Embratel launches satellite pay-TV

Embratel expands services offered to residential market

Embratel (BMV: TELINT; NYSE: TII; LATIBEX: XTII), the broadest telecommunications company in Brazil, announces its entrance in the domestic pay-TV market with its Via Embratel service. The new service offers a wide variety of channels that are appealing to the whole family. With this new product, Embratel intends to provide more entertainment, knowledge, culture and education, as a complement to the regular TV programs.

“Embratel is once more ahead of the market with this special service”, says Antonio João, the director responsible for Via Embratel. The offer includes celebrated TV channels like Animal Planet, Band News, Canal Via Embratel, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel, Discovery Home&Health, Discovery Kids, Disney Channel, ESPN, Fox, Fox Life, FX, GloboNews, GNT, MegaPix, Multishow, National Geographic, People&Arts, Space, SportTV, Sportv2, Telecine Premium, Telecine Action, Telecine Light, Telecine Pipoca and Telecine Cult, TNT, VH1 and others, plus 15 radio channels. Expecting to serve a market of over 20 million residential consumers, Embratel will be providing this new service through its own Stat One C2 series satellite network for HD transmission.

Via Embratel uses last-generation digital technology with MPEG-4 for carrying and DVB-S2 for broadcasting purposes. “The competitive edges of this new solution are based on Embratel’s top quality and reliability, providing HD audio and video using the MPEG-4 digital technology, the new global communication multimedia feature for audio and video transmission with unique quality,” states Antonio João.

Embratel will install a 60-centimeter antenna and a digital receiver at the customer’s house. With this equipment the subscribers can access all channels, the Electronic Programming Guide and the child control feature for parental control.

This new service will complement the existing NET network, of which Embratel is one of the controllers, offering pay-TV services to locations not yet served. “With Via Embratel, a new top quality choice to enhance the TV programming is available to customers in Brazil “, says Antonio João.

The entrance of Embratel in this market segment and the expansion of its satellite coverage are in line with the introduction of digital TV in Brazil. With this offer, Embratel consolidates its reputation as provider of a broad portfolio of solutions for various segments.

The Via Embratel equipment (receiver and antenna) will be leased to customers on a loan-for-use basis. During the launching period ending on Dec.31/2008 the contracting and installation will be available for free. The initial monthly charge is R$ 59,90.