HTS a hit in Asia-Pacific
Staying MENA-focused, Es’hailSat
eyes new opportunities in APAC
Ali Al Kuwari, president and CEO of
Es’hailSat, shares with APB how the
company has progressed since its
establishment in 2010, and why satellite
remains a key communications platform
despite the emergence of OTT services.
E
stablished in 2010, Es’hailSat
has been primarily focusing
on the Middle East and North
African (MENA) region. What
are the key services that Es’hailSat has
been providing to the broadcast sector
in the region, and what opportunities do
you see in the wider Asia-Pacific region?
Ali Al Kuwari: Direct-to-home (DTH) is
the key service we provide on our Ku-
band capacity, both in the pay-TV and
free-to-air (FTA) segments. beIN Sports,
being our anchor customer in the pay-
TV segment, is taking a large number of
transponders on a long-term lease. Al
Jazeera, Al Rayyan, Qatar TV and a host
of other niche regional channels take up
multiple Ku-band transponders for FTA
DTH services.
We also provide playout services,
compression, modulation and uplink
services, along with capacity lease. The
services include content transfer via online
or fibre between playout facility, and
uplink station for final distribution via
satellite.
Our region of coverage is MENA,
with services being offered via Es’hail-1
in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC),
North Africa and Levant. The coverage
area remains the same with the soon to
be launched Es’hail-2, which will bring
additional capacity to support exciting
and new customers looking to grow their
business within the region.
However, our goal has always been
to be a global player in the satellite space;
hence, we see ourselves being active in
South-east Asia, and other regions in the
near future, by offering broadcast and
telecommunications services. We are in
active discussions with partners within
the region, and we hope to conclude these
partnerships, and launch our services over
the next few years.
The broadcast industry saw the
emergence of over-the-top (OTT)
platforms, which have resulted in the
shift in consumers’ viewing habits
towards non-linear viewing. In your
opinion, how has t