In the first half of 2010, Spacecom improved its position within the European satellite market through a series of strategic partnerships with some of the regions most respected broadcasters and telecommunications carriers. Already the host to a number of the CEEs top channels and platforms, such as Romanias National Geographic Wild, HD channels from HBO Central Europe and T-Homes SatTV in Hungary, Spacecom has experienced a solid increase in capacity contracts for Eastern and Central Europe clients this year. Led by the Ukraines most popular channel, ITV, U.A. Inter Media Group, the countrys national broadcaster and leading channel network, shifted nine channels including Inter+, Enter, Enter Film, NTN, K1, K2, Mega and MTV Ukraine to the AMOS-3 satellite in May.
Satellite Services Regional + Global
Spacecoms coverage, range of services, and rich neighborhood in Central and Eastern Europe, allows satellite service providers to tailor solutions for local and regional broadcasters and telecommunications carriers, a key competitive advantage in the market. The AMOS satellite constellation provides flexible and dependable connectivity solutions for the public and private sector and facilitates access and connectivity between hundreds of locations.
DTH operators are taking advantage of trends in communications to beef up their service offerings. Spacecom notes these operators combine satellite with broadband Internet, telephony, IPTV and mobile services. Adding terrestrial to the companys services augments client businesses. These combinations are complementary to Spacecoms business and, as such, growth in the satellite broadband market enables DTH operators to provide satellite-based, triple-play offerings.
To increase the global nature of the firms business, Spacecom works with various players to assist clients in reaching farther afield than their traditional regional markets. For instance, Spacecom partnered with Europe Media Port (EMP) to provide a global fiber network, allowing international government and commercial organizations direct access to the Internet backbone, as well as connectivity between the Middle East and any location in Europe, the U.S., and Asia. Spacecom provides European-standard service at less than European-level prices to allow EMP to deliver the highest quality transmissions of data, IP, video and audio.
Due to the success of the Spacecom-EMP partnership, European enterprises, ISP providers, satellite operators, broadcasters, and governments are able to use the AMOS satellite constellation to fulfill their satellite communications needs. The company continues to establish long-term relationships with organizations and to provide DTH television broadcasting, video distribution, VSAT communications and broadband Internet, rural telephony, data trunking and cellular backhaul to Europe, the Middle East and, now, Africa.
The Road Ahead
Spacecom recently entered the African market with the interim satellite AMOS-5i, and are scheduled to launch its successor, the AMOS-5 in mid-2011. The reach into the African market with the AMOS-5/5i platforms marks the companys transition from a leading regional player to an emerging global satellite operator. The plan is to be a prime carrier of African traffic over the coming years the AMOS-5/5i platforms at the 17 degrees East orbital position will provide powerful pan-African C- and regional Ku-band coverage. Contracts have already been secured, many of which represent pre-selling capacity thats worth more than $5 million in annual sales in this market alone. Among those with long term leasing capacity on the AMOS-5/5i satellites is South Africas Q-Kon. They will use the satellites for specialist corporate network solutions to provide Africa-to-South Africa, and Africa-to-Africa, connectivity. The satellites C- and Ku-band transponders deliver pan-African signals as well as connectivity to Europe and the Middle East. This allows Q-Kon to meet the connectivity needs of a variety of corporate, health, financial, telecom and other data centric businesses.
The European presence at 4 degrees West will be augmented with the AMOS-6 satellite, whose launch is tentatively scheduled for 2013, which will extend the reach of Spacecoms offered European services.