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GSISCO to Market Satellite Broadband Service ASTRA2Connect in the Middle East
SES ASTRA, an SES company , announced today that it has signed a new service distribution agreement with the Amman, Jordan-based satellite services provider GSISCO (German Satellite Internet Service Company) to market its satellite-based broadband service ASTRA2Connect in the Middle East. GSISCO will offer ASTRA2Connect in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Yemen.
With the launch of SES ASTRA’s new satellite ASTRA 3B, the company has successfully expanded the coverage of its orbital position 23.5 degrees East to the Middle Eastern region, allowing GSISCO to provide customers in regions without terrestrial broadband networks with a stable, secure and fast broadband connection via satellite at competitive prices.
“We are delighted that our satellite broadband service has found such a broad acceptance in and outside Europe,” said Patrick Biewer, Vice President Technology and interim Managing Director of ASTRA Broadband Services, SES ASTRA’s broadband subsidiary. “Due to the lack of terrestrial broadband networks in this particular region, we are confident that ASTRA2Connect will be successful in the Middle East. GSISCO, with its experienced international management team, has an excellent knowledge of the market and is an ideal partner to market our service.”
“We are very much looking forward to introducing SES ASTRA’s successful broadband technology in the Middle Eastern markets,” said Ibrahim Al Hajaj, CFO at GSISCO. “ASTRA2Connect has a strong reputation in Europe, and we are convinced that it will have the same success here as well. The Middle East is a traditional satellite market and we see a big market potential for a well-priced, yet reliable satellite broadband product.”
With more than 65,000 customers, ASTRA2Connect is the largest satellite-based broadband network in Europe. Offering always-on and interactive broadband internet access for flat service fees, ASTRA2Connect is immediately available anywhere within the footprint of the satellite. ASTRA2Connect is marketed via wholesalers and internet service providers to the residential, industrial and maritime markets and is now also available in the Middle East and Africa.
CETel Upgrades Trunking Service to Africa and Middle East With Newtec FlexACM(R) Technology
Global provider of teleport and satellite services CETel has enhanced its IP trunking services to Africa and the Middle East with Newtec Elevation modulators, shapers and encapsulators. CETel has upgraded its DVB-S2/SCPC links from Ruppichteroth, Germany to seven remote sites in Somalia, Sudan, Cape Verde, Ghana and Iraq, together with other point-to-point and point-to-multipoint networks from Germany to Africa and the Middle Eastern region.
CETel has also installed Newtec’s EL170 IP Satellite Modulator, EL970 IP Satellite Demodulator equipment based on FlexACM(R) technology enabling advanced and most efficient output for broadband Internet services for a major telecommunication provider in Africa. CETel chose Newtec’s DVB-S2 FlexACM technology to reduce bandwidth costs and increase revenue.
“The installation of the Newtec infrastructure has been the culmination of our drive to deliver higher quality and greater efficiency in our services,” says Sergey Raber, Director Operations, CETel. “With the implementation of FlexACM, we can now achieve far more with our bandwidth, and guarantee availability of the link under conditions that would otherwise have caused a service failure. This increased efficiency has resulted in a return on investment within a few months of operation.”
Newtec with Iraqi satellite broadcaster Alsumaria
Such is the case for Newtec with Iraqi satellite broadcaster Alsumaria — that company has reached the third stage of its investment in Newtec’s modulation equipment with DualFlow™ and FlexACM® technologies, as part of its migration towards tapeless news production. Since 2004, Alsumaria has established itself as one of the most dynamic and popular broadcasters in Iraq. The latest stage of its infrastructure project involves the installation of DualFlow and FlexACM in its fleet of DSNG units for increased productivity, faster delivery of news content and reduced costs. Alsumaria’s fleet can now deliver live transmission of MPEG-4 over IP, with the dual capability of switching to ASI when required, thanks to DualFlow. Staff can also achieve file transfers and downloads between the DSNG units and the production centre, increasing speed of response to unfolding events. DualFlow technology further increases the productivity of DSNG crews by enabling VoIP connection with the studio, together with e-mail and broadband Internet. Alsumaria’s implementation of Newtec’s FlexACM in its DSNG fleet gives the broadcaster an extended reach in the satellite footprint, with five occasional use slots achieved in only 4MHz. The modems with FlexACM functionality allow high speed file transfers between the DSNG and the studio/playout/editing site. The Newtec EL810 Mobile PEP-Box® Terminal was added to achieve file transfers adding compression and real broadband experience.
Alsumaria’s homepage…DualFlow modems give Alsumaria TV the ability to deliver MPEG-4 live streaming and to store and forward video files. The Newtec solution provides comprehensive control of the quality of service and higher dedicated throughput than traditional VSAT (shared MF-TDMA) systems, together with lower delay, higher availability and better throughput. DualFlow allows broadcasters to transport IP over satellite in the most efficient way, either separately or in combination with traditional ASI live streams on the same carrier. DualFlow supports both IP and ASI interfaces, allowing broadcasters to make the transition to IP connectivity at any time. When used on a modem, DualFlow fully enables two-way IP interactivity over satellite, making it possible to introduce new services into the broadcast workflows, such as real-time interviews, VoIP coordination channels, file upload and download, and remote access to tapeless production infrastructures. By turning DSNG vans into remote offices, DualFlow increases the productivity of the remote teams.