Es’hailSat taking part in IBC 2017

Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, has said that it is exhibiting at the annual International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) exhibition in Amsterdam, a leading platform for the broadcast, content delivery, digital media, and satellite sectors across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.The company is showcasing Es’hail-1, currently transmitting high-quality, premium DTH (direct to home) television content from the 25.5°/26° East neighbourhood for leading channels such as Al Jazeera and beIN Sports, and Es’hail-2, the company’s second satellite scheduled for launch soon.In addition to providing transmission and expansion opportunities for established news and sports channels, a growing number of new Arabic channels are choosing Es’hailSat to launch in the Mena region, according to a press statement.Qatari cultural channel Qatar TV and Al Kass Sports Channel both recently launched their channels on Es’hail-1.Es’hailSat is also pushing ahead with plans to expand its satellite fleet.Es’hail-2, a new high-performance satellite with sophisticated anti-jamming capabilities, will be positioned at the 26° East hotspot position for TV broadcasting, significantly adding to the company’s ability to provide high-quality, premium DTH television content across the Middle East and North Africa, the statement notes.Also, discussions are under way with customers and stakeholders to define the requirements for Es’hail-3 and Es’hail-4.With a commitment to providing broadcasters with secure and independent satellite transmission, Es’hailSat has commissioned its own teleport.Located at a dedicated and secured site north of Doha, the new facility will provide satellite TT&C (telemetry, tracking, and command, used for communication between spacecraft and the ground systems) and capacity management together with a wide range of teleport services such as uplink, downlink, contribution, multiplexing, encoding, playout and broadcasting, the statement adds.The high-tech teleport will also provide back-up studios for TV channels and serve as a disaster recovery facility for broadcasters.The site will be linked with key media broadcasters by a redundant, dedicated fibre optic link.Es’hailSat president and chief executive Ali al-Kuwari said: “We have had tremendous growth since our commercial launch in 2013 with the utilisation rate of Es’hail-1 being higher than the industry average.“With our new state-of-the-art teleport nearing completion and Es’hail-2 scheduled to be launched soon, IBC gives us the right platform to engage with customers and partners, and showcase our capabilities and future plans.”