GVF MENASAT@CABSAT 2008 summit in Dubai

CABSAT 2008, and the GVF Summit - which is fully designated as MENASAT@CABSAT 2008 and is generously sponsored by Hughes and iDirect Technologies - will be located at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre (DICEC), with the Exhibition extending across Zabeel Hall and Halls 1 & 2, and the GVF Summit being held in the new CABSAT Knowledge Exchange facility in Zabeel Hall. Attendance at the GVF Summit is entirely free of charge to anyone registered to attend the exhibition.

MENASAT@CABSAT 2008 will provide GVF Members and non-Members with an extended opportunity to participate in a high-level conference-style dialogue, and to elevate their profile across the overall CABSAT environment. Companies who are leveraging this opportunity and which have personnel who will be speaking during MENASAT@CABSAT 2008 include (in alphabetical order):

Advantech, Alkan Telecom, Anacom Inc., Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC), Avanti Communications, Comsys, Detasad, EgyptSat, Euroconsult, Globecomm Systems. Hughes, iDirect, Inmarsat, Intelsat, MenaNets, ND SatCom, Skylogic, ViaSat, Vizada, and WorldSpace.

'For the last several years, during each annual CABSAT exhibition, the GVF has scheduled a one-day satellite symposium,' said Martin Jarrold, Chief of International Programme Development at GVF.

'Now, in recognition of the ever increasing importance of the CABSAT exhibition for the satellite communications industry, GVF has elevated its collaboration with DWTC in the form of the two-day MENASAT@CABSAT.'

The theme of the Summit programme in 2008 is 'Growing the Broadband Networking Environment & the MENA Satellite Dynamic'. The Summit will examine the unprecedented demand for IP-based services that is driving millions of potential end-users across the MENA region towards broadband communications solutions. Large-enterprise, SME, SOHO and residential users alike, continue to clamour for cost-effective access to reliable communications solutions which accelerate the accessibility of bandwidth-hungry interactive applications, and to meet this demand multiple delivery platforms and technologies, most notably satellite, are rapidly being deployed around the Middle East & North Africa regions.

In the enterprise sector alone, a combination of the aforementioned pent-up demand for broadband access solutions and progressive satellite market liberalisation is driving business opportunity across the MENA region. From government networks to financial services, from oil & gas to the marine transportation environment, and from the education and health sectors to the reconstruction of Iraq, the international satellite communications industry is moving rapidly to address fixed satellite service (FSS) and mobile satellite service (MSS) requirements for bandwidth, hardware, and value-added services. And, more than ever before, the emphasis of the regional communications market agenda is on meeting an ever-increasing demand for cross-border solutions.

The MENASAT@CABSAT session titles and participating companies for 5th & 6th March will be:


• Regional Access & Applications: Satellite Networking Connectivity Initiatives & the Dynamics of IP Convergence
Speakers from: Avanti Communications, EgyptSat, iDirect

• State-of-the-Art Maximisation of Satellite Bandwidth in the MENA Region
Speakers from: Hughes, Intelsat, ND SatCom


• Applications Study: Business Continuity & Disaster Response
Speakers from: Anacom, Globecomm Systems, Skylogic

• Market Vertical Study: Marine Transportation Sector
Speakers from: Advantech, Detasad, Comsys

• 21st Century Satellite Pure-Plays & Hybrids: Regional Alignment of the Convergence Factor & the Mobile Dynamic
Speakers from: Hughes, iDirect

• Applications Study: Sustainable Economic & Social Development through Education Provision & Health Promotion
Speakers from: Alkan Telecom, iDirect, WorldSpace

• The View from the Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC)
Speaker from: APSCC

• The New Training Dynamic in Regional Capacity Building
Speaker from: MenaNets/GVF Training Programme

• Market Vertical Study: The Energy Industries & GVF Market Sector Initiatives
Speaker from: GVF

• Alternative Satellite Technologies & Next Generation Networking: Market Opportunity in the Evolution of Platforms & Performance
Speakers from: Hughes, ViaSat

• Driving the New Dynamics of the Regional Broadband Satellite Solution
Speakers from: Inmarsat, Vizada

Paul Stahl, Managing Partner of UK-EMP, GVF's partner in the organisation of the Summit commented, 'With CABSAT 2008 being the perfect exhibition environment for meeting government leaders, project developers and potential joint venture partners, the 2008 Summit will bring together industry leaders to identify and discuss the development of new opportunities in satellite services and technologies. The emphasis in 2008 will be on discussion and the interactive exchange of ideas between delegates and representatives of satellite users, as well as operators, manufacturers and analysts, making this an unrivalled networking opportunity for the MENA region.'

Full details of 'Growing the Broadband Networking Environment & the MENA Satellite Dynamic' are available at www.gvf-events.org. Some of the essential questions to be addressed within this theme are: How are satellite-based broadband solutions competing in this dynamic environment? What are the advantages of satellite-based broadband solutions? What are unique characteristics of satellite broadband? How do broadband satellite service providers build their business case? How will satellite-based services continue to evolve to match future market and demand dynamics? Where are the revenue streams to be achieved and profits to be made?

On 7th March, the day following the close of the MENASAT@CABSAT Summit and the CABSAT Exhibition, GVF will be running a one-day course in its VSAT Installer Training Programme. The Level 3S course, to be followed by the GVF Hands-on Skills Test, is instructor-led, and serves as the last of the three required levels for the GVF Advanced VSAT Installation Certification.

Leading the classroom session - which will commence at 9:00 a.m., and take place in Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone - will be course instructor Mr. Mazen Nassar. Mr. Nassar will also be speaking on the subject of GVF training programmes during the MENASAT@CABSAT Summit, and he will be available to answer your questions about the 7th March training, and other planned courses in the Middle East.