Led by the dynamic economies of China and India, the Asia Pacific region is experiencing unprecedented growth. And that expansion is fueling a surge in the growth of broadband communications.
Yet the Asia Pacific region extends far beyond the borders of the titanic China and India. In fact, some of the hottest broadband growth areas include South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, and Australia. It is estimated that there are now more than 40 million broadband subscribers throughout this region, with penetration rates approaching 40% of the population in South Korea, for example.
Hughes is riding this wave by expanding its presence with a new regional office and providing network operations centers (NOCs), terminals, and infrastructure to local telecom operators who are delivering broadband services directly to business and residential customers in these countries.
During the past two years, Asia Pacific revenues have grown by more than 20 percent, and, excluding India and China, Hughes has shipped over 10,000 terminals and 12 NOCs to this region. Hughes broadband satellite systems serve many industries, such as banking and financial services, retail, automotive, oil and gas, lottery, and government agencies. Applications cover a wide range—from basic telephony, Internet access, and corporate virtual private networks, to power station monitoring, education in rural areas, and disaster management. Here are just a few outstanding examples of how Hughes is helping to boost broadband throughout the region.
Broadband in the Outback
Telstra, Australia’s leading telecom provider, is helping to bridge the digital divide in that vast country. To date it has deployed over 20,000 high-bandwidth Hughes terminals, delivering instant broadband infrastructure, particularly in rural areas where other technologies simply aren’t available.
Telekom Malaysia Berhad, the nation’s leading telecom operator, is using Hughes systems to provide basic telephony and broadband Internet access to customers in rural areas. In addition, Hughes is leveraging its global relationships with multinational corporations, such as ExxonMobil and Chevron Texaco, to extend broadband service seamlessly at gas stations, distribution centers, and regional offices in Malaysia.
Monitoring Remote Power Stations
Korea Electric Power Research Institute, the research and development arm of the major power provider Korea Electrical Power Co., is using a Hughes broadband satellite system to monitor the status of power plants and provide Voice over IP (VoIP) and Internet access to remote substations in areas that previously possessed no effective connectivity.
Service Beyond Borders
Korea Telecom (KT), which is already providing broadband connectivity to 3,000 gas stations with Hughes satellite technology, is now extending its nationwide network to provide global connectivity to customers headquartered in Korea. Consisting of multiple network operations centers (NOCs), the network solution enables KT to offer high-performance communications links to organizations with sites located in countries outside Korea. Using Hughes broadband satellite technology, KT is offering a full range of IP-based applications including interactive data, videoconferencing, and VoIP. Multinational corporations, government institutions, and global non-profit organizations are among the customers that benefit from these services.
Education in Rural Areas
Dacom, the second largest operator in South Korea, is providing Internet access via Hughes terminals to rural schools in hundreds of remote locations. The South Korean government strongly supports the provisioning of this and other multimedia applications to schools and is appropriating funds, further fueling the growth in broadband.
In addition to basic Internet access, Japanese satellite operator Space Communications Corp. is focusing on voice and data services for emergency management to better manage the impact of disasters, such as earthquakes, on the region.
“Some of the factors driving the growth of broadband services in the Asia Pacific region include the convergence of various applications onto IP, lower hardware costs, and more economical and better use of space segment capacity,” said Ramesh Ramaswamy, managing director of Hughes Asia Pacific. “Operators and service providers will further enhance their revenues by providing value-added, end-to-end services that are independent of transport technology.”
As satellite-based broadband blazes through the Asia Pacific region, communications are becoming faster and easier for businesses, governments, and consumers—and further contributing to the overall economic expansion of the region.