Thread by @thesheetztweetz

#SATShow satellite operators panel, with:

Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke
SES CEO Steve Collar
Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg $VSAT
Hughes CEO Pradman Kaul
SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Shotwell: SpaceX started Starlink with a beta service "because, honestly, we didn't know what we were doing and we weren't even sure that the network was going to work."

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Shotwell adds that she has 3 Starlink terminals at her ranch in Texas, and that it's both faster and cheaper than the previous service she had.

"There were many very unhappy customers of broadband in the United States and so we're learning how to make them happy."

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Dankberg: $VSAT has continued to grow this year, with about mid-teens to 20%, and "we've been able to achieve that largely due to in-flight connectivity coming back" in demand.

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Collar: 2021 was "a very big year" for SES, with 365 million households in its video business.

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Berneke, who became Eutelsat CEO on Jan. 1, says "thank you for welcoming me into this family ... you guys all seem to know each other" in the space business.

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Dankberg: I think you're seeing a migration of satellite services revenues toward the data business.

"Connecting the unconnected affordably is a $1 trillion opportunity" for $VSAT, but "the big challenge is delivering good service at price points that are attractive."

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Berneke talks about overcoming satellite supply chain delays, and Shotwell adds: "I can tell you it's such a relief to have me not being the one that's causing delays right now," because "the rockets are always late."

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Shotwell: One of the more fascinating parts of the Starlink business is setting up service in a new country. SpaceX has "been quite pleased" with the adoption of "Starlink in countries that we thought would take a really long time."

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Shotwell: SpaceX is "not working with the government on Starlink, other than to try to sell them the commercial service we have available to them."

"The way we are working with government on Starlink is trying to get them comfortable buying in a more commercial way."

Shotwell: SpaceX “is not good at M&A,” with just two acquisitions in its history (Swarm last year and a small machine shop years ago).

“I don’t know of another opportunity that we would go after.”

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX I asked Shotwell about the value and motivation for the Swarm acquisition:

"I don't know if we are announcing the value of the deal, sorry -- I'm not hiding, I just don't want to make any news."

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Shotwell: Swarm was "a very interesting company" that built a network with a "very small, small amount of resources."

"We were quite interested in 'how did they do it?' How did they pull it together on that kind of budget with that number of people?"

@Eutelsat_SA @euroconsultEC @SES_Satellites @steviecSES @ViasatInc @SpaceX Shotwell: SpaceX is "working with Ukraine just like we're working with almost every other country to get rights to provide service."

"We were close" to having permission "until they tweeted at my boss and that was our permission."