Techtel and Samoa Digital Communications Limited to Build and Operate the Country’s First Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Infrastructure

Sydney, 5 April 2019 - Techtel was selected by Samoa Digital Communications Limited, Samoa’s recently formed multiplex network operator to deploy the country’s first Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting infrastructure. This end-to-end solution will provide every household across Samoa’s two inhabited islands, Upolu and Savai'i with access to a variety of digital TV services.  Due for completion by the end of 2019, the new digital services will increase the volume of channels available for a large section of the population who up until recently received either no service or limited channels via the legacy analogue transmissions.

As a part of this greenfield project with zero legacy infrastructure, Techtel will install, integrate, commission and support the headend facility as well as 18 DVB-T2 transmission sites, which will deliver free-to-air digital TV services to 100% of the islands’ population. To be built in Vaitele, a suburb in Samoa’s capital with high line of sight, the new headend will represent a fully redundant broadcast facility for reliable distribution of Digital TV signals which involves SD/HD ingestion, MPEG-4 compression and multiplexing using Appear TV and PSI/SI generation and EPG Insertion by Barrowa; complemented by Egatel transmission systems and Bridge Technologies’ Nomad for signal monitoring.

Once processed, the TV signals will be transmitted to three other redundant remote transmission sites for broadcasting to local households and further downstream terrestrial transmission stations to reach geographically challenging areas. A total of 18 locations across two islands will receive transmission signals required to make the DTT services available to the entire population, enabled by Egatel’s DVB-T2 transmitter network consisting of four (1+1) transmitters for redundant and fourteen (1+0) transmitters for non-redundant sites. Egatel’s transmitters cover the main TV and RF spectrums and are equipped with the latest technology in signal processing allowing Digital TV signal broadcasting with the highest quality and reliability. In addition, Techtel provided RF infrastructural solution including DTT antennas, and feeders for every site and some filters and combiners at specific sites.

As a systems integrator, Techtel will provide professional services including system design, proof of concept and field measurements. This will be followed by years of ongoing support once the new DTT network is in operation.

“At Techtel, over many years we have developed a comprehensive approach to broadcast systems integration that now provides us with a unique ability to tackle projects from live production through to live transmission,” said Mal Chandler, CEO at Techtel. “We are proud that because of this capability, Samoan inhabitants residing in remote areas will soon have the privilege of enjoying Digital Terrestrial Television - the service that can be accessed anywhere on the two islands with a set-top-box and an existing antenna”.

“Samoa Digital Communications Limited is thrilled to make television viewing accessible for every Samoan household.  We will continue to invest in this venture, adding that there will be opportunities for pay and free-to-air services, local and international channels and new content opportunities”, said Tuiaopo Fa’amausili Andrew Ah Liki, Chairman Samoa Digital Communications Limited.

Techtel enables delivery of Digital TV channels in PNG via a new DVB-T2 Transmitter

Techtel, Australia’s leading broadcast systems integrator has commissioned a transmitter system for Digital Terrestrial TV in Papua New Guinea for a local service provider, enabling the delivery of more than 30 additional services for its subscribers in Port Moresby, over two newly added transport streams.

The DVB-T2 system itself incorporates power amplifiers based on LDMOS transistors technology characterized by high power density, allowing very high efficiency. Furthermore, it integrates a modulator that covers the main TV and Radio spectrums, equipped with the latest technology in signal processing allowing Digital TV signal broadcasting with the highest quality and reliability. The integrated transmitter is compatible with both single frequency (SFN) and multiple frequency (MFN) networks, a result of Egatel’s system’s configuration flexibility. In addition, the new DVB-T2 system features integrated digital adaptive pre-correction for easy commissioning and testing requirements; and flexible configurations accommodating various redundancy scenarios.

As a part of its integrated offering, Techtel supplied, installed, commissioned and tested a new 600Wrms (2+1) DVB-T2 transmitter system by Egatel, as well as seamlessly integrating the platform into Port Moresby’s existing transmission facilities by adding a new RF combiner with two narrow-band and one wide-band inputs. The combiner and its internal filters have been custom designed and fine-tuned to accommodate for four adjacent RF channels compliant with PNG RF spectrum allocations for broadcasting of DTV services. After comprehensive testing, Techtel’s integration team were able to achieve exceptional RF signal performance with shoulder value measured over 49dB, and MER value of higher than 35dB. 

Mal Chandler, CEO of Techtel says: “We are proud to enable PNG’s largest service provider deliver a state of the art DVB-T2 Digital Terrestrial Television System resulting in the expansion of broadcast network coverage citywide.  Egatel is continuing to demonstrate to the market that they are a reliable and trustworthy partner who together with Techtel will offer the region a better value option for many years to come.”

Techtel is an established provider of digital TV broadcasting transmitters with many other channels powered by Egatel in service in the Australian market.