(2 January 2010 5:40 pm)

MUMBAI: Vietnam's national broadcaster and digital broadcasting operator Vietnam Multimedia Corporation (VTC) has signed a lease agreement with Asian satellite operator Asia Satellite Telecommunications (AsiaSat) for capacity on AsiaSat 5 satellite.

VTC will use multiple Ku-band transponders on AsiaSat 5 for its new premium direct-to-home (DTH) service in Vietnam.

VTC will use the transponder capacity in early 2010 to provide the new DTH service, distributing up to 30 High Definition (HD) and 70 Standard Definition (SD) channels to households in Vietnam.

The new package will offer a wide variety of premium content ranging from sports, entertainment to technology and lifestyle, addressing the interests of the Vietnamese public, the company said in a release.

VTC general director Thai Minh Tan said, "AsiaSat 5 provides powerful coverage to enhance our DTH service to our home market and the transponder capacity to expand our line-up of HD and SD premium television channels to viewers across the country. AsiaSat can support our aggressive plan to further diversify our range of digital TV services to enhance the viewing experience of the Vietnamese consumers."

Added AsiaSat CEO Peter Jackson said, "We are pleased to have VTC as our long-term partner for DTH services to Vietnam. AsiaSat 5 is our latest high performance satellite launched this year and it will play a significant role in the DTH development of the country. We look forward to expanding our services in Vietnam, a fast growing economy of over 80 million people, with reliable and high quality satellite television when VTC launches its services on AsiaSat 5."