Telekom Austria and ANTIK pick EUTELSAT for 'ANTIK Sat' DTH

Telekom Austria Group and ANTIK Telecom pick EUTELSAT 16A satellite for new “ANTIK Sat” TV platform in Slovakia and Czech Republic

• Telekom Austria Group doubles capacity on EUTELSAT 16A from four to eight transponders
• ANTIK Telekom chooses Telekom Austria Group’s direct2home white-label DTH platform for new TV service in Slovakia and Czech Republic
• Initial offer of nearly 100 channels, one third in HD
• First satellite TV service with online archive and second-screen for Slovakia and Czech Republic
• Further expansion of Telekom Austria Group platform services on Eutelsat satellites planned in new markets

VIENNA — Telekom Austria Group, Austria’s leading telco, and ANTIK Telekom, the largest regional telco in Slovakia, have selected the EUTELSAT 16A satellite of Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) for their new Direct-to-Home platform for the Slovak and Czech market. Called ANTIK Sat, the new platform is due to launch early next month. In order to support ANTIK Sat’s strong line-up of 90+ channels, of which one third in High Definition, Telekom Austria Group is doubling capacity leased on the EUTELSAT 16A satellite from four to eight transponders. The announcements were made today by the three companies at a press conference during IBC in Amsterdam.

ANTIK Sat is a joint development initiated by Telekom Austria Group and ANTIK Telekom. ANTIK Telecom will now add satellite broadcasting to its expertise in Internet, IPTV and VoIP services via fibre and wireless infrastructure. The platform will include local channels for Slovak and Czech markets and a wide range of international channels. It will also feature an online archive which marks an innovation for a satellite service in both countries. Second-screen online solutions for smart devices will also be available.

Telekom Austria Group will provide a broad portfolio of platform services to ANTIK Telekom, ranging from licensing, encoding with MPEG-4 compression, encryption with Conax and uplinking to EUTELSAT 16A from its teleport in Aflenz.

The new service will be marketed on-line and through more than 150 independent distributors across both countries. In a second stage ANTIK plans to offer hybrid boxes combining satellite reception and IP services. It will also seek to forge partnerships with other service providers in Slovak and Czech markets. ANTIK will provide the new TV service at no additional cost to existing customers of its Internet packages and has developed special offers for new customers, such as a below one euro starter package and rich HD content packages with mobile TV services included. End users of Internet providers can now watch television at favourable rates included in their Internet or phone packages. Vouchers and set-top boxes can be ordered online and bought at well-known electronics outlets and retail chains.

“Two years ago Telekom Austria Group kicked off a new satellite broadcasting venture with Eutelsat aimed at accelerating the transition from analogue to digital in Central and Eastern Europe,” said Stefan Amon, Director Wholesale, Telekom Austria Group. “Following our remarkable success in Croatia and Bulgaria we have found an innovative leader with ANTIK Telekom who is willing to go the extra mile in providing a satellite TV platform and related services in the region. In addition to deep insight of local markets our new partner brings exceptional technological competence and extensive experience that enriches our product with compelling features such as the TV archive and mobile TV.”

Igor Kolla, General Manager of Antik Telecom added: “The agreement with our Austrian partner ensures our further expansion in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and opens new business fields for us. In addition to our own customers we intend to address other Slovak and Czech providers who keen to offer TV services. Our joint turnkey solution enables them to address their subscribers with TV services combined with Internet and telephony at favourable rates without initial investment.”

Apostolos Triantafyllou, Eutelsat’s Senior Vice President for Sales in German-speaking markets, Central Europe the Caucasus and Central Asia summed up: “The launch of ANTIK Sat and Telekom Austria Group’s doubling of capacity on our EUTELSAT 16A satellite reflects the core value of our infrastructure for extending penetration of digital services into homes in Central and Eastern Europe. It also further anchors our EUTELSAT 16A satellite in the dynamic CEE TV market. We look forward to taking the next steps with our partner Telekom Austria Group into new growth markets.”

Telekom Austria launches OTT platform

Austria’s national telco A1 Telekom Austria has launched an OTT service offering more than 40 TV channels as live-streams for reception via smartphone, tablet and internet.

A1 Now also contains a video-on-demand (VOD) service with around 3,000 movies and series episodes as well as a cloud recorder through which viewers can watch the TV channels up to seven days in retrospective or record individual TV programmes.

A1 Now is available to all Austrians independent of their internet service provider (ISP) and form of internet access (mobile network, fixed-line or cable internet, Wi-Fi).

As part of a beta test, 1,000 interested users can test A1 Now. To take part, they have to register at A1 Now between August 3 and 9, 2015. The results of the trial will be incorporated into the regular service.

