Dejero, Intelsat Team on Hybrid Video Transmission Platform

Dejero and Intelsat have teamed on a hybrid IP video transmission platform for broadcasters that combines on-demand connectivity to both cellular- and satellite-based networks.

That platform, called CellSat, relies on Dejero’s patented network blending technology, which can mix cellular connectivity from multiple mobile network carriers with Ku-band IP connectivity provided by Intelsat, they said.

That combo, the companies added, can provide broadcasters with the bandwidth necessary to go live from most locations. If the bandwidth available from cellular connections drops due to network congestion or other factors, CellSat automatically adds in satellite connectivity to balance out the bandwidth requirement.

CellSat doesn’t require the scheduling of satellite time, and the platform’s software is designed to dynamically allocate the satellite bandwidth needed. The platform also includes pre-certified encoding and receiving equipment.

Most satellite vehicles with existing Ka-band or Ku-band satellite equipment can be upgraded to work with CellSat, they said.

Dejero said CellSat is available in the U.S. and Canada, and expects to roll it out to other regions in 2018.

Dejero and Intelsat introduced CellSat ahead of IBC 2017, set for Sept. 14-19 in Amsterdam.

 “We are addressing the dilemma that broadcasters face about which video transport assets to deploy to a news story or live event,” Bogdan Frusina, founder of Dejero, said in a statement.

“Today’s broadcasters are challenged with quickly producing high-quality, reliable television coverage in environments that run the gamut from sparsely populated in extremely remote areas to overcrowded with a congested network,” added Rob Cerbone, Intelsat’s VP and general manager of media services, and a former exec of Time Warner  Cable. “Coupling Intelsat’s high performing, ubiquitous  Ku-band IP connectivity with Dejero’s blended cellular technology will give broadcasters greater assurance when covering live events. Dejero CellSat was designed with simplicity in mind so crews can focus on setting up quickly and getting the live shot back to the broadcast facility and on the air.”