SES Astra Confident About SATMODE

SES Astra has high hopes for its SATMODE initiative. The Luxembourg-based company is teaming up with players such as Thomson, STMicroelectronics, Newtec, Canal Satellite in France to develop a low cost satellite-based response channel for direct-to-home set-top boxes. Commercial rollout of the SATMODE product is expected to begin near the end of next year.

Ferdinand Kayser, the president and CEO of SES Astra, said he believes the concept is a winning one for the company. Kayser told SATELLITE TODAY: “The objective here is to really promote interactivity. It is very important for us, but it will be even more important for our customers. We know that our customers in France, the United Kingdom and Germany prefer having satellite subscribers. We believe this always-on interactivity at a very low cost and a cost which will not have to be financed by the operator, like the cable industry … and is definitely something that all of our customers have a very strong interest in.”

An exclusive interview with Ferdinand Kayser can be found in the July 2 issue of Interspace. For more information about subscribing to PBI Media’s satellite newsletters, check out our Web site at http://www.telecomweb.com/catalog.