RTP, the Portuguese national broadcaster, will use Ku-band capacity on a South American beam of IA-8 to provide DTH applications in Brazil, where Intelsat recently secured landing rights to operate its newest satellite.

Intelsat, working with Brazilian broadcaster Tecsat, will provide RTP with a turnkey DTH solution which will include signal turnaround, multiplexing and space segment. In order for RTP to provide content directly to homes in Brazil, Tecsat will use its teleport in Brazil to downlink RTP's Portuguese programming from the IS-805 satellite. Once received, the signal will be multiplexed and uplinked to IA-8's powerful Ku-band beam where reception will be enabled in antennas as small as 90 centimeters.

"This is the first time we will be accessing the Brazilian market with a DTH offering, so it made sense to use IA-8, a new and powerful satellite covering the region, to provide a cost-effective service to viewers of our content," said Mr. Paulo Jorge Velez Santos, Head of International Distribution at RTP. "Intelsat provided us with an ideal turnkey solution, combining convenience, coverage and power at a very competitive price."

Stephen Spengler, Intelsat's Senior Vice President, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific Sales, stated, "International broadcasters interested in accessing Latin America on a DTH basis should note that the high-power of IA-8 is ideal to cost-effectively reach a significant number of small dishes throughout the region. This application is a good example of how the breadth of Intelsat's fleet can enable a customer based in one region to target another region entirely and expand its business abroad."

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