Georgia’s MagtiCom To Utilize Four SES Transponders for TV Distribution

SES announced that Georgian mobile and telecommunication company MagtiCom signed an agreement for a fourth transponder at the ASTRA 31.5 degrees East orbital position after the first year of operations of MagtiSat, Georgia’s first domestic direct-to-home (DTH) satellite platform.

MagtiSat will utilize the four SES transponders to offer up to 100 popular Georgian and foreign digital TV channels, including high-definition (HD) channels, to its 40,000 customers throughout the country. The operator is broadcasting in DVB-S2 standard and MPEG-4 encoding.

The 31.5 degrees East orbital position offers excellent growth opportunities for broadcasters in Central Eastern Europe and can accommodate the rising demand for SD and HD services in the region.

Lars P. Reichelt, General Director for MagtiCom, says, “Our goal is to provide Georgian customers with world-class satellite TV across the country. MagtiSat is now firmly entrenched in the TV landscape of Georgia and we are delighted by the excellent customer feedback. MagtiSat has helped accelerate Georgia’s switchover to digital TV broadcasting.”

“We would like to congratulate our partner MagtiCom on setting the benchmark for DTH business in the region in its successful first year of operations,” says Norbert Hölzle, SVP, Commercial, Europe, for SES. “MagtiCom’s expertise in delivering telecom solutions and SES’ wealth of knowledge in providing excellent satellite TV signals have proven to be vital in enabling TV audiences across Georgia to enjoy high-quality satellite television channels. We will capitalise on these strengths and continue to deliver more channels to the region in the coming years.”