Intelsat has signed a contract with MediaFLO USA Inc., a subsidiary of QUALCOMM Incorporated, for capacity on the Intelsat Americas-8 (IA-8) satellite. IA-8, Intelsat’s newest and most powerful North American satellite located at 89ºW, will support the MediaFLO USA network deployment by providing satellite bandwidth and connectivity to the MediaFLO USA transmitter sites for carriage of wireless multimedia distribution capacity it will make available to wireless operators in the United States. Anticipated content includes live, streaming video and audio, short-format content and IP data-casting.
Using Ku-band capacity, the newly operational IA-8 satellite delivers to and supports MediaFLO USA’s terrestrial distribution network. The MediaFLO USA network delivers multimedia audio or video content to mobile devices without impacting the devices’ normal voice and data services, all while reducing traffic on wireless carrier’s networks.
Steve Spengler, Intelsat’s Vice President of Sales, stated, “Intelsat satellite technology has often been at the forefront of furthering technological advancement and continues to enable new applications that require high-powered and reliable capacity. We’re committed to working with our customers and partners in the development and support of new, leading applications and services, such as those enabled by the MediaFLO USA network, and look forward to supporting the growth of leading technology however we can.”
MediaFLO USA, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of QUALCOMM Incorporated, offering interactive wireless multimedia services to consumers in cooperation with U.S. wireless operators. The nationwide network, based on QUALCOMM’s FLOTM Technology and using the MediaFLO Media Distribution System, will deliver multimedia content to mobile devices in the 700 MHz spectrum for which QUALCOMM holds licenses with a nationwide footprint.