THAICOM 7 100 percent booked thanks to order from Hinduja Group’s Grant Investrade Ltd. for multiple transponders
Nonthaburi, Thailand, 12 November 2015 — Thaicom, one of Asia’s leading satellite operators, today announced its THAICOM 7 satellite is now fully booked following an order from Grant Investrade Ltd (GIL).
The subsidiary of Hinduja Ventures Ltd., part of the global Hinduja Group, confirmed the order for the C-band transponders on the satellite, which it will use to provide digital cable TV services through a Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) system.
The HITS service – branded ‘NXT DIGITAL’ – will help the distribution fraternity smoothly transition to digital and allow customers to choose channels through a satellite multiplex across India.
“It is one of India’s national missions to roll out Digital Addressable Systems (DAS) of broadcasting all over the country and we believe ‘NXT DIGITAL’ is a significant step towards this goal,” said Tony D’Silva, Managing Director at GIL. “Thaicom is a trusted and experienced satellite provider which has played a vital role in this initiative and the substantial number of satellite transponders we have at the time of launch will continue to grow as we expand our portfolio.”
“We are proud to be able to contribute to India’s broadcast and media development and thank our Indian partners for their trust in us. This latest deal is particularly exciting for Thaicom as it marks an important milestone for us not only in regards to THAICOM 7 now being 100 percent booked, but also in bringing our platform for content distribution to India which sets us in good stead for the launch of THAICOM 8,” said Thaicom’s CEO Paiboon Panuwattanawong.
The technology program manager for ‘NXT DIGITAL’ is Castle Media which has set up several world class operations in broadcasting and digital networks in India and overseas.
“THAICOM 7 being a recently launched satellite exhibits strong parameters to facilitate a high-quality digital HITS service in India. We’ll continue to work closely with Thaicom to upscale our transponder requirements as our business grows over the next few years, on the back of a strong push by the government to make India a digital nation,” said Vynsley Fernandes, Executive Director at Castle Media.
Castle Media has been tasked with the design-to-delivery of the HITS service including setting up a state-of-the-art next generation broadcast facility and a robust back-end facility for SMS, CRM, Billing, CAS and other mission critical components and services.
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About THAICOM
THAICOM Public Company Limited, a leading Asian satellite operator, was established in 1991. The Company was the first to launch a broadband satellite in the world, and is a leader in developing integrated solutions for satellite broadband and broadcast services. The Company’s engineering teams provide leading-edge innovative solutions for satellite-based telecommunications services. Since its establishment the Company has launched seven satellites, with four satellites in operation: THAICOM 4 (IPSTAR) provides a variety of broadband and data services, including cellular backhaul, mobility, government USO support, content delivery, business continuity and emergency services in thirteen countries in Asia Pacific.
THAICOM 6 is to expand the Company’s broadcast carrying capacity in SE Asia and Africa (by the name “AFRICOM 1”) and is collocated with THAICOM 5 at 78.5 degrees East; the satellites board a combined 700 TV channels both in SD and HD formats. THAICOM 7 was launched in September 2014 to provide media & data services for Asia’s and Australasia’s entertainment and telecom industries at 120 degrees East. THAICOM 8 will be launched in 2016 to expand Thaicom’s servicing capacity and footprint in the region. Thaicom is traded on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) under the trade symbol “THCOM”.
About Hinduja Ventures Limited
The Hinduja Group is one of India’s premier diversified and transnational conglomerates. Employing nearly a 100,000 employees, with presence across 38 countries it has multi-billion dollar revenue. The Group was founded over a hundred years ago by Shri P.D. Hinduja whose credo was "My duty is to work so that I can give."
The Group's activities span across three core areas: Investment Banking, International Trading and Global Investments. It also supports charitable and philanthropic activities across the world through the Hinduja Foundation. As part of its Global investments, the Group owns businesses in Automotive, Information Technology, Media, Entertainment & Communications, Banking & Finance Services, Infrastructure Project Development, Oil and Gas, Power, Real Estate, Trading and Healthcare.
About Castle Media Pvt. Ltd.
Castle Media Pvt. Ltd. is an ISO-certified broadcast consultancy and project management company providing specialist services to the media and entertainment industry across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Whether it is providing technology strategy and advice for companies wishing to enter the industry; helping companies design, build and operate their own digital platforms, TV studios, technical facilities and radio stations; to providing specialist assessment for helping companies optimize their assets, operations & workflows; Castle Media has a solution to meet their needs.
Castle Media’s clientele includes leading international broadcast networks, telecommunications firms, digital platforms and private equity firms. The client list includes the global Hinduja Group, MBC Group Dubai, UMS Messaging Systems Norway, Somoy News Bangladesh; besides several of the global top fifty private equity firms.
PR CONTACT:
Thaicom
Torsten Notzke
(66 2) 596-5083
torstenn@thaicom.net
Proactive PR for Thaicom
Jayne Garfitt
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