Tag: SES

  • SES-5 satellite launched, to boost capacity across EMEA

    SES-5 satellite launched, to boost capacity across EMEA

    MUMBAI: Leading satellite operator SES has said that the SES-5 satellite has been successfully launched into space on board an ILS Proton Breeze M booster.

     

    After a 9-hour, 12-minute mission, the Breeze M upper stage of the Proton rocket released the SES-5 satellite directly into geostationary transfer orbit.

     

    The SES-5 satellite was designed and built for SES by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a leading manufacturer of commercial satellites.

    The spacecraft, to be positioned at the orbital slot of 5 degrees East, features 36 active Ku-band transponders and up to 24 active C-band transponders.

     

    SES-5 has two Ku-band beams, one serving customers in the Nordic and Baltic countries and one serving Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as two C-band beams, one with global coverage and one with hemispheric coverage over Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The satellite provides Ku-band uplink capability, allowing for flexible operations between Europe and Africa.

     

    SES-5 is designed to deliver high performance and extensive coverage for direct-to-home (DTH) services, broadband, maritime communications, GSM backhaul, and VSAT applications in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

    The satellite also features the L-band payload for the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). The EGNOS payload, which was developed for the European Commission (EC), will help verify, improve, and report on the reliability and accuracy of navigation positioning signals in Europe.

     

    SES President and CEO Romain Bausch declared, “SES-5 marks the second successful ILS-Proton launch in 2012 for SES and the third SES satellite delivered by Space Systems/Loral in the last ten months. SES-5 furthermore hosts the EGNOS payload for the European Commission. The powerful new satellite enters the global SES fleet as Number 51.

     

    “We would like to thank the launch teams of Space Systems/Loral, ILS, Khrunichev and SES for their dedicated work that ultimately ensured total mission success. We would also like to thank the European Commission for entrusting SES with the EGNOS hosted payload. After thorough in-orbit testing, SES and its customers can now look forward to SES-5 providing new, state-of-the-art satellite capacity across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.”

  • SES, Samsung unveil Africa’s first TV with integrated FTA satellite receiver

    SES, Samsung unveil Africa’s first TV with integrated FTA satellite receiver

    MUMBAI: SES is collaborating with Samsung to drive digital broadcasting via satellite in sub-Saharan Africa.

     

    Samsung will introduce LED television with an integrated free-to-air satellite receiver, the Samsung LED TV Free Satellite, that will be distributed in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon in August 2012. Distribution to additional countries will follow.

     

    The integrated satellite receiver will allow consumers to receive free-to-air television channels without the need for an additional set top box as the LED TV will be directly connected with the satellite dish. In preparation for the launch, SES and Samsung will jointly arrange training sessions with distribution partners and installers to ensure the proper connection of the TV device to the satellite dish. Both partners will also run a joint marketing campaign in June 2012.

    As a leader in the free-to-air digital TV market, SES delivers more than 60 free-to-air channels in more than 40 African countries. The launch of the new Samsung LED TV Free Satellite coincides with more channels becoming available in Africa.

     

    SES senior director of marketing development and Marketing in Africa Christoph Limmer said, “This collaboration is the first of its kind and will drive digitalisation in Africa .Today, one out of three households in Africa has a TV set but less than 10 million homes receive content in digital format. Our cooperation will not only help to improve access to digital content for African consumers but it will also encourage African broadcasters to launch more content. In servicing more than 40 African countries, we are well aware of the huge demand for more and higher quality TV services. The opportunity lies in providing an increasingly sophisticated African viewership with a significantly increased number of TV channels – a first for many African countries.”

    Samsung Africa Regional Product Manager Dae Hee Kim said, “The Samsung LED TV Free Satellite is our contribution to the continent’s efforts to ’go digital’, providing African consumers with greater choice and broadcasters with the opportunity to grow the region’s media industry.”

  • NSS – 8 satellite launches Friday

    NSS – 8 satellite launches Friday

    MUMBAI: The Sea Launch team has initiated a countdown at its equatorial launch site. This is in preparation for the launch of the NSS-8 communications satellite for SES New Skies which will take place tomorrow 26 January 2007.

    The NSS-8 satellite is a Boeing 702 spacecraft that carries 56 C-band and 36 Ku-band transponders. It is designed to replace the existing NSS-703 satellite as the centerpiece of New Skies’ strategic Indian Ocean contribution to SES’ global communications network.

    NSS-8 will support a range of functions, including corporate communications, Broadband Internet services and broadcast applications to the Indian sub continent, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Designed for a 15-year lifespan, the satellite will have 18 kilowatts of total power at the beginning of life on orbit.
     

  • SES, Eutelsat in JV to serve mobile broadcast markets

    SES, Eutelsat in JV to serve mobile broadcast markets

    MUMBAI: Sateelite operators SES Global and Eutelsat have announced a joint investment in the first European satellite infrastructure for broadcasting video, radio and data to mobile devices and vehicle receivers.

