Telekom Television C Band Earth Station Antenna Project

In April 2016 Av-Comm completed the installation of a new 4.5m C Band earth station antenna in the Solomon Islands on behalf of Telekom Television. The new antenna was installed as part of a broader project to provide television content and internet via resilient C Band satellite bandwidth for distribution and use throughout the country. The geographic location of the Solomon Islands presents several unique challenges for satellite connectivity primarily because of the high annual rainfall and distribution of the population. The multiple satellite hops required to service the population amplify the impact of high rainfall events making C Band satellite bandwidth the preferred choice for tier 1 intra-island connectivity.

Av-Comm supplied and installed a 4.5m Suman C Band VSAT Satellite Dish at Solomon Telekom’s Honiara Earth Station and fitted an Agilis ALB190 100 Watt C Band Block UpConverter (BUC) to provide the desired EIRP of the new earth station antenna. The C Band satellite bandwidth was supplied by Intelsat’s 805 satellite located at 169° East providing excellent coverage across the Pacific, Australia, and South East Asia.

The new 4.5m C Band earth station antenna system includes a user friendly web based GUI that provides monitoring and control connectivity to all active components of the earth station antenna system. The monitoring and control architecture implemented by Av-Comm allows Telekom’s engineering staff to monitor and control the uplink via a simple internet connection whilst also allowing Av-Comm to provide tier two support by our Sydney-based technicians via a VPN connection.

Av-Comm would like to thank Telekom Television and Solomon Telekom for the opportunity to work with them on this exciting project and for their ongoing support. Av-Comm would also like to thank Telekom’s earth station and engineering staff for their assistance assembling and commissioning the antenna.

Watch the project video here.

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