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COMPANY REPORT

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

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.

Two Buddies from School Days Found AZBox Russia

AZBox Distributor, 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-

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

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

note of the serial number for every single customer of ours. This allows us to instantly look up the features and equipment level of 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.

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

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