Telekom Austria wins merger approval

The Macedonian Competition Authority has approved the merger of the Telekom Austria Macedonian subsidiary Vip Operator and Telekom Slovenije’s Macedonian subsidiary One.

The approval is based on certain commitments, such as MVNO access offered by the merged entity to interested parties, and the deal is expected to close in Q4 this year.

Telekom Austria announced on October 22, 2014 that it had agreed with Telekom Slovenije to merge their subsidiaries Vip Operator and One. It will hold a 55% stake in the new entity and have sole control, while Telekom Slovenije will hold 45%.

The agreement also includes call and put options for the exit of Telekom Slovenije from the joint venture within three years of the closing of the merger.

One is the third largest mobile network operator in the Republic of Macedonia with a mobile market share of 25.4% and around 715,000 customers as of the end of 2014.

It had revenues and EBITDA of approximately €75.7 million and €10.6 million respectively last year.

Telekom Austria/Telemach eye Slovenian deal

Telekom Austria and Telemach are looking into the possibility of acquiring Tusmobil, one of the largest mobile operators in Slovenia.

Quoting United Group, which owns Telemach, Finance reports that it is interested in all companies that may be on sale in Slovenia, ranging from Tusmobil and Debitel to T-2 and small cable operators.

However, it added that it could not add more at this stage as talks are ongoing.

The selling price for Tusmobil is understood to be in the region of €150 million.

Telekom Austria has a presence in Slovenia through a subsidiary named Si.mobil.

Earlier this year it acquired almost half the spectrum on offer in an auction for a fee of €64 million.

Telekom Austria eyes DTH expansion

Telekom Austria is planning to make its white label DTH service more widely available.

Speaking exclusively toBroadband TV News, company executives said it would launch in one more market in the next few weeks and two further markets in the next six months.

Stanislav Georgiev, group wholesale, head of group media & content, said that the company had opted for Eutelsat’s 16 degrees East as it is a young satellite position with very high potential. In terms of its offer, there are over 20 channels in the pipeline, 10 of which are in HD, to be uplinked in the next month.

This was the first of a three-part strategy for its white label product, the second being convergence, using DTH as an additional pay-TV instrument and third being an open platform, allowing new platforms to launch in an affordable way.

Nikola Francetic, group wholesale, head of group media, content & broadcast, said that Telekom Austria had recently set up a group level operation. While this was to use the scale of the TV business across the region, it was not centralising everything.

Looking to the future, he added that convergence would be a cornerstone of the company’s strategy, with a “key ingredient” being placing more emphasis on content.

Francetic also said he expected to see more consolidation in the market in the next one to two years.

Telekom Austria: challenging times in CEE

Telekom Austria’s subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe had mixed fortunes in Q2, though both Croatia’s Vipnet and Bulgaria’s M-Tel gained TV subscribers.

Vipnet ended Q2 with 162,900, up from 159,800 three months earlier and 149,800 in the same period in 2013.

Meanwhile, M-Tel had 78,800 in Q2, up from 77,300 three months earlier and 73,000 in Q2 2013.

M-Tel nevertheless continued to lose fixed retail broadband customers, ending Q2 with 148,500 (149,700 three months earlier), while Vipnet gained them (121,000 v 115,900).

Vipnet notes that it despite the challenging economic situation in Croatia, it invested €31 million in future technologies in H1, or 6.7% more than in the same period last year.

Its revenues in H1 amounted to €175.8 million (-7.6% year-on-year), while EBITDA amounted to €44.9 million (-26.2%).

However, revenues in its fixed segment grew by 9.8% in H1.

As previously reported in Broadband TV News, Telekom Austria’s latest set of results show the company going into the red.

Telekom Austria buys key cable operator

Telekom Austria has acquired a 100% stake in the cable operator blizoo Macedonia from Sweden’s EQT for an unknown fee.

Blizoo Macedonia is one of the leading cable operators in the country, with 63,000 subscribers, of whom 47,000 receive broadband services.

Its revenues in 2013 amounted to around €10 million.

Telekom Austria, which will finance the acquisition by existing cash flow, sees the developments as a significant step in its convergence strategy.

Once the transaction, which is subject to merger control clearance, is approved, it will allow Vip operator and blizoo to offer bundled fixed and mobile services in Macedonia and complement the Group’s existing convergent footprint in Austria, Bulgaria and Croatia.

According to Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO of Telekom Austria Group and A1, “The takeover of blizoo Macedonia allows us to offer the full scale of communications services in the fourth country within our group and is a step forward in the execution of our successful convergence strategy.”

Nikola Ljushev, CEO of Vip operator, added: “This move opens a broad range of exciting opportunities to Vip operator, the second largest mobile operator in the Republic of Macedonia, by bringing together complementary assets and capabilities for future success. We are very pleased that after years of strong performance in the mobile-only segment, we are stepping forward into fix-mobile convergence, that will ultimately bring even greater benefits to Vip’s and blizoo’s customers.”

