PRESS RELEASE
GVF MENASAT SUMMIT TO TARGET SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS OPPORTUNITIES DURING KEY REGIONAL EVENT IN DUBAI, U.A.E.
Summit to be held in Association with Arabsat; Programme to Address Capacity Trends, Satellite/Wireless Synergy, Sustainable Digital Communities, Training, and More;
‘Call for Papers’ Deadline Extended to 29th January
10th January 2009
LONDON & DUBAI – On 21st December 2008 Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) made headlines with its most recent announcement about the forthcoming Satellite MENA exhibition, taking place in Dubai, U.A.E. on 3-5 March 2009.
Quoted in the announcement, Martin Jarrold, Chief of International Programme Development with the Global VSAT Forum (GVF), said of Satellite MENA “As the satellite sector has significantly grown, we are delighted that this exhibition, Satellite MENA, has been launched. Such a dedicated event will heighten awareness of the value of satellite solutions for Middle Eastern enterprises and consumers. GVF is proud to be a partner and welcomes this strategic development of the event.”
As a Satellite MENA partner GVF will be organising the conference content of the show to complement the exhibition. The conference content will be MENASAT – the Middle East & North Africa Satellite Summit – taking place on 3-4 March (www.satellitemena.com).
Entitled ‘Evolutionary Trends in MENA Broadband: The New Dynamics of Satellite & Terrestrial Wireless’, the MENASAT Summit will comprise the Satellite MENA ‘KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE’ and will provide exhibition attendees with a value-added discussion forum within which key points on the Middle Eastern and North African satellite and broader telecommunications agenda will be investigated in depth.
Much of the value-added scope of the Summit dialogues will arise from the Summit Chairman’s ‘Call for Papers’ to the satellite industry. Martin Jarrold, who, in his capacity of GVF Chief of International Programme Development will chair the two-day event, has further commented “In order to ensure that the very latest industry initiatives, featuring the most up-to-date and cutting-edge product provision and service delivery, are fully reflected in the Summit programme, we have this year decided that the MENASAT Summit programme will be built around a combination of GVF-Member topic offerings.”
Mr. Jarrold continued, “Like all GVF conference-type events, the MENASAT Summit is built on the dynamism of our Members. For example, we are very pleased to be working in association with Arabsat, and are grateful for their kind support of the event. Their contribution to the two-days of dialogue will be invaluable, as will the active participation of the other organisations which have already made a commitment to the Summit programme, including Arab Advisors Group, Northern Sky Research (NSR), Access Partnership, CET Teleport, Avanti Communications, MENANETS, and Hughes Network Systems.
In order to facilitate contributions to the programme of yet more organisations, Mr. Jarrold has today announced that the deadline for submission of topics for Summit presentations has been extended to 29th January 2009.
The themes of the Summit programme are intended to include examination of the unprecedented level of demand for IP-based services that is driving millions of potential end-users across the MENA region towards broadband communications solutions. Large-enterprise, SME, SOHO and residential users alike, continue to clamour for cost-effective access to reliable communications solutions which accelerate the accessibility of bandwidth-hungry interactive applications, and to meet this demand multiple delivery platforms and technologies, most notably satellite, must continue to be deployed around the Middle East & North Africa regions.
In the enterprise sector alone, a combination of the aforementioned pent-up demand for broadband access solutions and progressive satellite market liberalisation is driving business opportunity across the MENA region. From government networks to financial services, from oil & gas to the marine transportation environment, and from education to the health sector to, the international satellite communications industry is moving rapidly to address fixed satellite service (FSS) and mobile satellite service (MSS) requirements for bandwidth, hardware, and value-added services. And, more than ever before, the emphasis of the regional communications market agenda is on meeting demand for cross-border solutions.
The Summit will also address the very latest developments in the MENA satellite market including how many of the region’s satellite operators are planning to transition existing FSS transponder capacity to BSS, simply because of the overwhelming demand for expanding broadcast services throughout the region.
With Satellite MENA 2009 being an ideal exhibition environment for meeting government leaders, project developers and potential joint venture partners, the GVF MENASAT 2009 Summit will bring together industry leaders to identify and discuss the development of new opportunities in satellite services and technologies. The emphasis in 2009 will be on discussion and the interactive exchange of ideas between delegates and representatives of satellite users, as well as operators, manufacturers and analysts, making this an unrivalled networking opportunity for the MENA region.
Session themes to feature in the MENASAT Summit include:
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MENA satellite capacity – regional growth factors, international growth trends
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Applications Focus: The broadcast/telecoms traffic interface & the regional capacity marketplace – An FSS to BSS transponder transition?
