Comtech Receives Order for Modular Transportable Troposcatter System from US Defense Contractor

April 30, 2012 - Comtech Telecommunications announced that its subsidiary, Comtech Systems, received an order valued at US$ 5.5 million for its Modular Transportable Troposcatter System (MTTS) from a prime U.S. defense contractor for end use by the U.S. Army. MTTS, the first truly modular, rapidly deployable, transit case-based troposcatter system, represents a major advancement in rapidly deployable troposcatter systems. The MTTS cases are designed to be used in line-of-sight (LOS), beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) dual diversity, and full over-the-horizon microwave (tropo) quad diversity applications. The MTTS solution delivers high-throughput capacity to enable mission-critical surveillance, situational awareness and real-time data to remote, infrastructure-challenged locations. MTTS allows direct transmission between sites, eliminates recurring costs, and reduces the complexity and delay in satellite communications currently used today. The MTTS solution enhances communications capabilities with seamless compatibility and interoperability with legacy-fielded troposcatter systems used currently by the U.S. Military, including the AN/TRC-170.

April 3, 2012 - Eutelsat announced that the blending of traditional TV channels with Internet content is now possible for cable homes in Germany using the 'KabelKiosk choice' service based on the HbbTV standard developed by the German subsidiary of Eutelsat Communications. With 'KabelKiosk choice', Eutelsat's KabelKiosk platform is evolving beyond its first phase as a program delivery solution for independent cable operators. The launch of an interactive portal is fully in step with how viewers are progressively enhancing linear channels with on-demand information. For broadcasters, network operators and content providers it offers new opportunities to extend the reach of linear and non-linear content, and to generate new revenues.

April 3, 2012 - ATEME and STI Telecom announced the successful delivery of a turnkey High Definition distribution platform for TV Record. Installed in São Paulo, the fully redundant satellite uplink system integrated by STI Telecom includes ATEME Kyrion encoders and decoders. It is broadcasting TV Record’s High Definition free to air channel all over Brazil via Star One’s C2 Satellite. This is just the first of many projects by TV Record to accelerate the expansion of their High Definition TV service to all Brazilian states and cities.

April 5, 2012 - BSkyB will broadcast 48 new BBC channels dedicated to London 2012 Olympic coverage. Over 40 of the new channels will broadcast in the UK through the ASTRA Satellite System. The 24 HD and 24 SD channels will cover each of the Olympic locations and show the full range of different events during the Games. Both Freesat and Freesat from Sky will also benefit from the satellite capacity acquitted by Sky to facilitate and broadcast the new channels. This live transmission will use ASTRA satellite capacity at the 28.2 degrees East orbital position. SES owns and operates the ASTRA Satellite System.

April 5, 2012 - Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. announced that Mexico's largest commercial television broadcaster Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., has selected its Sky Edge II VSAT network for Televisa's private communication network across Mexico. The network will be used by Televisa as part of a comprehensive monitoring project, enabling remote access and providing local content distribution to Televisa's TV broadcast stations located throughout Mexico. Gilat's SkyEdge II network will enable the transmission of multicast content (TFTP and FTP) such as ads and public messages to remote stations, which is then inserted to the regional broadcast. This will allow Televisa to take advantage of incremental opportunities by quickly updating its content and taking advantage of the IP broadcasting features this technology offers.

April 10, 2012 - FRANSAT, Samsung and Neotion unveiled the new face of satellite reception of free DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) channels in France. The three companies have combined their skills to integrate a satellite receiver and a DTT module for FRANSAT into Samsung televisions in its 2012 range (ES series). The pack comprises a decryption module produced by Neotion and an access card for subscription-free reception of FRANSAT, the French satellite TV platform owned by Eutelsat. This new product takes reception of FRANSAT to new levels of simplicity. Viewers no longer need an external set-top-box or a second remote control. They simply need to slot the FRANSAT access card into the module and then insert the module into the Common Interface (CI) of the TV set which is already pre-equipped with a satellite tuner.

April 10, 2012 - SES announced that Super RTL HD joins the HD+ platform in Germany as of May 1st. The channel will be the 13th commercial broadcaster to join the leading German platform for HD content. Super RTL HD complements the range of HD+ channels with a diverse lineup. It is the fourth channel from media group RTL to join HD+. From May 1st the HD+ lineup will thus include the following encrypted channels: RTL HD, Sat.1 HD, ProSieben HD, VOX HD, kabel eins HD, RTL II HD, Super RTL HD, N24 HD, Tele 5 HD, Sport1 HD, Nickelodeon HD, Comedy Central HD and sixx HD. Viewers with an HD+ receiver will soon have more than 30 encrypted and unencrypted HD channels to choose from. They will include the free-to-air HD channels that are already on air today, the 13 encrypted commercial broadcasters of HD+ and additional public free-to-air broadcasters in HD.

