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Tag: SES

  • SES enables Chinese startimes to expand tv reach in Africa

    SES enables Chinese startimes to expand tv reach in Africa

    MUMBAI: SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced today that StarTimes Communication Network Technology, China’s most influential system integrator, technology provider and network operator, has signed a 10-year contract on SES-5 at 5 degrees East to expand its media footprint in Africa and deliver direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast services across the continent.

    StarTimes, which is the fastest-growing digital TV operator Africa and has over 2.6 million digital terrestrial television (DTT) subscribers, also acquired SES’ 20% shareholding in South African pay-TV operator Top TV.

    The contract will see StarTimes utilise four transponders as of October 2013 and a fifth transponder from February 2014 to grow their DTH subscribers in Africa. The Chinese broadcaster will continue to broadcast TopTV on SES-5 by using three of the newly-contracted SES transponders that were formerly leased by ODM. The other two out of the five SES transponders contracted by StarTimes will be used to complement their DTT offering in remote and non-urban areas and grow their pay-TV business.  

    “The recent success of StarTimes’s strategic investment in ODM will allow us to reach new audiences in South Africa. The partnership with SES enables StarTimes to have a DTH platform in addition to the existing DTT and mobile TV (CMMB) platforms in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the high-powered SES-5 at the prime orbital location of 5 degrees East is ideal in overcoming the challenges of terrestrial coverage to reach large audiences. This will allow us to extend our broadcast reach across the continent and ensure excellent service and picture quality for our viewers,” said StarTimes Group Chairman and President Pang Xinxing.

    “We are honoured that StarTimes has chosen to work with us to complement their DTT business across Africa and to deliver more exciting content to Africa’s dynamic markets,” said Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer of SES. “The new partnership with StarTimes will illustrate how the combination of DTH and DTT is a key enabler in Africa’s migration to digital TV and also help set pace in the continent’s digital migration race.”

  • GSAT signs new capacity on SES satellites NSS-11 and SES-9

    GSAT signs new capacity on SES satellites NSS-11 and SES-9

    MUMBAI: SES has announced that the Philippine direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV provider Global Satellite (GSAT) has contracted its fourth transponder on NSS-11, cementing SES’ orbital position of 108.2 degrees east as one of Asia’s leading video neighbourhoods.

    The multi-year deal will see the transfer of current capacity usage by GSAT from NSS-11 to SES-9, currently scheduled for launch in 2015. When launched, SES-9 will be the largest SES satellite dedicated to the Asia-Pacific region. The new spacecraft will be providing expansion capacity for DTH, enterprise, mobility and government services across the region.

    GSAT, the satellite division of First United Broadcasting Corp (FUBC), launched its DTH service in 2008 on the NSS-11 Ku-band satellite, providing subscribers with access to an improved mix of international programmes including English, Mandarin, Korean, Tagalog, Japanese and Spanish channels. With this additional capacity, GSAT will be offering 12 high definition (HD) channels and 47 standard definition (SD) channels to more than 200,000 subscribers across the Philippine archipelago.

    FUBC president and CEO Philip J. Chien said, “Our ability to offer highly reliable DTH satellite TV to our growing base of subscribers in the Philippines is largely due to the comprehensive footprints of NSS-11, and, from 2015, SES-9. We are confident that SES’ expertise will enable us to grow in our market and increase both the quality and quantity of channels in our pay-TV offerings.”

    SES Asia-Pacific and the Middle East sr. VP commercial Deepak Mathur said, “We are delighted to confirm that GSAT, our long-term customer on NSS-11, will become a key anchor customer on SES-9. At SES, we are investing in new satellites to make sure that our customers enjoy business continuity, as well as delivering vital capacity to support their growth in some of the most dynamic media markets in the world.”

  • SES and MNC sky vision sign capacity deal for DTH market growth

    SES and MNC sky vision sign capacity deal for DTH market growth

    MUMBAI: SES and MNC Sky Vision, Indonesia‘s premier satellite Pay-TV provider with its well-known brand, Indovision, has announced an agreement to provide capacity on the SES-7 satellite to support Indovision‘s future Chinese-language direct-to-home (DTH) package.

