Gulfsat Goes Live With Ateme’s Converged Video Headend

Gulfsat Communications, a satellite communications and media service provider in the MENA region, has installed Ateme’s converged video headend solution to power its London and Kuwait sites, serving 100 mainly Arabic-language channels. The new infrastructure enables Gulfsat to transmit SD and HD DTH services while future-proofing the system with OTT capabilities as well as UHD technologies.

Gulfsat needed to replace its video headend systems in London, which service 40 channels, and in Kuwait, which service 60 channels. Following extensive consultation, the converged video headend solution from Ateme was chosen and deployed to cover the MENA region.

Rabih Salim, Gulfsat technical operations director, said: “Ateme presented a strong future-proofed technological solution, coupled with an innovative business model, making it the right choice for Gulfsat’s current and future requirements.”

The installations feature Ateme’s TITAN encoding and statistical multiplexing (StatMux), an intelligent and cost-efficient bandwidth-saving technology. The system is OTT-ready and features high-density encoding, which is expected to enable a greener service through lower energy consumption.

Gulfsat’s experience with the solution has been so favorable that it is now acting as a system integrator for the Ateme converged headend solution for other organizations in the region.

Rajesh Jagadish, Ateme sales director MEA, said: “As one of the largest DTH providers in the MENA region, Gulfsat is a trusted name among media companies. We are gratified not only to have won Gulfsat’s confidence for its own installations, but to also have built a strong partnership with its team to help other organizations in the region with similar technical requirements.”