"CNBC Selects StarHub to Provide 'Live' Transmissions - Through Fibre - from London, Hong Kong, Japan"
Deal Brings New Level of Broadcast Technology to Asia
Singapore, 3 April 2003 - StarHub, Singapore's leading info-communication provider, today announced that it has sealed a substantial contract with CNBC Asia Pacific, the world's leading business television news provider, to provide 'live' video feeds from London, Hong Kong and Japan to Singapore via fibre/cable.
Managed globally through Arcstar Global ATM Service, CNBC Asia Pacific will transmit from its regional bureaus to its production centre in Singapore reliable signals that are not susceptible to atmospheric conditions and local terrestrial interference. Traditionally, broadcasters receive 'live' video content, reports and news via satellite services. With this implementation, CNBC Asia Pacific is one of the first broadcasters in the region to receive broadcast-quality footage from around the world to Asia-Pacific on ATM circuits.
"With our move globally towards the provision of high-quality broadcast news in a timely fashion, CNBC leads the broadcast industry in Asia by offering 'live' transmission signals that are not adversely affected by factors such as the weather," said Peter Juno, Vice President, Director of Operations, CNBC Asia Pacific. "The move towards a fibre network over the usual satellite feed, effectively lowers our broadcast overheads, allowing us to remain competitive in the Asian broadcast industry."
Juno continued, "StarHub's understanding and flexibility in customising a solution to meet our needs, has helped us tremendously in managing our business operations. They have shown commitment and expertise in both the data and broadcast industries, that it has given us the confidence to move towards more advanced broadcast technologies to ensure our viewers obtain their business news uninterrupted."
CNBC, the world's leading business television news provider, offers unparalleled coverage of global business news and information to over 188 million homes worldwide. In Asia, CNBC Asia Pacific, which is headquartered in Singapore, beams news daily via its seven channels, CNBC Asia, CNBC Australia, CNBC India, Nikkei-CNBC (Japan), MBN-CNBC (Korea), CNBC Singapore and CNBC Hong Kong, to 26 million homes across the region.
Mike Reynolds, Senior Vice President for StarHub's Business Markets, said, "We're delighted to be selected by CNBC Asia to deliver their first Asian broadcast transmission through fibre. The delivery of such signals via fibre marks a key milestone in Singapore's broadcast industry by opening up yet another avenue to transmit signals across international borders. We're happy to realise CNBC Asia's vision of employing new technologies to deliver timely news smoothly to their viewers."
StarHub is the exclusive provider of Arcstar services in Singapore - Arcstar being the brand name of NTT Communications (NTTCom) suite of global managed services. Arcstar Global ATM Service, available to over 20 countries, provides high-speed ATM connectivity for multimedia communications that integrate voice, data and video between major business centres worldwide. Arcstar Global ATM Service is a broadband service that supports ATM classes of service to transmit different applications at greater cost efficiency.
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