Following deliberate interference to Farsi broadcasts of the BBC, VOA and Radio Farda, Deutsche Welle (DW) is the latest international broadcaster to report deliberate jamming of its satellite signal in Iran, according to a report in news magazine Der Spiegel.
The report says that the French national radio regulatory agency Agence Nationale des Fréquences wrote to the Iranian Ministry of Communication saying that on December 7 and December 8 signals had been detected that looked like “deliberate interference” with the satellite used by DW.
The affected satellite was a Hotbird satellite belonging to Eutelsat. The satellite operator apparently reacted to the disturbance by increasing the broadcasting power, whereupon the disturbance signal was also strengthened, cutting out an Arabic language TV broadcast from DW.
The origin of the disturbance was traced to the area of Tehran. Similar disturbances coming from Iran were already detected by the French authority in May and June 2009.
(Source: The Local)
on Jan 3rd, 2010 at 13:08
Great. As of January 1st, DW ceased using Astra and now relies on Hotbird 8 only for coverage in Europe …
on Jan 3rd, 2010 at 21:22
The translation of the Spiegel Online report is a bit rough. The original says “affected was, amongst others, also the DW-TV Arabia channel”.
This is decisive in as far as of course the whole multiplex on 11.604 GHz, run by the Media Broadcast uplink at Köln-Poll, was affected. It contains all program output of Deutsche Welle, including radio broadcasts in Persian. But it is in use also by other broadcasters, amongst them RNW, feeding this way the Arab broadcasts to the individual transmitter sites if my informations are correct. In theory all broadcasters in this multiplex could have been the primary target of the Iranian jamming.
It appears that international broadcasters could indeed be at risk to loose their access to telcom satellites if this Iranian jamming further escalates. The Broadcasting Board of Governors already shares this fear, as it expressed in its recent statement. I think it is a worrying precedent that BBC Persian TV has been taken off Hotbird.
on Jan 4th, 2010 at 13:33
Is jamming communication satellite legal under international law?
If not, what action can be taken against Iran, deny access to telecommunication platforms?
on Jan 4th, 2010 at 14:23
Iran transmits, I think, seven tv and 5 radio channels on Hotbird.
At the very least, Eutelsat should cease providing them with a service.
on Jan 4th, 2010 at 14:36
Have VOA Persian TV and Radio Farda now being taken off Hotbird, too? At least this report says so (will be gone within a few days):
http://www.telesat-info.de/sat/002/002.htm
“Im VOA Digitalpaket auf 12,226 GHz, v, mit 16,300 und 3/4, ist unter VOA Persian 295 und 298, Pid’s 4760/4720, nur noch eine offene Balkentestkarte zu sehen, kein Programm.
PNN und Farda Radio – Beide offen – stellten den Sendebetrieb auf 12,242 GHz, v mit 3,700 und 3/4, ein.”
on Jan 4th, 2010 at 19:32
This is my Hotbird reception report from The Netherlands.
I tried to receiv these channels between 19.05 and 19.30 UTC with a 78 cm dish:
11604 H DW TV europe, DW TV Arabia and DW radio chanels - OK!
11117 V BBC Persian (only card with text in persian language) - OK!
12226 V VOA Persian test card - OK!
12226 V VOA Radio Farda - OK!
12224 V PNN - no signal!
12224 V VOA Radio Farda - no signal!
on Jan 4th, 2010 at 22:10
There’s a major ’soft war’ being waged on Iran these days. I guess Iran is softly fighting back by using a Chinese technique.