Eutelsat
Eutelsat S.A. is a French[1] satellite operator. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas, it is the world's third-largest satellite operator in terms of revenues.[2]
| Type | Société Anonyme |
|---|---|
| Euronext Paris: ETL CAC Mid 60 Component | |
| Industry | Communications satellite |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
Key people | Eva Berneke (CEO) |
Number of employees | 1,200 (2023) |
| Website | www |
Eutelsat's satellites are used for broadcasting nearly 7,000 television stations, of which 1,400 are in high-definition television, and 1,100 radio stations to over 274 million cable and satellite homes. They also serve requirements for TV contribution services, corporate networks, mobile communications, Internet backbone connectivity and broadband access for terrestrial, maritime and in-flight applications. EUTELSAT is headquartered in Paris, France. Eutelsat Communications Chief Executive Officer is currently Eva Berneke.[3]
In October 2017, Eutelsat acquired Noorsat, one of the leading satellite service providers in the Middle East, from Bahrain's Orbit Holding Group. Noorsat is the premier distributor of Eutelsat capacity in the Middle East, serving blue-chip customers and providing services for over 300 TV channels almost exclusively from Eutelsat's market-leading the Middle East and North Africa neighbourhoods at 7/8° West and 25.5° East.[4]
On 26 July 2022, Eutelsat announced a merger with LEO satellite internet operator OneWeb.[5]
History Edit
The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Eutelsat) was originally set up in 1977 (46 years ago), by 17 European countries as an intergovernmental organisation (IGO). Its role was to develop and operate a satellite-based telecommunications infrastructure for Europe. The Convention establishing the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization Eutelsat was opened for signature in July 1982 and entered into force on 1 September 1985.[6]
In 1982, Eutelsat decided to start operations of its first TV channel (Satellite Television) on the Orbital Test Satellite (OTS) in cooperation with European Space Agency (ESA). This was the first satellite-based direct-to-home TV channel launched in Europe. In 1983, Eutelsat launched its first satellite to be used for telecommunications and TV distribution
Initially established to address satellite telecommunications demand in Western Europe, Eutelsat rapidly developed its infrastructure to expand coverage to additional services (i.e. TV) and 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 wider audiences for consumer satellite TV.
With the general liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in Europe, Eutelsat's assets, liabilities and operational activities were transferred to a private company called Eutelsat S.A. established for this purpose in July 2001.[7] The structure role and activities of the new intergovernmental organisation Eutelsat IGO evolved. According to Eutelsat IGO's amended constitution in 2016, the main purpose of EUTELSAT IGO has been to ensure that Eutelsat S.A. observes the Basic Principles set forth in the EUTELSAT Amended Convention entered into force in November 2002. These Basic Principles refer to public service/universal service obligations, pan European coverage by the satellite system, non-discrimination and fair competition.[8][better source needed] The Executive Secretary of EUTELSAT IGO participates in all meetings of the Board of Directors of Eutelsat Communications S.A. and Eutelsat S.A. as an observer to the Board (censeur).[9][clarification needed]
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 6 October 2005. As of 2009, the holding company owned 96.0% of Eutelsat S.A.[10]
On 31 July 2013, Eutelsat Communications announced the 100% acquisition of Satélites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. ("Satmex") for US$831 million in cash plus the assumption of US$311 million in Satmex debt, pending government and regulatory approvals.[11] The transaction was finalized on 2 January 2014. Based in Mexico, Satmex operates three satellites at contiguous positions, 113° West (Satmex 6), 114.9° West (Satmex 5) and 116.8° West (Satmex 8) that cover 90% of the population of the Americas.[12]
In December 2015, the company announced a partnership[13] with Facebook to launch an internet satellite over Africa by 2016 where Facebook lease all of a satellite's high throughput Ka-band capacity, however, the satellite was destroyed during launch preparations.[14]
In December 2020, Eutelsat launched Eutelsat Konnect, a domestic broadband service targeting remote localities, in the United Kingdom with a planned subsequent launch across Europe.[15]
In July 2021, Eutelsat launched Eutelsat Quantum, the first full software-defined satellite. It will enable users, notably in the Government and Mobility markets, to actively define and shape performance and reach thanks to its software-based design.[16]
In December 2021, Eva Berneke was appointed Chief Executive Officer to replace Rodolphe Belmer. She will take up her position on January 1, 2022.[17]
In March 2022, in the context of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and growing censorship in Russia, two of the Russian packagers active on the 36°E Eutelsat satellites, NTV Plus (a subsidiary of Gazprom Media) and Trikolor, unilaterally interrupted broadcasting of 8 international news channels (BBC World, CNN, Deustche Welle, Euronews, France 24, NHK World, RAInews 24, TV5 Monde). This interruption was denounced by the Denis Diderot Committee, made up of academics and professionals from the European audiovisual sector, which published a report and launched a petition asking for sanctions from the European Union and EUTELSAT IGO against the two operators.[18] The petition is signed by all members of the Ukrainian regulatory body, the National Radio and Television Council.[19][20]
Distribution of East European TV Edit
Eutelsat continues to collaborate with Russian TV platforms such as NTV-Plus and Tricolor. In France, the association Denis Diderot Committee has started a petition to put pressure on the EU to get Eutelsat to drop cooperation with the Russian channels. In a press release, the association writes that it is 'paradoxical and unforgivable' that European satellites are used to broadcast Russian channels, which 'only spread the Kremlin's official state propaganda.[21]
As top manager of French Eutelsat, Danish Eva Berneke defended the strategy in a podcast interview with Techmediet Radar: "It is clear that then we would have to wave goodbye to some Russian customers, who would then move on to some Russian satellites or something else". Media spokesman Kasper Sand Kjær of the Danish Social Democrats comments this decision with: "I think everyone should decide for themselves which side you want to stand on in the story. I do not believe that one can get through the time we are in right now by saying that one is neutral".[22]
Jim Phillipoff, co-founder of the Denis Diderot Committee explained further that Eutelat's declared "neutrality" is rather dubious granted the fact that Eutelsat only offers channels on 36°E to Russian customers but not independent Russian-language broadcasts, which could help break information monopoly of the Russian state.[23] As described above, Russian customers already actively censored western channels in their broadcasts on 36°E, which made the claims of Eutelsat's neutrality even more absurd.[18]
Services Edit
In June 2021, Eutelsat launched Eutelsat ADVANCE, an end-to-end managed connectivity service, including network interconnection, a management portal and APIs for service providers and their clients. Available via Eutelsat's certified network of partners, Eutelsat ADVANCE enables service providers in Enterprise, Maritime, Aviation, Government and Telecoms to enhance their service portfolio by increasing the range of connectivity services they offer.[24]
In September 2018, Eutelsat announced CIRRUS, which enabled broadcasters to deliver content to satellite and over-the-top media service. Viewers can watch content on screens, phones and tablets, access multiple programmes, record and rewind and view detailed programme information.[25]
With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Over 6800 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks.