    The multi-transponder and multi-year deal provides Indovision with access to the Ku-band capacity aboard SES-7 at the prime orbital location of 108.2 degrees east. Indovision intends to offer more than a dozen Chinese language channels using the capacity, which would allow Indovision to reach a niche audience segment in Indonesia‘s fast-growing pay-DTH market, beyond its current base of more than 2 million subscribers. Use of the capacity by Indovision is subject to regulatory approval.

    Rudy Tanoesoedibjo, CEO of MNC Sky Vision, said, “We see continued growth in the pay-DTH market in Indonesia and are delighted to be able to leverage SES‘ global network and deep industry expertise to broadcast more content to meet the diverse needs of our subscribers in Indonesia.”

    “The increasing maturity of the Indonesian pay-DTH market requires pay-TV operators to react swiftly in meeting the demands of different audience segments, as Indovision has done with the new Chinese-language pay-DTH offering. We are pleased to be the satellite operator of choice for Indovision and look forward to supporting Indovision‘s fast and robust growth strategy in this important market,” said SES sr. VP commercial Asia-Pacific and Middle East Deepak Mathur.

  • SES renews deal with Pakistan’s Supernet

    SES renews deal with Pakistan’s Supernet

    NEW DELHI: SES, a satellite operator with a fleet of 53geostationary satellites, has renewed a multi-year multi-million dollar contract with Pakistan‘s satellite network service provider Supernet.

    Supernet will acquire C-band capacity on the SES NSS-12 satellite at the prime orbital location of 57 degrees east. The capacity of this satellite, combined with the strong system integration capabilities of Supernet will provide a high quality GSM backhaul services to mobile operators in Pakistan.

    This will also expand network coverage in the remote mountainous areas in the northern region and hard to reach southern regions of the country.

    Supernet COO Hamid Nawaz was present on the occasion at CommunicAsia2013 and said the company was quite satisfied with the performance of the NSS-12 satellite throughout Supernet‘s networks.

    SES Asia-Pacific and the Middle East senior VP commercial Deepak Mathur expressed his satisfaction at working with Supernet since 2010 and delight at being able to support the company‘s growth.

  • SES pioneers first Ultra HD transmission

    SES pioneers first Ultra HD transmission

    MUMBAI: Global satellite operator SES has announced that, together with its partners Harmonic, which offers video delivery infrastructure, and Broadcom which offers semiconductor solutions, it has pioneered what it says is the first Ultra HD transmission in the new HEVC standard live from an Astra satellite at 19.2 degrees East. The HEVC standard features an up to 50 per cent encoding efficiency improvement, compared to previous test broadcasts in MPEG-4 AVC (H.264).

    The end-to-end demonstration which was presented at the SES Industry Days in Luxembourg used Harmonic’s ProMedia Xpress and a HEVC decoder reference-design system based on Broadcom’s BCM7445 device for receiving HEVC encoded Ultra-HD television transmission. The signal was broadcast in DVB-S2 using a data rate of 20 Mbit/s.

    The live demonstration for the first time broadcasts a full 3840×2160 pixel Ultra HD picture in HEVC, while previous demonstrations were either broadcast in H.264 or using 4 HD pictures in parallel. SES first live-broadcast a full 3840×2160 pixel Ultra HD picture using the MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) standard at IBC 2012.

    SES VP reception systems Thomas Wrede said, “We are very proud to present the first Ultra HD demo in the HEVC standard on satellite. SES has once again taken a leadership role in the industry by broadcasting the first real Ultra HD picture in a commercially realistic bandwidth.

    “We are convinced that the HEVC standard will become the option of choice for TV operators broadcasting Ultra HD content and expect the industry to develop prototype Ultra HD receivers in the coming months. With this initiative SES will be significantly driving the Ultra HD ecosystem forward and provide a 24/7 test channel to its industry partners.”

