20 November 2015 Growth in media needs a boon for Argosy equipment picked for new media centre In the ever-changing broadcast Argosy’s range of infra- landscape, how do teleports structure products, includ- ing equipment racks, the keep up with broadcasters’ teleports Image 360 and 1000 HD cables, connectors, patch varied needs? Millette panels and mains distributions units (MDUs), Manalo-Burgos finds out. have been chosen by RR Media to form the backbone of its new global media centre in London. With the new RR Media home being three times the size of its previous facility, RR Media needed a large array of racks to house all the broadcast equipment S atellite has always been a reli­ needed to route the signals around the able platform for broadcasters — enabling facility and deliver them across the distribu- them to broaden the reach of their content. tion network. Simon Kay, managing director And as industry players notes, the need of RR Media Europe, explained: “We chose for satellite services will remain constant. Argosy equipment for a number of reasons “Satellite broadcasting continues on a but a significant factor was the breadth and growth trend in Asia, from a continuing quality of the company’s product offering — in particular its new equipment racks, which expansion of the subscriber base due to ensured easy installation at our new facility.” rising incomes, and to growth in HDTV,” Robert Bell, executive director of World Teleport Association (WTA) tells APB. TV5MONDE, AsiaSat “That upward trend may moderate if extend long-term deal concerns about emerging market financial French-language network TV5MONDE has stability prove true, but it will continue in Intelsat’s teleport in Fuchstadt, Germany, provides satellite broadcast services to Asian entered into a long-term service deal to the long term.” clients. broadcast both TV5MONDE Asie HD and According to WTA, new media plat­ TV5MONDe Style HD across Asia-Pacific forms are proving to be a boon not only ❝The teleport of the future will via the AsiaSat 5 satellite. The new agree- for broadcasters, but also to teleport ope­ ment also marks the service extension of rators. Bell adds: “Over-the-top (OTT) is be less capital- and hardware- the lifestyle channel TV5­MONDE Style HD, growing fast as well, which may be a coun­ which was successfully launched on AsiaSat intensive and more service- ter trend as viewers consider substituting 5 earlier this year. In addition to these HD and software-intensive. For services, TV5MONDE also broadcasts its broadband for pay-TV. The good news for TV5MONDE Asie SD channel via the AsiaSat teleport operators is that they are perfectly broadcasters, teleport operators 7 satellite in Asia-Pacific. positioned to assist with the transition will be high-value outsourced from traditional to OTT TV. The content Next Month @ Distribution runs through their ingest and management service providers that manage system, and customising it for delivery to the programme contribution Wireless Transmitters computers and mobile devices is a natural for Cameras extension of their services.” and distribution end-to-end.❞ Indeed, the teleport operators that — Robert Bell, executive director of World Teleport Association APB interviewed revealed that satellite broadcast-related services would remain PANELLISTS important to broadcasters, and that these managed service that is fully integrated Pacific region are innovating to accom­ growing needs may prove to be an oppor­ with Intelsat’s global satellite fleet and modate customers’ growing needs as tunity for operators to enhance their IntelsatOne terrestrial network. well. In Malaysia, for example, Measat offerings. “The core of the IntelsatOne Prism Satellite Systems, which maintains a Dr Ali R Ebadi For example, Peter Ostapiuk, head solution is based on the Newtec Dialog huge teleport facility in Cyberjaya, sees Senior Vice-President Space Systems of Media Product Services for Intelsat, multi-service platform, which was Asia as a key market for its services. Development explains: “As the media and broadband installed in Intelsat’s Atlanta teleport “Asia is a key market for Measat’s Measat Satellite landscapes continue to converge, media in Ellenwood, Georgia in January this satellite and teleport services, and we Systems customers are in need of new and efficient year,” he adds. see the market growing. This is due IP-based content delivery services. Intelsat “By utilising the IntelsatOne Prism to Asia’s large population base and is continuing to innovate and provide fully automated managed service, general lack of terrestrial fibre as a via­ satellite-based solutions to address these service providers are able to conduct ble communications option for Asia’s Dr Bernard Lee challenges.” multiple content transmissions via rural and remote locations,” says John President FTTH Council He also points out that there are cur­ one platform — including live video, Loke, VP of network engineering and Asia-Pacific rently two Intelsat teleports serving the file transfer, VoIP (video-over-IP), operations for Measat. Asia-Pacific region. These are located in access and data exchange “Communications services such as Fuchstadt, Germany, which serves South — enabling efficient, high-quality, those provided via the Measat Teleport Eastern, Central and Middle Eastern Asia multi-screen content delivery. In ad­ and Broadcast Center (MTBC) enable Martin Coleman and in California, USA, which serves the dition, IntelsatOne Prism ensures key broadcast, telecommunications Executive Director Pacific Rim. future-proof content delivery with the and broadband sectors in Asia.” Satellite Interference Ostapiuk says that North American flexibility to adapt to evolving formats Loke adds that Asia is experiencing Reduction Group media customers are using IntelsatOne and standards.” growth in broadcast, telecommunica­ Prism, an IP content distribution Teleport operators in the Asia- tions and broadband services. “With November 2015 DISTRIBUTION 21

