[SatNews] This end-of-year report may surprise the industry's peers.
The World Teleport Association (WTA) published its annual rankings for the Top Teleport Operators of 2014. The annual rankings of companies by revenue and revenue growth are compiled by surveying teleport operators around the world as well as referencing the published results of publicly-held companies.
The Top Operators survey also asked independent operators about their spending on satellite capacity as a percentage of revenues. Average spending across the operators equaled 41 percent of revenues and 90 percent of respondents reported spending less than 60 percent of revenues on satellite capacity. There was no obvious pattern of spending based on company size or market niche: the leading service providers to the media & entertainment market showed a wide range of spending as a percentage of sales, from over 50 percent to under 15 percent.
In May 2015, WTA will publish its annual Inside the Top Operators report that will provide a more detailed analysis of survey results.
The Independent Top Twenty
The Independent Top Twenty ranks teleport operators based on revenue from all sources. The list focuses on the independent operators at the core of the business, excluding companies whose primary business is ownership and operation of a satellite fleet or terrestrial network. In order from largest to smallest, The Independent Top Twenty of 2014 are:
1. Harris CapRock (USA)
2. GlobeCast (France)
3. Arqiva Broadcast & Media (UK)
4. Encompass Digital Media (USA)
5. Telespazio S.p.A. (Italy)
6. TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (Govt Division) (USA)
7. Globecomm (USA)
8. Emerging Markets Communications (USA)
9. RR Media (Israel)
10. Spacenet (USA)
11. du (Emirates Integrated Telecom) (UAE)
12. Essel Shyam Communication (India)
13. Signalhorn Trusted Networks (Germany)
14. Axesat (Colombia)
15. SatLink Communications (Israel)
16. Jordan Media City (Jordan)
17. NewSat (Australia)
18. Infrasat (Angola)
19. Onlime (Germany)
20. Elara Comunicaciones SA (Mexico)
The Global Top Twenty
The Global Top Twenty ranks companies based on revenues from all customized communications sources and includes operators of teleports and satellite fleets. In order from largest to smallest, the Global Top Twenty of 2014 are:
1. Intelsat S.A. (Luxembourg)
2. SES (Luxembourg)
3. Eutelsat (France)
4. Telesat (Canada)
5. Harris CapRock (USA) *
6. EchoStar Satellite Services (USA)
7. SingTel Satellite (Singapore)
8. GlobeCast (France) *
9. Arqiva Broadcast & Media (UK) *
10. Encompass Digital Media (USA) *
11. Optus (Australia)
12. Hispasat (Spain)
13. Telespazio S.p.A. (Italy) *
14. Thaicom Public Company Ltd (Thailand)
15. AsiaSat (China)
16. TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (Government Division) (USA) *
17. Globecomm (Services revenue) (USA) *
18. Emerging Markets Communications (USA) *
19. Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (Norway)
20. RR Media (Israel) *
* Independent: does not operate satellite capacity
The "Fast Twenty”
The Fast Twenty ranks all teleport-operating companies based on year-over-year revenue growth in their most recent fiscal years. Emerging Markets Communications was the fastest of the fast with 76 percent growth. Ranked by revenue growth, the Fast Twenty of 2014 are:
1. Elara Comunicaciones SA (Mexico) *
2. Axesat (Colombia) *
3. Gazprom Space Systems (Russia)
4. Cobbett Hill Earth Station (UK) *
5. Infrasat (Angola) *
6. Global Data Systems (USA) *
7. Milano Teleport S.p.A. (Italy) *
8. Jordan Media City (Jordan) *
9. Emerging Markets Communications (USA) *
10. STN (Slovenia) *
11. Echostar (USA)
12. Encompass Digital Media (USA) *
13. Santander Teleport S.L. (Spain) *
14. SingTel (Singapore)
15. RR Media (Israel) *
16. Essel Shyam Communication (India) *
17. Telesat (Canada)
18. Onlime (Germany) *
19. Eutelsat (France)
20. du (Emirates Integrated Telecom) (UAE) *
* Independent: does not operate satellite capacity
“The past two years have been challenging ones for the satellite business and the teleport sector that uses satellite to deliver complex network services,” said executive director Robert Bell. He noted that, of respondents to the 2014 survey, 63 percent reported year-over-year revenue growth, while 37 percent saw flat revenue or revenue declines. This compares with the average of the prior three years, in which 82 percent of respondents reported revenue growth and 18 percent reported flat or declining revenue. The biggest declines were reported by companies with significant exposure to US government and military spending, which has sharply pulled back its spending as it winds down deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Companies in other sectors are showing single and double-digit growth year-over-year.
