Entel Bolivia Deploys Direct-Broadcast Satellite Service with Harmonic Solution

Telecommunications operator Entel Bolivia has deployed an integrated headend solution from Harmonic to power its direct-broadcast satellite (DBS) service. Using Harmonic's high-density, scalable video infrastructure solutions, Entel Bolivia can now deliver 124 SD MPEG-4 AVC, 20 HD MPEG-4 AVC, and 30 radio channels with high bandwidth efficiency.

The Harmonic solutions allow Entel Bolivia to offer additional services, with improved video quality, while lowering operating expenses and providing a seamless migration path toward IPTV delivery.

To be the most competitive telecommunications operator in Bolivia, we needed to provide viewers with superior video quality and a wider range of services. We decided that deploying an MPEG-4 DBS system with a redundant teleport would be the most affordable way to offer this type of experience, said Emilio Evia, national projects manager at Entel Bolivia. Harmonic is the only vendor that offers a fully integrated solutions approach to video delivery with advanced capabilities such as statistical multiplexing, enabling us to provide more SD and HD channels now, at a lower total cost of ownership, while simplifying our transition toward offering an IPTV service in the future. Since deploying a new headend from Harmonic, our video quality has improved leaps and bounds, increasing satisfaction for our existing customer base while also attracting new subscribers.

Entel Bolivia is using Harmonic's market-leading Electra encoders for high-quality, low-bandwidth MPEG-4 AVC encoding and DiviTrackIP statistical multiplexing of SD and HD video content. Leveraging the ultra-dense, high-performance encoders - which support up to eight HD output services per chassis - the operator has freed up bandwidth for additional service offerings. The Electra encoders include a primary and secondary output, increasing operational efficiency while driving down CAPEX. The encoders' pay-as-you-grow approach to scalability will enable Entel Bolivia to easily upgrade SD channels to HD via licensing.

The Electra encoders are integrated with Harmonic's ProStream stream processors for multiplexing, scrambling and statistical multiplexing purposes. Utilizing the ProStream processor for statistical multiplexing, Entel Bolivia can support up to 100 services per statistically multiplexed pool, 16 pools per platform and three pools within a single transport stream in order to boost bandwidth efficiency. The ProStream processor guarantees the protection of Entel Bolivia's video content by supporting scrambling of DVB Simulcrypt applications. The ProStream platform is based on a highly robust, extensible and scalable design that lowers Entel Bolivia's operating expenses through reduced rack space and power requirements.

Entel Bolivia is using Harmonic's ProView integrated receiver-decoders (IRDs) to address a variety of content reception applications, from decoding to descrambling with PID filtering of multiple transport streams. The ProView platform features a high-density multichannel descrambler that simplifies the deployment of (or migration to) an all-IP headend solution while powering the launch of added-value services. The flexible hardware design is easily reconfigured with firmware upgrades, enabling seamless adaptation to next-generation video formats and codecs, such as HEVC.

Harmonic's NMX Digital Service Manager provides Entel Bolivia with a powerful set of tools for monitoring and managing its new DBS workflow.

Working closely with Entel Bolivia, we were able to deploy what is quite possibly the highest bandwidth-efficient headend in the world at 12,000 feet above sea level, said Alvaro Martin, vice president of sales in Latin America at Harmonic. Harmonic's solutions provide industry-leading video quality, scalability, and a flexible path to IPTV that will enable Entel Bolivia continued growth for years to come. Our global experience in DBS deployments led to a seamless integration.

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