    Harmonic senior director of emerging technology, strategy Ian Trow said, “SES has achieved an important industry first with Harmonic and Broadcom. This DVB-S2 transmission clearly demonstrates the benefit of HEVC encoding using the Harmonic ProMedia in a live to air Satellite application. A significant compression improvement has been achieved using HEVC when compared to previous Ultra HD deployments using MPEG-4 AVC (H.264)”

    Broadband Communications Group associate product line director Joseph Del Rio said, “Broadcom is working to advance the adoption of HEVC technologies – and ultimately the distribution of UltraHD content – with SES. HEVC is the catalyst that will drive UltraHD television with its telepresence-like resolution to consumers.”

  • SES uses MipTV to drive its Ultra HD Experience

    SES uses MipTV to drive its Ultra HD Experience

    MUMBAI: Satellite operator SES, which has got a fleet of 52 geostationary satellites, has launched SES Ultra HD Experience initiative at MipTV in Cannes which invites content providers and broadcasters to work with SES to support the development of the Ultra HD value chain.

    SES Senior VP Commercial Europe Norbert Hoelzle said, “With manufacturers launching larger and larger TV screens at increasingly affordable prices, consumers expect to receive content with the highest possible picture quality. As a global satellite operator, it is of utmost importance for SES to play a catalytic role and enable the industry to drive the deployment of the Ultra HD ecosystem.

    “The challenge for broadcasters is to access content in Ultra HD. As satellite is the most suitable infrastructure to deliver high resolution pictures to large audiences, SES is well-positioned to support content providers and broadcasters in testing their Ultra HD footage and distributing their content before Ultra HD becomes a commercial reality in the next few years.”

  • Russian telco signs three-year capacity deal with SES

    Russian telco signs three-year capacity deal with SES

    MUMBAI: Russia‘s leading mobile operators JSC VimpelCom (TM Beeline) has signed a three-year capacity deal with SES for additional capacity on NSS-9 satellite to deliver high-quality data services in the Russian Far East.

    The additional capacity onSES‘ NSS-9 satellite will be used to provide data services to VimpelCom‘s corporate clients based in the Kamchatka, Magadan and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky regions, and also enable VimpelCom to optimise the use of satellite capacity for their 3G network in the Russian Far East and East Siberia region. In total, VimpelCom now contracts multiple transponders on the NSS-9 satellite.

    “VimpelCom uses satellite capacity to connect the nodes of its transmission network in the absence of ground infrastructure. Thanks to satellites, the company can deploy 3G networks and provide high-quality services to users in remote regions of the Russian Far East. We are happy to have such a reliable partner as SES,” said VimpelCom VP of Technical Services Igor Parfenov.

    “VimpelCom operates in some of the harshest areas of Russia, which are best served by satellites. The high-powered NSS-9 satellite and its comprehensive coverage over Russia has enabled SES to support VimpelCom as it continues to roll out 3G networks and provide data services in the eastern regions of Russia,” said SES Asia SVP Deepak Mathur, who is also responsible for data and mobility services.

  • Gogo signs capacity deal with SES

    Gogo signs capacity deal with SES

    MUMBAI: Gogo, a leader in in-flight connectivity, has signed major capacity deal with global satellite operator SES to deliver Gogo broadband services aboard commercial airliners.

    Coverage includes commercial aircraft flying over the North Atlantic Ocean Region, Europe and the United States.

    As part of the long-term deal covering more than six transponders of Ku-band capacity, three SES satellites will enable Gogo to expand its broadband offering in the sky to aircraft flying busy transatlantic routes.

    The SES-1 spacecraft will cover the continental US, while NSS-703 and its three powerful spot beams will reach across the North Atlantic and SES-4 will serve Europe.

    Gogo services aboard the NSS-703 satellite and will be transitioned seamlessly by mid 2014 to the new SES-6 satellite, slated for launch next year.

    Gogo has also contracted for teleport services delivered through three SES facilities in the U.S. and Europe. Two-way internet access will be delivered to Gogo customers via SES ground facilities in Woodbine, Maryland; Manassas, Virginia and Betzdorf, Luxembourg.

    “Gogo is entering the all-important international air travel market and expanding our North American offering with SES,” said Gogo President and CEO Michael Small. “A trio of SES satellites will enable Gogo to provide reliable and seamless satellite coverage for our current airline partners on their international fleets,” he added.

