ELNET, :

ELNET !

DVB DVB , DVB -

204 TELE-audiovision International The Worlds Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 1 1-12/2013 www.TELE-audiovision.com

Clearly visible from freeway 41 in the

Kopavogur commercial area, you can see the numerous satellite dishes on the front wall of digital TV wholesaler and retailer ELNET.

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Firmen RePOrt

Digital TV Wholesaler and Retailer ELNET, Iceland

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Large Premises with Large and Small Products

ELNET is a digital TV wholesaler and retailer in Iceland and offers a huge range of digital TV products at its large 600 square meter premises. This is the way business works in Iceland, according to General Manager Asmundur Einarsson: Iceland is a large country, but has a population of only 300,000 this means you cant just focus on a niche market but must be able to offer as wide a range as possible.

Reykjavik

Asmundur Einarsson is no man of many words. Instead, he takes two coax connectors and demonstrates the obvious differences: One is used for thick broadcast technology cables and the other one is a mini-connector as required by signal meters (see picture). This is living proof of the overall range of products offered by ELNET, ranging from small DVB meters to huge DVB transmitters, so to speak. We are the local Rohde & Schwarz distri-

bution partner here in Iceland, and as such were directly involved in rolling out digital terrestrial television across the country. According to Asmundur Einarsson, roughly half of all digital TV transmitters in Iceland were supplied by his company. Icelands special geography with lots of mountains and valleys, and its low population density with houses spread out across large distances all call for

Asmundur Einarsson has

been owner and General Manager of ELNET since 2000. And were proud to count him among our TELEaudiovision regular readers.

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1. Magnus Eyjolfsson is partner at ELNET and responsible for sales. 2. Inside the ELNET sales room: Advising a customer. 3. Large or small: A huge connector for transmission equipment right in the centre, with a tiny coax connector, like the ones used for meters, placed in front. This picture speaks volumes about the range on offer at ELNET.

a very high number of transmitters in relation to population covered. The maximum transmission power is 500 Watts. Thats what youre faced with in a huge place and only few people. And it is one of the driving forces behind Asmundur Einarssons optimistic business outlook: Signal distribution via cable networks such as CATV or IPTV only makes sense in urbanised areas. All the remote areas will have to rely on satellite reception and terrestrial distri206 TELE-audiovision International The Worlds Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 1 1-12/2013 www.TELE-audiovision.com

bution in the future as well. ELNET was established back in 1982. The original founder rlygur Jonatansson then sold the business to Asmundur Einarsson and has been teaching at a public vocational school since. The new owner Asmundur Einarsson had been employed as a technician for many years by Icelands two TV channels at the time when rlygur Jonatansson offered ELNET for sale. The business
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 Asmundur Einarsson with the best

selling antennas at ELNET: Dishes with diameters of 1 m and 85 cm, as well as UHF antennas for DVB-T reception.

208 TELE-audiovision International The Worlds Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 1 1-12/2013 www.TELE-audiovision.com

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1. Fibre-optic systems from GlobalInvacom were added to the ELNET portfolio in 2011. Their contribution to total turnover is still minor, but ELNET expects sales to pick up in the immediate future. 2. This tube section is an example of a 1 5/8-inch cable as used for DVB-T transmitters. ELNET supplies these cables. On the wall you can see segments of a 3 m dish (above) and some smaller antennas (below). 3. The signals from all outside dishes are led right to this engineering room. 4.View of the engineering room. We wont go into any details about the many pieces of equipment here just see for yourself

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had a staff of two at that stage, and satellite business was booming in those years. 2007 turned out to be ELNETs most successful year, and it was the year in which the business moved to its current location in the commercial area of Kopavagur, a suburb of Reykjakvik. We achieved sales totalling 1.5 million EUR in that year. Today its more like one million, but at least business is stable, so were quite satisfied. The year 2000 saw the advent of a business partner. Since then, Magnus Eyjolfsson has been looking after sales, above all. We sell approximately 200 to 300 satellite dishes each year, he lets us know, with the most popular sizes being 85 cm and 1 m. Yet, ELNET also has 1.8 m antennas in stock and even 3 m dishes are waiting for buyers. Since 2011 ELNET has been offering fibre-optic systems from GlobalInvacom in addition to its standard range. As far as the price is concerned, the gap between conventional coax systems and GlobalInvacoms fibre-optic systems is closing, says Asmundur Einarsson and predicts that in one or two years the tide will turn in favour of fibre-optic distribution systems. At any rate, ELNET is ready for the future and will continue to service the huge country of Iceland with all sorts of products, both large and small.
210 TELE-audiovision International The Worlds Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 1 1-12/2013 www.TELE-audiovision.com
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