April 10, 2012 - Video compression specialist ATEME is setting up the first HD video head-end that will relay coverage of the London Olympics to Asia Pacific. ATEME’s Kyrion encoders have been selected by GlobeCast for deployment with a major cable operator in the region. GlobeCast will use the video head-end, firstly at the European Football championships in Poland starting in June, before moving the platform to London for the Olympics in July. The video will be transmitted to GlobeCast distribution hub in Hong-Kong over optical fiber, to serve its client’s Asian subscribers. After the Olympics, the platform will be retained at GlobeCast’s Singapore premises for future deployment, either in the field or at its facilities.

April 10, 2012 - International Datacasting Corporation (IDC), a global leader in digital content distribution for the world's premiere broadcasters, announces the unveiling of the new Digital Tattoo suite of products designed to enable direct-to-home (DTH) satellite operators to offer IPTV services. The IDC Digital Tattoo portfolio enables DTH satellite operators to expand their customer base for existing services, and to extend the range of services they offer, by providing cost-effective, Ethernet-based content distribution within Multiple Dwelling Units (MDUs), including apartment buildings, hotels, campuses and gated communities. Ethernet content distribution within the MDU is easier, more efficient and less expensive to implement than the alternatives, and can be reused by MDU owners to offer lucrative value-added services to residents. The Tattoo Gateway is a high density, multi-transponder satellite-to-IP converter designed specifically for the MDU market. A single rack unit Tattoo Gateway can process up to 8 transponders of satellite content and convert it to Gigabit Ethernet for distribution within the MDU.

April 16, 2012 - International Datacasting Corporation announces the signing of a contract with THAICOM Public Company Limited which, in conjunction with their customer, will own and operate a satellite cinema distribution system throughout South East Asia. Under this contract, IDC's Centient Media Aware Content Distribution Network (CDN) platform will be deployed to secure and manage live and file based content for satellite distribution to IDC receivers at 3,000 cinemas throughout Thailand and other countries within the reach of the THAICOM footprint. The value of the contract is being withheld at the request of the customer. The Centient Media Aware CDN system will manage the ingest of movies and the distribution of live content as supplied by their customers via the THAICOM network operations center based in Bangkok. Cinemas will be equipped with the IDC Pro Cinema receiver which provides satellite reception of secured live events and encrypted files for use within these cinemas.

April 16, 2012 - Intelsat announced that the international direct-to-home (DTH) community on Intelsat's Galaxy 19 satellite grew in several key categories in 2011, as more broadcasters from around the globe discover the tremendous reach and value that the platform provides. Intelsat operates the premier free-to-air U.S. ethnic DTH community aboard the Galaxy 19 satellite. Located at 97 degrees West, Galaxy 19 provides complete coverage of the continental United States, the Caribbean, Alaska and Hawaii. This coverage allows content providers worldwide to deliver their programming to the growing number of large and varied international populations living in the United States who want to keep current with the latest news and entertainment from their home countries.

April 16, 2012 - Intelsat highlighted new agreements with several top media programmers to provide satellite capacity for media distribution on Intelsat's industry-leading Latin American video neighborhoods on Intelsat 9, Intelsat 805 and Intelsat 11, which offer unparalleled access to the region. Discovery Communications, the world's number one nonfiction media company, recently signed a multi-year agreement to expand its use of capacity serving numerous Latin American countries, including Brazil and Argentina. The agreement will allow Discovery to deliver high definition channels both to cable and Direct-to-Home (DTH) providers in the region. The capacity on Intelsat 9 at 302 degrees East will transition to Intelsat 21 once the satellite enters service later this year. Media distribution company Overon America has expanded its use of capacity on Intelsat 805 at 304.5 degrees East, which will transition to Intelsat 27 in 2013. The agreement will allow Miami-based Overon America to distribute new high definition video channels to cable and DTH service providers in Latin America. In addition, Argentinean service provider TIBA, a leader in value-added content management in Latin America, recently signed a multi-year agreement for capacity on Intelsat 11 at 317 degrees East to provide video distribution services to viewers throughout Latin America.

April 16, 2012 - SES announced that Encompass Digital Media, a digital media service provider, has signed a capacity deal making NASA TV channels available to satellite TV providers and cable outlets throughout the United States. As part of the multi-year agreement, Encompass is utilizing a full transponder of C-band capacity on SES’ AMC-18 satellite to uplink three full-time NASA TV channels (two in High Definition and one in Standard Definition) to cable systems in all 50 states. Encompass is also relying on SES Occasional Use services and bandwidth to deliver most of the popular network’s launch and special event coverage. First created in the early 1980s to provide NASA engineers with real-time broadcasts of space missions, NASA TV is today a widely watched educational network for audiences of all ages.

