Eutelsat
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Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based satellite provider. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, it is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues.
Eutelsat’s satellites are used for broadcasting over 2,100 television and 970 radio stations to more than 120 million cable and satellite homes. They also serve requirements for TV contribution services, corporate networks, mobile positioning and communications, Internet backbone connectivity and broadband access for terrestrial, maritime and in-flight applications. Eutelsat is headquartered in Paris.
Its main craft have traditionally operated from 4 positions, each separated by three degrees of the Clarke belt - 7, 10, 13 and 16°E; although more positions are now operated.
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[edit] Satellites
Eutelsat commercialises capacity on 23 satellites located in geosynchronous orbit between 15 degrees West and 70.5 degrees East.
| Satellite | Location | Regions served | Launch |
| Eurobird 4 former Hot Bird 3 | 4° East |
Europe, North Africa, Middle East |
Sept. 1997 |
| Hot Bird 6 | 13° East | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | Aug. 2002 |
| Hot Bird 7A | 13° East | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | March 2006 |
| Hot Bird 8 | 13° East | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | Aug. 2006 |
| Eurobird 1 | 28.5° East | Europe | March 2001 |
| Eurobird 2 | 25.5° East | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | Oct. 1998 |
| Eurobird 3 | 33° East | Europe | Sept. 2003 |
| W1 | 10° East | Europe, Middle East, Africa | Sept. 2000 |
| W2 | 16° East | Europe, Middle East, Africa | Oct. 1998 |
| W3A | 7° East | Europe, Middle East, Africa | March 2004 |
| W4 | 36° East | Africa, Russia | May 2000 |
| W5 | 70.5° East | Europe, Middle East, Asia, Australia | Nov. 2002 |
| W6 | 21.5° East | Europe, Middle East, Africa | Apr. 1999 |
| SESAT 1 | 36° East | Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Asia | Apr. 2000 |
| Atlantic Bird 1 | 12.5° West | Europe, Middle East, Americas | Aug. 2002 |
| Atlantic Bird 2 | 8° West | Europe, Middle East, Americas | Sept. 2001 |
| Atlantic Bird 3 | 5° West | Europe, Americas, Africa | Jul. 2002 |
| Atlantic Bird 4 | 7° West | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | Feb. 1998 |
[edit] Planned future satellites
| W2M | 10° East | Europe, Africa, Middle East | 2008 |
| W2A | 16° East | Europe, Africa, Middle East | 2009 |
| W7 | 36° East | Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia | 2009 |
| Hot Bird 9 | 13° East | Europe, Africa, Middle East | 2008 |
| Hot Bird 10 | 13° East | Europe, Africa, Middle East | 2009 |
[edit] Rented capacity
| Telecom 2D | 8° West | Europe | Aug. 1996 |
| Telstar 12 | 15° West | Europe, Americas | Oct. 1999 |
| Express A3 | 11° West | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | Jun. 2000 |
| Express AM22 | 53° East | Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Asia | Dec. 2003 |
[edit] Former satellites
| Satellite | Primary position | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1F1 | 13°E | Launched 1983, inclined 1989, retired 1996 |
| 1F2 | 7°E | Launched 1984, inclined 1990, retired 1993 |
| 1F4 | 13°/7°E | Launched 1987, inclined 1993, retired 2002 |
| 1F5 | 10°E | Launched 1988, inclined 1994, de-orbited 2000 |
| 2F1 | 13°E | Launched 1990, inclined 1999, retired 2003 |
| 2F2 | 10°E | Launched 1991, inclined 2000, retired 2005 |
| 2F3 | 16°E | Launched 1991, inclined 2000, retired 2004 |
| 2F4 | 7°E | Launched 1992, inclined 2001, retired 2003 |
| Hot Bird 1 | 13°E | Launched 1995, retired 2006 |
| Hot Bird 2 | 13°E | Launched 1996, retired 2007 |
[edit] Services
| Video Applications | Professional Data Networks | Broadband Services |
| Direct broadcasting of TV and radio | Private networks | IP backbone connectivity |
| Cable distribution | Data broadcasting | Virtual Private Networks |
| Satellite newsgathering | Business TV, videoconferencing | Broadband access on ground, at sea, in-flight |
| Programme exchanges | Mobile services (messaging, positioning) | Multicasting and IP content distribution |
[edit] History
The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Eutelsat) was originally set up in 1977 as an intergovernmental organisation (IGO) to develop and operate a satellite-based telecommunications infrastructure for Europe. It started operations with the launch of its first satellite in 1983.
Initially established to address satellite communications demand in Western Europe, Eutelsat rapidly developed its infrastructure to expand coverage to additional markets, such as Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, and the Middle East, the African continent, and large parts of Asia and the Americas from the 1990s.
Eutelsat was the first satellite operator in Europe to broadcast television channels direct-to-home. It developed its premium neighbourhood of five Hot Bird satellites in the mid-1990s to offer capacity that would be able to attract hundreds of channels to the same orbital location, appealing to widespread audiences for consumer satellite TV.
With the general liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in Europe, the IGO’s operations and activities were transferred to a private company called Eutelsat S.A. in July 2001.
In April 2005, the principal shareholders of Eutelsat S.A. grouped their investment in a new entity (Eutelsat Communications), which is now the holding company of the Group owning 95.2% of Eutelsat S.A. on October 6th, 2005.
