Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), the world’s leading provider of satellite services, announced today that Sentech, a leading broadcasting signal distributor in Africa, has extended its contract for multiple years Sentech will continue to leverage Ku-band capacity on Intelsat 20 at 68.5?E to cost-effectively expand and enhance its Direct-to-Home (DTH) and Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) services in Africa.

The Intelsat 20 satellite will provide Sentech with an expansive selection of nearly 500 channels, 31 of which are High Definition. Leveraging the strength of Intelsat’s leading video neighborhood, Sentech will maximize its efficiency as it distributes DTH as well as national DTT programming to South African viewers using a single, multiplexed transmission.

“Sentech is committed to providing comprehensive digital delivery services to Africa and ensuring that our customers have access to high quality, reliable and differentiated content,” said Leago Takalani, Executive: Technology, Sentech. “As the rest of the continent continues the migration to DTT, the power of Intelsat 20 will enable us to efficiently deliver digital services to the largest number of viewers as well as expand our customer base. Most importantly, it will enable us to enhance our channel selection and deliver more affordable, entertaining programming to viewers across multiple channels throughout South Africa.”

Intelsat currently provides proven DTT solutions in Africa, supported by advanced coding and modulation techniques that enable efficient use of bandwidth and improved reception quality, enabling African audiences to enjoy the benefits of digital television. Intelsat hosts video neighborhoods serving every continent. Supporting media applications such as cable distribution, DTH and DTT, Intelsat’s neighborhoods offer leading viewer penetration, maximizing the potential audience for content.

“Intelsat 20 reaches more viewers in Africa than any other DTH platform, making it an ideal video neighborhood to support Sentech’s growing business needs,” said Rhys Morgan, Interim Sales Manager, Africa, Intelsat. “Our ability to support and deploy both DTH and DTT transmissions will enable Sentech to continue its customers’ seamless migration to DTT. It will also provide Sentech with a greater array of more affordable entertainment options to delight both existing and new customers.”

Supporting Resources:
– Intelsat’s Media Services
– Intelsat’s African Video Neighborhoods
– Intelsat’s Digital Terrestrial Television Services

About Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) is the world’s leading provider of satellite services, delivering high performance connectivity solutions for media, fixed and mobile broadband infrastructure, enterprise and government and military applications. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video and broadband services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and mobile broadband access, with Intelsat, envision your future network, connect using our leading satellite technology and transform your opportunities. Envision…Connect…Transform…with Intelsat. For more information, visit www.intelsat.com.

About Sentech
Sentech, a South African State Owned Company (SOC) is a premier provider of electronic communications network services to the country’s broadcasting and communications industry. Sentech provides broadcast transmission services to SABC, eTV, MNet, Community Broadcasters, and over 150 Radio Stations country wide only a daily basis. Sentech’s infrastructure and data communications platforms also provide services to the South African telecoms sector and mobile providers. Sentech is mandated by Government to drive the migration of the country’s broadcasting services from Analogue to Digital and has implemented world class Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and a universal access Direct-To-Home (DTH) satellite platform service to ensure access to Digital Television for the country’s people. Sentech’s DVB-T2 network will replace the current analogue infrastructure when Analogue Switch Off is announced by Government. To date, the DTT network successfully covers 100% of country’s population through 84% reach via the DVB-T2 terrestrial network and the remaining 16% via the Satellite DTH network. Sentech is now focused on developing and rolling out open-access multiscreen (Online, Mobile) platforms that will enrich SA’s digital content distribution industry and ensure access to rich digital content anywhere anytime on any device.

Sentech transformed its DTH business model to focus on providing end-to-end wholesale platforms for new and existing broadcast operators and other content distributors. This led in 2014 to the successful launch of the OpenViewHD (OVHD) satellite TV service on Sentech’s Intelsat 20 satellite platform for Platco/ETV. The OVHD Free-To-Air service launched on September 21, 2014 and continues to grow its offering and subscriber base on the back of a robust infrastructure and reliable services. The Altech Node Video on Demand service also launched in September 2014 using the Sentech DTH platform on Intelsat 20. The Altech Node is a fully converged home gateway solution, offering the latest in movie entertainment, TV series, sports and business content, Internet access, and wireless smart home solutions. www.sentech.co.za