Hispasat and Pittsburgh International Telecommunications Launch 'New Winds' DTH Platform on Amazonas-2 Satellite

PITTSBURGH, PA — Hispasat Group, the leading DTH satellite provider in Spanish and Portuguese speaking markets, and Pittsburgh International Telecommunications, Inc. (PIT), one of the world’s largest privately-owned and operated teleports and global distributors of audio and video signals, announced today a partnership to launch a new DTH (direct-to-home) platform on Amazonas-2 satellite titled New Winds.

New Winds, an alternative for the North American DTH market, provides an MCPC platform focusing on content providers from around the world. The platform, uplinked from the Pittsburgh International Telecommunications teleport, has launched with nine channels from Europe and the Middle East, with additional channels forthcoming from the Americas.

“The Hispasat Group has already achieved a strong presence in the DTH market in Europe and Latin America and our goal is to extend this presence in the North American market,” said Miguel Angel Redondo, Commercial and Services Director at Hispasat. “The initiative with Pittsburgh International Telecommunications will allow us to position Amazonas-2 as the ideal spacecraft to broadcast content to the North American Market.”

“We are excited about the business partnership with the Hispasat Group and are eager to cultivate our relationship,” said Floyd Ganassi, Chairman of Pittsburgh International Telecommunications, Inc. “Partnering with Hispasat on the New Winds platform will enable them to further their penetration into the North American DTH market.”

For customers needing backhaul services, LTN Global Communications, Inc., the only SmartCloud service for professional broadcast video delivery, will offer connectivity to PIT’s teleport via their SmartCloud technology. According to Malik Khan, Co-Founder and Chairman of LTN Global Communications, Inc., “PIT is currently a node on our SmartCloud network which will provide New Winds customers with a cost-effective solution for contribution services.”

Amazonas-2, a geosynchronous satellite with a life span of 15 years, which launched in October of 2009 by the Hispasat Group, is equipped with 64 transponders consisting of 54 Ku-Band (36 MHz) and 10 C-Band (54 MHz) transponders. The Amazonas-2 satellite, co-located with the Amazonas-1 satellite, is situated at 61 Degrees West Longitude and covers the Americas.