Benin rolls-out HD channels over terrestrial television with SES

The government of the Republic of Benin has partnered with SES, the world’s satellite-based solutions provider, to offer 15 new FTA channels for viewers in Benin. As part of the agreement a number of High Definition (HD) channels will be broadcast over Benin, making it the first HD channel to be available over Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) service across Africa. This marks an important step forward in the digital switchover for the country, which intends to switch off analogue service in 2020.

To meet the high service availability and nationwide coverage requested by Benin, SES will be utilising powerful spot-beam capacity on SES-14. This satellite with a high throughput payload will deliver video feeds to the DTT infrastructure across Benin, with Direct-to-Home (DTH) service filling in any gaps of DTT coverage. SES-14 was launched in January 2018 and is located at 47.5 degrees West.

Speaking about the partnership, Darius Quenum, Chairman of the DTT Steering Committee at Presidency of the Republic of Benin said: “SES has delivered a creative solution to us to ensure the introduction of digital television with HD channels. This is an important milestone as we move toward our deadline for the analogue switch-off. We are very pleased to be working with SES, which has both the technical capabilities and required experience to support our ambitious plans to set new standards for broadcasting.”

Clint Brown, Vice President, Sales & Market Development for Africa, SES Video added: “We are excited to be working with the committee leading the digital television transition of Benin to deliver such high-quality service to the people of Benin. Launching HD service can be complex, and we are dedicated to providing innovative solutions to respond to market needs. Launching this DTT and DTH service is an important step for Benin and we are in the best position to successfully deliver the complete set of services required.”