1. Satellite Broadcaster Gains Reliability, Customer Case Study
Flexibility, and Efficiency
Cisco video solutions help Nilesat provide better service to existing customers while generating more
revenue from new ones
Challenge
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Nilesat was established in 1996 to run Egyptian satellites, associated ground
Customer Name: The Egyptian Satellite Co. control stations, and up-linking facilities. It currently operates three satellites,
(Nilesat) which broadcast more than 700 TV channels and 100 digital radio channels to
Industry: Broadcasting North Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf Region—uplinked from Cairo, Dubai,
Amman, Doha, Riyadh, and Beirut.
Location: MENA Region (Middle East and
North Africa) As is normal with satellite broadcasters, Nilesat had relied exclusively on traditional
DTH (direct-to-home) technology platforms for its contribution and distribution
Number of Employees: 360
systems. These platforms had a number of shortcomings, however. For example,
Challenge
although the system used N+M redundancy, this redundancy scheme was costly,
• Greater service reliability
and in the event of a channel failure, it could take up to 10 seconds to re-establish
• Increase technology efficiency a broadcast over a different channel.
• Improve ability to develop new markets
Similarly, one of the challenges that was becoming increasingly of concern to Nilesat
Solution
was to upgrade to an IP-based platform in order to deliver the DTH content over
• Cisco® end-to-end media, satellite, and
satellite, as well as over IP to IPTV provider or multiscreen devices applications, such
broadcast video solution
as mobiles, tablets, PCs and so on.
Results
• Up to 70 percent improvement in Solution
smart redundancy “We researched and Cisco® was one of the leaders in Video over IP,” says
• Five to ten-fold improvement in failure Moustafa Helmi, operations manager for Nilesat DVB Center. “We decided to build
switchover time the new platform based on a new idea for broadcasting, one that also enabled
• IP-based compression platform for direct- easy integration with our on-air traditional DTH platform. Cisco displayed an
to-home and over-the-top applications
innovative, forward-thinking approach from the opening conversations through to
deployment. It was a pleasure to have such an enriching discussion with them.”
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2. Customer Case Study
“Currently we are running In effect, Cisco proposed tearing up the traditional broadcasting technology
a major part of Nilesat’s rulebook and putting IP-based content at the heart of the contribution and
distribution systems.
compression platform using
Cisco Encoders and Digital With the Cisco solution, content at the ERTU (Egyptian Radio and Television
Content Manager. It’s much Union) site is processed via the Cisco D9036 Modular Encoding Platform. It is
then passed on to the IP network where it is ingested through a Cisco DCM Series
more efficient and easier to D9900 Digital Content Manager which cost effectively splits it into three active
manage the contents over streams giving 1+1+1 active/active/active redundancy.
the transport streams.”
For distribution, a Cisco ASR 1002 Aggregated Services Router takes the IP-based
content and converts it to the G.703 Asynchronous Serial Interface standard needed
Moustafa Helmi
Operations Manager
for microwave transmission to the Nilesat DVB center site. Management of the
Nilesat DVB Center system is through a Cisco ROSA® Video Service Manager, which is designed to help
reduce complexity, increase uptime, and decrease operating expenses.
Content streams arrive at the Nilesat site, via a microwave link (backed up with a
secondary fiber link) to be processed by Nilesat’s DVB S/S2 platform for DHT service,
while at the same time being prepared to be sent over IP to over-the-top application
providers and distributors.
The new Nilesat system entered operation in the fall of 2011. The official start date
was December 26, 2011, with a public launch at Cairo ICT 2012 on May 11, 2012.
The first tranche of content to run over the system has the capacity of 32 government
TV channels and 40 radio stations belonging to the ERTU.
Results
The Nilesat IP-based content system is one of the first of its kind in the world, and is
yielding a range of benefits for the broadcast carrier. To begin with, the active/active/
active redundancy it provides makes it much quicker and easier to restore service in
the event of a channel failure. Restoration now takes less than a second, compared
to up to 10 seconds previously, and service redundancy has improved 70 percent.
At the same time, Nilesat has been able to vastly increase its channel capacity
with minimal cost and no negative impact on broadcast quality. These benefits
are accompanied by easier administration and management thanks to simplified
workflows and the advanced features of the Cisco ROSA Video Service Manager.
“The relationship between “We can now manage many more types of content at the same time,” says Helmi.
Nilesat and Cisco is “Currently we are running a major part of Nilesat’s compression platform using
not a customer-vendor Cisco Encoders and Digital Content Manager. It’s much more efficient and easier
relationship. It is a to manage the contents over the transport streams.”
technology development Last but not least, Nilesat now has the ability to deliver content to any business,
partnership and we’re partner, or customer device anywhere in the world, thereby opening up vast new
looking for more potential markets for online content. “Moving to IP improves flexibility and availability
collaboration with Cisco to deliver value added services,” says Helmi. “Now we can offer content DTP [Direct
To Provider/Distributor] services over IP as well as clasical DTH services.”
video technology in
the future.” Nilesat considers Cisco to be a technology partner in the continuing evolution of
its content systems, with further development work scheduled to continue until at
Moustafa Helmi least 2015. “The relationship between Nilesat and Cisco is not a customer-vendor
Operations Manager relationship. It is a technology development partnership and we’re looking for more
Nilesat DVB Center collaboration with Cisco video technology in the future,” says Helmi.
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3. Customer Case Study
For More Information
To discover how Cisco can help you succeed with video, please go to:
www.cisco.com/go/video
Product List
Video
•• Cisco DCM Series D9900 Digital Content Manager
•• Cisco D9036 Modular Encoding Platform
•• Cisco ASR 1002 Aggregated Services Router
•• Cisco ROSA® Video Service Manager
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