11 March 2014
SES announced today that Nawras, one of the largest wireless operators in Oman, has signed a capacity agreement on the NSS-6 satellite. The capacity will allow Nawras to provide services such as high quality GSM backhaul and broadband across the Sultanate, including rural areas. Nawras is an integrated services telecommunications operator serving about two million customers throughout Oman.
NSS-6 is located at the 95 degrees East orbital position. The spacecraft’s high-performance Ku-band beam is specifically devised to support key telecom infrastructure, enterprise and broadband networks across several regions, including the Middle East.
Wolfgang Wemhoff, CTO at Nawras, said, “Satellite is an important component in our network, as it caters for voice and Internet services in hard to reach locations. We have a trusted partner in SES, where we are assured of a robust and reliable service and the best technical solution, as well as a dedicated local team which understands the dynamics and specific requirements of our business here in Oman.”
“We are very pleased that Nawras has selected SES as a partner to provide connectivity to rural areas of Oman,” said Hussein Oteifa, General Manager Middle East at SES. “SES’s satellites allow reliable connectivity, even across challenging geographical terrains, and we are delighted to deliver these best-in-class satellite services locally. Our local SES team worked closely with Nawras to ensure the solution meets their specific needs and technical requirements”. Source: Press release
11 March 2014
SatLink Communications Ltd., a leading teleport, Content Management & HD Playout Centre, has today announced that SatLink has been selected by the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA) for the global distribution of its ETV news channel. The Ethiopian Government owned television channel, whose broadcasts include news, entertainment, music and sports content, will extend its audience reach across Africa, North America, Europe and the Middle East over SatLink’s Global Satellite and Fibre Network.
SatLink will broadcast ETV, whose aim is to broadcast informative, educating and timely information of the development of Ethiopia utilising state-of the-art technology, to the African market utilising SatLink’s capacity on AMOS -5 C-band to allow them to effectively distribute their content easily to Africa’s multi-channel platforms. As ETV’s partner, SatLink worked closely with the broadcaster in order to help design the uplink capabilities for the channel from ETV’s facilities in Ethiopia on to Amos 5 and ensure the network of satellite’s chosen specifically met the broadcasters needs and achieve the international reach that was required.
ETV will also be transmitted across Europe and the Middle East on Hot Bird 13.0° East on the Ku-band. For distribution into the North America market, ETV will take advantage of the Galaxy 19 at 97.0° West Ku-band, which hosts the largest ethnic video platform in North America, to reach the Direct to Home (DTH) ethnic market in the US.
ETV is the latest news broadcaster to select SatLink for the global distribution of content joining international news broadcasters such as France 24, i24 News, NTV-MIR and euronews and leading news agencies including Thomson Reuters and APTN.
Mr. Worku Gachena, Deputy Director General for Media Technology at ETV commented: “We were looking for a global provider to not only distribute our content but to work alongside us as a partner to help us extend our global reach further than before. We needed a provider who had the experience to help design our uplink capabilities and also obtain satellite space on Amos-5 so we could meet the multi-channel platforms in Africa, a rapidly growing a prosperous broadcasting region. SatLink’s strategic location coupled with its extensive knowledge and experience in this market meant that we knew that they would be able to assist us as we extend our reach further and address our growing audience’s needs across the globe.”
David Hochner, CEO of SatLink, commented: “We are thrilled to work with ETV to extend its audience reach to different corners of the globe using our Global Satellite and Fibre Network. By working closely alongside ETV we gained a real understanding of their broadcasting requirements and were able to tailor a reliable and effective solution, help them uplink their signal directly from Ethiopia and be on the world’s most popular satellite TV platforms. As a result we have been able to proactively assist ETV meet the objective of reaching their audiences, much of which is scattered across multiple continents, so they are able to connect with the news that is happening back home in Ethiopia and share the success stories of the country.” (Source: Press Release)
10 March 2014
Broadpeak, a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) technologies and video-on-demand (VOD) servers for cable, IPTV, OTT, and mobile operators worldwide, today announced that it has teamed with global satellite provider Eutelsat to improve the delivery of OTT multiscreen services. Utilizing a combination of Broadpeak’s nanoCDN and Eutelsat’s “smart LNB” technologies, operators can cost-effectively deliver high-quality live TV channels over satellite to millions of subscriber devices, including TVs, PCs, smartphones, and tablets, using the same bandwidth. At CABSAT 2014 in Dubai, March 11-13, stand E1-10, Eutelsat will demonstrate the two technologies, explaining how Broadpeak and Eutelsat are transforming the delivery of DTH satellite services.
Eutelsat’s “smart LNB” is a low-cost device that bundles DTH reception of TV channels with a narrowband satellite return channel for short transmissions of IP packets. As such, it opens the door for broadcasters to operate their own ecosystem of linear television and connected TV services direct by satellite.