    Gogo is set to initiate its international internet services on Delta Air Lines in the first quarter of 2013.

  • SES appoints Boeing to build SES-9 satellite for Asian market

    SES appoints Boeing to build SES-9 satellite for Asian market

    MUMBAI: SES has said that it has selected Boeing to build a new communication satellite, SES-9, to serve the fast growing markets in Asia.

     

    The new satellite ordered through SES’ affiliate company SES Satellite Leasing will expand SES’ capabilities to provide direct-to-home broadcasting and other communications services in Northeast Asia, South Asia and Indonesia, as well as maritime communications for vessels in the Indian Ocean.

     

    The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

    The spacecraft will be positioned at the orbital slot of 108.2 degrees East and provide incremental as well as replacement capacity to this well established SES slot over Asia, where it will be co-located with the existing SES-7 and NSS-11 satellites.

     

    SES-9 will be built in Boeing’s El Segundo Satellite Development Center based on the Boeing 702HP platform. The satellite is designed to operate for 15 years in geosynchronous orbit with a 12.7-kilowatt payload and 57 high-power Ku-band transponders (equivalent to 81 x 36 MHz transponders). The spacecraft will carry a xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS) for all on-orbit maneuvering and a chemical bi-propellant system for initial orbit raising.

     

    Boeing has a 25-year relationship with SES. SES-9 is the 11th spacecraft that SES has ordered from Boeing and the contract includes an option for an additional satellite.

    SES president and CEO Romain Bausch said, “We look forward to work again with Boeing on an important addition to our global fleet: SES-9 will greatly expand our transmission capacity over Asia, while adding increased flexibility and redundancy to a strategic orbital slot. SES is convinced that Boeing’s 702HP will prove to be mission-critical in order to provide state-of-the-art, high-power satellite capacity to the thriving markets of Asia.”

     

    “We are pleased to be selected by SES to build a highly flexible 702HP satellite, which has a uniquely configured XIPS propulsion system and chemical bi-propellant system, reducing the spacecraft’s launch weight while allowing for maximum payload capacity. Boeing has continuously evolved the 702 design since it was introduced over 15 years ago, allowing us to provide SES a satellite that will be consistent with their business requirements,” said Boeing Satellite Systems International CEO and Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems VP and GM Craig Cooning.
  • SES launches Astra 2F Satellite

    SES launches Astra 2F Satellite

    MUMBAI: Leading satellite operator SES has said its new Astra 2F satellite has been successfully launched on 28 September, on board an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. This is SES’ 36th successful launch on Ariane.

     

    Astra 2F was built by Astrium in Toulouse using a Eurostar E3000 platform and carries Ku- and Ka-band payloads for the delivery of high-performance Direct-to-Home (DTH) and next generation broadband services. It is the first of a three satellite investment programme (Astra 2E, 2F and 2G), that provides replacement and growth capacity for the UK and Ireland at the 28.2/28.5 degrees East neighbourhood.

    The new satellites in this neighbourhood will, as of October 2013, also use additional frequency spectrum for which the right of use was granted to SES by Media Broadcast pursuant to an agreement entered into in 2005. The new Astra 2F spacecraft also provides Ku-band capacity for pan-European services and for Sub-Saharan Africa. Its Ka-band payload will allow SES Broadband Services to support download speeds of up to 20 Mps.

     

    “The successful launch of Astra 2F is part of our fleet replacement and expansion programme,” said SES CEO Romain Bausch. “Astra 2F will provide seamless replacement capacity for our UK customers like BSkyB, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and will allow us to operate additional capacity at 28.2/28.5 degrees East on SES satellites. This orbital neighbourhood today serves close to 13 million DTH homes in the UK and Ireland. We would like to thank our long-standing partners Astrium and Arianespace for this mission success.”

    Astra 2F had a launch mass of 6 tons, generates 13 kW of power, and has a design life of 15 years. It is the fifth Eurostar satellite in the SES fleet. The new spacecraft will be brought into commercial service in the next few weeks following the completion of the extensive in-orbit testing programme.