CommunicAsia2013… Now In Session… (Event)

[SatNews] With the SatNews publisher and sales director in attendance at CommunicAsia2013 in Singapore, one of the major, opening day’s events was the Satellite Industry Forum on Monday. Pictured here, courtesy of SatNews Publisher’s head honcho, Silvano Payne, is Andrew Jordan, the CEO of Eutelsat Asia, opening the full conference.

Newtec + SpeedCast™… Intense Trial = Boosted Performance + Efficiency

[SatNews]… which despite being able to handle up to 380 Mbps bi-directionally, can also operate at much lower rates as required for multicarrier applications.  

Satellite communications specialist Newtec and leading Asia-based satellite service provider SpeedCast, today announced the results of an intensive trial of Newtec’s latest S2 Extensions and Clean Channel Technology™. In the trial results, SpeedCast reports the combination of the two technologies boosted performance and achieved substantial efficiency gains.

The technologies trialed are all incorporated in the Newtec MDM6000 Satellite Modem, which despite being able to handle up to 380 Mbps bi-directionally, can also operate at much lower rates as required for multicarrier applications.  Newtec’s long-term customer SpeedCast, is a leading global network and satellite communications service provider, offering high-quality managed networks services in over 50 countries throughout Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

“We are always looking to add value for our customers—one way of achieving this is by adopting highly efficient technology to offer them the greatest value for money,” said Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO, SpeedCast. “We are very pleased with the gains demonstrated by Newtec, especially while also transmitting at lower rates of a few megabits/sec. We look forward to expanding the use of S2 Extensions to offer significantly improved performance and efficiency for our customers.”

Newtec has taken the lead and teamed up with other DVB members to define and develop the updates to the DVB-S2 standard, currently named S2 Extensions. When comparing the current DVB-S2 standard against the full implementation of S2 Extensions, efficiency gains of up to 37 percent can be achieved.

Commenting on the trial, Newtec’s CEO Serge Van Herck said, “We are very pleased to have been given the opportunity to show SpeedCast how effective our new technologies are and this not only for full transponder SCPC links. The S2 Extensions, which offer OPEX savings that can either boost profits or be passed on to the customer, also offer a very short ROI completion, and thus the new technology ensures excellent value.”

Newtec recently launched an S2 Extensions calculator that enables any operator to see the specific gains possible on their own network, which can vary depending on the specific application and network setup.

At CommunicAsia on Wednesday, June 19, Newtec will present a session in Angsana Room 3E at 3.30pm at no cost. On the panel, Intelsat, SES, Measat, Newsat and SpeedCast will be discussing the latest on S2 Extensions.

SpeedCast™’s New BOD And CFO

[SatNews] A gathering of talents are found in both their board and their CFO…

SpeedCast Group (“SpeedCast”) announced it has appointed four new independent Directors: Peter Jackson, former Executive Chairman of AsiaSat; Grant Ferguson, former Chief Executive Officer of Astro Overseas Ltd; William “Bill” Barney, former Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Internet Ltd.; and John Mackay AM, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TransACT Communications Pty Ltd. SpeedCast also announced the appointment of Mark Ellison as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Join SpeedCast at CommunicAsia2013 at Booth No.: 1U2-01, Hall C.

With the additions of Mr. Jackson, Mr. Ferguson, and Mr. Barney, SpeedCast’s Board of Directors will consist of six members, of which three are independent. They join the other SpeedCast Board members: Pierre-Jean Beylier, Chief Executive Officer of SpeedCast; Michael Berk, Managing Director at TA Associates; and Edward Sippel, Managing Principal for TA Associates Asia Pacific Ltd. Mr. Barney has accepted the invitation and will commence duties in November 2013. Mr. Mackay joins the Board of Directors for SpeedCast’s Australian subsidiary.

