[SatNews] Key officials of the Arabic and Islamic Broadcasting Union (AIBU) met with representatives of the Global VSAT Forum (GVF), the U.K.-based association of the satellite communications industry, to begin coordinating on initiatives that facilitate effective use of state-of-the-art broadcasting solutions.
 
The two-day conference was Chaired by Riaz Lamak, Director, GVF Validation & Benchmarking, and Fehmida Lamak, a GVF-Certified Examiner, in Beirut, Lebanon. The programme was compiled with inputs from GVF members including, COMSYS, U.K.; Mahdi Bagh Computers, India; Satprof, U.S.A.; and others.
 
"This will open doors for logical expansion into the satellite communication business for the broadcasting fraternity, as well as knowledge of best practices to optimise performances," said Yaser Al-Sayegh, Vice President AIBU.
 
The conference was hosted by the Union Centre for Media Training (UCMT), Beirut, Lebanon, at the Golden Tulip Hotel. Participants included more than 50 representatives of 22 Arab and international media outlets, which discussed the challenges they face and how satellite communications can be applied to address their requirements. Mr. Ali Areslan, Head UCMT, inaugurated the conference’s activities, explaining the importance of service quality and “What it means to satellite channels managers”. Mr. Mohammad Noun, General Manager of AIBU, spoke of the detailed components of the Union of which he supports. He also mentioned the goals of holding the conference.
 
Mr. Lamak opened the event with a briefing on how the satellite and broadcasting industries are working together to optimize signal and system quality. In this context, collaboration was discussed on initiatives such as Validation of Assets; Benchmarking of Process; Framework on Product Quality Assurance & Capacity Building through training. Mr. Lamak invited AIBU and UCMT to attend follow-on programs – including the Middle East Regional Session and Interference Prevention Summit to be held in conjunction with the SATELLITE 2014 Conference & Exhibition in Washington, D.C.
 
UCMT has also shown keen interest in conducting such workshops regularly, at least once every quarter in not just Beirut, but also in other member countries across Middle East & North Africa.  UCMT had also invited participant and other media outlets to cover this, "One of kind" conference, which was reported on local TV and other media in the region.

The GVF infosite is accessible via http://www.gvf.org/