Hispasat chooses SES technology over Eutelsat
September 30, 2014
By Chris Forrester
The announcement that Madrid-based Hispasat is to back the use of SES-developed SAT>IP was due to be made at IBC, and the releases prepared but something got in the way and the press conference scrubbed. But now Hispasat’s president Elena Pisonero has made the deal official.
SAT>IP turns a conventional satellite feed into an IP signal that can supply signals around the home to other electronic devices including tablets, laptops and smartphones.
The peculiarity of the deal, and which sees Hispasat choosing SES, is that Eutelsat owns 34 per cent of the Spanish company.
Hispasat president Elena Pisonero told technology news site EFE Futuro that the technology significantly enhances the range of high quality satellite transmissions and even serves to alleviate data congestion. “Since the same television signal can be used for all devices, data can be redistributed to other less saturated nodes” Pisonero explained. Hispasat is looking to encourage manufacturers, satellite operators and technology developers to adopt the SAT>IP system, develop compatible hardware and software and improve the communication protocol. Pisonero added that the company is also investigating the possibility of further compressing satellite signals to help reduce data congestion.