CISS is a leading satellite wholesaler in Singapore, operating out of offices and warehouses in the eastern part of the country. Though private satellite reception is officially prohibited in Singapore due to aesthetic preferences, CISS has found success in niche markets like supplying dishes for schools and hotels. They have 20 employees and are the first company people go to for satellite needs. However, widespread private adoption of satellite TV faces challenges due to technical issues like interference and lack of space on apartment buildings.

1. COMPANY RePORt Satellite Wholesaler in Singapore
CISS, Singapore
The offices and small-parts warehouse for Commercial Industrial Supplies & Services Pte Ltd (CISS) can be
Is it possible to sell found on Guillemard Road in eastern Singapore. A larger warehouse is located somewhat further away from the
only 15 satellite city. CISS has 20 employees.
dishes a year and
still be a market
leader? Yes, in
Singapore this is
possible. CISS
is the first place
everyone goes when
it comes to satellite
reception. You could
say that the number
of installed dishes
is actually double
that when you take
into account the
10 antennas that
CISS temporarily
set up for the
CommunicAsia trade Lim ee Cheong, executive Director of CISS, in front of the CAtV and MAtV parts section in the small-parts ware-
house, and holding some multiswitches from WISI in his hand. CISS also stocks products from Alcad, Dynasat
show. and Prodelin.
24 TELE-satellite & Broadband — 04-05/2009 — www.TELE-satellite.com

2. Lim Ee Cheong, executive ence to aesthetics: you are factor.” HDTV by itself is no tions; the roofs of the apart-
director of CISS, explains highly unlikely to get per- reason for Singaporeans to ment buildings are occupied
the reason for this: “Satel- mission from the housing get more involved with sat- largely by water storage
lite reception is just a niche authority to install a private ellite reception since this is tanks. Finding room for a
market here in Singapore.” satellite antenna. And if you already available terrestri- satellite dish would be dif-
There are several reasons look around Singapore you ally via DVB-T. But Lim iden- ficult at best. CISS has for
for this: private satellite will see that the city is essen- tifies another reason for this quite some time expanded
reception is officially prohib- tially “clean”; you won’t see lack of interest: ”There are in other directions such
ited, “but the government any telephone or electrical also technical problems: the as the cabling of residen-
isn’t all that strict about cables out in the open. Ku-band is very much prone tial areas. They have also
this anymore”, reveals Lim, to constant moist heat and become involved in video
“erecting a satellite system Singapore has been the installation of C-band conferencing and training.
for schools and hotels is no “cabled” for quite some time dishes on top of apartment CISS, founded in 1972, con-
longer a problem since they now. “The only opportunity buildings is also problematic structed an antenna farm in
can now freely install a sat- for satellite reception may due in large part to the wind 1996 for Singtel, Singapore’s
ellite system; even commer- have existed back in the early load.” telephone company, and also
cial institutions should have 90’s”, comments Lim, “but erected the receiving anten-
no trouble getting the neces- there are so many channels It is not only the aesthetic nas for the cable company
sary license.” A far greater available via cable today and requirements that hinder MITV in Malaysia so that TV
obstacle is their strict adher- now IPTV is also becoming a satellite antenna installa- signals could be distributed
in their cable network.
An extremely large problem in Singapore is The future according to
interference from radar stations. Since most of
Lim will still be in the pro-
the dishes are installed on the roofs of apart-
ment buildings in full view of all this interfer- fessional niche market and
ence, they manage to receive a wide variety of includes the construction of
secondary signals such as terrestrial transmis- the communications infra-
sions and also transmissions from the many structure on oil drilling plat-
ships in the South China Sea and the Straits forms. He does not see that
of Malacca. CISS offers band filters in order to
this future will include pri-
eliminate these interference signals. It is the
vate satellite reception in
gray block between the LNB and feedhorn.
Singapore.
www.TELE-satellite.com — 04-05/2009 — TELE-satellite & Broadband 25