1 APAC NEWS APAC NEWS APAC NEWS APAC NEWS APAC NEWS APAC NEWS www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 9 - Issue 4 | April 2019

Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV has

selected Harmonic’s advanced media server for UHD playout.

By simplifying the delivery of UHD channels for CCTV, Harmonic enables a more vivid television experience for more than a billion viewers.

“As more and more consumers purchase UHD TV sets, it’s important that we satisfy the demand for higher resolution content,” said Song Wei, Director of Broadcast Department II, Broadcast and Transmission Center at CCTV. “After using Harmonic’s media servers for years, we knew it

would provide the reliability, workflow simplicity and operational savings needed to successfully launch our UHD channels.”

Harmonic’s Spectrum X media server reduces the complexity of broadcast workflows by merging multiple capabilities, such as file, baseband, and transport stream ingest, with integrated channel playout.

CCTV Delivers Vivid UHD With Harmonic

InAPAC

Mediacorp has become the first media company in Southeast Asia

to secure broadcast rights to Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

The company has obtained sole rights in Singapore to broadcast the Olympic Games from Dentsu, which had been awarded exclusive broadcast rights for the Olympic Games in 22 territories in Asia by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Ms Tham Loke Kheng, CEO, Mediacorp said: “The Olympic Games is a global event that inspires people the world over and unites nations like no other. We’re excited about bringing the greatest sporting moments

and the most compelling stories of human ambition and sacrifice synonymous with the Olympic Games to Singaporeans. We especially look forward to shining the spotlight on Team Singapore and rallying Singaporeans behind their amazing endeavours.”

Tokyo 2020, featuring 33 different sports in 339 events, is scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020.

Beijing 2022, scheduled to take place from February 4 to 20, 2022, will feature seven new events for a total of 109 events.

Mediacorp will deliver multi-platform coverage live, delayed and via catch

Mediacorp Secures Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Rights

Mediacorp CEOTham Loke Kheng

Qvest Media has been granted the contract to build the required

systems for a multi-platform news

and media centre owned by Asharq News Services in the heart of Dubai’s financial district.

This will lead Bloomberg Asharq to deliver news across online, social, TV and radio services around the clock to the Arabic speaking population around the world.

This project is the first in the MENA region to use IP technology throughout its entire media infrastructure. The use of virtualised on-premise systems and cloud applications as a hybrid architecture for content aggregation, production and distribution also plays a key role.

“We are delighted that we have been

able to impress Asharq News Services Ltd. with our expertise in the digital transformation of the media sector,” said Philipp Glänzel, Principal at Qvest Media. “With this project, we are once again setting the benchmark for the creation of innovative and digitally networked media architectures in the fields of online, social media and broadcasting.”

Following the technology analysis and agreement on the system design, Qvest Media is now starting the process of integrating the media and IT systems. The technological design is based on a full-IP network compliant with SMPTE ST 2110.

Qvest Awarded Asharq Media Centre

Qvest “setting the benchmark,”Philipp Glänzel

Jacen Tan’s Zombiepura

Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve and DaVinci Resolve Advanced

Panel was used for colour correction of Singapore’s first zombie comedy, Zombiepura.

The film is the first full-length feature directed by internationally known short film filmmaker, Jacen Tan, who also was part of the post-production team grading Zombiepura with DaVinci Resolve.

“DaVinci Resolve has always been the go to system in this region for colour grading for the big screen. For Zombiepura, I was inspired by classic horror and action films from the 80s. The story is a blend of horror and comedy, so we had to keep a balance between the post apocalyptic desaturated look, and the bright colours of a comedy,” said Tan. “I was very pleased when I watched it for the first time on a cinema screen. I was especially pleased with how the colours brought out the mood and tone of the story.”

DaVinci Resolve was used during pre-production to create LUTs and dial in camera looks for Tan’s vision.

The film, which was presented at Cannes in 2018, was recently purchased by Korea’s Contents Panda and GSC Movies, and was shown in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Cambodia. It is slated to open in the Philippines in 2019.

Hit ZomCom Graded On Davinci Resolve

“As one of the biggest broadcasters in Asia Pacific, CCTV is at the forefront of innovation by testing new technologies, and this deployment is a great example of its commitment to bringing outstanding video experiences to viewers,” said Tony Berthaud, Vice President of Sales and Services, APAC, at Harmonic.

