Luxembourg, 20 March 2017

Intelsat (NYSE: I), operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, powered by its leading satellite backbone, today announced that Orion Express signed a multi-year extension with Intelsat for satellite services supporting direct-to-home (DTH) and media distribution services in Russia via the Intelsat 15 satellite.

Orion Express, a major satellite television provider and operator of the second largest DTH platform in Russia, uses multiple Ku-band transponders on Intelsat 15 and Horizons 2, co-located at 85º East, to deliver DTH services to customers and TV content to cable and IPTV head ends. Under the new agreement, Orion Express extended its use of Intelsat 15 well into the next decade and expanded its operations by consolidating services with Intelsat that had been with another satellite operator.

“The premium programming that Intelsat enables us to efficiently and reliably distribute, along with the ability to deliver regionalized content, has spurred the rapid growth of our DTH platform and media distribution services in Russia and neighboring CIS countries,” said Kirill Makhnovskiy, CEO of Orion Express. “The quality and the coverage provided by Intelsat 15 is enabling us to further expand our broadcast services and subscriber base.”

“This is another example of how Intelsat’s approach of working very closely with our customers to understand their business and their long-term growth strategy benefits our customers and Intelsat,” said Jean-Philippe Gillet, Intelsat’s Vice President and General Manager, Broadband. “This long-term commitment from Orion Express will strengthen the strategic position of 85° East as a major media hub for Russia and the CIS. The combination of Intelsat 15 and Horizons 2 will also strengthen Orion Express’ position and provide a robust and long-term growth capability to attract even more national and international broadcasters.”

Supporting Resources:

• Intelsat Media Services: http://www2.intelsat.com/e/48312/solutions-media-/4wczks/242986725

About Intelsat

Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) operates the world’s first Globalized Network, delivering high-quality, cost-effective video and broadband services anywhere in the world. Intelsat’s Globalized Network combines the world’s largest satellite backbone with terrestrial infrastructure, managed services and an open, interoperable architecture to enable customers to drive revenue and reach through a new generation of network services. Thousands of organizations serving billions of people worldwide rely on Intelsat to provide ubiquitous broadband connectivity, multi-format video broadcasting, secure satellite communications and seamless mobility services. The end result is an entirely new world, one that allows us to envision the impossible, connect without boundaries and transform the ways in which we live. For more information, visit www.intelsat.com.

About Orion Express
Orion Express, LLC has been working at the satellite TV market for 11 years (since 2005). The major activities of the company are delivery of satellite TV services to individual subscribers, placement of TV channels on satellites, TV channels maintenance and release, delivery of television content to cable networks. Nowadays Orion Express is the only one Russian operator that covers 100% of Russian territory and the CIS.  Orion Express broadcasts from Intelsat 15 (85 °E), Horizons 2 (85 ° E) and Express AM5 (140 ° E) satellites. The company holds the 3th place in TOP-5 of Russian Pay TV market and is at TOP-3 of the satellite TV market.

Orion Express Press Center: +7 (495) 741-81-01, ext. 1022; pr@orion-express.com

PCCW (SEHK: 0008) – HONG KONG, March 20, 2017 – PCCW Solutions, the IT services flagship of PCCW Limited, has been awarded the Market Leadership in Digital Technology at the Hong Kong Institute of Marketing (HKIM) Market Leadership Award 2016. The award demonstrates PCCW Solutions’ distinguished efforts and marketing achievements in driving digital technology.
The HKIM Market Leadership Award recognizes individuals and enterprises that, through effective marketing strategy, have integrated branding initiatives, and diversified communication campaigns, to increase market share, improve customer engagement, enhance brand awareness and raise the marketing standards in its respective industry in Hong Kong.
Dr. Michael Y. K. Chan, Honorary Chairman of HKIM, said, “We are pleased to present the market leadership award to PCCW Solutions in recognizing their distinguished contributions for the industry. As a leading IT services provider, PCCW Solutions goes beyond providing advanced digital solutions to accelerating the market adoption, offering consultancy to enterprises in optimizing the digital technology deployment for different marketing initiatives along the customer journey.”
Mr. Brian Groen, Senior Vice President, Digital, Cloud and Data Center Solutions, PCCW Solutions, said, “The award recognizes our commitment to deliver strong business benefits for our clients through the use of innovative digital solutions. This achievement will further drive us to develop more innovative digital marketing solutions in order to achieve client benefit and maintain our leading position.”
Mr. Groen added, “Digital technology is both the enabler and accelerator to open up new possibilities for both people and businesses. Enterprises should embrace digital evolution to help understand their clients better, deepen customer understanding and potentially unlock new revenue streams. PCCW Solutions strives to pursue innovation in assisting enterprises to meet the constantly changing market demand and enhance customer satisfaction.”
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About PCCW Solutions
PCCW Solutions is the IT and business process outsourcing flagship of PCCW Limited, which also holds interests in telecommunications, media, property development and investment, and other businesses.
Responsible for a growing number of large-scale IT projects in the public and private sectors, PCCW Solutions holds a wealth of experience and expertise and is viewed as a major industry player in Greater China. To learn more about PCCW Solutions, please visit www.pccwsolutions.com

