Telekom Austria and Eutelsat are to launch a DTH service with Central and Easter Europe seen as a prime target market.The solution involves a new B2B Direct-to-Home platform uplinking TV signals via Telekom Austria’s earth station in Aflenz/Styria to the Eutelsat16A satellite at the 16° East position for broadcasting to Central and Eastern Europe as well as wider regions of Western Europe.

According to Telekom Austria, its existing TV offers based on IPTV and cable can now be extended by satellite technology, taking convergence to a new level. “The Telekom Austria Group has a long international tradition and expertise as a provider of satellite services. We are active as a TV provider for IPTV as well as cable. In order to leverage further potential, we are combining the available infrastructure and in-house know-how built up in the fields of satellite and TV content to a new business field,” explained Reinhard Zuba, Group Chief Marketing Officer of the Telekom Austria Group.

“Whereas Western Europe has virtually completed analogue switch-off, more and more Central and Eastern European countries are in the process of transitioning into digital. This trend represents significant growth potential for us as DTH providers in a market of approximately 75 million households,” said Stefan Amon, Director of Wholesale, Telekom Austria Group. DTH is the preferred route to digitalisation because the consumer transition can be implemented easily, quickly and cost-efficiently. “The Central and Eastern European Pay TV market is also evolving as a result of consolidation. However, the technical incompatibility of platforms often prevents end-customers from accessing premium TV entertainment,” he added.

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, DTH/Satellite, OTT