Rachel_Sandford
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Eutelsat, one of the leading providers of satellite telecommunications, just announced that they have placed an order with Astrium for a new satellite. The KU-band satellite, set to be called Eutelsat 9B, will be launched by the end of 2014. It will be positioned at 9º East. The satellite will be put in place so as to target emerging video markets.
According to reports, Eutelsat 9B will be a 66-transponder satellite with reusable frequency beams, which will increase overall bandwidth, expand, and diversify resources. All in all, it should increase current capacity by 70%. Spreading across five footprints, the satellite will also let viewers use a dual-feed antenna, which means they will be able to pick up hundreds of channels currently broadcasting from Eutelsat's Hot Bird, which is in an adjacent position at 13º East.
On Eutelsat 9B, four pan-European footprints will address digital TV needs in the Baltic/Nordic regions, Germany, Greece, and Italy, while the last one will cover channels that want to reach satellite homes and terrestrial and cable headends.
Apart from this, the satellite will be hosting the first data relay payload for the European Data Relay System (EDRS) as well as a payload for the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The former will be implemented through a partnership between Astrium and ESA, and the latter is set to be used for Italy's institutional requirements.
9º East is one of Eutelsat's fastet growing neighborhoods and has been operational since 2007. It is currently occupied by a 38-transponder Eurobird 9A satellite. This current satellite already broadcasts 320 channels, over 10% of which are in HD.
According to reports, Eutelsat 9B will be a 66-transponder satellite with reusable frequency beams, which will increase overall bandwidth, expand, and diversify resources. All in all, it should increase current capacity by 70%. Spreading across five footprints, the satellite will also let viewers use a dual-feed antenna, which means they will be able to pick up hundreds of channels currently broadcasting from Eutelsat's Hot Bird, which is in an adjacent position at 13º East.
On Eutelsat 9B, four pan-European footprints will address digital TV needs in the Baltic/Nordic regions, Germany, Greece, and Italy, while the last one will cover channels that want to reach satellite homes and terrestrial and cable headends.
Apart from this, the satellite will be hosting the first data relay payload for the European Data Relay System (EDRS) as well as a payload for the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The former will be implemented through a partnership between Astrium and ESA, and the latter is set to be used for Italy's institutional requirements.
9º East is one of Eutelsat's fastet growing neighborhoods and has been operational since 2007. It is currently occupied by a 38-transponder Eurobird 9A satellite. This current satellite already broadcasts 320 channels, over 10% of which are in HD.