MUMBAI: Asian satellite operator AsiaSat and Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) have announced the signing of a new lease agreement.

ERTU will use C-band capacity on AsiaSat 2 to broadcast the Nile News television channel and two radio channels El-Bernameg Al-Aam and El-Quran El-Karim across Asia and Australasia.

These Arabic services target the expanding Arabic speaking community across 50 countries and regions within AsiaSat 2's C-band footprint.

ERTU acting chairman Ibrahim Al Akabawy says, "We are very excited that we are now offering more comprehensive Egyptian programming abroad. The launch of Nile News on AsiaSat 2 will extend our reach to whole of Asia and Australasia with the latest news from our country and the Arab region. By joining this powerful broadcast platform, we are able to distribute our services effectively and instantaneously to rebroadcast stations, cable headends, hotel networks, embassies and direct-to-home viewers in the region."

Asiasat CEO Peter Jackson says, "ERTU is one of the leading public broadcasters in the Middle East. The addition of Nile News and the two radio channels brings to viewers in this region more choice and information about Egypt and the Middle East. We are pleased to welcome them onboard during Ramadan this year."

The Nile News channel and El-Bernameg Al-Aam and El-Quran El-Karim radio channels are available on AsiaSat 2 in C-band with the following reception parameters:
Transponder: 1A
Frequency: 3660 MHz
Polarisation: Vertical
Modulation: QPSK
Symbol Rate: 27.5 Msym/sec
FEC: 3/4

ERTU was established as Egypt's national broadcaster in 1954. It is currently broadcasting many terrestrial television and radio channels in Egypt as well as satellite channels for overseas services.