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.