The launch of communication satellite GSAT-10 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be a major boost for the Indian direct-to-home (DTH) operators, who are scrambling to add additional channels due to the shortage of transponders.
According to industry sources, broadcast satellite television services provider Tata Sky will be the major beneficiary from GSAT-10, which will be launched from French Guiana space-port on September 29.
GSAT-10 carries 30 communication transponders including 12 Ku-band, 12 C-band and six extended C-band transponders.
Tata Sky, which is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Rupert Murdoch's Star TV, is fast growing its subscriber base in India.
According to the latest industry data, the company is said to have increased its subscriber base to around 10 million this year from about 8.5 million in the previous fiscal.
The company, which offers over 200 television channels, is said to be facing difficulty in adding new channels and launching new services in the absence of additional transponders.
There were also talks that the company was talking to foreign satellite operators as the operational life of INSAT-4A, the satellite which hosts its channels, had been reduced by several months due to technical glitches.
“All DTH operators are struggling to expand their capacity because of the unavailability of transponders on Indian satellites. Tata Sky, which is planning to add about 100-120 channels on their platform, is planning to use GSAT-10 in a major way,” said industry sources on the condition of anonymity.
According to sources, each transponder has a capacity to accommodate around 15 standard definition channels. However, in the case of high definition channels, the capacity comes down to about 5.
Designated spokespersons of Tata sky could not be reached to know the number of transponders the company is planning to use in GSAT-10.
In the absence of self-sufficiency in the transponder requirement, Indian DTH operators are managing over 30% of their requirements using leased capacity.
In August 2010, Sun Direct, the DTH service from the Sun TV Group had shifted several of its channels to Malaysian satellite Measat after INSAT 4B, which hosted its channels, encountered technical snags.
Globally, the transponder capacity has seen a growth of 30-35% during the last five years.
More than 6,000 transponders are said to be available in the space now.
