MTS could shortly become a player in Russia’s already crowded DTH marketplace.
Quoting unnamed sources, Digit reports that the company has acquired five transponders on the ABS-2 satellite and that these could be used to broadcast between 150-180 channels in SD quality.
The ABS-2 satellite will replace ABS-1, located at 75 degrees East, in Q3 this year.
It will be able to cover the whole of Russia with the exception of the Arctic.
Russia’s DTH market is currently dominated by Tricolor TV, Orion Express and NTV-Plus.