For over 40 years, SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition has been one of the largest gatherings of the satellite and space industries. Each spring, professionals from around the world convene in Washington, D.C., to hear from industry trailblazers during keynote sessions; meet with clients, both new and old; and walk the largest show floor dedicated to satellite technology.
This year was a record-breaking year, both for the event and for our company. With more first-time attendees and industry newcomers than ever before, attendance at SATELLITE was the highest ever recorded. As for Hughes and EchoStar, we had the most speakers from any company and celebrated two major recognitions.
Hughes/EchoStar Leaders Join the Conversation
The four-day program consisted of keynote presentations and panel discussions featuring ten different thought leaders from Hughes and EchoStar. Breakout panel discussions centered around a variety of hot topics, including MILSATCOM, 5G NTN, in-flight connectivity, and digital-first SD-WAN implementation.
Day two kicked off bright and early with a fireside chat moderated by Jeffrey Hill, Executive Chairman of SATELLITE 2024, featuring Paul Gaske, Hughes COO, and Glenn Latta, Managing Director, Inflight Entertainment & Connectivity, Delta Airlines. The ballroom was packed with those eager to learn more about the agreement announced in November between Hughes and Delta Air Lines to power passenger Wi-Fi service on more than 400 regional jets.
Jeffrey, Paul, and Glenn participating in a fireside chat during SATELLITE 2024. (Photo by Steven David, courtesy of SATELLITE 2024)
The overarching theme of the discussion, as well as many other sessions throughout the event, was that connectivity is no longer optional.
“We expect the experience in rural aircraft to be just like the experience we offer on our mainline aircraft, in a smaller package to support the constraints of our regional assemblies,” noted Glenn.
Hughes was up for this challenge and the “very difficult requirements,” according to Glenn, that Delta had. A video showing the test flights, where the Hughes team demonstrated our in-flight connectivity solution, was shown to the audience.
When asked how the partnership is progressing, Paul remarked that “it’s going extraordinary. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner for our first foray into going direct to airlines.”
The following morning, Hamid Akhavan, President & CEO, EchoStar, took the stage beside several other satellite industry executives to answer the question “Are satellite and cellular world converging or colliding?”
Nicole Robinson (Comtech) moderating a panel with Hamid, Mark Dankberg (Viasat), Matt Desch (Iridium Communications), Paul E. Jacobs (Globalstar), and Michael Kool (John Deere) during SATELLITE 2024. (Photo by Steven David, courtesy of SATELLITE 2024)
From Hamid’s perspective, the answer is certainly convergence. Following the merger of EchoStar and DISH, we are now “fortunate to be at the confluence” of having both technologies and networks in house.
Hamid noted that there are “a lot of synergies marrying the two together. The kind of hard line between terrestrial and non-terrestrial can now blur as also standardization of non-terrestrial network technologies has happened in 3GPP [release] 17 and beyond. That has opened the doors for manufacturers to manufacture equipment that can work in both modes without being stranded.”
Industry Recognition
Hughes and EchoStar were not only represented on stage in keynotes and panel discussions, but also during two separate awards ceremonies.
On Tuesday, March 19, Adrian Morris, EVP & CTO, was inducted into the prestigious Space & Satellite Hall of Fame during a reception and medaling ceremony hosted by Space & Satellite Professionals International. Several of Adrian’s colleagues and team members were on hand to celebrate, including Paul Gaske, a 2020 inductee.
Paul Gaske, a fellow Hall of Fame member, congratulating Adrian.
The honor recognizes Adrian as a visionary in the field, pushing the boundaries of satellite technology to new heights and fundamentally transforming the landscape of global connectivity.
The following day, during the Wednesday Luncheon & Via Satellite Awards Presentation, the 3GPP NTN Standards were awarded Technology of the Year. The collaborative efforts of EchoStar, the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA), the European Space Agency (ESA), Thales, Inmarsat, Intelsat, and individual contributors, resulted in the successful expansion and adaptation of the 3GPP standards to incorporate non-terrestrial networks (NTN) starting with Release 17.
Jennifer Manner, SVP Regulatory Affairs, with Antonio Franchi, Head of Space for 5G and 6G Strategic Programme at ESA, and Isabelle Mauro, GSOA Director General, who accepted the award at SATELLITE 2024.
As 5G and 6G evolve, this effort will ensure that innovative satellite operators, such as EchoStar, are able to meet the needs of users wherever they are located.
With another SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition behind us, we thank everyone who made this year such a success and look forward to SATELLITE 2025, March 10–13.