COMPANY REPORT AZBox Distributor, Russia

Two Buddies from School Days

Found AZBox Russia
The two first met at the tender age of seven when they went to the
same school. They embarked on different journeys afterwards, with
one of them deciding to study economics while the other obtained
a degree in electronics and software programming. Later on, their
paths crossed again in the year 2006 when they together founded
the company SatDream as exclusive distributor of AZBox products in
Russia. Andrej Dolgopolov took on the role of Sales Manager, while
Ruslan Rozanov became Technical Manager of the company. TELE-
satellite met both founders in Moscow.

Technical Manager Ruslan Rozanov can

justifiably be called a satellite enthusiast.
“It was in 2001 when my interest in satel-
lite reception awoke,” he tells us. He used
to repair satellite receivers for friends and
family in his spare time, and he soon dis-
covered that “it was the software aspect
that I was really addicted to.” This even
went so far as to turn to receiver program-
ming from 2004 onward. Looking at ways to
turn hobby into profession he finally deci-
ded to start up a business. Together with
his school-day friend Andrej Dolgopolov he
raised an initial capital of USD 2,000 to get
going. Right from the start the two have
focused on repairing satellite receivers.
By and by they had gained an expert
reputation for servicing receivers of a par-
ticular Korean brand, but unfortunately
that manufacturer completely missed the
leap from SDTV to HDTV, so they had to
look elsewhere. “The option of customised
receiver programming was a driving force
behind that search,” Ruslan Rozanov exp-
lains. “One day we came across the AZBox
and immediately got in touch with Hugo
Condessa, the founder of AZBox.” The two
have been exchanging thoughts and ideas
via e-mail or skype ever since.
“Our first move was the Russian transla-
tion of the AZBox on-screen menus.” Even
more important, however, was the adapta-

■ Looking up the façade of this inconspicuous

apartment building you can spot two satellite
antennas. Right, next to the dishes are the office
windows of AZBox Russia on the fifth floor.
This building is only one block from the nearest
metro station, which is called Kakhovskaya and
is served by metro line 11. The company also
makes use of a warehouse for storage, which is
located elsewhere.

134 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 02-03/2011 — www.TELE-satellite.com

 1 2
tion of the AZBox to accept major smart-
cards used in Russia, like those of provider
Tricolor. “It only took us three weeks to
write the software so that the internal card
reader of the AZBox was able to work with
those smartcards,” Ruslan Rozanov proudly
remembers.
That happened in October 2009 and
things really got moving from there. In
November 2009 the first shipment of boxes
arrived. “It consisted of 100 Elite boxes
and 100 Premium boxes,” Ruslan Rozanov
recalls how it all began. And that pace has
constantly increased up until today: For
2010 shipments totalled 1,000 units.
However the SatDream team was not at
the end with after the on-screen display
texts had been localised. “We wanted our
customers to get the best,” Ruslan Rozanov
notes and mentions a CD-ROM which is
shipped with every AZBox in Russia. The
CD-ROM features a comprehensive FAQ
covering all AZBox functions, as well as
assistance for downloading new software
versions. “We also cover the initial instal-
lation procedure of the AZBox receiver so
that all channels demanded from a Russian
audience can actually be received,” Ruslan
Rozanov adds.
Incidentally, he compiled the complete
CD-ROM almost all by himself. Still, Sat-
Dream service does not stop there. “All
AZBox receivers we sell come with a two-
year warranty,” Ruslan Rozanov explains
and details the processes that have been
set up in the background: “Each AZBox is
labelled with a unique serial number right
at the manufacturing premises and we take
136 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 02-03/2011 — www.TELE-satellite.com
note of the serial number for every single
customer of ours. This allows us to instantly
look up the features and equipment level of 4
every box ever sold by us.” By the way, cus-
tomers may even enter the serial number
of their box at www.azbox.su themselves
and check whether they have obtained their
receiver through legal channels.
Currently, the young company employs a
workforce of 15: Four work in administra-
tion, three are repair technicians, three are
software developers and four are installers
who set up complete reception systems all
over Moscow and beyond. Added to that are
the two owners.
“Our top-selling product right now is the
AZBox HD Plus with two DVB-S2 tuners,”
Sales Manager Andrej Dolgopolov reveals.
“We generate approximately 70% of AZBox
sales with this model alone.” The question
that arises in this context refers to DVB-T.
After all, AZBox does offer its receivers as
DVB-T variants as well. Technical Manager
Ruslan Rozanov has the answer: “While
there have been some test transmissions
in Moscow we don’t expect a real DVB-T
breakthrough in our market before 2012.
By that time we’ll be ready and prepared to
jump on that bandwagon.”
Our visit has clearly confirmed the gene-
ral impression that AZBox Russia seeks
to offer excellent customer service. Its
employees are in a position to solve soft-
ware problems in a timely manner, as well
as address any hardware issues that might
arise. This makes AZBox Russia very well
placed for keeping up its steady expansion
pace.
 Russia

1. Irina Vitrenko is the receptionist

at AZBox Russia. She’s the first to
pick up all incoming calls and for this
photo she has placed an AZBox on
the counter.

2. Always in touch: Sales Manager

Andrej Dolgopolov is the co-founder
of AZBox Russia and is in charge of
sales to retail customers.

3. Technical Manager Ruslan Rozanov

is one of the two founders of AZBox
Russia. Here he shows us on his
laptop PC part of the FAQ which he
has compiled for the AZBox and
which all AZBox customers receive on
a CD together with their box.

4. View of the technicians’ room. This

3 is where malfunctioning boxes are
repaired. Technican Igor Radvogin
can be seen on the right.

www.TELE-satellite.com — 02-03/2011 — TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine 137