Geoff, a few remarks regarding G* vs GEO based systems.
1. I looked at the Glocall site you linked, and noted that the cheapest mini-M type service is $2.10/minute with a 95$/month subscription. The only rate they offer that approaches 1.50/minute is for a "Big Dish" service at 1.65/minute, that also requires a 95$/month subscription. It will be interesting to see how Inmarsat reacts to not having an effective monopoly on this type of service. Maybe it has room to bring down its prices further, when G* is really up and competing with it.
2. As to the famous Gilat 0.15/minute service, I'm still trying to figure out from whom one can really get that rate and between what two termination points it really applies. Gilat, as you know, essentially sells hardware, not satellite time. It's web site references a "comsys report" as saying service costs 0.15/minute. It's not clear whose cost that is, or what subsidies/profit margins are applied by the time a consumer pays for the service.
Personally, I believe G* will face significant competition for at least fixed services in some regions from 2nd generation MSS Geos like Thuraya and ACeS. These should work pretty well in tropical regions within, say, 20-30 degr longitude of the sat location, and I believe they will be very cost effective. I suspect they won't be very good for, at least, mobile users at higher latitudes (e.g., Australia, Russia, S. Africa) and there's no such service planned over the W. Hemisphere. And, of course, their service will be degraded by latency issues and don't beneft from multi-path links.
A key advantage of G* you haven't addressed is it's distributor base and pricing structure. According to G*, it has over 200 local SPs with a combined customer base in excess of 100M people. And we know the difference between G*'s charges to them and the suggested retail price allows for very attractive profit margins to the retailers. I suggest that's a critical difference between G* and Inmarsat, AMSC, et. al.
Regards,
RS |
