ASC Signal Corporation has provided the first of several large gateway antennas with high-accuracy tracking for the Slovenia teleport of STN - Satellite Telecommunication Network. The first Ka-band gateway in that country, ASC's 5.6-meter antenna system will incorporate ASC's Next Generation Controller (NGC) and patented Sub-Reflector Tracking (SRT) systems to provide the highest level of tracking accuracy for any antenna of this type.

For more than a decade, ASC has been a leader in Ka-band transmission systems, having designed, manufactured and delivered nearly 300 Ka-band gateways worldwide. The company's Ka-band gateways have formed the foundation of some of the largest Ka-band networks in use today.

The antenna system designed for STN utilizes ASC's SRT to more accurately compensate for thermal effects on Ka-band antennas and ensure one one-thousandth of a degree tracking accuracy for Ka-band satellites.

This level of tracking accuracy will enable STN to achieve the highest level of throughput per satellite transponder, allowing its customer to maximize the value of their satellite capacity and greatly improving the end-user experience.

In the initial project phase, STN will utilize the ASC gateway to uplink up to 120 SD format and 10 HD format TV channels over four Ka-band transponders. As the DTH platform grows to additional transponders over the next year, STN will expand its uplink capabilities with additional ASC Ka-band antennas to achieve a design goal of 180 SD and HD channels in MPEG 4, DVB-S2 standard.

"The higher-frequency Ka-band presents clear quality-of-service challenges for a rainy region like the Sub-Saharan," said Keith Buckley, President and CEO of ASC Signal.

"The high data rates it provides also offer exceptional throughput at a lower cost-per-bit. It takes the right technology to balance the challenge and the opportunity. We are proud that STN chose ASC for the job."

"STN is very happy to continue the great cooperation between ASC and STN. We needed to build a solution with which we are able to expand both our existing operations and bring onboard more new clients with new Ka-band uplinks" said Mitja Lovsin, STN's Sales and Marketing Director, who is responsible for Africa DTH project.

"We believe that the emerging Ka-band market will become more and more an attractive distribution solution not only for Africa but also in other regions."