Relying on the modernised, software-based playout solution, which supports both SDI and IP environments, CCTV is able to deliver UHD content with the utmost efficiency and quality.

Combined with Harmonic’s Spectrum MediaCenter storage, the solution also provides CCTV with a reliable file system and communication management.

up, on television, digitally, over radio, on outdoor displays and on social media.

Mediacorp has also clinched the broadcast rights to the next two upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne in 2020 and Dakar in 2022.

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APAC NEWS APAC NEWS APAC NEWS APAC NEWS APAC NEWS APAC NEWS www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 9 - Issue 4 | April 2019

Conax GO LiveAPAC FirstMMR: NAGRA has announced the first APAC deployment of its Conax GO Live multiscreen OTT solution with Canal+ Myanmar FG.The service enables subscribers to watch linear pay-TV channels on iOS or Android devices, with support for Apple AirPlay and Google Cast.Running on the AWS cloud, the offering operates on the Conax Contego unified content security platform with multi-DRM support.GO Live offers advanced features such as start-over and catch-up TV with full EPG features.

Dijlah TVPebble UpgradeIRQ: Dijlah TV has selected Pebble Beach Systems’ Dolphin integrated channel device and Marina automation solution to upgrade its Iraq-based playout operation.A long-time user of Stingray, Pebble Beach Systems’ compact channel-in-a-box solution, Dijlah TV was looking to implement a fully redundant automation solution with no single point of failure, that encompasses ingest, content management and playout functionality.Operating under the control of the Marina automation system, Dolphin delivers highly automated integrated functionality and multi-channel playout.

Ward JoinsAllen & HeathGBR: Allen & Heath has announced the appointment of Jamie Ward as Sales Director APAC.Reporting to the company’s recently appointed Sales Director, Markus Sinsel, Ward will be travelling extensively to support and develop Allen & Heath’s APAC distribution partners, working closely with them to grow sales opportunities across multiple vertical markets, from touring sound to installed audio solutions.Having held key international sales positions with The Stanton Group, Harman and most recently, Community Professional, Ward also has extensive history with Allen & Heath, having previously been with the company from 2000-2007.

TVU Networks has announced a partnership

with KT Corp to bring UHD broadcast over KT’s 5G enterprise network.

Under the terms of the agreement, KT and TVU Networks will work collaboratively to establish an enterprise 5G network and related broadcast capabilities in Korea.

KT, formerly known as Korea Telecom, showcased the world’s first trial 5G services during the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in February 2018.

KT also broadcast live the last

concert of K-pop group Wanna One on its IPTV service, Olleh TV, earlier this year. The broadcast was delivered through set-top boxes and mobile devices using the 5G network. KT is

TVU NetworksPartners KT Corp

KT Chairman and CEO Hwang Chang-Gyu unveils 5G plan

Fresh from successful presences at the CABSAT and Telemetry shows

in March, ViaLite will be exhibiting at four more shows worldwide this year, starting with NAB in Las Vegas in April.

The other exhibitions are Satellite in Washington DC, CommunicAsia in Singapore, and IBC in Amsterdam.

This marks the first time ViaLite has exhibited at CommunicAsia, which is

a key international communication and broadcast technology trade event for satellite operators, system integrators and media/entertainment professionals.

An innovative product being showcased at all of these shows is the new C-Band Link, which generated plenty of excitement with live demonstrations held at its CABSAT launch in Dubai.

Providing the widest frequency band of all ViaLite’s RF over fibre links, with an operational range of 500MHz to 7.5GHz, it is suitable for use in a wide array of satcom and

broadcast applications as well as some surveillance and weather radar systems.

By removing the need for a down converter to convert signals to an IF band, the C-Band Link reduces deployment costs and complexity.

A further benefit is that there is no signal attenuation across the site from the dish to the operations centre.

ViaLite RF Over Fibre Links on ShowViaLite C-Band

OEM module

ViaLite is exhibiting atCommunicAsia in Singapore

Al Rayyan TV Channel has centralised all of its media operations on the

Dalet Galaxy five media platform.Mohamad Naim Al Said, Engineering

Department Director, Al Rayyan, said: “The business goal driving this upgrade is to meet the needs and expectations of the Qatari viewers and expatriates for a more robust programme offering.”

