And it is difficult to say what the telecommunications requirements may be five years in the future. HSS are a proposed communications network formed from an integrated family of advanced communication satellites, ground stations and terrestrial equipment. They are designed to provide a broad range of multi-media, video and data services to individual and corporate users all over the world. Even though there is currently not much demand for higher bandwidth, the demand for high bandwidth applications is bound to grow. It will start off slowly and then accelerate once a critical mass is reached.
Many providers are in the process of building networks now.
The need for HSS in their role of providing an alternative backbone is now. In three years time providers will have put in place most of their networks. However, once the regulatory environment allows privateparties to offer long-distance, as surely will happen with the increasing pressures on DoT, there may be a need to extend existing networks rapidly, satellite systems would help provers quickly provide service to areas where their current networks do not extend. Even so, satellite capabilities would be compared with alternative media before any one in chosen. A primary consideration would be price.