DISTRIBUTION
May-June 2016
45
Eutelsat aims to be at forefront of satellite
technology as Asian footprint expands
Eutelsat recently announced the
milestone of 6,000 TV channels,
of which more than 220 are from
Asia-Pacific. With Eutelsat 70B
and Eutelsat 172A already serv-
ing the region, can you share
with us Eutelsat’s plans for Asia-
Pacific in the next few years?
Jean-Francois Fenech: We have
so far invested more than half-a-
billion US dollars in Asia-Pacific
and are actively scaling up our
presence in the region. We are a
relatively recent player in Asia-
Pacific, with the purchase of the
GE-23 satellite (renamed Eutelsat
172A) in September 2012, and the
launch of the Eutelsat 70B satellite,
with a dedicated Asian coverage, in
December 2012.
Since then, we have ordered the
Eutelsat 172B satellite, which is due
for launch in the first half of 2017. It
will provide continuity and expan-
sion capacity at an orbital position
that is already a prime gateway
for services in Asia-Pacific, and will
also host the Pacific Ocean region’s
first High Throughput Satellite
Jean-Francois Fenech,
CEO of Eutelsat Asia,
provides APB with
an update on the
company’s business
in Asia, and discusses
emerging technologies
such as HTS.
(HTS) payload. This new payload
will be the first customised for
mobile connectivity over the Pacific
Ocean region, delivering an overall
throughput of 1.8Gbps to a market
forecast to experience sustained
growth over the coming years.
HTS seems to be a key discussion
point for the satellite industry
at the moment. How do you see
this trend developing and how
would HTS impact the broadcast
industry in particular?
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Fenech: HTS has opened the satel-
lite market to broadband and, in
this respect, is a game changer in
our industry. The potential mar-
ket is vast, with over four billion
people still waiting to get online
— many of them in areas that
will never be served by terrestrial
infrastructure.
Using HTS technology that de-
livers DSL-like broadband quality,
Eutelsat has five years’ experience
in providing Internet access to
consumers and business beyond
the range of terrestrial networks.
With our European-focused KA-
SAT satellite, every household in
Europe, irrespective of its location,
can be immediately connected to
a service delivering 22Mbps down-
stream and 6Mbps upstream — at
prices comparable to ADSL.
As far as the broadcast industry
is concerned, HTS is a complement
to traditional broadcast satellites,
the former bringing access to IP-
based services and the latter deliv-
ering a diverse channel line-up of
digital, HD and even 4K/Ultra HD
(UHD) channels.
What other technology trends
do you think will have a real
impact on the satellite industry
in the next one to two years?
Fenech: We are in the throes of
the transition to HDTV; 4K/UHD
is emerging to make the viewing
experience even more spectacular.
Our objective to provide end-
users with the richest possible
viewing experience has driven
our pioneering work on 4K/UHD.
In order to validate the end-to-
end transmission chain, we have
launched demonstration 4K/UHD
channels using HEVC/H.265 com-
pression, and operating at 50fps
with 10-bit colour depth for a truly
immersive experience.
Software-defined satellites will
be another game-changer in the
industry. In replacing mechanics
with electronics and software, this
ground-breaking innovation will
transform the flexibility of satel-
lite operations for a wide array of
services. Eutelsat is in the vanguard
of this trend with the order of the
Eutelsat Quantum satellite, which
will be launched in 2019.
With the Eutelsat Quantum
philosophy, we are trailblazing
the concept of bandwidth that
will enable clients to dynamically
shape performance according to
their precise needs. Frequency
plans and coverage zones will
be configured and re-configured
dynamically in space, marking a
revolution in service provision and
fleet management.