Arqiva Appoints Thomson As Supplier Of Digital Transmitters For The BBC

Arqiva, the independent broadcast transmission provider in the UK, has appointed Thomson as its supplier for high power digital television transmitters for the BBC. Arqiva has won a contract from the BBC for the BBC’s new digital high power terrestrial network. To service this contract, which involves delivering two digital multiplexes, Arqiva has ordered 24 new Thomson Paragon IOT (inductive output tube) transmitters.
“We are charged with rolling out comprehensive digital television coverage the length and breadth of the United Kingdom between now and 2012,” said Steve Holebrook, Managing Director of Terrestrial Media at Arqiva. “We need a partner that understands our commercial requirements: we must have highly reliable and stable operation performance, of course, but power costs represent a significant part of our operational expenses and energy efficiency enables us to be competitive as well as being environmentally good practice. Thomson has demonstrated these qualities in its transmitter line, and in consequence we are confident to appoint them our supplier for high powered transmitters.”
The Thomson Paragon transmitter line has been designed with the requirements of high power digital television sites in mind. Thomson has been working with Arqiva on the development of the product to ensure that it meets the real needs of digital television transmission. The technology used in the Paragon transmitter achieves unprecedented levels of energy efficiency, while IOT technology is widely recognized to use half the power of solid state transmitters, the unique Thomson technology in Paragon halves the power again over other IOT designs. The result is a reduction of as much as 75 percent of the operating costs over long contract periods.
“The UK is moving rapidly towards all-digital transmission in 2012, and the transmission companies are now establishing their suppliers of key technology,” said Patrick Montliaud, vice president of Thomson Integration and Network Solutions, within the System division. “What they are looking for is quality, reliability and above all a good cost of ownership. The Thomson digital transmitter line has been designed with excellent energy efficiency in mind, and this very prestigious award from Arqiva acknowledges that we can deliver reliability and cost-effective operation.”
The contract calls for the transmitters to be delivered in 2008, with an extensive installation programme resulting in the first transmitters going on air on behalf of the BBC in 2009. The UK is phasing its digital switchover by regions and the installation of the new Thomson digital transmitters will follow that phasing, up to the planned completion of the analog switch-off in 2012.
For more about Thomson visit: www.thomson.net
(DS)