About PCCW Limited
PCCW Limited ( SEHK: 0008) is a global company headquartered in Hong Kong which holds interests in telecommunications, media, IT solutions, property development and investment, and other businesses.
The Company holds a majority interest in the HKT Trust and HKT Limited, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider and leading operator in fixed-line, broadband and mobile communication services. HKT meets the needs of the Hong Kong public and local and international businesses with a wide range of services including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, and other telecommunications businesses such as customer premises equipment sale, outsourcing, consulting, and contact centers.
PCCW also owns a fully integrated multimedia and entertainment group in Hong Kong, PCCW Media. PCCW Media operates the largest local pay-TV operation, Now TV, and is engaged in the provision of over-the-top (OTT) video service under the Viu brand in Hong Kong and other places in the region.
Through HK Television Entertainment Company Limited, PCCW also operates a domestic free television service in Hong Kong.
Also wholly-owned by the Group, PCCW Solutions is a leading information technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing provider in Hong Kong and mainland China.
In addition, PCCW holds a majority interest in Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited, and other overseas investments. To learn more about PCCW, please visit www.pccw.com.

For more information, please contact:
Ivan Ho PCCW Tel: +852 2883 8747 Email:
ivan.wy.ho@pccw.com
Issued by PCCW Limited.

17 March 2017.  From the “king” of the Iranian stage to the “star” of Afghan pop, from effervescent ballet to heartwarming drama – BBC Persian presents a glittering array of cultural entertainment as well as a fly-on-the-wall documentary for this year’s celebration of Norouz – the festival of spring equinox celebrating the beginning of New Year.

Taking off at 08.00GMT (11.30 Tehran Time, 12.30 Kabul Time, 04.00 ET) on Monday 20 March, the BBC Persian festive programming starts with the Norouz Show which will simultaneously run on the biggest Iranian music website, the BBC Persian partner station, Radio Javan, and, for the first time, will be rebroadcast by Afghanistan’s Yak TV.  Prerecorded in London, the 150-minute gala features:

• Persian pop legend, “king of stage” Ebi, singing live – following his announcement that his 50th anniversary this year will be the last for live performances.  In addition to his live appearance on the Norouz show, Ebi also has granted the BBC exclusive rights to broadcast one of his latest concerts at in the Microsoft Theatre in LA.  The beautifully produced three-hour concert is a rare opportunity for millions of fans in Iran to experience the concert atmosphere  – a chance they might not have had in nearly four decades Ebi has been performing outside the country (to air after the Norouz Show, at 10.30 GMT)
   

• Afghan pop diva, singer and songwriter – and one of the judges on the country’s equivalent of Pop Idol, Afghani Star – Aryana Sayeed who urges women with her lyrics to be strong and not to give up fighting for a better future
   

• Mamak Khadem, singer and composer, is known for bringing together folk music from around the world in her own, unique style.  This time she introduces her interpretations of music from Macedonian gypsies as well as Iranian Kurdish and Gilaki pieces
• Sami Beigi, the hugely popular Iranian pop sensation performs
• ‘Send to All’ – a game in which the ‘smart’ in smartphones takes on a whole new meaning as the Iranian showman, Sina Valiollah, sends a funny text to all his celebrity contacts and then reads some of the most extraordinary responses. Using the same trick, BBC Persian presenter Behzad gets some amazing replies, too
• Norouz Xrunner, gives the audience an opportunity to see the team of 12 BBC Persian journalists well out of their comfort zone, taking a mud challenge with some gruelling obstacles at Holme Pierrepont Country Park, home of UK’s National Water Sports Centre.