The full implementation of Dalet Galaxy five allows Al Rayyan to build an end-to-end digital content supply chain that connects and unifies all operations and processes from ingest to post-production, to distribution over satellite and social media channels, to

archives.Key components include a

centralised content catalogue (MAM), search and media management; seamless collaboration between all users, including editors on Adobe Premiere Pro CC through Dalet Xtend; centralised ingest management through Dalet Brio video server, and Dalet AmberFin scalable transcoding.

“Two main sections of Al Rayyan Engineering Department such as MCR, Ingest, and Broadcast IT Teams which are being headed by Ghandi Elghotmi and Riyaz Mirza respectively, planned, initiated and completed the work tirelessly with SMC and Dalet during

the launching of Dalet MAM System on the migration project,” he said.

Dalet Professional Services and local business partner Salam Media Cast collaborated with Al Rayyan Team through the entire process.

Al Rayyan TV Builds Future On Dalet

Mohamad Naim Al Said, Al Rayyan

expected to launch the network’s full-scale commercialisation in April.

This recent partnership marks a major step in TVU Networks’ continued commitment to 5G technology. The company continuously collaborates

with regional providers around the world in their 5G deployment efforts, looking to implement that technology within its video over IP solutions.

TVU Networks will work closely with KT to provide 4K UHD broadcast technology and services that meet KT’s 5G device standards. KT will provide technical support such as device standards and

a testing environment.SBS is working with KT

to develop the broadcast capabilities of this new 5G network.

Barnfind Technologies is opening an office in Beijing China, which

will allow the company to provide greater customer support, service and sales to its customers in the Asia-Pacific region.Barnfind CEO Wiggo Evensen said: “After seeing continuous and successful sales growth in China and the overall Asia-Pacific market, Barnfind, working closely with our partner distributor Digi-Red, is very excited to open the doors of our newest office, expand our service and support and bring our advanced technology solutions to customers in this market.“In addition, the new office will serve as a Barnfind Norway’s warehouse and service hub for any other Asian countries in need of our services. There are already a number of active projects underway inside and outside of China.”At the CCBN show, Barnfind introduced its BTF1-41 frame to the Asian market. The frame is the company’s most advanced unit to date and the first BarnOne with multi-format 12G

capacity that permits the conversion, routing and distribution of 4K content. 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 (4,4,4) capture, processing and distribution systems are helping broadcasters produce content never before imagined but they are hindered by the size of a facility or the location of a control room relative to the studio.The BTF1-41 frame empowers engineering and production professionals to easily overcome these distance limitations by combining conversion to fibre (and back to copper), distribution and routing of

32+ signals in a 1RU package. SDI signals (up to 12G-SDI), HDMI 2.0 feeds, CCU/CAM signalling, KVM and Ethernet can all be converted, distributed, transported and routed in one convenient and easy-to-use package.The BTF1-41 frame’s future-proof technology addresses emerging formats such as 4K, HDMI 2.0 and IP 2110 with a network of functions that will support multiviewers, signal processing and compression in the future in addition to the traditional functionality for which Barnfind is known.

“This future-proof technology supports all emerging and all existing signal formats (including analogue video) allowing facility designers and production engineers to utilise brand new and legacy technology in their work seamlessly with practically no distance limitations,” explains Evensen. “It serves as a multi-functional, signal neutral fibre transport platform that widens system design capabilities while permitting system reconfiguration on-the-fly. An optional mid-board section allows third-party vendor technology to be integrated into the platform guaranteeing its longevity and functionality will be upgraded constantly making it resistant to obsolescence.”“For years, Barnfind has been establishing itself in the Chinese market,” adds Barnfind’s Elaine Sun, Sales Manager China. “With this new office, we have taken a very important step forward to increase our presence in this important region and address customer needs more efficiently and effectively.”

