KT SAT signs transponder lease deal with Mongolian satellite TV operator

By Lee Min-hyung

KT SAT has signed a transponder lease agreement with Mongolian satellite TV operator DDISH TV.

Under the deal, KT's satellite-based network service affiliate will lease four transponders to offer direct-to-home (DTH) services for the Mongolian company starting next year.

The exclusive contract allows KT SAT to secure a long, stable revenue source, strengthening its foothold in the global satellite-based TV market.

Last year, the company clinched a three-year transponder contract with Pakistan-based satellite business Paksat. But KT SAT said the latest deal is meaningful, because the contract will not expire until the end of the satellites' 17-year lifespan.

DDISH TV will start using KT SAT's KOREASAT-5A satellites from 2017. Expectations are the company will offer more than 90 high-definition channels. DDISH TV is Mongolia's largest satellite broadcasting company, with some 320,000 subscribers since it started the business in 2008.

"The contract came as a result of successful collaboration between KT SAT and our satellite broadcasting provider affiliate, KT Skylife," the company said, Wednesday. "Both companies are expected to strengthen competitiveness in the satellite broadcasting sector, seeking next-generation growth areas."

Meanwhile, KT SAT plans to launch the KOREASAT-5G and KOREASAT-7 satellites at the end of this year, in a move to expand its coverage into nearby countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan.

mhlee@ktimes.co.kr