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Satellite spectrum & the future evolution of regional satellite-terrestrial broadband wireless hybrid/integrated deployments
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Technology Focus 1: DVB-S2, MPEG4, IPv6 - evolution & innovation and cutting-edge satellite networking advantages
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Building sustainable ‘Digital Communities’ in remote regions of the Middle East & North Africa
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End-User sector focus: Broadband maritime in the Middle East offshore environment
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On the front line: Satellite News Gathering & technology convergence
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Building human resource and capacity factors: GVF installation training for Middle East & North Africa
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Technology Focus 2: Carrier-In, Carrier-Out – Cutting-edge advances in modem design
As indicated above, the Summit will be held in association with Arabsat as Diamond Sponsor, the premier sponsorship position. Commenting on Arabsat’s Diamond sponsorship, Mohamed Youssif, Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer with Arabsat said “We are pleased to sponsor the first ever definitive event of its kind in the region, MENASAT @ Satellite MENA, which will serve broadcasters, commercial entities, telecoms operators, government, NGO's and military. Being held in conjunction with CABSAT MENA, both events will be a credible industry platform in the region that showcases latest in Satellite Communications Technology and Services, as well as great networking platforms to explore business opportunities.”
Further sponsorship opportunities for the Summit are available at a range of levels: Platinum (10 Key Benefits), Gold (8 Key Benefits), Silver (6 Key Benefits), and Bronze (4 Key Benefits). Further information on sponsorship benefits and costs may be obtained from Martin Jarrold (martin.jarrold@gvf.org) or Kristen Kloster (kristen.kloster@gvf.org).
Notes for Editors
The MENASAT Summit Organiser
Founded in 1997, GVF is the single and unified voice of the global satellite industry. It brings together organisations engaged in the delivery of advanced broadband and narrowband satellite services to consumers, and commercial and government enterprises worldwide.
Headquartered in London, GVF is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit organisation with 200+ members from more than 100 countries. The broad-based membership represents every major world region and every sector of the satellite industry, including fixed and mobile satellite operators, satellite network operators, teleports, satellite earth station manufacturers, system integrators, value added and enhanced service providers, telecom carriers, consultants, law firms, and users. Visit us on the Web at www.gvf.org or contact martin.jarrold@gvf.org in the UK office. In the USA please contact david.hartshorn@gvf.org or kristen.kloster@gvf.org.
The MENASAT Summit Diamond Sponsor
Founded in 1976 by the 21 member states of the Arab League, Arabsat has been serving the growing needs of the Arab world for over 30 years. Now ranked as one of the world’s 12th largest satellite operator and by far the leading satellite services provider in the Arab world, it reaches millions of homes in over 80 countries across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and beyond.
Arabsat currently carries 340+ TV channels and keeps expanding its services in order to meet the evolving needs of its customers, with an audience of 164 Million viewers in the Arab world alone. Operating a growing state-of-the-art fleet at the 26 Degree East and 30.5 Degree East positions in geostationary orbit, Arabsat is the only satellite operator in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region offering the full spectrum of Broadcast, Telecommunications and Broadband services. This translates to the highest possible reliability with a soon unrivalled in-orbit backup, as well as more space capacity than any other player in the region for more TV and radio broadcasting services, professional data network solutions, telephony and IP trunking backbone connectivity, and broadband Internet access for media and entertainment companies, corporate customers and government entities. This capacity will continue to expand with the launch of one new satellite every year from 2009 to 2012, making the Arabsat satellite fleet the youngest in the region.
Arabsat also maintains strategic partnerships with most of the world’s leading satellite companies and Value-Added Service integrators, allowing customers to reach farther than ever deliver content or state-of-the-art services to any end-viewer audience or business partner around the world.
Arabsat is committed to staying at the forefront of satellite services in the region, continuously expanding its range of customer-oriented solutions with an unparalleled level of quality, bringing in cutting-edge technology, providing the largest-ever amount of capacity which positions it to become the HD-TV portal of the Middle East, and meeting the growing and evolving needs of its customers across the Arab world, sub Saharan Africa, large portions of Europe and West Asia. www.arabsat.com
The MENASAT Summit Official Media Partner
The Satellite Evolution group is a multi-platform information resource for the fast-moving satellite industry. Its portfolio of products encompasses print magazines, yearbooks and directories, weekly newsletter, web portal, and a video industry news service. Its attention to detail and the quality of its products has ensured that the Satellite Evolution group has a reputation second to none in the industry. www.satellite-evolution.com