Barnfind Launches China-Based Office

Barnfind BTF1-41 boastsmulti-format 12G functionality

The New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) recently

called on solutions from Lawo to further revise and streamline its production model.Now operating four OBs instead of six, with three Mercedes Sprinter vans and a fixed site to cover metropolitan race events from a central control room, using Lawo’s Virtual Studio Manager (VSM) provides integrated control.In 2017, and with OB trucks that were close on a decade of very hard use, the NZRB faced 1,100 OB days racing across the country each year – raised the opportunity of mixed OB and Remote Production.Following a move to an IP Layer 3 network, Phase 2 of the project saw the NZRB team work with Sony on four HD-capable and scalable OB trucks. As part of this design the NZRB team identified VSM as integral to achieving the same flexibility and scalability as seen in the Remote Production model,

allowing the shared use of ‘Expansion’ vehicles to seamlessly enhance capability such as extra workspaces and camera count.VSM provides operators with overarching control over their systems in an extremely adaptable way – user panels and interfaces can be configured without limitation in order to meet the requirements of different workflows and applications, with the whole system under redundant control.“One of the key selling points of VSM

was the portfolio of support and compatibility for third-party protocols, in addition to Lawo’s own products with Ember+. This was key given the wide range of products used in the design of the HD OBs, without compromising on capability,” says NZRB Broadcast Engineer, Michael Tompkins.As Lawo regional representative, Professional Audio & Television (PAT) was instrumental in the successful application of the advanced technology underlying the migration.

“Initially, we had several whiteboard sessions that gave us confidence we had a solid idea that could work,” says NZRB’s Vision Capture Project SME, Jamie Annan. “PAT had the knowledge and expertise to assist in design, configure and troubleshoot a system using the equipment they sold, rather than being there just to sell a product.”Using the 1Gbps Layer 3 network between remote site and control room, and 10Gbps Layer 3 between control rooms, the new model uses a mix of J2K, SMPTE 2022-6, and AES67/Ravenna to provide video and audio between each layer of production under a VSM control system run from two separate locations, ensuring geographical redundancy.NZRB handles New Zealand’s Totalisator Agency Board (TAB) operation for thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing, scheduling daily racing and selling racing and sports bets through a retail network, online and telephony channels.NZRB is also behind the broadcast of racing on two national television channels and Trackside Radio.

Racing Board Harnesses Lawo’s VSM

Vision Control -VSM provide adaptable set-ups

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InAPAC

SATELLITE NEWS SATELLITE NEWS SATELLITE NEWS SATELLITE NEWS SATELLITE NEWS www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 9 - Issue 4 | April 20195

Singapore Technologies Engineering (Europe) is to

acquire 100% ownership of Newtec for €250m (US$ 281m).

“This proposed acquisition expands our satcom business in a meaningful way in an attractive industry that is high-tech and high-growth, driving connectivity advances in a world where 5G and satcom converge,” said Vincent Chong, President & CEO, ST Engineering.

“It aligns with our strategy to invest in businesses that help accelerate our growth trajectory, especially in Smart City, to deliver long-term shareholder value.”

“We are pleased to be able to acquire Newtec, an established

satcom player with strong technology foundations. The differentiated yet complementary technologies, combined with our track record and established satcom experience, will enable us to innovate and deliver more value-added, advanced satellite

products and capabilities to our customers, at a more rapid pace,” said Ravinder Singh, President, Electronics sector, ST Engineering.

“This coming together of two companies will enable us to move forward together, using our deep-rooted passion for innovation to address our rapidly changing world of connectivity,” said Roald Borré, Chairman of Newtec Board of Directors.”

When combined, the business is expected to produce about S$200m (US$147m) in value creation arising from revenue and cost synergies.

The deal is subject to regulatory approvals from the relevant regulatory bodies.

ST Engineering Spends €250m On Newtec

(L-R) Ravinder Singh, President, Electronics, ST Engineering;and Roald Borré, Chairman of Newtec Board of Directors

InSAT

BBright Unveils UHD-Channel ServerBBright will bring its newest

playout/video production server, the UHD-Channel, to NAB.

CEO, BBright CEO Guillaume Arthuis said: “Part of a completely revamped, scalable and flexible software architecture, named B-Media, this new video production server is the first phase of an ambitious platform development gearing toward a full Channel-in-a-Box (CiaB) for the 4K-UHD market.”

UHD-Channel supports SDR and HDR XAVC pivot files and outputs uncompressed baseband video over quad 3G-SDI or 12G-SDI (with SMPTE-2110 on the roadmap). Several

logo insertions can be managed as secondary events. This new playout server interfaces smoothly with third-party automation system vendors, thanks to VDCP or REST API protocol support.

