The first thing I noticed checking the exhibitors list of the International TV and Radio Fair (Kyiv, 20-21 May 2015) was the presence of Eutelsat operator. “Something is up” I thought. Eutelsat usually has been focused on the Russian market, Ukraine wasn’t in their sphere of interests. The new Eutelsat satellite 9B which is expected to be launched this summer, will replace Eutelsat 9A and will be focused on Ukraine.
The main technical characteristics of Eutelsat 9B are the following:
Orbital location : 9°East
Launch date : expected in Q3-2015
Manufacturer : Astrium
Transponder size : 33 MHz in Ku band (BSS)
Apostolos Triantafyllou, EUTELSAT’s representative in Ukraine, gave MediaSat his first interview here.
This year Eutelsat took part in the Ukrainian International TV and Radio Fair for the first time. Have you big plans in Ukraine?
The Ukrainian market isn’t new for us. Eutelsat 36E broadcasts TV channels of the Russian operator NTV Plus. Now we go for the first time directly in Ukraine with our new Eutelsat E9B satellite in the 9E orbital position, which is to be launched in the summer of 2015. It is very convenient for Ukrainian viewers as regular antenna which pointed towards 4.8°E (SES) /13°E (Hotbird) can receive the new 9°E bouquet without the need to retransmit those channels by just adding a Clipsat (special device compatible with 80cm dishes installed) to existing antenna.
What about your longterm partnership with Datagroup?
We will continue our cooperation with Datagroup on satellite internet. The main reason we approach Ukraine with Eutelsat 9E is that it is located in the same orbital position Datagroup provides internet from, Ka-Sat is co-located with it giving access to Tooway service. It’s possible to combine in a single antenna Direct-To-Home and Broadband services. So we plan to offer a triple play service: video, internet and voice connection via satellite. There have been discussions with Datagroup about these points. They have planned to broadcast video for many years, we will be very happy to help them develop a great TV offer across Ukraine.
Xtra TV has just ceased to exist… Have you any ideas about the DTH platform?
I think something is wrong in Ukraine with DTH. I know, people talk about low prices, and how Ukrainians don’t want to pay for TV they don’t necessarily enjoy. May be the model is wrong, may be you need your own Ukrainian platform. Now it is in the lowest point so it can only go up and Eutelsat would like to be there when this happens.
Have you any plans for Smart LNB in Ukraine?
It’s unique, only Eutelsat provides it. This smart device transforms a TV house into an IP connected –interactive house due to it’s Ka-band return link capabilities. Now it is under the testing phase and within 2016 will be on the market. Then there are many things to do with it. We can spent lots of time discussing about Smart LNB, but the best thing would be to start installing it, to use it is to adopt it.
Here is Mediasat’s interview about Smart LNB.
Apostolos Triantafyllou
EUTELSAT – Senior Vice-President of Sales for CE Europe & Eurasia
Apostolos Triantafyllou is Senior Vice President of Sales at Eutelsat, responsible for Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia and Israel.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Athens and a Masters in Telecommunications Engineering and Economics from George Washington University.
His professional career spans over 20 years in operational and managerial positions within the satellite domain. He began in 1993 as an engineer at W.L. Pritchard & Co, a renowned US consulting firm specializing in satellite communications. In 2001, he was among the founding members of Hellas Sat, the Hellenic satellite operator, which he served as Chief Commercial Officer making it a success story. In 2007 he joined Eutelsat, the leading European satellite operator and one of the top three satellite operators in the world.
He manages a team of multinational professionals and supervises a mosaic of 34 countries in Europe and Asia. Thanks to his acute knowledge of History, he is at ease in all these various cultures and societies.
Through his sheer leadership and his direct to client approach, Eutelsat has consolidated its dominant position in its core markets and attracted DTH players, top broadcasters and major telcos in new emerging ones.
