Satellite Operators Evaluated In New Report From Futuresource Consulting

Online, May 9, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The study, commissioned by The World Teleport Association - the trade association focusing on the business of satellite communications - was carried out in response to member requests and expresses the collective voice of teleport operators on issues such as the quality of sales representation, pricing, competition, availability and the handling of outages and interference. The findings, published in the WTA's new report 'Satellite Operator Benchmarks 2011', are intended to drive positive industry improvements.

'Satellite Operator Benchmarks 2011' shows that teleport operators are less satisfied with the commercial performance of their satellite vendors than with their operational performance, highlighting the need for improvement in a number of areas. The study explored satisfaction with commercial and legal representatives, commercial communication, escalation, invoicing, pricing fairness, pricing consistency, commercial flexibility and a joint partnership approach to bidding.

Telesat was the satisfaction leader in overall commercial terms, with SES in the number two position. Scoring last, Intelsat and Eutelsat showed a similar profile of strengths and weaknesses, though Intelsat was rated higher overall.

"The primary recommendation for improvement was for satellite operators to take an improved partnership approach to business with teleports," says Robert Bell, Executive Director, WTA. "This reflects, in part, continuing concerns about competition with satellite operators that own teleports and have the opportunity to price their teleport services below market rates. Respondents identified Intelsat and Eutelsat as companies that represent a competitive threat, while viewing SES and particularly Telesat as being more 'teleport-friendly' in their policies and implementation."

In operational terms, the all four operators scored well, receiving a 'strong' rating on 80% of the measurement criteria. Telesat was again the satisfaction leader, followed by SES, Intelsat and Eutelsat.

Respondents rated satellite operators on attributes which included the communication and management of planned and unplanned outages, RF interference and frequency grooming. Teleport operators advised that performance could be improved with greater responsiveness and more proactive reporting on problems and solutions in progress.
In summing up, the survey asked respondents to rate on a scale from zero to ten - with ten being the highest - how likely they were to recommend the satellite operator to others. The resulting Net Promoter Score (NPS) gives the percentage of respondents who are promoters, less the percentage of respondents who are detractors. SES led the way, with Intelsat in second place, slightly ahead of Telesat, and Eutelsat receiving the lowest score of the group.

"This first-of-its-kind research project for the WTA demonstrates the value of structured research on supplier performance as the basis for identifying and addressing key areas for improvement," says Andrew Snoad, Director of Custom Solutions at Futuresource. "We were extremely pleased with the enthusiasm and openness with which WTA member organisations participated and with the very positive feedback we have had from both the WTA and its leading members on the project outputs."

The survey was conducted by Futuresource Consulting with multi-region and regional teleport operators in the Americas, Europe and Asia. A total of 70 in-depth telephone interviews were conducted with senior technical and commercial executives at 35 teleport operators, with teleports rating performance and providing feedback on the multiple satellite operators with which they do business.

The 37-page report is free to members of World Teleport Association and accredited press and is available for purchase by non-members through the WTA website.

Notes
Futuresource Consulting
is a specialist research and knowledge-based consulting company, providing organisations with insight into consumer electronics, digital imaging, entertainment media, broadcast, storage media, education technology and IT. With a heritage stretching back to the 1980s, the company delivers in-depth analysis and forecasts on a global scale, advising on strategic positioning, market trends, competitive forces and technological developments. futuresource-consulting.com

The World Teleport Association
focuses on improving the business of satellite communications from the ground up. At the core of its membership are the world's most innovative operators of teleports, from independents to multinationals, niche service providers to global carriers. WTA is dedicated to advocating for the interests of teleport operators in the global telecommunications market and promoting excellence in teleport business practice, technology and operations. worldteleport.org

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