April 16, 2012 - The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) has selected Newtec to upgrade its members’ infrastructure to bring the first fully High Definition (HD) Olympic Games to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The infrastructure upgrades will allow the ASBU members to receive the live Olympic multilateral feeds and news channels in HD and will also turnaround the HD signals to provide SD simultaneous broadcast (simulcast). The Olympic content will be injected into the central archive of the ASBU Multimedia Exchange Network over Satellite (MENOS™), allowing members to access the content at a later time and eliminating the need for each member to individually archive all feeds. This will result in significant cost reductions and operational streamlining. MENOS multimedia network was officially launched by ASBU in January 2009. The award-winning platform supports multiple simultaneous managed exchange services for use by broadcasting organizations throughout the MENA region.

April 16, 2012 - The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) has selected Astrium Services' ND SatCom product range to upgrade its fleet of Satellite News Gathering vehicles (SNGs) used for the Swiss national media coverage. The 5 SNGs will start running in the summer of 2012 and will be equipped with state-of-the-art remote functionality and editing capabilities so that reports and news material can be made ready for transmission on the spot. IP connectivity to the broadcasting studio is established using Astrium’s SKYWAN technology, meeting the demand for quick and efficient delivery of media reports. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation is a public organization with headquarters in Bern. It is the largest enterprise for electronic media in Switzerland and is made up of several regional media entities. Due to the topography of the country and the fact that 4 different languages are spoken, timely and comprehensive national media coverage can sometimes be a challenge. The SKYWAN platform ensures stable IP connectivity between SNG vehicles in all corners of the country and the hub station in Bern.

April 16, 2012 - Newtec has launched its next generation broadcast satellite modulator platform, which will play a vital role in satellite networks, deliver bandwidth efficiency performance among the best on the market, and help broadcasting businesses evolve through ongoing market and technology transitions. The M6100 is the new generation DVB-S2, DVB-DSNG and DVB-S modulator specifically designed for contribution of television and radio content, primary distribution of content and broadcast DTH. It interoperates seamlessly with DVB set-top boxes, professional IRDs and satellite demodulators. The Newtec M6100 Broadcast Satellite Modulator meets all of these challenges with various new and unique functionalities. Carrier-ID insertion is a new capability; a built-in MPEG transport stream analyzer offers fast trouble shooting; the sub-second redundancy switchover times are industry-leading; SMPTE 2022 Forward Error Correction (FEC) facilitates remote head-end deployment, and a lot more.

April 17, 2012 - Since December 2011 the new Sky Sports News HD channel has been using Astrium Services’ Satellite News Gathering vehicles (SNGs) and SKYWAN technology to obtain live content and transmit it to the Sky studio for editing and broadcasting to German and Austrian viewers. This technology is part of the Astrium Services' ND Satcom product range. The SNGs’ contribution and transmission capabilities are operated by remote control from the hub station. The SKYRAY Light antenna system offers local or remote one-touch operation for automatic pointing with no need for line-up procedures. IP connectivity to the studio is established using Astrium Services’ SKYWAN technology.

April 18, 2012 - RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd. and THAICOM Plc. announced that the contract for the global distribution of the Vietnam Television (VTV) channel has been extended. The VTV-4 channel is downlinked from THAICOM 5 Satellite to RRsat's main teleport, Emek HaEla, and from there uplinked to the Eutelsat Hot Bird Satellite for delivery to Europe, and the Middle East. In addition, the channel is delivered from Emek HaEla over fiber to RRsat's USA based teleport Hawley, Pennsylvania. From the Hawley teleport, the content of the channel is uplinked to Galaxy 19 Satellite and Intelsat 805 Satellite, for distribution to North and South America. THAICOM has been provided satellite services for 20 years and Vietnam Television is the longest-running international customer on the THAICOM fleet.

April 19, 2012 - SES announced that the media group RTL Germany has signed a deal with SES to increase its broadcasting capacity at the 19.2 degrees East orbital position by one additional transponder. As of May 1st, the media group RTL Germany will use a former analogue transponder on the ASTRA Satellite System to expand its High Definition (HD) channel offer and broadcast the Austrian versions of RTL HD, RTL II HD and VOX HD via HD Austria, the HD-program platform of M7 Group’s AustriaSat. SUPER RTL HD will also be carried on this transponder and join the HD+ platform in Germany, becoming the fourth channel from media group RTL Germany to join HD+. In March, SES had already concluded an agreement with RTL to provide additional capacity for the transmission of the new free-to-air entertainment channel RTL NITRO.

