GS develops satellite+terrestrial STB for Tricolor TV

(GS Group выпускает в продажу приставку для приема эфирного и спутникового сигнала)

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 

New General Satellite set-top box receiving terrestrial and satellite signal entering the market

In September 2014 the GS Group investment and industry holding company launched a multiple-unit set-top box called the GS E212. It is the first unit design in the line of receivers under the General Satellite brand that is able to receive both satellite and terrestrial signals. An innovative solution that has been specifically developed for the largest Russian satellite operator, Tricolor TV is setting a new standard for digital TV equipment in the local market.

The multifunctional set-top box, GS E212 with the capability to support multiple streaming formats is designed to simplify users’ transition from familiar analog broadcasting to digital television, which is implemented within the All-Russian program of TV digitization within 2008-2019. According to the data by various analytical agencies, more than 60 million people in Russia now view satellite TV channels.

Currently, digital set-top boxes suitable to only receive one type of signal are used for satellite television viewing. To even gain access of regional content of federal TV channels including the first and second multiplexes, as well as regional DVB-T2 format channels, subscribers need to purchase and install additional equipment. The GS E212 multi-unit HD receiver that was developed by GS Group aims to eliminate additional costs to subscribers by combining FTA and Pay-TV into one device.

The design of the new set-top box comprises two independent tuners to receive DVB-T2 and DVB-S/S2 signals. Such a device allows satellite subscribers to gain access to content broadcasted by digital terrestrial television networks. First and second multiplex FTA channels will be continuously available for viewing regardless of the presence of signal.

GS Group’s new fully designed and manufactured set-top box device will now meet international standards and have specifications to support HD-TV channels. The GS E212 model is powered by two technological solutions, one being based on the central chip provided by STMicroelectronics, a GS Group partner, and the other being crypto processor GS Lanthanum which is an in-house development of GS Nanotech, a GS Group subsidiary.

GS E212 provides for the reception of DVB-S/S2 in the full range of 950-2150 MHz of coded FTA TV and radio channels, as well as DVB-T2 in the full range of 110-862 MHz of FTA TV and radio channels. Stingray, software developed by the GS Group for digital TV set-top boxes, has been enhanced specifically for the multiple-unit receiver. The device has an up-to-date graphical user interface, a set of built-in applications and games, a full spectrum of services like subtitles and teletext, as well as an attractive design.

The new set-top box GS E212 will feature the General Satellite unique electronic warranty. After registering the device through Internet, if a failure is detected, the customer only needs to contact a General Satellite authorized service center and would not need to present a receipt or warranty certificate to receive service. This innovative approach to service significantly simplifies the usage of this state-of-the-art subscriber equipment for users and is an important initiative from the GS Group to improve service quality.

“The GS E212 set-top box was designed with due regard for broadcasting digitization objectives in Russia and, in our opinion, will be in high demand by the consumer. It allows users to significantly save on their purchase of receiving equipment and to receive additionally to their satellite operator HD-channels all free-to-air terrestrial content broadcasted within the region with digital quality and supporting HD format. It will also save the customer from the need to use additional devices for receiving various types of signals”, commented Andrew Bezrukov, Director for Strategic Marketing, GS Group.

A 100,000 units batch of GS E212 digital set-top box will be available for retail sale by the end of autumn 2014.

iSat Africa takes capacity on Yamal-402 satellite for Central Africa

During the conference in Kenya “Gazprom Space Systems” and iSAT Africa signed the Contract

East Africa Com, held in Nairobi (Kenya) annually, is the regional conference where communication operators from Eastern Africa region assemble to discuss the directions for development of the industry. During the conference, GSS representatives directed negotiations with participants from the most important operators of this region. There was reached agreement on cooperation development and signed a contract with iSAT Africa, whereunder iSAT Africa (iSAT) will use capacity on Yamal-402 Southern Beam for the operation of the network being deployed in Democratic Republic of Congo and the rest of the Central African countries.

Dmitriy Sevastiyanov, GSS Director General, commented: “We are glad to welcome a new African partner on board our satellite. Gazprom Space Systems counts on a fruitful and long-term cooperation with such a well-known company as iSAT Africa.”

Santosh Sakpal, Technical Manager of iSAT added: “Yamal-402 satellite perfectly meets our requirements due to its high power and the wide Ku-band coverage zone, allowing us to use it for the small regional networks as well as for pan-African VSAT networks in Sub Sahara region. We are planning to further develop our services on this satellite and are very interested in the extension of our partnership.”

iSAT Africa, a subsidiary of Wananchi Group (Wananchi), is a leading player in satellite communications and broadcasting in Africa. Its main services include internet & data via satellite, TV & Radio broadcasting, telemedicine, video conferencing, distance learning, e-governance, trunking solutions and turnkey solutions.

Gazprom Space Systems, is a Russian satellite operator whose spacecraft now consists of three satellites: Yamal-202 (49E), Yamal-300K (90E) and Yamal-402 (55E). Yamal-402 satellite, constructed by Thales Alenia Space, was launched on the 8th of December 2012 and has four fixed Beams (European, Northern, Russian and Southern) and one Steerable Beam.

Nova Greece exceeds 500,000 pay TV subscribers

Greek pay TV provider Nova, part of the Forthnet S.A. group, has announced that it now has more than 500,000 subscribers.

Nova started its service by satellite on December 20, 1999. In 2010, Nova was the first company in Greece to offer high definition, and in 2011, the first to offer 3D. Nova, in addition, offers a web TV service, NovaGo.

Nova also offers broadband and provides one or more of its services to more than 20% of Greek households.

