Does DIRECTV install a satellite?

DirecTV is among the largest satellite television providers in the United States, having access to 16 million plus consumers in mid-2020. Being that the company depends on satellite technology for delivering its TV service, a frequent asked question is whether or not DirecTV installs the satellites that transmit its signals.

The short answer is no, DirecTV does not launch or install the satellites that bring the TV channels into homes. DirecTV does not own the satellites it uses, but instead rents transponder capacity from satellite operating companies. However, DirecTV does provide installation for satellite dishes and receivers in customers’ premises for them to receive signals from the third-party satellites.

DirecTV Satellite Infrastructure

The satellites, which transmit signals for DirecTV, are owned by such corporations as Intelsat, SES Americom, and Eutelsat. These satellite operators therefore deploy big, powerful satellites into a geostationary orbit which is approximately 35, 786 kilometers over the equator. In this orbit, the satellites stay put in the sky, and antennas on the ground capture their signals.

Every satellite has many transponders which are machines that pick signals from the earth and then frequency boost them to be beamed over a large coverage area. Similar to basic services, satellite television service providers such as DirecTV rent individual transponders to relay their television channels and transmit these to resident decoders. One satellite can have had more than one hundred transponders to accommodate many channels.

So while DirecTV decides which TV programming is transmitted through the leased transponders, it does not construct, put into orbit or orient the satellites. The satellites used by DirecTV are leased from and controlled by other large communications satellite providers.

This process involves the installation of dishes and receivers in customer homes to facilitate the delivery of services.

DirecTV does not place satellites into orbit, but it does have a significant installation arm on Earth. When a person purchases the DirecTV satellite subscription, the company physically comes to the customer’s house with equipment required to receive signals from the satellites that orbit at a great distance from the earth.

These are the satellite dish antenna used to receive signals from the space and cables used to connect to receivers installed within the house. Mounting a dish and ensuring that it is properly aligned is no easy feat - the dish in question is quite small and measures only forty inches across, yet it has to be aimed directly at the location of the satellite in the sky in order to pick up the broadcast signals.

The installation process also includes wiring the house and connecting the receivers. More sophisticated whole-home DVR systems entail extra cabling and additional set-top boxes in other rooms. Currently, DirecTV has over 28 000 installation technicians that are stationed across the country for purpose of installation at customers’ premises.

Thus, one of the significant activities of DirecTV is installation and setup of the equipment at the customer premises to offer the consumers access to programming from third-party television satellites. However, the ‘last mile’ that is the connection of the reception gear is somewhat more complicated than the launching of the satellite.

Why does DirecTV not launch satellites?

While DirecTV relies on satellites to deliver their programming, launching and maintaining a fleet of communications satellites is extremely complex and resource-intensive:While DirecTV relies on satellites to deliver their programming, launching and maintaining a fleet of communications satellites is extremely complex and resource-intensive:

Cost: It takes hundreds of millions of dollars of investment to build satellites and launch them into space through rockets. DirecTV is a more focused TV provider that spends its resources in procuring content and enhancing the receiver equipment for the consumers rather than investing in costly satellites.

Specialized expertise: Designing as well as operating satellite needs specialized Aerospace engineering workforce. Instead of developing these specific skill sets in-house, DirecTV can just as easily acquire transponder bandwidth on demand from existing satellite operators.

Infrastructure: The operation, monitoring, and management of satellites necessitate the establishment of dedicated ground terminals. DirecTV does not own satellites and therefore the company does not have to invest in the development of this global infrastructure.

Government coordination: Satellites are regulated and thus entail policy management and governance by the government. Hiring satellites instead of owning them makes it easier for DirecTV to manage its operations.

In the same way the satellite business could be too complicated for DirecTV and others to handle While they can get into the satellite business, satellite TV providers prefer to stick to what they do best – providing good television programming. This strategy has gone a long way in making DirecTV very popular even though the company does not install its own satellites.

DirecTV Satellite Delivery: Future Trends

While DirecTV subscribers today rely on leased satellite connection, the very nature of that satellite architecture is gradually evolving. Instead of having satellite broadcast for delivery, satellite TV providers are increasingly relying on the Internet for content streaming.

The parent of DirecTV, AT&T is reportedly planning new satellites that will be using the conventional over the air broadcasting as well as spot beams that are able to point directly at homes for the delivery of broadband Internet. This convergence of satellite and online video may provide for future DirectTV customers to receive some of the content through dish and additional streaming channels over a two-way satellite-based Internet connection.

Thus in the coming years they are likely to merge significantly between satellite television broadcast and Internet streaming. It is expected that DirecTV will slowly integrate new technological platforms into their already set up satellite platform that fully utilizes Internet-based ‘over-the-top’ video content along with satellite connection.

Conclusion

Although DirecTV broadcasts its service through satellites that orbit the Earth 45,000 to 100,000 kilometers above the surface, DirecTV does not construct, launch or place those satellites. Those spacecraft that transmit signals for DirecTV reception are owned and managed by big commercial satellite companies. However, DirecTV does accept the challenge of placing small satellite dishes in homes across the country and connecting sophisticated receivers. DirecTV does not own its own fleet of satellites, but it has been able to provide satellite TV services through smart partnerships and division of labor with satellite companies.