Mobilelinks covers some of live sports’ most premium assets, including UEFA Champions League, Ice Hockey (SHL – Swedish Hockey League), and FIS winter sports. It is also the main contribution partner of Viaplay and TV4/Telia. The Appear-powered uplink trucks will go live as part of Mobilelinks coverage of the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship (Czech Republic, 10 - 26 May, 2024).

Andreas Langell, CEO of Mobilelinks Europe, said: ”We have been using the X platform for encoding permanent and occasional services for some time, and the reliability and robustness of the Appear solution have been exceptional. It enables us to meet increasing customer demands for higher resolution, compression, encryption, and modulation. With this significant upgrade, our trucks can now efficiently meet the high demands of our customers.”

Appear's X20 platform will provide Mobilelinks with several key benefits:

• The X20 integrates DSNG uplink and downlink/IRD functionality into a single unit, reducing complexity and delivering significant space and power efficiencies.
• Both encoders and modulators included in the X20 support the latest and highest standards, including HEVC UHD and DVB-S2X.
• The X20 incorporates an SRT feature, enabling contribution over the Internet in addition to traditional satellite and managed IP options.
• By integrating IRD functionality, the Appear X20 chassis enables Mobilelinks to monitor the uplink in the same unit, via a simple unified user interface.
• X Platform’s workflow management - XPanel - enables easy operation and peace of mind by remotely monitoring all content processing and delivery functionalities on the truck, delivering a simple and effective way of handling remote support.
• The X20 offers ample space for future expansion and scalability within its 2RU chassis. Support for additional channels can easily be added, as well as support for 2110 interfacing and contribution over IP with ultra-low latency codecs such as JPEG-XS.