Eutelsat has announced the signature of a multi-year contract with Noorsat, an operator of satellite services in the Middle East, for the lease of three additional transponders on Eutelsat’s Atlantic Bird 4A satellite.
Four years from the launch of its first broadcasting services, Noorsat, which is based in Manama, Bahrain, has emerged as one of the three leading players for satellite TV services in the Middle East. Its broadcasting activities now comprise delivery of over 170 free-to-air and subscription channels, including some channels of the recently merged Orbit and Showtime platforms.
Noorsat’s services operate principally at Eutelsat’s two major video neighbourhoods addressing the Middle East: 7 degrees West, occupied by Atlantic Bird 4A, and 25.5 degrees East, occupied by Eurobird 2.
Noorsat’s business portfolio also covers the provision of corporate networks and Internet access services via Eutelsat’s W6 and Atlantic Bird 2 satellites, with the latter also used to broadcast Arabic and international channels to Arab expatriates living in Europe. In addition, Noorsat offers a range of transmitted services on capacity leased from Eutelsat, uplinked from its teleports in Manama, Lavrio (Greece) and Rome and other partner teleports in order to provide turnkey broadcasting services to client broadcasters.
Omar Shoter, CEO Noorsat, commented on the new contract: “Our expansion is based on the prospect of seeing the number of channels in the MENA region increase over the next three years. We are preparing for the expected introduction of High Definition TV channels (HDTV) and will be offering our customers the capacity they need. To build headroom for growth it is important for us to look to the long term and extend our cooperation with a partner as reliable as Eutelsat.”