UHD-Channel embeds 6TB RAID storage, while direct NAS playout is also possible thanks to its dedicated 10Gbps network interfaces. SCTE-104 trigger insertions opens up the possibility of any content replacement

or add insertions into the downstream delivery. Several use-cases can be envisioned for OB trucks/live sport production

or a UHD channel Master Control Room and dedicated playout centre.

BBright has already integrated and will demonstrate the ability for UHD-Channel to be controlled by the flagship Marina automation solution from Pebble Beach Systems.

Tamas Vass, Chief Marketing Officer, Pebble beach Systems, said: “We are pleased to have achieved the integration with BBright in a very short timeframe. This truly shows the flexibility of our automation solution.”

BBright’s UHD-Channel

NorsatProducts Address 5G Interference

Globecast has launched Globecast Live which aims to bring any event

to any screen.This allows customers – both

broadcast and B2B – to benefit from a fully integrated contribution and Digital Media Hub (DMH) content processing workflow.

Combining its live content acquisition expertise – from major sporting competitions to smaller-scale B2B events – with its DMH cross-platform suite of content publishing services, Globecast has created a turnkey live content solution from any event to any screen.

Globecast Live works for both the

broadcast and B2B communication markets, allowing the capture and publishing of live content suitable for intranets, extranets, social media, short- and long-form VOD, linear broadcast and OTT services in all their forms. Content can also be stored and made available for later use via Content Marketplace, which is part of DMH.

Globecast offers a range of cost-effective contribution solutions that can be quickly and easily deployed. From the small-vehicle M’ICar offering a hybrid of cellular bonding and Ka-band satellite connectivity through to a complete range of fibre and/or

satellite connectivity solutions that can be tailored to any event.

Globecast Live handles any video format. Two-way communication with those in the field – live video and intercom – is also available, as well as file transfer.

Turnkey Globecast Live Launches

Globecast Live SNG vehicle

Norsat International, a provider of unique and customised

communication solutions for remote and challenging applications, has launched a family of products and solutions to address interference issues for the forthcoming introduction of 5G within the C-band spectrum.

Norsat’s 5G interference product family includes:• 3200-BPF – This family of C-band

phase-locked loop (PLL) LNBs can mitigate 5G signals up to -20 dBm with no performance degradation. This high-performance LNB can be used in conjunction with our BPF-C filters for greater rejection.• BPF-C Band Pass Filter comes

in a variety of frequency ranges with variable rejection offerings.• Custom LNB and Filters – As every

installation is unique depending on the antenna position relative to the 5G source, Norsat can also provide custom variants of these products to meet special requirements.• Solutions – Norsat offers

consulting services to provide complete solutions for existing networks experiencing 5G issues.

This new series of products is ideally suited for existing installations or new installations needing to mitigate interference with the onset of 5G.

Norsat will be launching and showcasing these products at NAB.

These products are available to order with first shipments scheduled for Q2 2019.

Norsat C-Band 5Ginterference solution

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Telesat and OmniAccess have signed a major, multi-year contract for

broadband service on Telesat’s global LEO satellite constellation.

OmniAccess, the first broadband provider worldwide to contract for the service, will become an important partner for Telesat LEO.

“It is difficult to overestimate the impact the advent of Telesat’s unique LEO service will have on the maritime industry at large,” said Bertrand Hartman, CEO and Founder of OmniAccess. “Telesat LEO will allow us to offer a truly global service, combining an extreme level of availability, unprecedented speed levels and an ultra-low latency that rivals, or even exceeds, the fastest of today’s land-based fibre-connections.

“For the first time in history, onboard systems and services will no longer be restricted by the limits imposed by today’s GEO & MEO-based

technologies, finally bridging a digital divide that has held back onboard IT applications for so long.”

Telesat President and CEO Dan Goldberg, said: “This commitment by

OmniAccess to Telesat LEO is another strong endorsement of the transformational

design and performance advantages of our system.”

The agreement provides OmniAccess with certain limited exclusivity to serve the superyacht market.

OmniAccess SignsOn For Telesat LEO

Telesat’s LEO constellationcomes online in 2022

OmniAccess specialisesin maritime connectivity

Newtec has successfully deployed two Newtec Dialog hubs in the UK

and Finland for Middle East satellite operator Arabsat to enable the company to deliver High Throughput Satellite (HTS) services into the Middle East and African markets.

