Did Telekom Austria steal the show at this year’s IBC?
Certainly not, one might say, as if such a thing was even possible.
However, what cannot be disputed is that the press conference to discuss the launch of its new B2B satellite platform was indeed one of the highlights, providing, above all else, fascinating insights into the company’s strategy in Central and Eastern Europe.
Telekom Austria is already a strong player in the region, being present in eight countries with a total addressable population of 41 million. Perhaps the most high profile of these is Croatia, where it acquired the country’s leading cable operator B.net in 2011 and has this year added Digi TV and two small cablecos to its portfolio.
The idea behind Telekom Austria’s new ‘white label’ platform is quite simple. Partnered up with Eutelsat, the company believes it is tapping into the potential of pay-DTH in the CEE region, where it forecasts 7.3 million additional homes – equivalent to a growth rate of 7% – receiving services by 2017.
Although the telco’s first client will be its Croatian subsidiary Vipnet, it will seek others throughout CEE and even further afield, given the size of the 16 degrees East footprint.
In some respects, Telekom Austria’s new ‘white label platform’ is similar to that launched by Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, in conjunction with the telco Neterra, in Bulgaria this year. However, the latter, unlike the Telekom Austria/Eutelsat operation, is targeting only a single market.
Telekom Austria made clear at its press conference that it sees main growth areas as being to the east of Austria. In the case of its new B2B platform, the main target groups are broadcasters and telcos, allowing the former a footprint extension and the chance to enter CEE and latter a ‘one-stop’ shop, with a white label solution for operator branding.
All in all, it will almost certainly provide further impetus to the region’s already dynamic DTH market.
