Telekom Austria Group, Austria’s leading telco, and ANTIK Telekom, the largest regional telco in Slovakia, have selected the EUTELSAT 16A satellite of Eutelsat Communications (Paris:ETL) for their new Direct-to-Home platform for the Slovak and Czech market. Called ANTIK Sat, the new platform is due to launch early next month. In order to support ANTIK Sat’s strong line-up of 90+ channels, of which one third in High Definition, Telekom Austria Group is doubling capacity leased on the EUTELSAT 16A satellite from four to eight transponders. The announcements were made today by the three companies at a press conference during IBC in Amsterdam.

ANTIK Sat is a joint development initiated by Telekom Austria Group and ANTIK Telekom. ANTIK Telecom will now add satellite broadcasting to its expertise in Internet, IPTV and VoIP services via fibre and wireless infrastructure. The platform will include local channels for Slovak and Czech markets and a wide range of international channels. It will also feature an online archive which marks an innovation for a satellite service in both countries. Second-screen online solutions for smart devices will also be available.

Telekom Austria Group will provide a broad portfolio of 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.

The new service will be marketed on-line and through more than 150 independent distributors across both countries. ANTIK plans in a second stage to offer hybrid boxes combining satellite reception and IP services. It will also seek to forge partnerships with other service providers in Slovak and Czech markets. ANTIK will provide the new TV service at no additional cost to existing customers of its Internet packages and has developed special offers for new customers, such as a starter package at less than one euro and rich HD content packages with mobile TV services included. End users of Internet providers can now watch television at favourable rates included in their Internet or phone packages. Vouchers and set-top boxes can be ordered online and bought at well-known electronics outlets and retail chains.

“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,” said Stefan Amon, Director Wholesale, Telekom Austria Group. “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. In addition to deep insight of local markets, our new partner brings exceptional technological competence and extensive experience that enriches our product with compelling features such as a TV archive and mobile TV.”

Igor Kolla, General Manager of Antik Telecom, added: “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.”

Apostolos Triantafyllou, Eutelsat’s Senior Vice President for Sales in German-speaking markets, Central Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, summed up: “The launch of ANTIK Sat and Telekom Austria Group’s doubling of capacity on our EUTELSAT 16A satellite reflects the core value of our infrastructure for extending penetration of digital services into homes in Central and Eastern Europe. It also further anchors our EUTELSAT 16A satellite in the dynamic CEE TV market. We look forward to taking the next steps with our partner, Telekom Austria Group, into new growth markets.”