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124 125TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Leading Digital TV Industry Publication — 03-04/2015 — www.TELE-audiovision.com www.TELE-audiovision.com — 03-04/2015 — TELE-audiovision International — 全球发行量最大的数字电视杂志
• specialist for TV signal distribution
• uses the GlobalInvacom fibre-optic system
with great success
• promising future of satellite reception in
Iceland
• delivers products all over the country
EICO on Top
of the World
See all the satellite dishes up on the
roof? They tell us right away that a
satellite dealer must be doing business
here. Wholesaler and retailer EICO in
Reykjavik even has a 1.2 m motorised
antenna on the roof, capable of catching
all satellite signals between 1°W and 28°E.
COMPANY REPORT Antenna Wholesaler and Retailer EICO, Iceland

2. ëReykjavik
126 TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Leading Digital TV Industry Publication — 03-04/2015 — www.TELE-audiovision.com
Arnor Sigurthorsson
is one of the three
EICO co-owners.
EICO has been doing business since
1979, and if you wonder what the com-
pany name stands for, we have a very
simple answer for you: The first two
letters are taken from the first name
of company founder Erikur Gislason,
and the second two letters are short
for company.
EICO’s extensive sales and stor-
age premises are located in Reykja-
vik’s commercial area, not far from
the city’s port. This is where we meet
up with two of the three current own-
ers of the business, since the founder
himself passed away in 1994.
Arnor Sigurthorsson is one of them,
and he walks down memory lane with
us. “Initially, EICO mainly dealt with
installing radio antennas in cars, as
well as TV antennas in houses and
apartments.” In 2009 the three cur-
rent owners took over the business
from the deceased founder’s brother,
and today EICO is well renowned all
over the place as a wholesaler and
retailer for antennas and all related
installation material. EICO serves cus-
tomers from the whole of Iceland with
everything from satellite dishes and
TV antennas to complex distribution
components.
“In 2012 we’ve begun to use Glo-
balInvacom’s fibre-optic system,” Ar-
nor Sigurthorsson explains and leaves
no doubt that he is absolutely thrilled
by this technology. “We’re currently
supplying fibre-optic cables to more
than 100 apartments of a large resi-
dential complex.” Some of the build-
ings are between 200 and 300 me-
ters apart, and “the GlobalInvacom
system is just about perfect for such
a scenario. Satellite signals arrive at
each node absolutely loss-free.” A
multi-switch outside the apartments
converts the distributed signal back
into a coax signal so that an available
standard coax cable can be plugged
into each receiver. “This makes sure
all existing cabling inside the apart-
ments can be used even with the up-
graded distribution technology.”
Sigthor Sigthorsson is another co-
owner of EICO, and he puts us in the
picture as far as satellite components
are concerned. “We sell some 400 to
500 satellite dishes each year. The
most popular diameter is 85 cm, which
is the ideal size for reception of ASTRA
28.2°E.”
Antennas
for Iceland
■
COMPANY REPORT Antenna Wholesaler and Retailer EICO, Iceland

3. 128 129TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Leading Digital TV Industry Publication — 03-04/2015 — www.TELE-audiovision.com www.TELE-audiovision.com — 03-04/2015 — TELE-audiovision International — 全球发行量最大的数字电视杂志
Every once in a while, however, a
customer walks in and asks for a 100
cm antenna too. “Those are mainly
people who are originally from Poland,
and who want to stay in touch with
their home country through all the
Polish channels on HOTBIRD 13°E,”
Sigthor Sigthorsson explains. “But to
put things into perspective, this is only
about five percent of our customers.”
In general, he believes in a bright fu-
ture of satellite reception Iceland: “Af-
ter all, it’s still the least expensive way
of watching a wide range of attractive
TV channels.”
At the same time, EICO has been
a major player in the field of MMDS
installations, but the future of this
technology in Iceland is very uncer-
tain. “We expect the MMDS system
to be discontinued.” The local MMDS
provider currently offers almost 100
TV channels over the S band, which
can be received with small parabolic
antennas. “The MMDS system was
launched in 1993 and we experienced
an absolute peak in 1996. Since then,
however, MMDS customers have
switched to cable in increasing num-
bers.”
As they say, you win some and you
lose some. The important thing is that
the three EICO owners won’t stand still
but will gladly take any new chances
they come across along their way.
And in the end signals need to be
distributed, no matter where they
originally come from.
EICO is certain to stay on top. On
top in terms of geography, and – more
importantly – on top in terms of tech-
nology.
Sigthor Sigthorsson
is another EICO
co-owner.
■View of the extensive sales room, where
EICO showcases satellite antennas and
other reception equipment.
■

4. 130 TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Leading Digital TV Industry Publication — 03-04/2015 — www.TELE-audiovision.com
■Lucrative secondary business in a country
that is not exactly known for its stable
weather: automatic weather stations for use
at home.

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132 133TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Leading Digital TV Industry Publication — 03-04/2015 — www.TELE-audiovision.com www.TELE-audiovision.com — 03-04/2015 — TELE-audiovision International — 全球发行量最大的数字电视杂志
1. EICO uses this collection of
terrestrial antennas on a pole in
the warehouse to highlight the
differences between the available
models.
2. Minor repairs can be carried out
on-site in the EICO workshop.