April 27, 2012 - SES announced the introduction of SAT-IP, a new IP-based satellite reception technology that demodulates and converts satellite signals to IP for further in-home distribution to any IP-enabled device. SAT-IP communications protocol is established as a new standard for satellite in-home distribution. A live demo of SAT-IP multiswitches showing the distribution of satellite programs over various IP-based infrastructures (CAT5 Ethernet, Power Line, Plastic Optical Fiber and WiFi) was presented to more than 200 industry experts from consumer electronics manufacturers to broadcast platform operators at the two-day conference. In a SAT-IP environment, IP-enabled devices such as tablets, PCs, laptops, smartphones, Connected TVs, game consoles and media players will be able to receive satellite programming. This means that consumers will be able to enjoy the benefits of watching TV programs on different devices and screens. With SAT-IP, large varieties of satellite offers including the most important lineup of HD channels will be accessible for consumers on IP-enabled devices in highest and original satellite picture quality and without using internet connectivity.

April 30, 2012 - SES announced that DMax HD joins the HD+ platform in Germany as the 14th commercial broadcaster as of May 1st. DMax is a free-to-air program of Discovery Communications offering documentations, features and factual entertainment. From May 1st the HD+ lineup will thus include the following encrypted channels: RTL HD, Sat.1 HD, ProSieben HD, VOX HD, kabel eins HD, RTL II HD, Super RTL HD, N24 HD, Tele 5 HD, Sport1 HD, DMax HD, Nickelodeon HD, sixx HD, and Comedy Central HD.

April 2, 2012 - China successfully sent APstar No. 7 communication satellite made by Thales Alenia Space into selected orbit with Long March 3B carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province. The APstar No. 7 is a high-power broadcasting and communication satellite made by Thales Alenia Space for APT Satellite Company Limited. With designed service life being over 16 years, the satellite carries 28 C-band transponders and 28 Ku-band transponders. It can provide television signal transmission and satellite communication services for Asia, Africa and Europe, as well as live telecast and cross-continental broadcast services for regions including China and the Middle East.

April 2, 2012 - Lockheed Martin has successfully completed a major milestone for the U.S. Air Force's second Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous satellite (GEO-2). The milestone, known as the Final Integrated System Test (FIST), verifies the spacecraft's performance and functionality in preparation for delivery to the launch site. SBIRS is delivering improved missile warning capabilities for the nation while simultaneously providing significant contributions to the military's missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness mission areas. Having conducted all system environmental testing and now with the completion of FIST, SBIRS GEO-2 is on schedule to be available for launch as early as July, 2012. An official launch date will be determined by the Air Force based on launch range and booster availability. Once a launch date is identified, Lockheed Martin will perform final spacecraft component installations and conduct a final factory confidence test prior to delivering the satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., for launch.

April 3, 2012 - After 13 years of satisfactory service, Insat-2E, the last of the five satellites in the Insat-2 series, has successfully completed its mission life. Insat-2E was built with a planned mission life of 12 years and continued to function beyond its mission life. Launched on April 3, 1999 by the European Ariane-5 launcher, Insat-2E was positioned at 830 East longitude in the geostationary orbit. Insat-2E carried 14 C-band and 5 lower extended C-band transponders for various communication services. The satellite also carried a Very High Resolution Radiometer and a Charge Coupled Device camera for meteorological observation. It may be recalled that 11 communication transponders of 36 MHz bandwidth onboard Insat-2E satellite were leased to Intelsat, the first such lease from an Indian satellite. Insat-2E was controlled from a Master Control Facility at Hassan.

April 3, 2012 - Orbital Sciences Corporation announced that the U.S. Air Force has exercised an option order for a Minotaur I space launch vehicle to support the ORS-3 "Enabler" mission for the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office of the Department of Defense. This most recent Minotaur I space launch vehicle ordered by the Air Force will be launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) facility at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Virginia in 2013. The Enabler mission will be the fifth Minotaur I rocket to be launched from the MARS facility, following the TacSat-2, NFIRE, TacSat-3 and ORS-1 missions conducted from the Eastern Virginia launch site in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011, respectfully.

April 3, 2012 - A commercial Launch Services Agreement between Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO, and Astrium has been signed recently. Under this agreement, an advanced Remote Sensing satellite - SPOT-6, weighing nearly 800 kg, built by Astrium, will be launched on-board ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), during the second half of 2012. Along with SPOT - 6 satellite, the PSLV, in its core alone configuration, will also carry other co-passenger payloads. This Launch Services Agreement signed between Antrix and Astrium is a part of the Long Term Agreement signed between the two agencies in September 2008.