An Overview of CYTA and its Satellite Services

by Dr. Sotiris Alexandrou, CytaGlobal

Dr. Sotiris Alexandrou joined CYTA's Technical Services in 1994 and started working on projects related to satellite communications and spectrum management. In 2000, he moved to the International Commercial Services with the responsibility for the development and promotion of CYTA's satellite products in the international market. He is also responsible for the commercial activities of CYTA's subsidiary IRIS, which provides satellite turnaround of television services to business customers. He serves as team leader at CYTA in projects related to satellite services and broadband products. Sotiris holds a B.S. degree from Lehigh University with M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees from the University of Rochester, all in Electrical Engineering.

Introduction

CYTA is a government corporate body and the incumbent telecommunications operator in Cyprus. The company is a customer-driven enterprise operating in a competitive market and provides the full spectrum of advanced telecommunications products and services. CYTA is a major provider of fixed and mobile communications and the numberone Internet Service Provider in Cyprus. It also offers broadband access via ADSL and was among the first providers to bundle this technology with IPTV.

The company has solid finances with long term profitability and expanding turnover, which in 2007 reached €453 million with €80 million profit. CYTA has virtually zero debts. It is a long-term employer and is privileged to employ highly skilled personnel. The number of its employees is approximately 2,500.

CYTA operates a modern telecommunications network and has an impressive submarine cable and satellite teleport infrastructure. The company couples a strategically situated telecommunications gateway in Cyprus with POPs in major telecommunications centers in Europe. CytaGlobal, is the International Commercial Services Division of CYTA and is a semi-autonomous organisational unit, specialising in global electronic communication products and services. CYTA, through CytaGlobal, is active in the international market and provides services to business customers around the world.

Facilities

The main elements of CYTA's international network include an IP/MPLS core, two separate international switching centers and a regional internet node. The facilities also include two Teleport sites with more than 20 major satellite antennas and three submarine cable stations with 9 fiber optics systems. The network provides reliable and resilient connectivity via direct circuits with major international operators. More specifically:

• CYTA's IP/MPLS network has major nodes in Nicosia (Cyprus), Athens and London and offers international extensions around the globe. The technology provides voice, data and video into a single broadband network with intergraded security, flexibility and scalability. The services provided include MPLS-VPN connections, IP Transit and VoIP.

• CYTA is the largest Internet Service Provider in Cyprus serving both business and residential customers. IP services are also offered to major international customers. The current capacity of its international connectivity is in excess of 2.5 Gb/s and it doubles every year. The IP network has buildin diversity, redundancy and resilience.

• Being an incumbent with diverse facilities and infrastructure, CYTA is in the privileged position to offer to its customers the capability to integrate fiber with satellite solutions. CYTA can accept and receive customer services at various Telehouses in Europe and beyond. The main points of presence (PoPs) are located in London, Athens and major towns in Cyprus, but additional PoPs are also active in Tel Aviv, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, etc. The network provides clear capacity circuits, Internet connectivity and VPNs over MPLS, and makes it possible to combine fiber and satellite capabilities into integrated products and solutions.

• CYTA operates two Teleport sites with a complement of more than 20 major satellite earth stations. These provide connectivity with Intelsat, Eutelsat, SES, AsiaSat, RSCC, ARABSAT, ABS and other satellite systems. The company shares multiyear experience in satellite communications as it has been running satellite services since 1980. The satellite services are supported on a 24hours, 365 days per year and like the rest of CYTA's operational activities, are ISO 9001:2000 certified. CYTA is the first organisation member of the EFQM (European Foundation of Quality Management) in Cyprus, and has recently been awarded by EFQM with 5 stars in recognition for excellence.

Services

Services offered via CYTA's teleports include a broad collection of products ranging from satellite television on a permanent and occasional basis to international telephony, monitoring services, data and internet connectivity. The teleports also offer VSAT services, hosting services to third parties and serve as a video head-end for CYTA's IPTV offering in the Cyprus market.

• Historically, the first satellite service provided at CYTA's teleports was international telephony. With the rapid development of the fiber network, the importance of the satellite voice connections has been gradually limited and nowadays their purpose is to complement the terrestrial network. These links usually provide thin-route connections and their main advantage is the fast deployment for ad-hoc customer needs.

• CYTA offers its business partners the capability to host their equipment at its premises in order to provide the appropriate solution to their customers. Dedicated areas with full facilities and regulated access are available for CYTA's business partners to install and operate their equipment. CYTA provides full support and assistance to integrate the hosted equipment with its own facilities and establish a reliable fullfunctioning system. Operational support is provided by CYTA and partners are offered the option for remote operations and monitoring.

• VSAT solutions are a rapidly expanding service in today's marketplace and CYTA provides such services to its customers internationally. VSAT links enable instant connectivity usually from remote regions around the globe via IP backbone and other dedicated connections. CYTA offers services in Africa in C band and in Western Asia and the Middle East in Ku band with small and low cost terminals. Field support is provided in association with specialized partners.

• Among the satellite products offered by CYTA is monitoring services to satellite operators. Monitoring services ensure compliance to the terms of leases, verify the quality of satellite transmissions and identify sources of unauthorized transmissions. These facilities are offered with full remote control capability.

• CYTA's teleport facilities also serve as a video head-end for its multi-channel IPTV service. This includes reception of more than 40 TV channels from various satellites via a dedicated antenna farm, which includes more than 60 receive terminals and can provide visibility to most broadcasting satellites covering our region. The content is assembled in a digital bouquet that is fed to CYTA's core network for distribution to the customers. All the content is actively monitored on a 24- hour basis.

• IRIS Gateway Satellite Services Ltd, a whollyowned subsidiary company of CYTA, also provides turnaround services from Cyprus. Its facilities are co-located at CYTA's teleports. The company offers high quality links between Europe, America, Africa, Middle East and Asia. IRIS's main products include satellite broadcasting over Europe and Asia. IRIS also offers occasional services for video turnaround of special events around the globe. The company provides dedicated satellite links for broadcasting and distribution and hybrid solutions with a combination of fiber and satellite means.

CYTA's business model is focused in building long-term relationships with its customers. The key to this philosophy is trying to understand the customers' needs and the capability to offer products at competitive prices with the expected high quality of service. The broad experience of the personnel, the continued care and support and the modern infrastructure are the tools to facilitate these capabilities and ensure customer loyalty.

Today, there are numerous providers in the international telecommunications market and the customer has many choices. CYTA possesses a set of important advantages that make the company an attractive partner to the prospective customer. These include long experience in the provision of international telecommunications products, an extensive submarine fiber network with international POPs and dedicated Teleport facilities for satellite access. CYTA provides an ideal geographical location with optimal conditions for satellite communications. It has the necessary tools to bring together fiber and satellite products and offer integrated solutions. It has a reputation of providing high quality services to its customers and is ISO 9001:2000 certified. CYTA is an established player with solid financial position and long term objectives.

For more information: www.cytaglobal.com, www.cyta.com.cy