At 17.40 GMT (21.10 Tehran Time, 22.10 Kabul Time, 13.40 ET) on the same day, 20 March, BBC Persian will premiere the documentary, My Little Iran.  Directed and presented by BBC Persian’s Hassan Solhjoo, the film brings the stories of seven Iranian New Yorkers as, on 17 April every year, they join the ‘Persian Parade’ on Madison Avenue – a celebration of their culture and traditions in the heart of NYC, that attracts around 150,000 people.

On Wednesday 22 March, BBC Persian will bring its audiences a new two-hour ballet production from Tajikistan, Zaal and Roudabeh.  An epic love story based on Ferdowsi’s “Shahnameh” (Book of Kings) – the Persian heritage shared by Afghans, Iranians and Tajiks – it is given life in a new medium through the Tajikistan ballet performance for BBC Persian TV.

As the Norouz celebrations wrap up on Sunday 2 April, the BBC Persian TV audience will be treated to another premiere, The girl who fell in love with a wolf – a fairy tale, written and directed by the BBC Persian’s Alireza Mirasadullah.  With string puppets and shadow puppets played by MA students of London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, this visually ravishing show will charm audiences with its gentle narrative – and some dark humour.

Broadcast on BBC Persian TV, the Norouz programming between 20 March and 3 April will be available on demand via bbc.com/persian and channelled via the BBC Persian social-media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Telegram messenger service.

BBC Persian is part of BBC World Service.

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Please credit BBC if using any of the photos.

For more information, please contact:

BBC World Service Group Communications – Lala Najafova lala.najafova@bbc.co.uk

Notes to editors:

BBC World Service delivers news content around the world, on radio, TV and digital, reaching a weekly audience of 246 million. As part of BBC World Service, BBC Learning English teaches English to global audiences.  The BBC World Service Group operates around the world in 30 languages, on radio, TV and digital. The BBC attracts a weekly global news audience of 320 million people to its international news services including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel and bbc.com/news.

~Tata Sky unveils the finest of worldwide content exclusively for Indian audiences~

Mumbai, March 16, 2017: Tata Sky, India’s innovative content distribution platform, launches Tata Sky World Series – the exclusive home of much admired global content. The pop-up service will premiere first with popular Italian language crime drama, Gomorrah, on March 19.

‘Gomorrah’ will be the first TV series on Tata Sky World Series and shall run for one month with English subtitles. On television, the pop-up service, Tata Sky World Series will run one new episode a day along with previous episodes available throughout the day. Gomorrah will be available to all Tata Sky subscribers for a period of one month via Tata Sky’s Set-Top-Box & Tata Sky Mobile App at no additional cost.

Paolo Agostinelli, Chief Content & Business Development Officer, Tata Sky said, “Tata Sky constantly pushes the boundaries of innovation by providing an assorted and rich array of content to our subscribers on platforms of their choice; be it the Set-Top-Box or the Tata Sky Mobile App. This new service will enable our subscribers to consume global content which otherwise would not have reached the Indian sub-continent through the conventional mediums of television. Gomorrah being the first of many international TV shows on Tata Sky World Series, is a scintillating drama on the much-romanced Italian Mafia, that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.”

Today subscribers are increasingly involved on social media and latch on to popular content digitally. In line with this trend, the ‘Tata Sky World Series’ service will be accessible on Tata Sky On-demand for binge watching, for the entire month, both on STBs and on digital devices via Tata Sky Mobile.

Tata Sky World Series will showcase fresh and exciting global content from Italy, UK, Cuba, Norway, Czech Republic and South Korea on Indian screens exclusively for Tata Sky subscribers throughout the year.

About Gomorrah: ‘Gomorrah’ is Italy’s popular television series based on the best-selling book by the journalist Roberto Saviano. The novel has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and inspired the film Gomorrah, which won the 2008 Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The series, set in the suburbs of Naples in Italy, focuses on the inside story of the Camorra, the fierce Neapolitan crime organization, and is told through the eyes of Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore), the right hand of the clan’s godfather, Pietro Savastanno (Fortunato Cerlino).

About Tata Sky

Tata Sky Limited (‘Tata Sky’) is a joint venture between the Tata Sons and 21st Century Fox. Incorporated in 2001 and launched services in 2006, Tata Sky is India’s leading content distribution platform providing Pay TV and OTT services. With the objective of connecting to the best content in the world on any budget, any screen, anytime and anywhere, Tata Sky was the first to launch multiple products and services that redefined the subscribers viewing experience in the country.

Tata Sky has been a pioneer in the HD Set top box segment having significant market share in the category. It has been continuously adding new channels and platform services across various genres and languages to beef up its content offering to cater to all segments of the audience. Tata Sky currently has its footprints spread across 1.5 lakh towns with over 15 million connections in India.

