[SatNews] Optus has signed a five-year contract with the State Government of Western Australia to deliver an enhanced satellite service through the Optus Aurora Digital Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) platform.
Under the new agreement, Optus will continue to support the Department of Regional Development and Lands in the carriage of regional television through Westlink. Broadcasting via the Optus Aurora Digital platform, Westlink hosts a range of vital public health and education television broadcast services throughout the state of Western Australia on VAST Channel 602.
Optus has been operating the Aurora Digital platform since mid-2010, when the VAST television broadcasters commenced transmission on this platform. The Optus Aurora Digital satellite platform uses the latest MPEG4 and DVB-S2 technologies, providing a more efficient use of bandwidth and a better viewer experience for end-users. Leading broadcasters such as Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Southern Cross, WIN, GWN7 and Imparja use the Optus Aurora Digital platform to deliver the VAST service. VAST is now available to more than 156,000 households.