Asia is the world’s largest and most diverse region and is home to a growing population of more than 4 billion people. The continent covers an area greater than 44 million-square kilometers and boasts an exceptionally varied geography, including archipelagos, vast mountain ranges and everything in between. The region is comprised of a wide array of countries that can be found at all different stages of development, but the defining factor that unifies Asia is its potential for growth.
Because of these geographic and topographic factors, the satellite industry plays a particularly essential role in providing essential services in Asia. While the industry is actively exploring use of higher-frequency bands, the mainstay of Asian satellite services is the C-Band spectrum. Around Asia’s many regions that are prone to natural disasters, satellites provide vital government functions, especially coordinating disaster relief efforts. Satellite distribution also remains the backbone of the Asian broadcasting and telecommunications industries, due to its low cost and ability to overcome geographic obstacles. Already, more than half a billion Asian households subscribe to cable or Direct-to-Home satellite services, all of which depend on C-Band to get their programming.
Satellite also helps provide bandwidth for Asia’s 2.5 billion broadband subscribers – a number which is expected to grow, as Asian consumption of online video continues to rise sharply. Indeed, video – already the dominant application being used by consumers on the internet – will account for 85% of traffic from data centers to end-users by 2021. Online consumers want more video, with greater definition and quality, at all times of the day. At the same time, traditional TV continues to thrive, as DTH subscriptions are still steadily increasing in large developing countries, such as India and the Philippines. As Asian consumer’s demand for video content continues to grow, so will the need for satellite services to meet it.