Arabsat is the leading satellite service provider in the Arab world and has been serving the region with its telecommunications and broadcast services for more than 40 years.

“Both our teams worked tirelessly and collaborated with goodwill and professionalism to ensure that

the project was completed on time and on budget to Arabsat’s exact requirements,” said Sander Boom, Chief Operations Officer at Newtec. “I was impressed with the way in which our teams worked through any challenges together with one aim – to get the job done and to enable Arabsat to extend its service portfolio.”

Despite the complexity of the project, and the many elements involved to bring it to completion, the commitment from both companies further reinforced the strong partnership that exists between

Newtec and Arabsat, established over many years.

The contract, that will enable Arabsat to deliver a new suite of services including Enterprise and VNO services, IP Trunking and Mobile Backhaul for 3G and 4G services.

Arabsat Deploys Newtec Dialog Hubs

Newtec Dialog hubs provide HTS services

Gogo recently committed to moving its entire infrastructure to Amazon

Web Services (AWS).The move provides a Gogo with

a range of AWS services that help the company to develop and deploy applications in hours instead of days, double the number of airlines it supports, and take an idea from concept to production much faster.

The company also uses AWS Elemental Live video processing and delivery to provide the consistency and low latency required for live and on-demand video at 30,000 feet.

Gogo’s transition to AWS comes at

a time when the demand for content is intensifying, with 60% of global airline passengers citing in-flight Wi-Fi availability as a necessity when choosing an airline and booking a flight [Source: Inmarsat Global Inflight Connectivity Survey, 2017]. That number is considerable given

that the equivalent of more than half the world’s population (4.1 billion) took off in airplanes in 2017 [Source: International Civil Aviation Organization, 2018].

Gogo’s live TV service, GogoTV, relies extensively on AWS Elemental solutions to power transcoding for 24 live TV channels across five airlines.

Distributed from a centralised headend in the U.S., GogoTV captures content from international providers.

That content is backhauled via fibre to the Gogo IPTV headend, where it is transcoded to HEVC using AWS Elemental Live.

Gogo TV Reaches New Heights With AWS

Rohde & Schwarz Boosts TransmittersGER: Rohde & Schwarz has added the R&S THV9evo transmitter for VHF band III to its family of transmitters for DTV and DAB.It covers the key digital standards and the new ATSC 3.0 transmission standard.The R&S THV9evo software implementation enables network operators to exploit the full capabilities of the standard and offers flexibility in fulfilling future requirements.Integrated signal analysis gives the operator immediate feedback on signal quality without additional test equipment.

ENCO BringsWebDAD To NABUSA: Billed as a key component of its ‘Studio in a Cloud’ strategy, ENCO will show its second-generation WebDAD platform at NAB.Part of ENCO’s encloud family of solutions, the enhanced WebDAD will be positioned as its central radio demonstration at the show, highlighting how broadcasters can now take direct control of studio operations from any remote location with a web connection.WebDAD offers a fully-virtualised platform, empowering cloud-based operation through an updated HTML5-enabled user interface.

C-Band AllianceAppoints PitschUSA: The C-Band Alliance (CBA) has appointed Peter Pitsch as Head of Advocacy and Government Affairs.Pitsch previously served as Associate General Counsel for Intel Corporation, where he was responsible for global telecommunications policy, a position from which he retired in 2018.Since October 2017, Pitsch advocated in support of the CBA’s market-based proposal on behalf of Intel.The CBA is the entity that proposes to implement a safe and efficient clearing and repurposing of mid-band ‘C-band’ downlink spectrum to accelerate the deployment of 5G services in the U.S.The CBA was formed by Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat, the band’s incumbents and the leading continental U.S. satellite services operators.

According to Rakesh Kukreja, Managing Director of iSAT Africa,

the company is establishing new VSAT networks using the highly reputable and reliable SKYWAN 5G technology. ND SatCom FZE, situated in Dubai, UAE, is delivering the product and providing technical support.

In a current project, iSAT is connecting a UK location with multiple stations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Union of the Comoros. This network uses channels for data and Internet traffic segregated at the VLAN level with end-to-end VLAN tagging.

