InfoSat-Laos Launches Direct to Home Satellite TV Platform on THAICOM 8

10 October 2016

Thaicom Public Company Limited has signed a contract with InfoSat-Laos a leading Direct to Home (DTH) satellite TV operator in Laos for the launch of its new DTH platform on the THAICOM 8 satellite.  

Under the agreement, InfoSat-Laos has signed a multi-year transponder agreement for Ku-band capacity on THAICOM 8. The deal emphasizes Thaicom’s ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) strategy and commitment to providing the region with premium satellite services.   InfoSat-Laos builds the DTH platform to satisfy the increasing demand of Ku-band in Laos. The platform has more than 15 channels available in both standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) formats.

“THAICOM 8 supports the continued high demand for Ku-band capacity of the broadcasting industry in Asia and Africa as it transitions from standard definition to high definition and ultra-high definition”, said Patompob (Nile) Suwansiri, CCO, Thaicom Public Company Limited.  “We are delighted to be able to support InfoSat-Laos’ business strategy. With its high signal-strength, THAICOM 8 is optimized to provide state-of-the-art TV broadcast services in Laos.”

“InfoSat-Laos is looking forward to delivering broadcast services to our viewers on the THAICOM 8 satellite platform. We can now provide Direct to Home (DTH) satellite broadcasting services to our viewers nationwide in both standard definition and high definition formats”, said Somsouk Souksavath, Manager of InfoSat-Laos. 

THAICOM 8 has a total of 24 Ku-band transponders which cover Thailand, South Asia, and Africa.  Co-located with THAICOM 5 and THAICOM 6 at 78.5°E longitude, THAICOM 8 entered service in July 2016.  The rich video channel neighborhood at the 78.5 E orbital slot is one of the leading in Asia for a variety of programming. Orbital ATK manufactured the satellite and SpaceX was responsible for the launch.  THAICOM 8 is designed to operate for more than 15 years.