AMERICOM2Home^® (A2H) has quietly changed the landscape of the U.S. Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) industry. The AMC-15 deal with EchoStar marks the first time that either of the two U.S. DBS providers has outsourced their satellite requirements to a third party. Why did this happen? There were several contributing factors.

Thriving DBS Service in the U.S.

DBS is the most successful satellite retail service ever and it continues to grow. Four out of five new buyers of multi-channel TV services in the U.S. buy DBS. Also, the DBS players have only just begun to expand their services with the addition of local TV channels, high definition and broadband.

Strength of the A2H Proposition

Location, location, location.

A2H leverages SES AMERICOM’s prime orbital real estate in the center of the orbital arc including 105º/105.5ºW, 85ºW and other slots under development. At the 105ºW/105.5ºW slot (the "105º Neighborhood"), for example, A2H can deliver tremendous capacity for video and/or broadband services using three frequency bands (Ku FSS, Ku BSS and Ka) into a single small dish. Authorization to use BSS spectrum at the 105.5ºW location is subject to FCC approval.

Reliability.

The insurance industry measures the reliability of satellite operators using the ratio of insurance claims made to premiums paid. The SES GLOBAL family of operators in general, and SES AMERICOM in particular, delivers the lowest ratio in the industry by a wide margin, along with the highest transponder availability and solid in-orbit back-up.

Creative customer solutions.

The A2H team works with its customers to understand their day-to-day problems and develop creative solutions. This approach is exemplified by modifications to the AMC-15 satellite. In order to make the satellite "DTH-friendly," SES AMERICOM has added a second reflector with more power to support small-dish consumer services.


Agnostic and independent positioning.

We adhere to our core competency as pure satellite operators, and are independent of elements in the value chain (e.g. content owners, capacity users, satellite manufacturers) as are some of our competitors. Such control can distort decision-making. Moreover, A2H has positioned itself as a best-in-class wholesale provider of satellite capacity. Staying out of retail services, other than as a facilitator, has enabled SES AMERICOM to approach multiple retail service providers. This is nothing new: SES ASTRA has operated this way in Europe since 1985.