The available satellite capacity is pooled, with a restricted bandwidth share for data and Internet for the Comoros, and with the potential for Democratic Republic of the Congo stations to get the entire pool capacity when it is not fully used by other stations. With additional MF-TDMA channels, this shared network can grow in the future.

In an interview with ND SatCom, Rakesh Kukreja explains the reasons iSAT selected SKYWAN 5G technology.

ND SatCom: iSAT has become a well-known company when it comes to connectivity in Africa. Can you tell us something about your core business?

Rakesh Kukreja: Our customers include the leading media and network companies, multinationals, ISPs, Telcos and governmental agencies and entities. We work closely with our partners and service providers to create the best solutions for

Data, Internet, Voice and Video requirements for our customers using satellite and terrestrial infrastructure. Our mission is to transform the way Africa gets and stays connected with the rest of the world through our carrier grade connectivity for voice, Internet, data and video applications increasing business opportunities and improving lives in all kinds of diverse and challenging environments.

ND SatCom: Your company has been growing at a fast pace since its inception. What are your plans for the future?

RK: We want to continue, through our Satellite Teleport Services, to offer solutions that deliver efficient, reliable and affordable data, Internet, voice and video connectivity to enterprises, governments, carriers, media and broadcasting, whilst providing value

to our customers through comprehensive end-to-end solutions, turn-key projects, managed network services and network outsourcing. Through these services iSAT Africa will continue to set standards for transmission in rural and urban regions of Sub-Saharan Africa.

ND SatCom: iSAT’s experts are very knowledgeable when it comes to communications and, especially, satellite communications. What was your major incentive in selecting ND SatCom knowing you already had two satellite modem vendors in place?

RK: It’s all about finding the best solution to fit customer requirements. ND SatCom’s SKYWAN 5G is not a

low-cost modem to be used as a CPE device for best effort internet service. It’s a state-of-the-art modem capable of serving telecom, enterprise, governmental and military customers. When we see requirements for bigger inbound channels we always use the SKYWAN solution. There is no other system with such good return efficiency.

ND SatCom: What other advantages of the SKYWAN 5G solution would you highlight, and how satisfied are you with ND SatCom as a technological partner?

RK: iSAT Africa especially like the real pay-as-you-grow concept, where we did not have to invest a great deal to buy a big hub, but we can scale networks as we like, being that any single network node can be upgraded to a hub with just a software license. We were also amazed with overbooking capabilities of the modem, which are in the range of terrestrial systems like MPLS and microwave. Then, of course, there is the famous mesh capability, which delivers single hop connectivity between any two stations without limitations, slicing the delay and satellite cost in half. As for ND SatCom, they have an impeccable reputation from decades of serving high-profile customers like governments, air traffic control and the military. Their understanding of the market, their delivery and support are simply first class.

ND SatCom’s SKYWAN 5G now supports data encryption for security-conscious customers through a hardware module featuring the 256-

bit advanced encryption standard (AES-256). SKYWAN 5G customers can simply plug this module into existing VSAT networks to activate the encryption function. Since software release 1.4, this module supports all SKYWAN 5G rack systems delivered to date as well as new SKYWAN outdoor systems.

iSAT’s Satellite Solutions, backed by powerful satellites, teleport infrastructure and the latest technology solutions, are unique in the industry, whether it’s for transmission of video, internet, data or voice services.

ND SatComWith over three decades of

experience, ND SatCom is the premier supplier of and integrator for innovative satellite communication equipment systems and solutions to support customers with critical operations anywhere in the world.

Customers in more than 130 countries have chosen ND SatCom as a trusted and reliable source of high-quality and secure turnkey and custom system-engineered communication solutions.

The company’s products and solutions are used in more than 200 transnational networks in government, military, telecom and broadcast environments.

ND SatCom’s unique SKYWAN technology enables international users to communicate securely, effectively and quickly over satellite.

For further information on the SKYWAN 5G product, visit the website at www.ndsatcom.com/SKYWAN5G

iSAT selects ND SatCom’s SKYWAN 5GND SatCom recently announced the partnership with iSAT Africa, a fast growing fixed-satellite solution service provider... ND SatCom SKYWAN 5G Outdoor Unit

iSAT Africa Managing Director,

Rakesh Kukreja

iSAT Africa,powerful satellite solutions

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