GatesAir has completed the second phase of a three-phase national DVB-T2 digital TV network rollout across Kuwait that ensures the transition from analogue to DVB-T2 digital TV.
GatesAir has completed the second phase of a three-phase national DVB-T2 digital TV network rollout across Kuwait that ensures the transition from analogue to DVB-T2 digital TV for approximately 80% of the country. GatesAir claims its transmitters, which are a key part of this project, will provide richer, higher quality programming and media services to the people of Kuwait. EEMC (Enhanced Engineering and Multi-Technologies Co.), GatesAir’s local partner, led this installation as well as the project management aspects, including integration of the headend, microwave and antenna systems.
State broadcaster, Kuwait Television, selected GatesAir for both phases due to its ability to provide turnkey equipment and services, including the design, supply and commissioning for four transmitter sites that also included a complete signal processing headend, antennas and towers.
Some of the key services provided include comprehensive systems trainingboth in Kuwait and at GatesAirs Quincy, Illinois manufacturing centre field measurements, coverage studies and planning for both single-frequency (SFN) and multi-frequency (MFN) networks.
GatesAir Maxiva ULX liquid-cooled UHF transmitters were selected for both phases. The hot and dry climate of Kuwait, which can reach temperatures of 51-degrees Celsius in summer, makes transmitter operation and maintenance a significant challenge. The liquid-cooled architecture, powered by GatesAirs PowerSmart 3D transmitter design, offered a reliable and cost-efficient solution for Kuwait Television. The liquid-cooling process is bolstered by two fully redundant cooling pumps with auto-changeover capability to ensure consistent transmitter cooling, while outdoor heat exchangers both return real estate and efficiently remove heat from the RF plants.
In addition to its efficient cooling design, the ULX with PowerSmart 3D design enhances serviceability through commonality in spare parts and a modular, hot-swappable design for module and power supply replacementall adding up to the lowest total cost of ownership for Kuwait Television.
GatesAir was the only supplier that could at once meet our compliance specifications, environmental challenges and turnkey system requirements, commented Meshal Al-Meqled, Assistant Undersecretary for Engineering Affairs in Kuwait.
On the compliance side, GatesAir was able to deliver a high-density, modular headend that could support multiple channels per chassisfar outpacing their competition. Additionally, their ability to support flexible and redundant network configurations with high-efficiency, liquid-cooled transmitters met our demanding requirements across all long-term operational needs.
The initial deployments support 12 DVB-T2 digital TV channels at both sites, covering the most populous regions of Kuwait including urban areas and many outlying desert regions. Official channels include KTV1 (news, current affairs), KTV2 (English-language family programming) and KTV3 (sports).
GatesAirs experience in the global DTV transition extends far beyond transmitter supply, and ensures our customers receive a full complement of services across equipment, installation and training, said Darren Frearson, vice president of sales, EMEA and APAC for GatesAir.
We thank Kuwait Television in entrusting GatesAir to work with their team throughout the end-to-end process, as we work together to bring the people of Kuwait a more dynamic and high-quality television service nationwide.
