Viewsat targets MENA with second transponder

Satellite service provider ViewSat is doubling its broadcast capacity in the Middle East and North Africa with the launch of its second satellite transponder. 

This is positioned in the 7/8 degrees west orbital neighbourhood, with the company also announcing that it has installed a 9m antenna at its UK headquarters to uplink channels in this market.

Viewsat, which claims that a third of its customer base is currently in the Middle East, said that the investment was aimed at engaging new customers in the region and is part of an ongoing expansion effort.

“We began pre-selling the additional capacity a month prior to the launch of the new transponder and the demand and reception have been extremely encouraging. This gives us the confidence to make such large-scale investments. By identifying key areas and strategically building upon our already extensive services portfolio, we are constantly evolving our offerings to cater to regional demands,” said ViewSat CEO Awaes Jaswal.

“We recently announced global availability of our highly cost effective web-streaming services for television broadcast which gives our customers the flexibility of delivering news, political content and even live broadcasts via the internet. We now have plans for the construction of an additional antenna in the region for the Eutelsat 8 west B (E8WB) satellite that will be launched in 2015. With its wider coverage and anti-jamming capabilities this satellite will help us further increase the reliability and scope of our services,” added Jaswal.