Eutelsat and ictQATAR, representing the State of Qatar, have selected Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) to build a satellite they will jointly own and operate in the 25.5 degrees East orbital slot.
The move, which follows an international consultation, is the next step following an agreement signed by the two parties in May.
The satellite that SS/L will deliver should enter into service in early 2013 and have a design life of over 15 years, being based on the company’s decades-proven 1300 satellite bus modular platform. It will provide a significant improvement in coverage across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, following on Eurobird 2, which currently operates at 25.5 degrees East.
The TV market in the Middle East and North Africa, which already has 13 million DTH homes, will particularly benefit from the new satellite.
