Beximco Group, a leading Bangladeshi industrial conglomerate, today announced a joint venture with Russian investment and industry holding giant GS Group to launch Bangladesh’s first DTH (Direct to Home) company for TV viewers in the country.
The newly formed joint venture – Beximco Communications Limited – will come with integrating technological support from GS Group.
The DTH technology enables a broadcasting company to directly beam the signal to TV set through a receiver that is installed in the house of a subscriber obviating the need for a separate cable connection.
The commercial launch of the DTH platform is scheduled by the end of 2014 and it aims to net 300,000 subscribers during 2015. The company plans to rope in additional 400,000 subscribers annually.
The joint venture will concentrate its activity on the mass segment by offering its customers TV packages with local as well as leading international channels.
“Presently, Bangladesh does not have any legal DTH operator. The viewer’s only choice is between a few cable operators and a terrestrial television channel,” said Salman F Rahman, Vice Chairman of Beximco Group.
He said signals of Indian DTH operators are broadcast illegally without providing Bangladeshi audiences any local TV programs. “Nevertheless, the demand for a local DTH service is high and Beximco Communications Limited hopes to attract a significant number of subscribers in the country having a population of over 160 million,” Rahman added.
Sergei Dolgopolsky, Foreign Projects Director within GS Group, said the ‘head-end’ and the ‘up-link’ are to be installed in 2014, paving way for the first DTH broadcasting services in Bangladesh.”
“Our network will cover the entire territory of Bangladesh,” Dolgopolsky added.
DTH services refer to the distribution of multi-channel TV programs by using a satellite system by providing TV signals direct to subscribers' premises. For DTH connection the broadcasting company provides a set that comprises the dish and a receiving set. The company beams an encrypted signal that only the set installed in a subscriber’s household can receive and enable viewing.
DTH has many advantages like one can do away with the cable operator who provides channels of choice and there is no assurance of quality. The quality of signals in this case is expected to be superior since the signal is not split through a cable. By choosing just the signals that one needs, there is a possibility of reducing subscribers’ monthly cable bill.
Additional information
GS Group is an investment and industry holding, operating on the basis of its very own high technologies in telecommunications and innovation. Key activities: implementation of international broadcasting projects, R&D and production in such fields as nanotechnology, microelectronics; construction and development of Technopolis GS innovation center; deep wood processing; investment in venture projects; media content production and management, software products design and integration, full-service advertisement, logistics and trade.
The GS Group infosite is accessible at
http://en.gs-group.com/
Statistics: Posted by solarpim — Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:28 am