Hunter and a Middle Eastern Broadcaster: Securing bandwidth at a reasonable rate
Hunter assessed all options for this client before successfully securing the required space at a reasonable rate.
The Challenge
During the height of the Afghan war, the demand for capacity was exceeding the industry’s available demand, leading to inevitable price hikes at a time of increased US Government budget concerns over the cost of the conflict. At times, just finding any availability on satellites that suited the Government’s needs was a challenge, and some programs simply were unable to be completed.
The Solution
Providing legal, technical, and engineering support, Hunter met with several Middle Eastern broadcasters and the European teleports who serviced them. These broadcasters were using satellite capacity to broadcast their content typically from Europe to the Middle East. The key was that they were using satellite beams which happened to also cover Afghanistan and the surrounding area. Working with these broadcasters, Hunter arranged for alternate satellite capacity that still met their needs: covering only the Middle East (excluding Afghanistan). Arranging a complicated move between satellites for a TV broadcaster is not a simple transition, as it requires the re-pointing of hundreds and sometimes thousands of receive sites. But with time and effort, suitable commercial incentives were arranged to convince the broadcasters of the move, arrange for the repointing of remote antennas, and the shift of the European hub teleports.
With the capacity now freed on the beams that covered Afghanistan, Hunter was able to arrange for multiple transponders to become available over a two-year period, materially increasing supply for Hunter’s government contractor clients at a time the US military required it most.