For more information on Tata Sky, visit www.tatasky.com

16 March 2017.  The BBC Academy has further expanded its global outreach, adding content in five languages.  Free resources, dedicated to journalism and language use in Bangla, Kyrgyz, Somali, Spanish and Ukrainian, are now live with mobile-first new design (in the first iteration of the sites) – bringing the total number of BBC Academy’s non-English-language sites to 23.

Najiba Kasraee, Editor of Academy International Sites, says: “Language and journalism are inseparable.  It’s important to provide journalists not only with skills training but also to make them aware of the importance of observing language standards that have been honed by BBC journalists, based on our guidelines of unbiased, accurate and fair reporting.”

The new websites, which offer content in three main categories – Language, Skills and Standards – provide a guide to the BBC’s editorial principles and core values.  Journalists will find language tools that ensure standards such as impartiality and accuracy are maintained as they translate materials or create and deliver original content.

Covering a wide range of multimedia skills – television, radio and digital production – the sites focus on presentation, writing, and use of social media.  A special focus is given to helping journalists produce and present under pressure of tight deadlines.

The new content adds to sites for BBC journalism in Arabic, Burmese, Chinese in simplified form, Chinese in traditional form, French, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Pashto, Persian, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu, Uzbek and Vietnamese. This development is in line with BBC Academy’s pledge to provide support for all of the BBC World Service languages – including the new language services that will start delivering content as part of BBC World Service’s expansion.

The sites are available via the BBC Academy International Language Sites and can be accessed via homepages of respective BBC World Service languages websites.

Ends//

For more information, please contact:

Lala Najafova lala.najafova@bbc.co.uk or Jacqui Meddings Jacqui.Meddings@bbc.co.uk

Notes to editors:

The BBC Academy puts skills development at the heart of the BBC, supporting our mission to inform, educate and entertain.  Through a wide portfolio of staff training we develop skills enabling us to meet the challenges of an ever-changing media world; and we share as much training and expertise as possible with the wider broadcasting industry through our website, events and partnerships.  The BBC offers work experience, apprenticeships and traineeships, recruiting from communities across the UK and offering great opportunities for talented people, regardless of background.

BBC World Service delivers news content around the world, on radio, TV and digital, reaching a weekly audience of 246 million. As part of BBC World Service, BBC Learning English teaches English to global audiences.  The BBC World Service Group operates around the world in 30 languages, on radio, TV and digital. The BBC attracts a weekly global news audience of 320 million people to its international news services including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel and bbc.com/news.

Hong Kong, 15 March 2017 – Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited (‘AsiaSat’ – SEHK: 1135), Asia’s leading satellite operator, today announced its 2016 annual results for the year ended 31 December 2016.

Financial Highlights:

• 2016 revenue of HK$1,272 million, down 3% compared to 2015 primarily due to reduced short-term revenue from AsiaSat 3S. If excluding the short-term non-recurring AsiaSat 3S revenue, revenue grew by about 3%
• 2016 profit attributable to owners maintained at HK$430 million (2015: HK$440 million), as a result of lower income tax charges following the reversal of a provision made in previous years
• Combined new and renewed contracts during the year valued at HK$1,870 million (2015: HK$1,310 million). As at 31 December 2016, the value of contracts on hand increased by 16% to HK$4,067 million (2015: HK$3,517 million)
• Proposed final dividend of HK$0.20 per share

Operational Highlights:

• Utilisation of AsiaSat 4, AsiaSat 5, AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 7 as of 31 December 2016 stood at 67% (99 transponders utilised), with AsiaSat 8’s entire Ku-band payload fully leased at 4 degrees West and AsiaSat 3S operating in inclined orbit to provide service in Asia
• AsiaSat 9, a replacement for AsiaSat 4 and planned for launch in late 2017, will offer additional capacity serving new markets for Direct-to-Home (DTH), regional video distribution, private networks and broadband services
• The acquisition of new customer Shanghai Interactive Television (SiTV) on AsiaSat 6 marked AsiaSat’s re-entry into the China video market through establishing a high value platform to support the development of High Definition (HD) broadcasting in China
• Continued to lead the industry in advanced technology through advocating Ultra HD (UHD) broadcasting in Asia with its free-to-air UHD channel ‘4K-SAT’ on AsiaSat 4, and evaluating opportunities to develop its High Throughput Satellite (HTS) Ka-band capabilities Page 2 of 17 AsiaSat’s Chairman, JU Wei Min, said, “In the coming year, the Board of Directors is cautiously optimistic on the economic prospects for the region, which, despite relatively flat indicators for some markets continues to invest in new telecommunications and media infrastructure, as well as renewing and updating existing facilities. New DTH platforms focused on smaller emerging markets remain attractive, especially given the need for relevant local-language services.”

