GatesAir Completes Phase 2 Rollout in Kuwait

GatesAir says it has completed the second phase of a three-phase national DVB-T2 digital TV network rollout across the Middle East nation of Kuwait. The transition from analog to DVB-T2 digital TV now covers approximately 80% of the country. 

State broadcaster, Kuwait Television, selected GatesAir for both phases due to its ability to provide turnkey equipment and services, including the design, supply and commissioning for four transmitter sites that also included a complete signal processing headend, antennas and towers.

Key services included comprehensive systems training — both in Kuwait and at GatesAir’s Quincy, Ill., manufacturing center — as well as field measurements, coverage studies and planning for both single-frequency (SFN) and multi-frequency (MFN) networks, the latter of which comprised the Phase II deployment.

Local GatesAir partner Enhanced Engineering and Multi-Technologies Co. spearheaded the installation and project management aspects, including integration of the headend, microwave and antenna systems.

GatesAir Maxiva ULX liquid-cooled UHF transmitters were selected for both phases. The hot and dry climate of Kuwait, which can reach temperatures of 124 degrees Fahrenheit (51-degrees Celsius) in the summer months, makes transmitter operation and maintenance a significant challenge. The liquid-cooled architecture, powered by GatesAir’s PowerSmart 3D high-efficiency transmitter design, is bolstered by two fully redundant cooling pumps with auto-changeover capability to help ensure consistent transmitter cooling, while outdoor heat exchangers both return real estate and efficiently remove heat from the RF plants.

In addition to its cooling design, the ULX with PowerSmart 3D design enhances serviceability through commonality in spare parts and a modular, hot-swappable design for module and power supply replacement.

“GatesAir was the only supplier that could at once meet our compliance specifications, environmental challenges and turnkey system requirements,” said Meshal Al-Meqled, assistant undersecretary for engineering affairs in Kuwait. “On the compliance side, GatesAir was able to deliver a high-density, modular headend that could support multiple channels per chassis — far outpacing their competition. Additionally, their ability to support flexible and redundant network configurations with high-efficiency, liquid-cooled transmitters met our demanding requirements across all long-term operational needs.”

The initial deployments support 12 DVB-T2 digital TV channels at both sites, covering the most populous regions of Kuwait including urban areas and many outlying desert regions. Official channels include KTV1 (news, current affairs), KTV2 (English-language family programming) and KTV3 (sports).