According to an agreement sealed at NAB between T-Systems and SES ASTRA, TV stations throughout the world can now order fully-fledged solutions from T-Systems to broadcast their sports coverage of the 2006 Soccer World Cup via satellites of the SES GLOBAL fleet.
T-Systems and SES are bundling their services into the “Content Delivery Worldwide” package. It consists of signal delivery, satellite transponder capacity, as well as uplink and downlink services. The package enables TV broadcasters to transmit football coverage from the respective soccer stadiums to the International Broadcasting Center (IBC) in Munich and on to their studios anywhere in the world. T-Systems also uses this infrastructure to transmit coverage from other locations, such as Brandenburg Gate in the center of Berlin. At the heart of the solution are the Deutsche Telekom subsidiary’s earth stations in Raisting and Usingen, which communicate with the satellites in the SES GLOBAL fleet at different orbital positions around the world.
Alexander Oudendijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA, said: “By delivering and distributing the World Cup broadcasts in standard definition and state-of-the-art HDTV to TV networks worldwide, T-Systems and SES are making sure that billions of TV viewers all over the world will not miss a single goal.”
Earlier in April, SES ASTRA announced that the SES Group had increased its shareholding in ND SatCom from 10% to 25.1%. ND SatCom is a leading global supplier of satellite-based broadband VSAT, commercial broadcast and defence communication network and ground station solutions. The company is based in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and has major regional centers in Abu Dhabi, Beijing and Dallas, Texas, to serve customers in 130 countries worldwide.
SES ASTRA announced also that the SES Group had increased its shareholding in SATLYNX from 41% to 77%, taking full operational control. As a result of the equity realignment, Alcatel Space and Gilat now hold 6% and 17% of the shares of SATLYNX, respectively. The SES participation will be managed through SES ASTRA, and the company managing the SES Group’s activities in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa).