Eutelsat Awards
Contract to Deliver Hot Bird 10 Broadcast Satellite to Astrium
(19 October 2006) Eutelsat
Communications today announced that Astrium will build the Hot Bird 10
broadcast satellite which will be launched in first quarter 2009 and positioned
at the Group's 13 degrees East location.
Following Hot Bird 8
and 9, it is the third high-power broadcast satellite based on Astrium's
Eurostar E3000 platform that will be located at Eutelsat's premium video
neighbourhood for cable and satellite broadcasting.
The procurement of
Hot Bird 10 underpins Eutelsat's objectives to continue to renew capacity at
its Hot Bird neighbourhood, to raise in-orbit redundancy and security for
broadcasting clients and to increase overall flexibility across its satellite
fleet. Eutelsat's 13 degrees East neighbourhood today broadcasts 950 television
channels and 540 radio stations to 110 million cable and satellite homes across
Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Astrium's Eurostar E3000
platform was selected by Eutelsat for the Hot Bird 8 satellite, which went into
full commercial service this month, and Hot Bird 9 which was ordered from
Astrium in May this year. With each satellite equipped with 64 high-power
Ku-band transponders spanning the entire range of 102 Ku-band frequencies at 13
degrees East, they will together deliver customers exceptional levels of
security and in-orbit redundancy for the development of digital entertainment
services and HDTV channels.
Hot Bird 10's deployment in 2009 will also
enable Eutelsat to pursue its objective to develop video activities at other
orbital locations. The new satellite will release the Group's Hot Bird 7A
satellite from 13 degrees East in order for it to be repositioned at the 10
degrees East neighbourhood. The proximity of these two neighbourhoods enables
reception of channels from both positions with a single antenna equipped with a
dual feed. This new video mission will be initiated first by Eurobird 10
(formerly Hot Bird 3) which is scheduled to enter into service at 10 degrees
East later this month, having completed its mission at 13 degrees East.
Eurobird 10's replacement by Hot Bird 7A will further increase capacity for
video services in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa by providing up to
38 Ku-band transponders at 10 degrees East.
Commenting on the contract,
Eutelsat CEO Giuliano Berretta commented: "By boosting our resource at
established and growing video neighbourhoods we are in a privileged position to
benefit from the strong dynamic of broadcasting markets in Europe, Africa and
the Middle East. Hot Bird 10 will further consolidate our premium Hot Bird
position and will also expand the associated resource we can offer broadcasters
from 10 degrees East for standard digital television, High-Definition
Television and new video services using MPEG4 compression. We are also very
pleased to renew our confidence with Astrium who has demonstrated the
performance of its technology in our new Hot Bird 8 satellite."
Antoine
Bouvier, CEO of Astrium Satellites' business unit said: "We are extremely
pleased that Eutelsat confirms their confidence in our technology by ordering a
third Eurostar E3000 to perfect the core of their prime broadcasting
neighbourhood. Hot Bird 10 is a Eurostar E3000 satellite, identical to Hot Bird
8 and Hot Bird 9 with the same mission capacity. Hot Bird 10 is also the third
satellite ordered by Eutelsat from Astrium this year, following W2M in February
and Hot Bird 9 in May, and the seventh communications satellite contract
overall won by Astrium in 2006."
Hot Bird 10 is the 15th satellite
commissioned by Eutelsat from Astrium. With the early implementation of this
programme the Group is advancing in-orbit investments to FY2007- 2009 which
were originally forecast after FY2010.
About Eutelsat
Communications
Eutelsat Communications is the holding company of
Eutelsat S.A. The Group is a leading satellite operator with capacity
commercialised on 23 satellites providing coverage over the entire European
continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of
Asia and the Americas. The Group is one of the world's three leading satellite
operators in terms of revenues. Its satellites are used for broadcasting more
than 2,100 TV and 970 radio stations to more than 120 million cable and
satellite homes. The Group also provides TV contribution services, corporate
networks, mobile positioning and communications, Internet backbone connectivity
and broadband access for terrestrial, maritime and in-flight applications.
Eutelsat Communications is headquartered in Paris, and the Group's workforce
comprises over 490 employees from 27 countries.
About
Astrium
Astrium Satellites, a business unit of Astrium, is Europe's
leading satellite system specialist. Its activities cover complete civil and
military telecommunications and Earth observation systems, science and
navigation programmes, and all spacecraft avionics and equipment. Astrium, a
wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence
space systems. In 2005, Astrium had a turnover of Euro 2.7 billion and 11,000
employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005,
EADS generated revenues of EUR34.2 billion and employed a workforce of more
than 113,000.
(source: Eutelsat Communications)