❝ By Q4 this year and beyond , KT Sat will grow our capacity to provide high-quality broadcast and communications services for rapidly growing nations in Asia-Pacific [ through the launch of two new satellites ].❞
May-June 2016 DISTRIBUTION 43
KT Sat ready to soar
While CI Plus is gaining traction , one big advantage offered by set-top boxes ( STBs ) remains its ability to offer PVR with watch and record functionality . It also offers more capacity and more flexibility for operators to customise their STB product line-up .
and facilitating customer acquisition . This constitutes a very good and quick solution candidate for analogue switch-off scenarios , says Smith-Chaigneau .
He elaborates that the CI + standard was designed in such a way that all the CA system ( CAS ) functions are isolated within the CI + device , thus decoupling the choice of the CAS for the operator from the TV models deployed in the field — as long as they are CI + -compatible . This ensures interoperability across the various TV models .
The CI + CAM also leverages the capabilities of the TV , such as the decoding function , providing a cost-efficient solution as the CAS descrambling stays in the CAM while the decoding is left inside the CI + TV . This cost advantage becomes even more true when it comes to 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) content and 4K / UHD TV sets .
While an iDTV is usually only limited to watch or record functions , STBs , on the other hand , are generally more powerful devices , with a more sophisticated browser and user-interface capabilities , according to Smith-Chaigneau .
STBs can incorporate many new technologies such as home networking and advanced modulation standards such as DVB-T2 , DVB-S2 and HEVC / H . 265 . One big advantage of the STB , Smith-Chaigneau points out , is its ability to offer PVR with watch and record functionality . It also offers more capacity and more flexibility for operators to customise their STB product line-up , in order to differentiate from the competition . They also minimise the dependency on retail devices that they do not control .
Smith-Chaigneau reveals that lately SmarDTV has been working actively to promote STB and CI + CAM technologies in the Asia-Pacific region . “ Recent CAM deployment includes VTV Cab in Vietnam , and SmarDTV is also working diligently on a project in Indonesia . We believe there is good traction in India where SmarDTV has been working with a major TV manufacturer to offer a fingerprinting solution , which constitutes a powerful security counter-measure that TV operators consider critical ,” he says .
Recently , SmarDTV complemented its CAM offering by adding Wi-Fi and adaptive streaming capabilities inside CI + CAM . The WiFi-CAM is a hybrid device and can now enable the offering of premium over-the-top ( OTT ) content .
SmarDTV ’ s STB portfolio is also “ very extensive ” — from simple ultra-secure zappers to 4K / UHD 4K , including OpenTV 5 Connectware as well as an Android solution , Smith-Chaigneau concludes .
Wholly owned by KT Corporation , the largest telecommunications and media service provider in South Korea , satellite service provider KT Sat currently operates five satellites spanning Asia-Pacific , the Middle East and Africa .
With two new satellites set to be launched in the next 12 months , Jun Kim , VP Global Sales and Marketing , KT Sat , shares with APB some insights on how the company intends to serve its customers in South Korea , and beyond .
KT Sat has been perceived as a relatively new player in the satellite industry . Can you tell us more about KT Sat , and briefly explain the company ’ s business plans ? Jun Kim : KT Sat , a subsidiary company of Korea Telecom Group ( KT Corporation ), was spun off in December 2012 . For more than 45 years , KT Sat , as a satellite communications provider , has continued to grow by providing broadcasting , government , military and maritime services , as well as solutions designed specifically for our customers .
By Q4 this year and beyond , KT Sat will grow our capacity to provide high-quality broadcast and communications services for rapidly growing nations in Asia-Pacific through Ku-band and Ka-band transponders on the KOREASAT-5A at 113˚E and KOREASAT-7 at 116˚E . These satellites will be launched in Q4 2016 and Q1 2017 respectively .
Besides our main office in Seoul , KT Sat has offices located in Jakarta and Dubai , as part of our efforts to accelerate regional sales and growth . Moving forward , KT Sat plans to establish new offices in emerging markets and to recruit sales personnel , in order to closely address our customers ’ needs and provide services specifically designed for each customer .
Faced with price competition and the increasing number of service providers within the satellite industry , what would be KT Sat ’ s strategy in ensuring continued growth ? What is KT Sat ’ s unique offering to its customers ? Kim : With 130 years of experience , Korean Telecom is South Korea ’ s leading telecommunications service provider , and is providing services to 17 million mobile , six million broadband and eight million pay-TV subscribers via telecommunications infrastructure provided by more than 50 subsidiaries of KT Corporation . All subsidiaries of KT are working together on the basis of the KT slogan , ‘ Single KT ’, and KT is also a leading provider of 5G networks .
KT Sat continues to work closely with consultants of the KT Group in an effort to understand customers ’ needs more precisely ; to provide customers with packaged solutions rather than just satellite capacity ; to promote continuous growth of end-customers with customer-specific solutions ; and to satisfy the demanding needs of media and telecommunication companies .
For example , KT Skylife , a KT Corporation subsidiary , is the only direct-to-home ( DTH ) operator in South Korea , and it has developed successful business strategies with , and for , CATV , IPTV and over-the-top ( OTT ) operators . KT Skylife has provided solutions , and created unprecedented and profit-lasting models for its customers .
South Korea is one of the leading 4K / Ultra HD markets in Asia . How is KT Sat helping broadcasters in the country prepare for the launch of 4K / Ultra HD services ? Kim : KT Sat has been providing transponders and technical support for KT Skylife ’ s 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) launches and technology tests since 2014 . KT Sat is currently providing managed uplink services for KT Skylife at the Kumsan and Yongin teleports .
This year , KT Skylife plans to launch three additional 4K / UHD channels , bringing the total number of channels to six , of which five are already in operation .
KT Skylife first introduced 4K / UHD broadcast services in June last year and has registered a net addition of 15,000 new subscribers every month . With 160,000 current 4K / UHD subscribers , KT Skylife aims to achieve the 400,000 subscriber mark by the end of this year , through the promotion of
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❝ By Q4 this year and beyond , KT Sat will grow our capacity to provide high-quality broadcast and communications services for rapidly growing nations in Asia-Pacific [ through the launch of two new satellites ].❞
— Jun Kim , VP Global Sales and Marketing ,
KT Sat the Olympic Games in Brazil .
In order to response to the increasing demand for 4K / UHD channels , KT Sat is also launching KOREASAT-5 and KOREASAT-7 , the two new satellites mentioned earlier , with dedicated transponders for broadcast purposes .
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