    In view of the innovative nature of this market SES and Eutelsat have agreed to join forces to form a new company, which will operate and commercialise the S-band payload on W2A. The company will be set up by SES Astra and Eutelsat following approval from relevant regulatory agencies. The S-band space segment represents an investment of
    approximately 130 million euros.

    The S-band (2.0 and 2.2 GHz), which represents a new frequency band for both SES and Eutelsat, provides a set of frequencies optimised for supporting a wireless distribution network for delivering video and other services to mobile devices, including phones, PDAs, laptops and vehicle receivers. Mobile video services represent a large and currently undeveloped market in Europe, emerging today through existing terrestrial solutions.

    The development of mobile video services through a satellite-based hybrid network will provide content providers and operators with alternative or complementary solutions to terrestrial based networks and will bring the benefit of the universal coverage that satellites can provide.

    Eutelsat has commissioned the W2A satellite from Alcatel Alenia Space for launch on Sea Launch in the beginning of 2009. W2A will be operated at 10 degrees East, with a state-of the art S-band payload which will be an essential building-block for a hybrid infrastructure over Europe, combining satellite and terrestrial networks, to provide both universal coverage and indoor penetration for mobile video services. The S-band payload has also been optimised for a broad range of business applications such as security surveillance and other commercial data services including two-way communications.

    SES Global president and CEO Romain Bausch says, “This joint investment will allow for the development of new, innovative satellite delivered mobile broadcast services thereby enabling satellite to compete with as well as to complement terrestrial infrastructure solutions in the mobile television and radio distribution chain. Satellite provides a unique and highly efficient coverage and the joint investment will therefore increase choice and convenience for consumers, content providers and service providers.

    “Mobile applications form an important element of our strategic development plan, and by joining forces with Eutelsat, this infrastructure investment offers an attractive business opportunity in line with our internal investment hurdle rates.”

    Eutelsat chairman and CEO Giuliano Berretta says, “Digital content and the mobility afforded by new portable devices lie at the heart of the current dynamic in the communications landscape, bringing new revenue streams for electronics manufacturers, content and service providers, as well as new products for consumers.

    “Through a resource, which is optimised in terms of bandwidth and universal coverage, satellite services using S-band frequencies can make a vital contribution to the overall success of the mobile broadcasting market while the design of the S-band payload is also fully suited for two-way communications. By adding this new payload to a platform using our traditional set of Ku-band and C-band frequencies it has also been possible to put in place an efficient and cost-effective solution for entering a new frequency band.”

  • BroadcastAsia2006 to focus on latest technologies

    BroadcastAsia2006 to focus on latest technologies

    MUMBAI: BroadcastAsia 2006, the Asian International Electronic Media Technology Exhibition & Conference, will take place from 20 June to 23 June 2006 at the Singapore Expo.

    Organised by Singapore Exhibition Services (SES), the event promises a bigger and more comprehensive platform for India to source for the latest broadcast technologies and solutions to meet the growth of its media industry. IPTV, HD Technologies, and digital audio broadcasting (DAB) will be the highlights of this year’s show.

    Indian participation at this year’s BroadcastAsia2OO6 exhibition include All India Radio, Monarch Computers, Essel Shyam Communications and Cicada Broadcast Solutions.

    Geared to meet India’s demand, BroadcastAsia2OO6 is expected to gather over 750 international companies, with nine group pavilions from countries such as China, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain, Singapore, UK and USA.

    Highlights at this year’s exhibition include the latest in Professional Audio Technology, IPTV, computer graphics and animation, HD Technology, broadcasting to handhelds, video on demand, personal video recording, and digital audio broadcasting (DAB).

    Director and CEO of Cicada Broadcast Solutions Pvt Limited Prasanta kumar Ghatak said, “It is our desire to extend our reach beyond India and obtain a foothold in the Asia Pacific region. We believe that our participation in BroadcastAsia2OO6 will give us the opportunity to reach out to our target customers effectively. Cicada Broadcast Solutions is committed to bringing the same quality of service and dedication to customers beyond our shores, and BroadcastAsia2OO6 is a fantastic platform from which to do so.”

    In view of this, animation buffs will not be disappointed as ComGraphics&Animation2006 (CGA), held in conjunction with BroadcastAsia2OO6, will feature the latest hardware, software and services designed especially for the computer graphics and animation industry, film and motion picture industry. A number of conferences and masters classes will also be held for developers and professionals to exchange ideas & expertise learn and network.

    “With India’s healthy growth in movie and film output, significant market opportunities are now available for those within the broadcasting industry. BroadcastAsia2006 complements India’s remarkable industry growth by offering not only the latest, but most relevant technologies and solutions to meet the media expansion plans that are set to take place in India” said Jackson Yeoh, project director with event organiser Singapore Exhibition Services.