MultiChoice Africa has leased a further four transponders at Eutelsat Communications’ 36 degrees East orbital slot. The new transponders on the SESAT 1 satellite will be used to deliver digital TV services and Internet access to residential and corporate customers. Combined with the co-located Eutelsat W4, the contract brings the number of transponders leased at the position by MultiChoice to 13.
MultiChoice has used Eutelsat capacity since 2000 and has built a subscriber based of 450,000 homes across 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The DTH platform has come under pressure from local platforms, such as Gateway Communications, that argue its service is elitist.