In a move that has enabled the company to effectively double its broadcast capacity in the region, ViewSat, a global provider of broadcast and transmission services for TV and radio, has announced the launch of its second MENA satellite transponder in the 7/8 degrees West orbital neighbourhood. The company also announced the installation of a 9m antenna at its UK headquarters to be used to uplink channels to the market.
These investments have allowed ViewSat to engage with new customers in a bid to expand their broadcast services into the region as well as to extend the capacity currently offered to existing MENA customers. With Middle East broadcasters accounting for one third of ViewSat’s customer base, Awaes Jaswal, CEO of ViewSat, believes the region is key to the company’s overall growth.
“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. The new transponder is just the latest installment in what has been an ongoing effort over the last eight years to establish ourselves as the provider of choice for broadcast organisations,” he said.
Through such investments, ViewSat hopes to transform into a fully functional turn-key solutions provider with the capability to deliver end-to-end broadcast and transmission services in-house. Understanding the importance of maintaining the Quality of Service for its existing customers, the provider has ensured that these upgrades are implemented in a manner that doesn’t affect their current services in any way.
Commenting on the company’s future expansion in the region, Jaswal added; “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.”
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