The World Teleport Association today released a new report, Delays in Occasional-Use Satellite Access. The report details results of a WTA investigation into problems reported by its members in gaining timely access to occasional-use satellite capacity. Based on survey responses from teleport operators and discussions with satellite operators, the report lays out the issues as well as offering preliminary conclusions and possible next steps.

At the end of 2011, WTA‐member teleport operators began reporting issues with gaining timely occasional‐use access to satellite capacity. In the television business in particular, OU access is time‐critical. Member teleport executives reported that they were experiencing increasing delays in completing access procedures, which they felt were putting at risk their ability to meet the needs of their customers. WTA set out to learn how frequent and serious the issue was for teleport operators providing OU services, and what the root causes might be.

While seventy percent of respondents have experienced delays that they did not expect in accessing OU capacity, the delays turn out to be infrequent. For more than half the sample, unexpected delays occur four or fewer times per year. Thirty-nine percent called it a serious problem, but 61% considered it only somewhat serious or not a problem.

The two biggest causes of delays in such standard procedures as setting cross-pol isolation or testing signal power are interference on the transponder caused by a third party and an attempt by the end-user to use capacity that had been scheduled, typically for full-time use, by a third party.

WTA Executive Director and report author Robert Bell adds, “There are clearly issues, and for a minority of teleport operators, they are serious. But respondents believe that only a relatively small percentage of such issues relate directly to the performance of satellite operator staff or systems.”

The study suggests three specific areas that could be addressed between teleport operators and satellite operators:

• Better expectation‐setting for OU end-users
• Examining procedures for providing access to capacity leased through third parties
• Continue addressing satellite interference

“All the satellite operators contacted for this report,” added Bell, “appear eager to better understand OU-related concerns and to work collaboratively on improvements.”