“In order to address the ever-increasing, long-term demand for new data transmission capacity AsiaSat will continue to evaluate opportunities to develop its HTS Ka-band capabilities, carefully monitoring and benefiting from the technical and commercial progress of deployments of IoT, UHD and other consumer driven services,” Mr. JU added.

You can download the full report here.

Media Contacts:
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited
Winnie Pang, Manager, Marketing Communications
Tel: (852) 2500 0880 Email: wpang@asiasat.com

Armstrong will oversee International Affiliate, Program and Commercial Sales, and International Development of BET, Spike and Paramount Channel

New York, March 14, 2017 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) today announced the appointment of Michael D. Armstrong as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Revenue and Emerging Brands. In this role, he adds oversight of International Program Sales and Affiliate Sales to his role.  With this expanded remit, Arran Tindall, SVP, Commercial and Content Distribution, will step up to lead International Affiliate Sales and Caroline Beaton, SVP, of International Program and Format Sales will now both report to Armstrong.

Armstrong will continue to manage the development and expansion of the BET, Paramount Channel and Spike internationally, as well as oversee VIMN’s ad sales division, Viacom Velocity International.

“Michael is an innovator and strategic thinker who has spearheaded the growth and expansion of Viacom internationally across multiple lines of business and brands,” said David Lynn, President and CEO of VIMN. “In his new role, Michael will now oversee two more key areas of our business, managing a strong team of leaders who will continue to drive the day-to-day activities under his overall strategic guidance.”

Armstrong has led many firsts for the company including the creation and launch of Paramount Channel internationally in 2012, which now has 11 channels and is the largest ad-supported film channel in the world, available in almost 100 countries and 95 million homes outside the US. In 2016, Armstrong co-led the launch of BET Play, Viacom’s first direct-to-consumer subscription video on demand offering for adult audiences, which is available in 100 markets internationally. Under Armstrong’s guidance, BET is now available internationally in more than 35 million homes. Armstrong has also been instrumental in growing Spike’s distribution internationally; having working with local market leadership to launch launched the first Spike channel outside the US in 2015 in the UK, followed by Benelux, the Middle East, Australia and Hungary.

Armstrong first joined the company in 1998 and held a variety sales and affiliate marketing roles for brands including MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CMT in both the New York and Chicago offices. He joined VIMN in 2011 as Senior Vice President and General Manager of BET International and Paramount Channel, having previously been at BET Networks from May 2006.

Armstrong received a B.S. in marketing from Hampton University, where he also serves on the board. He received an M.B.A. in strategy and marketing from the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business, where he was honored with the Distinguished Young Alumni Award in 2012. He is a member of the International Academy of Television Entertainment Arts & Sciences; is the Immediate Past Chair for the NAMIC (National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications) Board of Directors; Chairman of the Board for the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

About Viacom International Media Networks

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), is comprised of many of the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Paramount Channel and Spike. Viacom brands reach more than 3.9 billion cumulative subscribers in 180+ countries and territories via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties, in more than 40 languages. Keep up with VIMN news by visiting the VIMN PR Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/VIMN_PR. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com.

Contact:

Kate Laverge

Viacom International Media Networks

Tel: +1 (212) 654-4335

Email: Kate.Laverge@viacom.com

– New Fashion-Forward Line Featuring Animals, Space, Dinosaurs Marks First Ever Global Partnership Between the Two Brands –
– Robust Global Marketing Support In-Store and on Social and Digital Media Platforms –

Singapore, 15 March 2017 – Discovery Consumer Products, the licensing arm of Discovery Communications (DCI), and Uniqlo, a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading global Japanese retail holding company that designs, manufactures and sells clothing, are collaborating on a brand-new collection of unisex youth t-shirts embodying Discovery Channel’s spirit of curiosity. This marks the first ever global partnership between Uniqlo and Discovery Consumer Products and will be supported with a comprehensive, worldwide digital marketing campaign, in-store promotion, and cross promotion between the two brands. The t-shirts will be available online at Uniqlo.com and at Uniqlo retail locations in China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the U.S. and Europe, beginning this month.

