TBILISI, Georgia & LUXEMBOURG & AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SES (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) announced today that it has signed a long term agreement with the Georgian mobile and telecommunication company MagtiCom for several transponders at its 31.5 degrees East orbital position. MagtiCom will use the capacity to launch Georgia’s first domestic direct-to-home (DTH) television platform. The operator will broadcast in DVB-S2 standard and MPEG 4 encoding.
MagtiCom will launch an attractive pay-TV bouquet for the Georgian market, offering local and international standard and high definition (SD and HD) channels starting from 1 January 2012. The 31.5 degrees East orbital position offers excellent growth opportunities for broadcasters in Central Eastern Europe and can accommodate the rising demand for SD and HD services in the region. Its excellent footprint covers the whole territory of Georgia with a powerful signal, allowing for direct-to-home reception with dishes sized at 60 cm. SES already provides a variety of services from this orbital position, ranging from the transmission of television channels in standard and high definition and the contribution of television and radio channels to cable and terrestrial networks, as well as data and voice services.
Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer at SES said: “The launch of MagitCom’s DTH platform once again demonstrates the ability of SES to help new market entrants to succeed. SES stands for an excellent knowledge of the television market. Its fleet of 47 satellites today carries 43 direct-to-home platforms worldwide. This tremendous track record, coupled with the highest technical standards and the ambition to help its customers grow their businesses, makes SES and ideal partner for broadcasters worldwide. We look forward to the launch of the new platform - adding an exciting new programme choice to the TV offer in the region.”
David Lee, General Director of Magticom said: “Together with SES we will accelerate the digitalization in Georgia. With the excellent satellite fleet and technical know-how of our partner, we will provide Georgian TV-viewers with the highest quality of digital television services. Moreover, the launch of this DTH platform represents a unique opportunity and a major step forward for the region, as it will allow Georgian TV viewers for the first time to receive a Georgian pay-TV offer from satellite.”
About SES
SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 47 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide. The SES global satellite fleet is complemented by a network of teleports allowing customers to reach 99% of the world's population.
SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.
SES (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks.
About MagtiCom
MagtiCom provides top-quality mobile and fixed telecommunication services to all the regions of Georgia, including both voice and data. The telecommunications company MagtiCom Ltd was commercially launched in September 1997. At present the company is owned by Telcell Wireless LLC and ITC LLC.
The MagtiCom network covers over 98% of the populated territory of Georgia and serves more than 2 000 000 subscribers. MagtiCom commenced operations on the 900 MHz frequency band. In November 1999 MagtiCom became the first GSM operator in Georgia to move to the dual-band system – GSM 900/1800 MHz. In 2006 Magticom was the first operator in the Caucasus region that launched 3G services on its network. For more information about Magticom please visit: www.magticom.ge.