Kiril Trendafilov, CEO blizoo Macedonia, continued: “It is great that we are becoming part of Telekom Austria Group as we know this will make us stronger and will ensure sustainable value growth for our shareholders. We are looking forward to sharing experiences and working together with Telekom Austria Group, in particular with Vip operator, in order to provide advanced products and services to our customers.”

EQT still remains in control of blizoo, the leading cable operator in Bulgaria.

The Macedonian deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

Telekom Austria selects Conax to secure new B2B satellite platform

Telekom Austria Group selects Conax to secure new B2B satellite platform “direct2home” for CEE

• Centralized content security operations providing streamlined service offering for Telekom Austria Group

OSLO and VIENNA — Conax, a leading global provider of solutions for securing digital video content distribution on all devices, today announced that Telekom Austria Group, a leading ICT services provider in the CEE region, has deployed a new B2B DTH satellite platform targeting Central and Eastern Europe including centralized conditional access based on Conax Contego™ Plus to ensure streamlined protection of content assets cross-platform. The new satellite solution “direct2home” is aimed at broadcasting companies as well as telecommunication operators, also widening Telekom Austria Group’s reach to add new business. Via this service broadcasters can deliver their content to new markets. Furthermore, it enables telecommunication operators to enter the Pay TV business without investing in infrastructure. The first Telco to deploy the new platform with Conax content security will be Telekom Austria Group’s subsidiary Vipnet based in Croatia. Vipnet will offer a new bouquet of DTH services alongside their CATV, IPTV and OTT business.

New CEE landscape and opportunities

The Conax Contego™ Plus content security solution will enable B2B clients in the Telekom Austria Group and other broadcasting companies and telecommunication operators in the CEE to secure additional new content revenue streams. Through the centralized solution, operators can position to rapidly extend their operational footprint with a bouquet of new content offerings and wide range of channels and services through a highly secure, seamless infrastructure and minimal upfront investment.

Stefan Amon, Director Wholesale, Telekom Austria Group, “Telekom Austria Group selected Conax as our security partner based on Conax’ strong reputation in CEE, proven centralized CAS solution and open STB partnering program enabling wide choice of security certified Set-top-boxes and attractive pricing.”

“Conax is delighted to be chosen by a leading ICT services provider like Telekom Austria Group to secure its new direct2home centralized pay-TV platform,” confirms Thomas Blichfeldt, VP EMEA Sales, Conax. “And working with the Telekom Austria Group team has been truly a pleasure. Telekom Austria Group has taken a forward-thinking approach to harnessing the opportunities of an evolving CEE landscape in deploying centralized operations for their 8 geographically widespread operations. Deploying centralized content security, operational infrastructure and shared content will create a robust business model for attracting new B2B customers.”

Telekom Austria launches white label DTH platform with Eutelsat

Telekom Austria is to use Eutelsat’s platform at 16° East to launch a white label DTH platform to deliver services to central and eastern Europe.

Telekom Austria Group has teamed up with Eutelsat to launch a satellite TV platform The solution involves a new B2B DTH platform, uplinking TV signals via Telekom Austria’s earth station in Aflenz/Styria to the Eutelsat satellite at the 16° East position for broadcasting to Central and Eastern Europe as well as wider regions of Western Europe.

Croatia’s Vipnet, backed by Telekom Austria, is the first customer for the platform. Adrian Jezina, member of the board at Vipnet, said his company expected strong growth in DTH following its acquisition of Digi in the Croatian market. Jezina said that satellite enabled Vipnet to fill in gaps in its fixed line coverage in the major cities as well as deliver services to rural areas.

“We find that in our fixed networks about 70% of customers are taking bundles,” he said. Vipnet is planning to launch a full suite of services over LTE in the near future. “Vipnet is a a national company and it really has national brand and marketing but that is not utilised across the whole country,” said Jezina. He said that in additional to delivering coverage, the satellite platform would enable it deliver various synergies. The launch of the Telekom Austria paltform enabled Vipnet to manage DTH economically wihtout making too risky an  investment on its own, said Jezina.

Apostolos Triantafyllou, Senior VP of Sales, Centra and Eastern Europe, Caucasus & Central Asia at Eutelsat, said that the satellite allowed reception via small antennas. He said that Eutelsat had grown its pay TV business at this position, with 10 pay operators, giving Eutelsat over 50% of the CEE pay TV market.

