With this issue of ‘GVF FOCUS’, we end the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of GVF’s establishment. Earlier contributors to this column noted that GVF – or the Global VSAT Forum as it was first known – was established in a much different era in the satellite communications industry. In 1997, GVF was one of a few industry trade associations and the industry was still dominated by the intergovernmental organizations enjoying privileges and immunities that extended to exclusive supplier relationships with the world’s largest PTTs.
GVF has announced that the following individuals have been elected to a two-year term to serve as members of GVF’s Board of Directors: Arunas Slekys of Hughes, Yasir Hassan of Arabsat, Peter B. Davidson of Intelsat and David Bertollotti of Eutelsat. They join Nancy Eskenazi of SES and Julie Zoller as members of GVF’s Board which is responsible for managing the business of GVF.
I am grateful to have collaborated with GVF in different roles throughout my professional career in my company, INTEGRASYS. I have worked with GVF not only in contributing to conferences and securing other opportunities for enhancing company visibility, but also in connection with the training offered by the GVF. Within the 25-years of the association, I have been in growing with GVF for more than a decade.
GVF’s representative role includes the Ground Segment of the SatCom industry, giving support to development and delivery of satellite technologies and services for consumers, businesses, and governments around the world by operators, producers, service providers, and other elements of the satellite ecosystem.
I am grateful to have collaborated with GVF in different roles throughout my professional career in my company, INTEGRASYS. I have worked with GVF not only in contributing to conferences and securing other opportunities for enhancing company visibility, but also in connection with the training offered by the GVF. Within the 25-years of the association, I have been in growing with GVF for more than a decade.
GVF’s representative role includes the Ground Segment of the SatCom industry, giving support to development and delivery of satellite technologies and services for consumers, businesses, and governments around the world by operators, producers, service providers, and other elements of the satellite ecosystem.
In this time of celebration of the 25th anniversary of GVF, I want to highlight first and foremost the unique approach of GVF for raising awareness of the various benefits brought by satellite systems in our daily lives. Where other organizations essentially focuses on disseminating information about satellite applications, GVF aims at spreading knowledge, building capacity and facilitating access to satellite-based solutions, notably through its well-known set of training and certification programs that have become over the years references across the entire satellite ecosystem.
The space domain is currently experiencing a rapid diversification and increase in the number of actors involved in space activities. More than 70 states, commercial companies, and international organisations currently operate just over 6900 satellites in Earth orbit.
The increased availability of space technology and capabilities has both advantages and disadvantages. It has spurred innovation, lowering of costs, and greater access to capabilities and services available from satellites for all. However, the growth in space activities and the influx of new actors also has the potential to exacerbate many of the current threats to the long-term sustainable use of space, such as on-orbit crowding, radio-frequency interference, the proliferation of space debris, and the chances of an incident in space sparking or escalating geopolitical tensions on Earth.
I have had the honour of serving as the GVF’s outside counsel since shortly after its founding more than two decades ago and as the chair of its Regulatory Working Group from 2012 through 2015. What always excited me about GVF is its driving terrestrial purpose.
As highlighted in the GVF Constitution, GVF’s mission is not only focused on satellites in the sky, but on advancing the interests of the global VSAT industry on the ground. GVF’s terrestrial focus originally sought to labour on the extremely difficult task of securing ‘open skies’ market access in every country on the planet. To do this, GVF partnered with and championed the interests of service providers, system installers and integrators, equipment manufacturers and distributors in just about every country and region in the world. Thus, although GVF is proud to represent the interests of major satellite operators, the overwhelming majority of GVF’s members have never launched anything into space, working instead to deploy the ubiquitous networks of fixed and mobile ground stations that are necessary for satellite systems to fulfill the connectivity needs of industry, governments and consumers.
I am pleased to express my congratulations on the Silver Anniversary of GVF. During these past twenty-five years GVF has served as an important global voice for the satellite industry in everything from advocating with regulators, at the ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conference, providing critical training and certification on the use of satellite products, putting together exciting programmes reflecting the issues of the day, and being a forum where members of the satellite industry can work together to advance our mutual goals.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of its establishment as the global voice of the entire satellite communications industry, GVF today announced at World Satellite Business Week that a panel of independent jurors has selected Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), as the winner of the GVF Quarter Century of Excellence Award.
Through more than 20 years of interacting and collaborating with GVF, I have been impressed with the expansion and impact of the organization and its ability to contribute in any place in the world. A welcoming, open and professional mindset focused on the growth of the industry.