KTN (Kenya Television Network), part of the Standard Media Group, has acquired a fleet of Quicklink Merlin Backpack Encoders to enhance its newsgathering capabilities.

The Kenyan broadcasting company selected Merlin due to its 4Mb/s quality live transmissions that were achieved reliably on a 3G cellular network.

KTN can now get the stories that previously were impossible to cover and to be first to get the breaking news live on air. The Merlin encoder offers versatility and mobility allowing reporters to transmit live from areas previously inaccessible with an SNG truck.

The bonding technology used by Merlin, its high-gain antenna system and Continuous Video Technology (CVT) serve to increase performance of the encoder even in remote areas from which contribution previously was not possible. The Quicklink Merlin encoders are being used to transmit live and recorded footage back to KTN headquarters using the mobile network.