Commenting on their appointment, Edward Sippel, Managing Principal for TA Associates Asia Pacific Ltd., said, “We are very pleased to add the talent and industry knowledge of these four respected executives to SpeedCast and are looking forward to their contributions.” He further added, “I have had the privilege and honor of working with each of these gentlemen in different capacities for many years, so I know firsthand how invaluable they will be to SpeedCast in the years ahead.”

Further commenting on the appointments, Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast said, “Mr. Ellison is extremely well qualified and experienced for the CFO position at SpeedCast, with excellent knowledge of the satellite services eco-system based on his many years of experience in the industry. It is with pleasure that I welcome Mr. Ellison to the management team.” Regarding the new Board members, he added, “The SpeedCast management team will benefit from such deep expertise at the Board-level. The fact that these esteemed leaders would commit their time and energy to SpeedCast is a validation of the Company’s strong position and future potential. I thank the new Board members for accepting the challenge.”

Peter Jackson is the retired Executive Chairman of AsiaSat where he served for 18 years with AsiaSat as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. Mr. Jackson has over 32 years of international experience in the satellite and telecommunications industry with AsiaSat, Cable and Wireless and British Telecom. Prior to joining AsiaSat in 1993, he was the Regional Director, Asia Pacific of Cable & Wireless. Mr. Jackson has been a member of the Board of Directors of CASBAA (Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia) for over seven years. Mr. Jackson is a current Non-Executive Director of AsiaSat and serves on the investment committee of a private equity firm. Mr. Jackson is based in Hong Kong.

Grant Ferguson is the former Chief Executive Officer of Astro Overseas Limited, where he was responsible for the development of the Astro Group’s international business and was concurrently the Chief Financial Officer of Astro All Asia Networks Plc., one of Asia’s leading integrated, multi‐media groups. Prior to joining Astro, Mr. Ferguson was a Managing Director at Temasek Holdings in Singapore where he oversaw the management and development of the sovereign wealth fund’s global telecommunications and media portfolio. He currently serves as an advisor to, and Non-Executive Director of a number of businesses across Asia covering a variety of industry sectors. A native of Scotland, Mr. Ferguson has lived and worked in Asia for over 20 years. As a qualified Chartered Accountant, Mr. Ferguson spent the first part of his career in senior management positions with Price Waterhouse in the UK, US and Hong Kong. Mr. Ferguson is based in Malaysia.

William “Bill” Barney is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pacnet Internet Ltd., where he served for over 6 years and led the company through its stages of industry leading growth. Mr. Barney has over 15 years of experience as a business leader and Chief Executive Officer in Asia. Prior to joining Pacnet in 2005, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of various companies, including Asia Global Crossing Ltd., Global Crossing Ltd., and Asia Netcom. Mr. Barney also served as President of Asia Pacific at MCI WorldCom where he managed the industry’s fastest growing regional company through an industry leading three-digit growth phase. Mr. Barney is based in Hong Kong.

John Mackay AM, has been Chairman and Chief Executive officer of two major utilities based in Canberra for the past 15 years, and was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of TransACT Communications Pty Ltd, a leading broadband communications company in Australia. He is currently a Director on the Boards of the Canberra Investment Corp. Ltd., the Little Company of Mary Health Care, and the Canberra Raiders. Mr. Mackay is the Chancellor of the University of Canberra. He has been awarded the Order of Australia and was Canberra Citizen of the Year. Mr. Mackay is based in Australia.

Mark Ellison was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of SpeedCast in October 2012. He is the former CFO of the Vizada Group, where he served for 4 years and participated in Vizada’s sale by Apax Partners to Astrium (EADS). Mr. Ellison has over 35 years of international experience as Chief Financial Officer and other financial roles with KPMG, Computacenter France, and Monaco Telecom, and as a Partner with Ernst & Young. Mr. Ellison holds an MA from the University of Cambridge, an MBA from INSEAD, and is a Chartered Accountant (England & Wales) and a Certified Public Accountant (New York State). Mr. Ellison is based in SpeedCast’s Hong Kong Headquarters.