Leveraging the multicast capabilities of the network, Broadpeak’s award-winning nanoCDN technology allows operators to cost-effectively deliver high-quality, live OTT video services to millions of simultaneous viewers using only a few megabits per second. By effectively managing video consumption peaks that are not supported by the network infrastructure, nanoCDN dramatically improves the scalability of live OTT TV content.
“The combination of our two technologies is a game changer in the world of OTT multiscreen delivery via satellite,” said Jacques Le Mancq, CEO at Broadpeak. “Relying on the power of multicast, operators can cost-effectively deliver high-quality live TV channels over Eutelsat satellites to an endless number of subscribers anywhere, anytime, and on any device.” (Source: press release)
10 March 2014
Eurosport, the n°1 pan-European TV channel, and Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, world leader in 3D design software and 3D Digital Mock Up, will introduce a new 3D experience to the world of equestrianism during Eurosport’s live broadcasting of the Saut Hermès showjumping event, March 14 – 16, in the Grand Palais in Paris.
The bespoke experience developed by Dassault Systèmes uses the power of real-time interactive technology and 3D visualisation to explain the subtleties of showjumping for fans at the event and at home. As well as providing new insight for knowledgeable equestrian fans, the 3D animation is also designed to broaden the sport’s appeal and help present it to a wider audience.
The Grand Palais and the two main courses within the competition — the Saut Hermès and the Grand Prix Hermès — have been modelled in 3D. Using a touchless device and interacting with different camera views, international showjumper Michel Robert will guide a virtual rider and horse through the 3D environment to demonstrate the optimal route of each course.
Features, such as zoom, rotation and free movement along the track, will be used to explain the fans watching Eurosport’s live coverage the main difficulties of each obstacle and detail the strategic options available to make the best run, including the number of strides the horse must make between jumps and the lines the rider must take to save time.
Mehdi Tayoubi, Vice-President Global Experiential Strategy, Dassault Systèmes, explains the motivation of the company behind the collaboration: “As a world leader in 3D, we are always striving to explore new innovative usages with our technology to reach a wider audience. The world of sport provides a great opportunity for us to test its application for the spectators at Saut Hermès and for the viewers at home. Developing this project together with Eurosport and Michel Robert felt like a logical connection and a great way for Dassault Systèmes to work in a co-innovation spirit.”
Olivier Fisch, Global Commercial Director & Managing Director Eurosport Events, said: “We are delighted Dassault Systèmes has chosen Eurosport as entry point into the world of equestrianism. They share our ambition to bring the best possible coverage and choice to today’s fans. To demonstrate our knowledge and understanding of live broadcasting, Eurosport will continue to introduce new technological initiatives throughout 2014, our 25th anniversary year.”
As a world class sport where precision, speed and talent create thrilling competitions, equestrianism has a natural place on Eurosport. Over 50 million Europeans are reached annually on Eurosport TV through equestrian content.
Besides the Saut Hermès created and run by French house Hermès, Eurosport covers other major equestrian events sponsored by brands such as Gucci masters, Rolex Grand Slam, Longines Global Champions Tour and the FEO World Equestrian Games.
Fans can watch Saut Hermès on Eurosport 2 on Saturday 15 March from 18:00 – 19:30 and on Eurosport from 20:00 – 21:00 CET.
This is followed on Sunday 16 March with the “Grand Prix Hermès” live on Eurosport from 15:45 – 17:30 CET.
For a video on Dassault Systèmes 3D technology used live on Eurosport for Saut Hermès, click here: https://vimeo.com/88637749 (Source : press release)
10 March 2014
Globecast, global content management and distribution provider, and ARABSAT announced today that they have extended their relationship for the distribution of the Global Arabic Bouquet (GAB), a grouping of premium Arabic channels from the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) that has been made available across the world since the establishment of this relationship in 2004.
Since the launch of their partnership, Globecast, ARABSAT and ASBU have expanded the Global Arabic Bouquet’s potential viewership and footprint, offering a single global coverage to ASBU members. Arabic language channels are now able to join the bouquet and reach viewers on all five continents free to air. Globecast – ARABSAT and ASBU’s partner for the worldwide distribution of the GAB – is providing all the technical services required for end-to-end delivery.
Georges Baroud, CEO Globecast Middle East said, “It’s pleasing that this partnership is being extended for a further five years. This is a reflection of our continued technical leadership and also our customer service. We look forwards to another five years as we believe that in partnership with ARABSAT and ASBU we have created a strong, global platform for expats and newcomers to the Arabic world alike.”
Khalid Balkheyour, ARABSAT President and CEO, added “We need to ensure both quality of service and cost-effectiveness and partnering with Globecast achieves this. This has been proven across the years of our relationship. We are proud to bring a flavor of the Arabic world to the world.” (Source: press release)