“Uniqlo is recognised for their out-of-the-box approach to fashion and their highly creative and innovative designs makes them a perfect fit for the adventurous nature of the Discovery Channel brand,” said Leigh Anne Brodsky, Executive Vice President, Discovery Global Enterprises, DCI. “Their unique UT approach brings Discovery’s mission of inspiring curiosity that will appeal to girls and boys as well as their parents.”

The new collection introduces a line of Discovery Channel-branded unisex youth shirts spanning the genres that spur curiosity like animals, space and dinosaurs. With purchase, consumers will also receive a DVD filled with high-quality dinosaur-focused content from Discovery Channel in the Japanese Uniqlo stores.

The marketing campaign supporting the new Discovery Channel collection is tailored specifically to reach a global, family-focused audience. Stop motion videos and animated GIFs also featuring a dance music soundtrack will be distributed on popular social media platforms reaching parents across the world including Facebook, Line in Japan, and WeChat in China. In Malaysia, children and adults will be transported and immersed in time, space and story with the latest experiences from Discovery Virtual Reality. DCI will also drive awareness around the line on their platforms and there will be in-store support and promotion on Uniqlo.com.

###

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the leader in global entertainment reaching 3 billion cumulative viewers in more than 220 countries and territories. Discovery satisfies curiosity, entertains and inspires viewers with high-quality content through global brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and through the Discovery Digital Networks portfolio, including Seeker and SourceFed. Discovery owns Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

About Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific
Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, a division of the leading global entertainment provider Discovery Communications, is dedicated to satisfying curiosity, engaging and entertaining viewers with high-quality content. From survival to natural history, wonders of science to extreme jobs, motoring to travel and lifestyle, and the latest engineering marvels to live sporting events, each channel offers distinct must-watch programming to engage viewers across the region. The network’s 15 brands reach 902 million cumulative subscribers in 37 countries and territories with programming customised in 14 languages and dialects. For more information, please visit
www.asia.discovery.com

Newcrest has partnered with telecommunications and technology company, Telstra, to become the first gold miner in the southern hemisphere to deliver O3b’s high-speed broadband through its new 100 megabits per second (Mbps) satellite link to the Lihir gold mine in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea.

The new medium-earth-orbit (MEO) satellite link, which has increased bandwidth to Lihir by over 600 per cent, is the result of a partnership between Newcrest, Telstra and satellite service provider O3b Networks.

Newcrest’s Lihir gold mine in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea

Source of photos: Newcrest 

“Newcrest is proud to make use of this innovative new service to significantly improve the network experience at Lihir”, said Chief Information Officer, Gavin Wood. “As well as enabling better IT and digital solutions for our operation, the new link will help to make Lihir a better place to work and live for our workforce,” he said.

The Lihir operation was previously subscribed to 6Mbps and 10Mbps geostationary satellite links 36,000 kilometres above the earth’s surface, which didn’t provide the high speed and lower latency Newcrest was looking for at this large site. Previous attempts to address the problem through microwave links and submarine fibre optic cable proved unviable, given Lihir is about 200km from the provincial capital, Kavieng.

“This new satellite link utilises medium-earth-orbit technology, approximately 8,000 kilometres above the earth’s surface and delivers fibre-like bandwidth and speed to remote locations. The speed is similar to that experienced in major centres like Port Moresby,” said Mr Wood.

“Any mining company claiming it wants to be a leader in the application of digital technologies cannot be serious about that without first delivering quality network connections to their sites,” said Mr Wood.

Executive General Manager Cadia and Lihir, Craig Jetson, said that the Lihir workforce and community members were already benefitting from the improved technology.

“This new satellite service has provided us with the opportunity to access technologies that are reliant on high bandwidth platforms. This further streamlines our operations, making us more efficient and cost effective,” said Mr Jetson.

“Under the agreement, Newcrest’s Wide Area Network service will be extended by Telstra via a constellation of MEO satellites. This new satellite service is an exciting addition to Telstra’s world-class network and will see enhanced connectivity delivered to more remote locations around the world,” said Jim Clarke, Telstra’s Director of Global Connectivity and Networks.

“Providing reliable connectivity for remote work sites like mines or oil rigs is no longer a nice to have – it’s operationally essential,” said Steve Collar, CEO of O3b Networks.

More information on how this new satellite service is supporting Newcrest’s digital transformation activities and keeping their employees better connected can be found on Telstra Exchange: http://tel.st/Newcrest.

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For further information please contact