The event was attended by representatives of various space research universities, scientific institutions, international industry organisations, national telecom regulators and space agencies from the Arab region and South-East Asia. The symposium participants discussed various aspects of space communications development: challenges, opportunities, new trends, legal and regulatory issues.
Elina Morozova, Executive Director of Intersputnik, provided basic information on the role of Intersputnik in expanding and intensifying cooperation between various international and regional organisations, associations and business players in the space industry.
Andrey Kirillovich, Director for Strategy, Marketing and Business Development of Intersputnik, spoke on Intersputnik's vision of emerging technologies and trends in the global satellite communications market.
The speakers stressed the need for cooperation with such organisations as the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO), European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT IGO), Regional African Satellite Communications Organization (RASCOM), Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA), International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and many others.
The symposium participants agreed that with the increasing communication satellites throughput, decreasing network traffic costs and growing competition, satellite communications are becoming a very effective tool for bridging the digital divide in different regions of the world. The implementation of new technologies such as digital flexible software-defined payloads, non-geostationary constellations, very high throughput satellites (VHTS), virtualised ground infrastructure and electronically-steerable flat panel satellite antennas will seamlessly integrate space technologies into the 5G ecosystem, thus ultimately making satellite communications more affordable for the end user in general.
Under these circumstances, the role of international organisations is noticeably increasing, as they provide a platform for global and regional cooperation, promoting new technologies for the implementation of business and social projects.
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The Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), headquartered in Beijing, was founded in 2008 as an intergovernmental organisation. APSCO's declared goal is to provide a framework for developing countries in the region to leverage space technology for overall economic and social development.
The symposium, organised by APSCO in Sharjah, focused on satellite communications as an industry closely linked to and directly influencing all areas of activity of humankind. The topics presented at the event included the impact of satellite communications on geopolitics, bridging the information gap in interstellar exploration, use of artificial intelligence for space communications, use of LEO-GEO hybrid network to streamline performance, space law issues, etc.
Intersputnik supports APSCO's goals of providing non-discriminatory access to space technology for all countries to improve the quality of life and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Connecting the unconnected is one of humanity's greatest challenges, and space communications, combined with effective international cooperation, is a key technology here.