Intelsat is preparing for a hectic second half of 2022 and the start of 2023 in terms of satellite launches, according to what Ricardo La Guardia, VP of Sales for Latin America of the satellite operator, said in an interview with Convergencialatina. In total there are twelve satellites in production, as part of an NG-SDN (next generation SDN) plan and with four software-defined artifacts procured by Intelsat. The launches of the G31 and G32 (in band C) are foreseen for October or November of this year; the G33 and G34 (also in band C), for November to December; and the IS-40e, for early 2023.
This schedule aims to build a unified network, so that Intelsat maintains its focus on GEO, but has a presence in the other two orbits. The company is evaluating plans for MEO and moving forward with testing solutions combined with existing LEO fleets. On this last point, the operator recently worked with OneWeb on a multi-orbit communications solution for representatives of the US Army and the US Department of Defense: the diversification of transport between GEO and low orbit constellations was exhibited there, with a continuous switch between the two, to show the potential of using both types of satellites together.
Cloud. La Guardia highlighted the progress of agreements with cloud providers and the growth of the business segment in line with this. Together with Microsoft Azure, they are delivering solutions to the corporate segment -connectivity, Cloud and IoT-. Meanwhile, through a partnership with AWS, Intelsat provides to its customers an ingestion point in the Amazon cloud, interconnected with its satellites. This serves as the primary source of distribution and delivery back up of the client's operations in the cloud.
In this field we have Cloud Connect Media, designed to provide content providers with a dedicated, private gateway between AWS and Intelsat's global media delivery network. C-SPAN, the nonprofit public affairs network that provides Americans with unfiltered access to federal government proceedings, will be the first Intelsat customer to use Cloud Connect Media for its linear workflows.
Services. Intelsat's US$ 400 million acquisition of Gogo Commercial Aviation enabled the satellite operator to enter new markets beyond satellite. The agreements with the airlines Latam Airlines and Gol to connect with connectivity and Wi-Fi inside planes are part of a "momentum" that this particular segment is experiencing in Latin America, described La Guardia.
Gol has 110 airplanes already connected and Latam is beginning to implement the service. The forecast is to have 175 connected airplanes in Brazil by the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023. Meanwhile, Intelsat is working on a new product for aviation, "Air Connect", focused on transparent connectivity between devices and OTT platforms. This is a new business model, for which no commercial cases have yet been reported.
For Intelsat customers in the media area, the foray into the in-flight connectivity business means a way to bring their content to new audiences. Thus, the operator is also working on improving its media distribution assets in Latin America. The Intelsat 14 satellite, for example, provides a new programming distribution option for Pay TV in Brazil.
“Content providers are growing, looking for new lines of revenue. The recent consolidations in the Media segment present opportunities, because we carry most of their programming. The opportunity for us lies in the new ways of distributing content, whether direct to the user or in other ways,” explained La Guardia.
Faced with these developments and the increasing importance of ensuring the user experience, Intelsat installed a NOC in Rio de Janeiro in 2021. It is currently expanding it, and is hiring additional staff for a new office in Miami and the network and media areas.