[Editor’s Note:This regular feature asks communicators to spot trends and discuss their reactions to them. In this edition we hear from Jason Bates, media communications manager, Intelsat.]
The Trend: Satellites have served as a cutting-edge technology for more than 50 years, delivering communications firsts such as transatlantic telephone calls and live, global broadcasts of historic events for billions of people around the globe. During this time, massive changes have taken place in the communications landscape, from the type and consumption of entertainment to the methods and applications of communication. But even as these services and capabilities evolved, satellites were being pushed slowly into the background, first as other communications technologies developed, and second, as the sector itself began to split into two camps: new space and old space.
This is far from a unique story—newer, more nimble companies and technologies often surpass pioneers in many industries. But this was not the reality for Intelsat, which has worked hard to remain innovative. Intelsat just needed to be as innovative with its message delivery as it is with its satellites.
The Reaction: Intelsat’s newest satellites are exponentially more capable than what was available just a few years ago, and the company is working with partners to develop technology on the ground to make it easier to use its satellites.
Even though Intelsat’s primary assets operate more than 26,000 miles above the Earth, one of its main goals is to bring its story down to the local level and look beyond the traditional way the company has been talking about its capabilities. Another goal is to expand its scope beyond the media outlets and platforms that it traditionally uses.
Intelsat works to make sure that its executives can share not just the story of how its satellites connect the world, but also what its capabilities enable end users to do using satellite technology. This can range from speaking to a global media audience, to passengers on an aircraft traveling across the Atlantic, to a small village in Central Africa where a network operator expands a cellular network with new ground technology, bringing business services, distance education and health services to a remote region.
As a global company, consistency in messaging also remains paramount. Intelsat strives to speak with a single voice about what it accomplishes on a daily basis, but to be influential in all of the areas where it operates, its communicators tailor their stories to reach a diverse set of customers—and their end users—who vary widely from region to region. This ensures that Intelsat will remain a critical piece of the communications sector that continues to make the world smaller every day.