Measat Satellite Systems maintains a huge teleport facility in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, In Singapore, dominant telecommunications company Singtel provides broadcast satellite services, via its teleport facilities which allows the company to innovate to accommodate to customers’ growing around the island. For one client, Singtel supplies downlink services to the IPTV provider that is based in Singapore for needs. downlinking the broadcaster’s TV channels from hot-bird satellites and hosting their video headend equipment as well. the transition to HD still under cast satellite services, via its tele­ Intelsat’s Ostapiuk, saying: “In comes customised by nationality the development stage. way, pay-TV demands for HD port facilities around the island. developed markets such as Japan, or language.” Teleport operators need to content are growing. Cellular For one client, Singtel sup­ viewers are moving towards wide­ Thus, while assured that broad­ support HTS services in the Ku- backhaul across the region is also plies downlink services to the spread 4K/UHD adoption, while casters’ need for teleport services and Ka-band. “The challenge growing as Asia’s large popula­ Singapore-based IPTV provider many emerging regions are leap­ would continue to grow, what are here is for teleport operators to tion becomes more affluent and for downlinking the broadcaster’s frogging developed markets with the changes in store for the teleport invest in the right infrastructure increasingly connected via mobile TV channels from hotbird satel­ increased emphasis on HD and facilities? Measat’s Loke predicts to mitigate the impact of rain fade. devices.” lites as well as hosting its video even 4K/UHD content, such as in that teleports will continue to play In addition, teleports need to be Measat’s broadcast services headend equipment. India. This need for high-quality a vital role by providing uplink/ carrier-neutral to allow multiple that interest customers include the For broadcasters looking to de­ programming — both 4K/UHD downlink transmissions between IP transit operators to connect into company’s 4K/Ultra HD (UHD) ploy new platforms, Singtel says its and HD — is only going to in­ satellites and the ground. the teleport. Teleport operators platform, which uses the latest robust antenna farm can downlink crease.” He explains: “In terms of the will also need to form ties with compression techniques such as TV channels from the respective He adds: “Satellite’s ability to broadcast landscape, there will be IP transit providers for the latter DVB-S2/S2X modulation and hotbirds in the Asia-Pacific region. quickly scale and cost-effectively a paradigm shift. Consumers are to land within the teleport,” Loke HEVC/H.265 encoding. “The in­ Besides downlinking, Singtel also deliver services is a critical differ­ moving from linear broadcast­ explains. frastructure is scalable and allows provides hosting of customers’ entiator for direct-to-home (DTH) ing to non-linear, meaning they WTA’s Bell also sees big chal­ us to offer competitive bandwidth equipment, including cable hea­ operators, which are key clients for are moving from TV sets to their lenges for teleports in the future. solutions for 4K/UHD, HD and SD dends and easy access to fibre tele­port operators. mobile devices and on-demand He says: “The teleport of the future channel distribution,” says Loke. connectivity. “We also continue to see the viewing.” will be less capital- and hardware- “This service is supported by a Singtel’s three teleports point need for distribution of content Accordingly, satellite opera­ intensive and more service- and redundant dedicated 1Gbps link to more than 30 satellites and is from around the globe to or into tors are also moving to provide software-intensive. For broadcast­ connecting MTBC with a diversity supported by an extensive ter­ the Asia-Pacific region,” says connectivity for this new mode of ers, teleport operators will be high- site, IP layers interconnectivity, restrial network of more than 200 Ostapiuk. “The growth of region­ video consumption, Loke adds. value outsourced service providers and state-of-the-art monitoring PoPs in over 160 global cities. alised content is driving more HTS (High Through Satellites) are that manage the programme t o o l s .” Meanwhile, content remains bandwidth demand. What was being launched to provide Internet contribution and distribution end- In neighbouring Singapore, king, and demand for increased one channel and one feed is now connectivity to support broadcast­ to-end. They provide seamless dominant telecommunications high-quality content is driving increasing to multiple channels ing services in countries where the global coverage across satellite and company Singtel provides broad­ media growth in Asia, declares and multiple feeds as content be­ terrestrial infrastructure is still in terrestrial platforms.” SES enables third Ultra HD TV channel in Europe SES Platform Services is providing a range hensive range” of services from content SES Platform Services is also encoding for services at SES Platform Services, said: of services to support INSIGHT, the first 4K/ management to linear and non-linear the signals (H.264 for HD, HEVC/H.265 for “Including INSIGHT, there are three 4K/ Ultra HD (UHD) channel of Television Enter- distribution. The entire channel content 4K/UHD) and the uplink to the Astra satel- UHD channels available in Europe today tainment Reality Network (TERN). is stored in FLUID MAM, a secure and lites on 19.2° East. For the non-linear distri- — and we work closely with all of them. The new linear and non-linear channel managed cloud environment designed bution of the channel, SES Platform Services This clearly underlines our expertise as a launched last month in Asia and Europe, for efficient and secure video content and is preparing and delivering live streams and media services provider for any business and is available in both HD and 4K/UHD management and distribution to VoD content to INSIGHT’s respective over- model, from direct-to-home (DTH) to OTT, quality. Under a long-term agreement, SES any platform, including video-on-demand the-top (OTT) platforms. and in any required quality, from SD to Platform Services is providing a “compre- (VoD), streaming and satellite. Sophie Lersch, chief product officer 4K/UHD.”