Telekom Austria enters satellite TV business with Eutelsat

Telekom Austria Group to extend multimedia business in CEE to Satellite with Eutelsat

• New ‘direct2home’ B2B platform for satellite Pay TV
• Extension to Satellite TV as the next step to convergence
• Central and Eastern Europe as a profitable target area due to digitalization of TV signals
• Croatian subsidiary Vipnet as first showcase
• EUTELSAT 16A satellite selected to host new platform

Telekom Austria Group today announced with Eutelsat its entry into a new business field of Satellite TV. The announcement was made at a joint press conference at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam. The solution involves a new B2B Direct-to-Home platform uplinking TV signals via Telekom Austria’s earth station in Aflenz/Styria to the EUTELSAT 16A satellite at the 16° East position for broadcasting to Central and Eastern Europe as well as wider regions of Western Europe. The term DTH (Direct To Home) stands for the reception of TV signals via an antenna installed at the home of the customers. DTH as a reception technology can be used for Pay TV as well as for free-to-air channels.

Satellite TV as the next step to convergence

In 2007, the Telekom Austria Group introduced its first convergent offers to the Austrian market comprising fixed line, mobile and broadband. Since then, different product combinations such as A1 TV, the IPTV offer of the Group, have been successfully commercialised. Following acquisitions concluded in Bulgaria in 2010 and Croatia in 2011, convergent product bundles have been launched in both countries. The 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 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.

For example, A1, the Austrian subsidiary of the Group was responsible for the worldwide distribution of TV signals during the European Football Championship UEFA EURO 2008 and was also a subcontractor of the Skiing World Championship in Schladming, Austria, earlier this year. The technical basis for the distribution of TV signals and data is the Group’s high performance backbone in Central and Eastern Europe (as well as in Western Europe via the partnership with KPN) and the Aflenz/Styria earth station which is embedded into its infrastructure. The Aflenz earth station hosts more than 50 antennas, uplinking signals to satellites for broadcasting to target regions.

Broadcasting as a new B2B business field

“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. Stefan Amon added that 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.

In response, the Telekom Austria Group has designed and implemented an open broadcasting solution seamlessly combining one earth station, one encryption system and set-top boxes from multiple suppliers. Its B2B “direct2home” solution is aimed at two target groups:

• Broadcasting companies: Via Telekom Austria’s DTH solution, broadcasters can extend their footprint in the CEE, taking advantage of the reach of EUTELSAT 16A. The solution consists of a seamless connection via Aflenz as well as various Pay TV programme packages and EPGs (Electronic Programme Guides)
• Telecommunication operators: The Telekom Austria Group is offering other telecommunication companies (IPTV, cable TV and network operators) a “White Label Solution”. Providers can offer their own content to customers with their own branding and use the technical service of Telekom Austria Group. The advantage of this offer is that providers can rapidly extend their market penetration, use cross-selling potential and benefit from a wide range of channels and services without upfront investment.

To support this new direction, Telekom Austria Group has selected capacity on the EUTELSAT 16A satellite located at 16° East, the key neighbourhood for broadcasting in Central and Eastern Europe. Apostolos Triantafyllou, Eutelsat Sales Director for the region said: “Telekom Austria Group’s choice of our satellite underscores the key role played by the 16° East neighbourhood and our ambition to further develop this orbital position. The excellent content already aggregated on EUTELSAT 16A and its established audience can benefit telecom operators who are seeking to quickly and efficiently bundle digital broadcasting with traditional telecom services.”

Vipnet multimedia company is the first DTH showcase

In 2011, Vipnet, the Croatian subsidiary of the Telekom Austria Group has entered the TV and fixed line business through its acquisition of B.net, a leading cable operator in Croatia. Through the successful integration of B.net, Vipnet has transformed into a convergent provider on the Croatian market. Since then, Vipnet has closed three more acquisitions in the fixed line business, further strengthening its position as a convergent player. In March 2013 Vipnet also acquired Digi Croatia, a provider of DTH services.

Vipnet will now use the new direct2home platform of the Telekom Austria Group in order to migrate Digi Croatia subscribers to the new platform and to the EUTELSAT 16A satellite. The new offer will be significantly improved in terms of range of services and image quality. Vipnet uses MPEG4 hybrid boxes which also enable a return channel via broadband (fixed line or mobile).

“With the direct2home platform, migration is easy and quick for subscribers. Using Telekom Austria’s new product portfolio, we are not only able to reach areas where we have our own fixed line infrastructure but we can also offer satellite TV across Croatia in one go. This is particularly valuable for rural areas and is a huge strength in the traditionally strong Pay TV market in Croatia,” said Adrian Jezina, former Director of B.net and now Member of the Board at Vipnet. Adrian Jezina also stressed the importance of product bundles which lead to a lower churn rate, meaning a lower rate of changing the provider. By leveraging other Telekom Austria Group technologies like Bitstream or LTE other synergy effects are also possible. Using DTH instead of traditional cable TV, product bundles and upselling possibilities are available, economies of scale became possible due to the larger, nationwide customer potential and costs for new customer acquisition are lowered.