The first game of the 2014 Soccer World Cup kicks off on 12 June in Brazil and with 3 billion international viewers expected to tune in, the country faces a number of telecommunications challenges. Satellite companies in Latin America maintain that the country is responding well to this demand.
In order to cater for a large amount of video feeds, Brazil will need C- and Ku-band satellite infrastructure; uplink, downlink and turnaround teleport services and fibre connectivity in a number of areas across the globe.
Carmen Gonzalez-Sanfeliu, Regional Vice President for Intelsat Latin America and the Caribbean says, “Brazil’s communications infrastructure is prepared to support the demands of broadcasting for both the World Cup and the Olympics, and satellite remains a paramount factor for broadcasters as they finalize transmission services for their programming, especially when it comes to high-profile events.’
Leandro Gaunszer, Commercial Director at Telefonica, adds, “Brazilian broadcasters know how to perform in such a big event like this. The point is that some adjustments might be done in terms of equipment availability and equipment quality. We believe there is room to increase the quantity of players to provide signal flow through satellites; especially digital satellite news gathering (DSNG). In some cases, TV stations will rely on their own structure or rental from some rental companies. Most TV stations are ready to retransmit great images captured by their headquarter stations.’
To cater for a large amount of satellite capacity for both the 2014 Fifa World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Brazilian telecommunications company Embratel plans to add two more satellites to the seven they already have in operation: the Star One C4 satellite (scheduled for late 2014), and the the Star One D1 satellite (scheduled for early 2016).
Gustavo Silbert, President of Star One, a subsidiary of Embratel, says, “We are preparing a high technology infrastructure to cover all the locations where the games are going to take place, and also the other locations used as support basis for the games.’
To meet the demands for Brazil’s upcoming World Cup and Olympic Games, Intelsat has expanded its IntelsatOne terrestrial network, which will allow content from Brazil to be distributed using Intelsat’s teleports, satellite network and PoP, to a global audience.
“We will also make available multiple transponders for rights-holders and non-rights-holders alike that are looking to broadcast the events,’ concludes Gonzalez-Sanfeliu.
