Telekom Austria and ANTIK Telecom gear up for new DTH platform launch

Stefan Amon

Telecom Austria and Slovakian telco ANTIK Telecom are working with satellite operator Eutelsat to launch a new direct-to-home platform for the Slovak and Czech markets.

ANTIK Sat is due to launch early next month and Telecom Austria is doubling its leased capacity on the Eutelsat 16A satellite from four to eight transponders to power the service.

The offering will consist of 90 or more channels, of which a third will be in High Definition, the three companies announced at a press conference yesterday at IBC.

ANTIK Sat is a joint development by Telekom Austria Group and ANTIK Telekom and will include local channels for the Slovak and Czech markets and a wide range of international channels. It will also include second-screen online solutions for mobile devices and an online archive.

Initially the offering will be marketed online through more than 150 distributers in both countries. ANTIK, which already offers internet, IPTV and VoIP services via fibre and wireless infrastructure, also plans to iffer hybrid boxes combining satellite reception and IP services. This will be available as part of a “second stage” of the ANTIK Sat rollout.

ANTIK said it will provide the new TV service at no additional cost to existing internet package customers, and announced plans to forge partnerships with other service providers in Slovak and Czech markets.

Telekom Austria Group will provide platform services to ANTIK Telekom, ranging from licensing, encoding with MPEG-4 compression, Conax encryption and uplinking to EUTELSAT 16A from its teleport in Aflenz.

“Two years ago, Telekom Austria Group kicked off a new satellite broadcasting venture with Eutelsat aimed at accelerating the transition from analogue to digital in Central and Eastern Europe. Following our remarkable success in Croatia and Bulgaria we have found an innovative leader with ANTIK Telekom who is willing to go the extra mile in providing a satellite TV platform and related services in the region,” said Stefan Amon, director wholesale, Telekom Austria Group.

Igor Kolla, general manager of Antik Telecom, said: “The agreement with our Austrian partner ensures our further expansion in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and opens new business fields for us. In addition to our own customers, we intend to address other Slovak and Czech providers who are keen to offer TV services. Our joint turnkey solution will enable them to address their subscribers with TV services combined with internet and telephony at favourable rates without initial investment.”