ARABSAT Wins “Best Satellite Organization” 2008 Award from Germany’s DrDish TV

Organized by DrDish Television from Munich, Germany –the first and only independent TV station for media and communication technology-- in cooperation with CABSAT –the leading International Electronic Media & Satellite Communications Event for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, an Awards Ceremony was held in Dubai, UAE to honour the winners and the nominees of the the DrDish TV Awards, a yearly event recognizing quality products, professional services and genuine ideas in the field of digital television and communication technology via satellite.

When receiving the award on behalf of ARABSAT, Mohamed YOUSSIF, VP & Chief Commercial Officer, declared: “We’re extremely pleased, and proud, to have won this award because it recognizes four years of tireless hard work in completely repositioning ARABSAT’s business, marketing and technological approach to the Middle East and North Africa market new challenges as well as ultra high-tech leapfrog.”

“Even though the battle was hard for each category, the jury had unanimously chosen ARABSAT as the BEST SATELLITE ORGANIZATION in the Middle East and North Africa because of its outstanding engagement in improving the region’s communication technologies, and providing the communities with a variety of selected satellite TV channels. Also ARABSAT’s future plan to improve its satellite fleet and to provide the broadcasters with HD-TV platforms was an important point considered by the jury.” said Christian MASS, the Head of the Jury Panel.

As a conclusion, Mr. YOUSSIF then added: “As each of these awards are meant to indicate digital excellence and celebrate a significant contribution to communications technologies, it feels fantastic and stimulating to be honoured by those with great experience in the industry and can only encourage us to work even harder towards anticipating our customers’ needs in the best possible manner.”

The Awards were created to recognize on one hand, and to motivate on the other hand; to encourage companies in the satellite business to keep on inventing and developing quality products. Every year, they are open to CABSAT registered companies marketing products and services for digital television and satellite communication technology, and judged by a

panel of international leading experts who ensure that the final results are based on diverse opinions and backgrounds, chaired by Christian Mass, a Satellite Communications Journalist, Producer and Chief Editor of DrDish TV from Munich, Germany.

The Jury had an extremely difficult task this year. Not only because of the high number of applications, but also because of the high technical standard of some products nominated in the same category.  It considered 49 applications from 31 companies from 14 countries. 71% of the applications came from Europe, 23% from the Middle East, and 6% from USA and Canada.

Awards were given in six main categories and some subcategories as it follows:

I.              BEST SET TOP BOX

a)     for standard definition broadcast (SD)

b)    for high definition broadcast (HD)

II.            BEST PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT

III.           BEST EQUIPMENT FOR SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION

a)     Software System

b)    Hardware System

IV.           BEST SATELLITE ORGANIZATION/SERVICE PROVIDER

a)     Satellite Organization

b)    Service Provider

V.            BEST PRODUCT FOR 2 WAY SATELLITE COMMUNICATION

a)     Equipment

b)    Service

VI.           BRAND OF THE YEAR

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For more information contact:

Saad Al-Tehaif, Arabsat PR Manager
+966/(0)1 281-9603; saadt@arabsat.com

Mrs. Kinga SZENTESI, Programme Director, DrDISH TV

+49/(0)89 244-188-185; kinga@drdish-tv.com

About ARABSAT

Founded in 1976 by the 21 member-states of the Arab League, Arabsat has been serving the growing needs of the Arab world for over 30 years. Now ranked as the world’s 9^th largest satellite operator, and by far  the leading satellite services provider in the Arab world, it carries over 300 TV channels and 160 radio stations reaching tens of millions of homes in more than 80 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Europe –and beyond– including over 164 million viewers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region alone tuned into the Arabsat video hotspot at 26 degrees East. 

Operating a growing fleet of 4 satellites at the 26 and 30.5 degrees East positions of the geostationary orbit, Arabsat is the largest satellite operator in the MENA region offering the full spectrum of Broadcast, Telecommunications and Broadband services. This capacity will continue to expand with the launch of one new satellite every year from 2008 to 2011, making the Arabsat satellite fleet the youngest in the region with ultimate flexibility. This aggressive deployment plan also translates into the highest possible reliability with a soon unrivalled in-orbit backup, as well as more space capacity than any other player in the region for more TV and radio broadcasting services, professional data network solutions, telephony & IP trunking backbone connectivity, and broadband Internet access for media and entertainment companies, corporate customers and government entities. 

Arabsat is also maintaining strategic partnerships with most of the world’s leading satellite companies and Value-Added Services integrators, allowing customers to reach farther than ever and deliver content or state-of-the art solutions to any end-viewers audience or business partner around the world.

Arabsat is committed to stay at the forefront of satellite services in the region, continuously expanding its range of customer-oriented solutions with an unparalleled level of quality and customer service, bringing in cutting-edge technology, providing the largest ever amount of capacity which positions it to become the HD-TV portal of the Middle East, and meeting the growing and evolving needs of its customers across the Arab world.  --  www.arabsat.com

About DrDISH TV

DrDish TV is the first and only independent TV channel for media and satellite communication technologies. It is produced by INSAT-Media, a satcom specialized video production company based in Munich, Germany.

DrDish TV is broadcasting on Astra for Europe, and all contents are available on DrDish TV’s webTV platform for the whole world. The channel is transmitting bilingual in English and German.

DrDish TV’s informative programmes make today’s complex communication and home entertainment technologies understandable for all viewers. This knowledge will motivate the viewers to make use of the countless new possibilities provided by our high-tech influenced life. The channel creates an important communication bridge between the satellite and home entertainment industry and consumers.