Eutelsat 10B is now operational at the 10 degrees East orbital position.
Responding to strong growth in demand for mobile connectivity, the satellite is carrying two multi-beam High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) Ku-band payloads: a payload covering the North Atlantic corridor, Europe, the Mediterranean basin, and the Middle East offering significant throughput in the busiest air and sea traffic zones, and a second payload to extend coverage across the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, and the Indian Ocean.
According to Eutelsat, firm multi-year capacity commitments have been secured with several leading maritime and in-flight connectivity service providers, – and discussions are well advanced with others. These partners, such as Panasonic and Intelsat, will rely on Eutelsat 10B to provide ships and airlines with mobile connectivity services, in air and at sea, for passengers and crews.
Eutelsat 10B is also carrying two widebeam payloads in C-band and in Ku-band to ensure continuity of the video services on the Eutelsat 10A satellite, whose operational life is scheduled to end later this year. The 10 degrees East location that Eutelsat 10B occupies has been operated by Eutelsat since 1987 and provides coverage of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for video services. Long-standing clients such as Arqiva and Eurovision will be able to benefit from the newest resources and enhanced services at 10 degrees East.
Laurence Delpy, general manager for the Video Business Unit, said: “With Eutelsat 10B we are bringing the newest resources and enhanced services to 10 degrees East, one of Eutelsat’s long-standing, leading orbital locations and a key position for professional video networks. Satellite maintains an integral role in the media supply chain, particularly to support the live transmission of major news and sporting events. Our clients can look forward to an ever-better service with this powerful new satellite”.