Satellite communications 2010

Some believe that the radical breakthroughs in fiber optic transmission technology during the 1990s and the dramatic gains now promised by dense wave division multiplexing spells the doom of satellite communications. Nothing could be further from the truth. Satellites, terrestrial wireless and fiber optic transmission systems will grow in a complementary fashion in coming decades. From year-end 2000 to year-end 2010, annual satellite revenues globally are likely to grow from $30 billion (US) to over $100 billion (US). This means that satellites´ share of global telecommunications revenues will increase from about 2.75% to around 4.00% of all communications services. Global telecommunications capabilities and related revenues are like an exploding sphere. Satellites, as well as new high altitude platform systems (HAPS), or stratospheric platforms will be a key part of this explosion. Worldwide transmission and sharing of information has changed more radically in the past thirty years than it has over the previous century. In the past three decades, the size and scope of international communications has increased by some 500 times. Totally new global telecommunication applications have appeared over the last 15 years. The rate of innovation only continues to increase. Currently, transmission speeds for fiber optic systems are doubling every 12 months. This is even faster than the 18 month doubling of computer speeds predicted by Moore´s Law that has held true for the past two decades. Satellites have the technical capability to keep pace, and the special capacity to offer unique multicasting and digital video broadcasting with return channel by satellite (DVB-RCS).