New generation of satellite news gathering stations and HDTV

T-Systems will broadcast numerous live events from the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy February 10-26, 2006. TV and radio stations on three continents will use T-Systems' digital fiberglass and satellite networks. Several T-Systems branch offices have joined together to form an international solution group for this project.

This networked solution enables the business customer unit of Deutsche Telekom to provide individual services to each TV and radio station. The customer spectrum includes stations from three continents: the EBU (European Broadcasting Union), a Japanese consortium with the station NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai), the Canadian CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company), the Swiss station SRG SSR idee suisse as well as the German stations ARD and ZDF.

"The majority of our customers will employ fiber-optic-based ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) broadcast services for Torino," says Dr. Ulrich Liebenow, Head of Technology at T-Systems’ Media&Broadcast unit. "For these data streams, we've established several high-speed connections between Torino and Frankfurt." From there, T-Systems will transmit signals to Japan and Canada via the Telekom Global Net. The Telekom Global Net is a global digital network established by Deutsche Telekom based on fiberglass backbone able to transmit radio signals in real-time.

New generation of satellite news gathering (SNG) stations

T-Systems will also employ three newly equipped stations for the EBU, with whom it has sealed a long-term cooperation. Each mobile unit will offer four different transmission frequencies with 36 MHz of bandwidth, via antenna for the signal transfer to the satellite. An additional transmitting unit will serve as a back-up in case of a possible outage. "One station can manage up to 16 connections with 8 Mbit/s each. With this development, we have entered into new dimensions of on-location broadcasting," explains Liebenow. "With the high number of transmission channels, we enable the EBU to broadcast to their members exactly those images and audio clips that they require." T-Systems provides this technology especially for major events.

High Definition Television (HDTV) for Japan

T-Systems will provide its Japanese customers with a mobile satellite system for high-definition television according to HDTV standard. The SNG-station will receive footage from a Japanese television team reporting directly from the Olympic team quarters, conduct interviews and report on victory celebrations. T-Systems will then broadcast the finished reports via ATM to Frankfurt, where an intercontinental connection will send the signals on to Tokyo.

ARD and ZDF with special reporting

T-Systems will route the ATM signals for ARD and ZDF who are connected to the Hybnet in Germany, the high-speed network for public radio and television providers. The providers receive these signals and distribute data to the individual editing offices in Mainz (ZDF) as well as in Munich, Cologne and Potsdam (ARD). They use these sources for their major programs. They also feed special sports channels such as the ZDF Infokanal and the ARD Live Ticker.

Contact:

T-Systems
Media Relations
Phone: +49 (0) 69 665 31-126
Fax: +49 (0) 69 665 31-139
e-mail: presse@t-systems.com