004
Issues other highlights and trends in
only report on actual quarterly usage of 1,419 transponders on
55 communications satellites serving U.S., Canada and Mexico
Washington, DC - Use of "occasional video" over
satellite transponders in North America jumped by 51.9 percent
in the second quarter of 2004, according to the latest report of
the Communications Center on transponder supply and demand.
 These
occasional transponders, which rose from 52 to 79, are primarily
for satellite newsgathering, teleconferencing, sports, and
education. Events
contributing to the increase include former President Ronald
Reagan’s memorial services, presidential campaign activities,
basketball playoffs and other sports broadcasts.
The Center, a long-time authority on the satellite
communications business, defines occasional video transponders
as those that had relayed traffic on at least one occasion
during the quarter although most had traffic on multiple times.
Berge Ayvazian, executive vice president at the Yankee
Group, said, “This report from the Communications Center can
be relied upon each quarter to provide the current status of
each satellite, and to offer unique insights into current and
developing trends in the industry. The Center's wealth of
technical, marketing and investment information is of
significant value to satellite-related companies and industry
and financial analysts.”
The 86-page report with more than 30 informative tables and
graphs covers the quarter which ended on June 30.
It focuses on geostationary “station kept” satellites
providing Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) or Broadcasting
Satellite Service (BSS) with coverage of the northeastern United
States from the Center’s monitoring facilities in Clarksburg,
Maryland, near Washington, DC.
The report
also describes the FSS market share of C and Ku-band
transponders among satellite operators – EchoStar, Intelsat
Americas, PanAmSat, SatMex, SES Americom and Telesat Canada;
percentage of each satellite system in use; top occasional and
scheduled video satellites; and other details of individual
satellites.
Other
findings of the report which monitored 1,419 transponders on 55
satellites serving the United States, Canada and Mexico include:
- An
oversupply of FSS transponders remains, but the inventory of
unused or inactive C-band transponders decreased in Q2 from
132 to 115, and the unused or inactive Ku-band supply
declined from 113 to 86.
- The
trend toward digital video transmission replacing analog
video continues with 74.1 percent of scheduled video now
transmitted digitally.
FSS satellites that were launched, moved or co-located
during Q2 are:
§
AMC-10, launched
February 5, has been placed into service at 135 West Longitude (WL)
and replaced Satcom C4.
§
AMC-11, launched
May 19, was in test at 146 WL and is planned to replace Satcom
C3 at 131 WL.
§
Galaxy-9 was
co-located with Galaxy 11 at 91 WL.
- Galaxy-12
left 74 WL in Q1 and has been co-located with Galaxy 5 at
125 WL.
Changes in
BSS satellites are:
- DirecTV-7S
was launched April 5 and has been placed into service at 119
WL.
- DirecTV-3
has been authorized by the FCC to be co-located with Nimiq-2
at 82 WL. However,
the FCC fined DirecTV $87,500 for repositioning the
satellite without FCC authorization. The satellite has been
leased to Telesat Canada.
- DirecTV
filed with the FCC for authority to move DirecTV-5 (the
satellite has been replaced by DirecTV-7S at 119 WL) to the
Canadian orbital location of 72.5 WL.
The FCC has granted “permit-but-disclose” pending
comments. The
satellite would also need to be licensed by the Government
of Canada to Telesat Canada.
DirecTV would like to use this location to expand the
number of local TV markets offered.
The Center
places transponders in the following categories:
·
Scheduled Video
·
Occasional Video
·
Voice and Digital
(including VSAT)
·
Inventory (Unused)
·
Failed
The
measurements for this report represent the latest in a
continuing series of “snapshots” that document the
ever-changing satellite services market.
The Center has been tracking satellite loading since
1984.
About
the
Communications Center
The Center
was founded in 1980 by the late Walter Morgan, who had served as
senior staff scientist at COMSAT. Walt’s son, Edward Morgan,
joined the Center in 1996, and continues as president,
supervising the reports, technical due diligence reviews, and
consulting work relied on over the years by scores of clients.
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North American Quarterly Supply and Demand Report