French TNTSat’s rapid progress

France’s free-to-air satellite system TNTSAT has topped 750,000 connections. TNTSAT is available from Astra’s 19.2 deg position, and is being promoted as a “gap filler” for those homes who are isolated from digital terrestrial transmission.

TNTSAT is a service targeted to regions where TV households cannot receive signals from terrestrial transmitters. It offers French TV viewers the full range of French digital terrestrial free-TV channels over the Astra satellites, allowing 100% coverage of France. At the time of the analogue switch-off in France, the number of households which will not be covered by terrestrial transmitters is estimated to be around 1.5 million, representing 5% of the French population.

TNTSAT receivers are offered in Standard and High Definition (HD) and are now available from seven different manufacturers. Around ten more receiver models are expected to be launched by end of this year or the beginning of 2009. TNTSAT HD will be launched on February 15 2009 with free public and commercial DTT channels in HD available from Astra.