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Austar

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An Austar Remote

Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Pay TV, although it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones. The company commenced operations in 1995, and thus celebrated its 10th birthday in 2005.

It is owned by Austar United Communications Limited (ASX: [AUN]). Austar United was 81.5% owned by United Austar Partners, a partnership made up of a US-based company, Liberty Global, and Castle Harlan Australian Mezzanine Partners (CHAMP), the remaining 19.5% of shares are traded on the Australian Stock Exchange.

In December 2005, CHAMP sold their share in the United Austar Partners partnership with Liberty Global purchasing up to 51.5% and the rest of CHAMP's shares being sold to institutional shareholders.

Austar also owns 50% of XYZnetworks, a pay television program provider, a 50-50 joint venture between Foxtel and Austar.

Contents

Mobile Telephony (Austar Mobile)

Established in 2000, Austar Mobile offers mobile services via resale agreements with Optus and Telstra for access to their GSM and CDMA mobile networks respectivly.

At the end of 2004, there were about 30,000 customers.

Dial-Up Internet (Austarnet)

Established in 2000, Austarnet currently outsources its network to COMindico and is available across Australia.

At the end of 2004, there were about 49,000 customers

Subscription Television (Austar Television / Austar Digital)

Austar's main business is subscription television, serving customers outside of the major metro areas. It takes programming from both Foxtel and Optus services, and operates in both analog and digital platforms.

Austar Television is available in 2.4 million homes in regional and rural areas of all mainland states (bar Western Australia), Tasmania & the capital cities of Darwin & Hobart. Subscriber numbers to Austar Television are second behind Foxtel. Delivery methods include utlising the Optus C-Class Satellite Optus C1 and a digital cable network in Darwin

Austar Digital

Launched in March 2004, Austar Digital subscribers account for about 75% of all of Austar's Television Subscribers. In October 2004 the cable network utilised in Darwin was converted to allow the Austar Digital product to be sold over that delivery method

Personal Digital Recorder

Announced in November 2005, Thomson SA have been awarded the contract for the development of a 4 tuner PDR, two of which will be dedicated for Australia's Digital Terrestrial free-to-air (FTA) service.

Channel lineup

Note: this is the Austar Digital package. The Analog package is considerably different, and some channels are available only as add-ons to the standard Analog package. Some businesses (namely hotels and motels) take on a customized package, with some channels not included. Please check with [www.austar.com.au] for details.

Essentials (the bare minimum you can subscribe to):

General Entertainment Options (add-ons which can be added to the Essential package, or included as part of other plans (e.g. Deluxe) Movie Packages (add-ons which can be added to the Essential package, or included as part of other plans (e.g. Deluxe) Other Add-ons (add-ons which can be added to the Essential package, or included as part of other plans (e.g. Deluxe)

Channel line-up

Channels on the Austar Digital service:

General
Regional ABC TV variants
These are not available on Darwin cable.
Movies
Sports
Games
News
Factual
Kids
Music
Speciality

Austar/Unwired Alliance

In 2005, Austar United and wireless internet provider Unwired announced a deal to swap spectrum under either companies control to allow for interoperable wireless broadband services across the country.

Austar holds a considerable number of 2.5 & 3.5 GHz spectrum licences that they have purchased for delivery of their former MMDS Service and for an ill-fated attempt at wireless internet through a joint-venture with Chello

The deal will also allow WIMAX wireless services to commence in Australia.

June 2006 Austar launched it's first planned wireless broadband area in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales with another 24 areas in Australia to get Austar wireless broadband by the end of 2007

External links


List of cable, satellite and other specialty television providers
Cable television: Adelphia | Bresnan | Bright House Networks | CableOne | Cable TV Hong Kong | Cablevision (US) | Cablevision (Canada) | Canal Digital | Charter | Cogeco | Comcast | Cox | Eastlink | Foxtel | GCI | Global Destiny | Insight | Kabel Deutschland | Knology | Mediacom | Midcontinent Communications | Millennium Digital Media | NTL | Neighbourhood Cable | Optus | Persona | RCN | Rogers | Service Electric | SkyCable | SelecTV | Shaw | StarHub CableTV | Suddenlink | Telewest | Saturn | Time Warner | TransACT | Vidéotron | WOW! Internet Cable Phone | WightCable

Satellite television: Athina Sat | Astro | Austar | Bell ExpressVu | Canal Digital | CanalSat | Cyfra+ | DirecTV | Dish Network | DStv | Freesat | Freesat from Sky | FreeView (NZ) | Foxtel | GlobeCast World TV | Home2US | NTV Plus | NOVA Cyprus | NOVA Greece | Sky Angel | Sky Digital | Sky Italia | Sky PerfecTV! | Sky TV (NZ) | StarChoice | STAR TV | Tata Sky | TPS | Viasat | Voom | WOWOW

IPTV: Canal Digital | now TV | TeliaSonera | HomeChoice

Terrestrial television: Boxer TV Access | FreeView (NZ) | Freeview (UK) | Top Up TV | MiTV | USDTV

Fiber-Optic: Verizon FiOS
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