Distributing radio broadcasting across Africa

Thanks to multicast technology, the satellite solution is the simplest to use, fastest to implement, most reliable and least expensive.

Radio companies need to feed their programs a set of FM transmitters scattered over a wide territory in Africa. The challenge is to send the signal to each repeater reliably and at a low cost. There are several techniques: optical fibre, microwaves and satellite. Nowadays, thanks to multicast technology, the satellite solution is the simplest to use, fastest to implement, most reliable and least expensive. neXat offers services to companies wishing to broadcast their radio and television programs over a wide territory.

Key Features

Multicasting

neXat can broadcast the same information simultaneously to a group of terminals. The satellite, directly reaching all the rebroadcasting sites, is the ideal solution in this case. This multicasting can be used for any number of simultaneous audio or video channels, with bit rates varying from a few kbps up to 20Mbps. The multi-casting service can be used in addition to standard neXat Internet services without any interference. In this case, the return channel can be used for monitoring. PRICE: Thanks to the technique of multicasting, information is transmitted only once, regardless of the number of terminals, and therefore the costs (which are related to the use of the satellite) are particularly low.

Ease of use

The implementation of this solution is very easy:  install a standard terminal with an antenna of 1m and connect a MP3 stream decoder whose analogue output will address an FM transmitter. As soon as the stream is routed to Brussels (via F.O. or satellite) it is sent by us to the central station in the Luxembourg and multicasted via satellite.

Speed

This solution is also extremely quick to deploy: installation of the equipment, always available from stock, takes only a few weeks. RELIABILITY: With satellite terminals being bi-directional, it is very easy to deploy a monitoring solution of the entire chain: FM transmitter, MP3 decoder, modem and satellite link which ensures the proper functioning of the entire chain and the entire network of repeaters.

In addition, with the Barix Extreamer 100, in the event of an interruption of the incoming stream, a “playlist” stored on a simple USB key will be played automatically, thus ensuring the continuity of the program for the duration of the interruption.

Implementation

To cover a large territory, radio/television broadcasters often have to install a large number of local repeaters. To route the program using these repeaters, thanks to the multicasting IP technology, the satellite is definitely the fastest, most reliable, and least expensive solution. With multicasting technology, the information sent to the various repeaters have to pass through the satellite only one time, no matter the number of sites to be supplied.

This makes this solution hyper-competitive in terms of price compared to fibre or any other technology. In addition, the provided satellite channel is totally dedicated with a fixed rate, which guarantees perfect quality. The range of possible rates goes from 64Kbps up to 20Mbps.

An example of a solution for the dissemination of 6 x 128 kbps flows to six countries.  There is also the possibility of full remote monitoring of the repeaters network. The implementation of this solution is extremely fast. Currently more than 40 radio stations have already been equipped with this solution in just a few months.

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