Univisa to launch DTH TV in Ecuador with Hansen Technologies

Friday, September 12th, 2014 

Univisa S.A. Signs ICC License with Hansen Technologies

Hansen Technologies Limited (ASX: HSN) today announced that Univisa S.A. has signed a 5-year license agreement to use Hansen’s ICC Customer Care and Billing Solution for its operations in Ecuador. Under the agreement, Univisa S.A. will deploy Hansen’s ICC solution to bill for PayTV services offered through its Direct-To-Home (DTH) operation.

Univisa is the third largest PayTV operation in Ecuador with a Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) network covering more than 500,000 households and offering PayTV and wireless internet. The company will be launching a new DTH platform under Headend in the Sky (HITS) with an initial focus on pre-paid services. On this platform, Univisa will reach almost 3 million households, representing a significant growth opportunity for the company.

“This is an important deal for Hansen as it increases our footprint and momentum in the Latin American PayTV market. With more companies now operating under HITS, Univisa will be a key reference for Hansen as they continue to penetrate the Ecuadorian market” said Andrew Hansen, Hansen Technologies CEO.

Univisa considers their billing and customer care platform to be one of the key elements to success and a sustainable business plan, with a specific focus on service quality, service experience, innovation, reduced churn, subscriber base growth, and rapid time-to –market offers. The ICC platform’s convergent service capabilities, experience with integration to DTH operators, and Hansen’s ability to evolve with their customers’ changing needs – especially in the PayTV space – were all key to Univisa selecting the Hansen solution.

Roberto De la Cruz, Member of the Board of Univisa, said, “We chose Hansen because we believe they are the right partner for our business plan in this new, competitive environment. Their customer footprint and local support in Latin America, reliable and proven solution for DTH operators, seamless and fully-integrated solution, and fully deployed pre-paid model are all reasons we have chosen Hansen to enable our growing business.”

Russia's pay TV to grow to 45.3 million subscribers in 2018

J’son & Partners Consulting has released figures for pay TV in Russia to the end of the first half of 2014 with forecasts of the market’s development to 2018.

At the end of the first half of 2014, Russia had 37.1 million households receiving TV via cable, satellite or IPTV, up 6% compared with the end of 2013. J’son & Partners expects that total to reach 45.3 million households in 2018, with a household penetration of 83%, up from 68% today. The fastest growing segments are expected to be satellite and IPTV.

Source: J’son & Partners Consulting

The share of satellite TV increased to 39% at the end of June. The growth of satellite TV is mainly due to its low cost relative to other technologies, as well as independence from a fixed network and nationwide availability. Subscriber growth for satellite is driven by the operators Tricolor TV, NTV-Plus and Orion Express.

IPTV grew by 19% in the first half of 2014, to give a market share of 12%. Leading operators are Rostelecom, VimpelCom and MTS.

The growth rate of the cable TV segment was the slowest at 0.1%. Cable TV operators in Russia are in the process of modernising their networks and moving to DVB-C technology. Cable television had slightly less than half of the total pay-TV market (49%) at the end of the first half, down 3 percentage points compared with the end of 2013.

Pay TV subscriber base in Russia by technology (millions)

                              Growth               Growth
              2012   2013  2013/2012  1H2014  1H2014/2013
             -----  -----  ---------  ------  -----------
Total        31.86  35.09      10.2%    37.1         5.7%
 Satellite   11.05  13.09      18.5%   14.37         9.7%
 Cable       18.26  18.27      0.02%   18.28        0.07%
 IPTV         2.54   3.74      47.2%    4.46        19.2%

Source: J’son & Partners Consulting

The overall leaders in the Russian pay-TV market in the 1st half of 2014 were Tricolor TV (market share 29%), Rostelecom (21%), MTS (7%), ER-Telecom (7%) and Orion Express (6%). Tricolor TV increased its subscriber base by 5% in H1 2014.

Serbian pay-TV: the stats

The number of pay-TV subscribers has grown steadily in Serbia in the last few years and amounted to 1.55 million in 2013.

According to the Cable Operators Association of Serbia, it stood at 1.44 million a year earlier and less than one million (922,000) in 2008.

Cable penetration among the population has also increased, rising from 19.9% in 2012 to 21.62% last year. Cable accounted for 70% (1.09 million) of pay-TV subscribers, with DTH and IPTV claiming 216,000 and 244,000 customers respectively.

Interestingly, while the figures for cable and IPTV were up on the previous year’s 1.04 million and 177,000, that for DTH was lower than the 223,000 in 2012.

The percentage of cable homes receiving digital services also continues to grow, up from 11% in 2011 to 14% in 2012 and 18% last year. Digital cable services offer 78 channels, compared to analogue’s 54.

Pay-TV operators generated revenues of €125 million last year (€109 million in 2012), with cable accounting for 67%, IPTV 19% and DTH 14%.

Meanwhile, there were 1.4 million broadband connections in Serbia in 2013, Revenues, up 20% on a year earlier, accounted for 14.5% of the electronic communications market.

Orange TV grows in Romania

The DTH platform operated by Orange in Romania now has over 110,000 subscribers.

Speaking in an edition of Live ZF at the International Digital Forum 2014 and quoted by Media Expres, Jean Francois Fallacher, the CEO of Orange Romania, added that subscribers to the service, which was launched 15 months ago, are increasingly accessing it on various devices.

Smartphones (60%) are the most used, followed by tablets (30%) and computers and laptops (10%).

Orange TV currently offers viewers 111 channels, 48 of which are in HD.