Satellites Edit
Eutelsat sells capacity on 36 satellites located in geosynchronous orbit between 139° West and 174° East. On 1 March 2012, Eutelsat changed the names of its satellites. The group's satellites mostly take the Eutelsat name, with the relevant figure for their orbital position and a letter indicating their order of arrival at that position. On 21 May 2014, Eutelsat Americas (formerly Satmex) aligned its satellite names with the Eutelsat brand.[26]
| Satellite | COSPAR ID | Location | Regions served | Launch | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eutelsat 3B | 2014-030A | 3°E | Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Brazil | 26 May 2014 | Entered service in July 2014[27] |
| Eutelsat 5 West B | 2019-067A | 5°W | Europe, North Africa | 9 October 2019 | |
| Eutelsat 7B | 2013-022A | 7°E | Europe, Middle East, Africa | 14 May 2013 | |
| Eutelsat 7C | 2019-034B | 7°E | Europe, Middle East, Africa | 20 June 2019 | |
| Eutelsat Konnect | 2020-005B | 7°E | Europe, Africa | 17 January 2020 | First satellite to use Thales Alenia Space's all-electric Spacebus NEO platform |
| Eutelsat 7 West A | 2011-051A | 7.3°W | Middle East, North Africa | 24 September 2011 | Formerly named Atlantic Bird 7 until March 2012 |
| Eutelsat 8 West B | 2015-039A | 8°W | Africa, Middle East | 20 August 2015 | |
| Eutelsat KA-SAT[28][29] | 2010-069A | 9°E | Europe | 26 December 2010 | |
| Eutelsat 9B [30][31] | 2016-005A | 9°E | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | 30 January 2016 | |
| Eutelsat 10A | 2009-016A | 10°E | Europe, Africa, Middle East | 3 April 2009 | Formerly named Eutelsat W2A until March 2012; S-band payload not yet entered into service due to an anomaly.[32][33][34] Solaris Mobile filed the insurance claim and should be able to offer some, but not all of the services it was planning to offer.[35][36][37] |
| Eutelsat 10B | 2022-157A | 10°E | North Atlantic corridor, Europe, Mediterranean basin, Middle East | 23 November 2022 | |
| Hot Bird 13B[38] | 2006-032A | 13°E | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | 5 August 2006 | Formerly named Hot Bird 8 until March 2012 |
| Hot Bird 13C | 2008-065D | 13°E | Europe, Africa, Middle East | 20 December 2008 | Formerly named Hot Bird 9 until March 2012 |
| Hot Bird 13E[39] | 2006-007B | 13°E | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | 11 March 2006 | Formerly named Eurobird 9A until March 2012; former Hot Bird 7A satellite / Eutelsat 9A |
| Hotbird 13F | 2022-134A | 13°E | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | 15 October 2022 | All-electric Eurostar Neo bus |
| Hotbird 13G | 2022-146A | 13°E | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | 3 November 2022 | All-electric Eurostar Neo bus |
| Eutelsat 16A | 2011-057A | 16°E | Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Indian Ocean Islands | 7 October 2011 | Formerly named Eutelsat W3C until March 2012 |
| Eutelsat 21B | 2012-062B | 21.5°E | Europe, Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, Central Asia | 10 November 2012 | Fully operational since 19 December 2012.[40] |
| Eutelsat 33C[41] | 2001-011A | 33°E | Europe | 8 March 2001 | Satellite is currently being redeployed at 33° East where it will be co-located with Eutelsat 33B. Formerly named Eurobird 1 until March 2012 and Eutelsat 28A until July 2015 |
| Eutelsat 33E | 2009-008B | 33°E | Europe, South-West Asia | 12 February 2009 | Formerly Hot Bird 10 and Atlantic Bird 4A[42] |
| Eutelsat 36A | 2000-028A | 36°E | Africa, Russia | 24 May 2000 | Formerly named Eutelsat W4 until March 2012. |
| Eutelsat 36B | 2009-065A | 36°E | Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia | 24 November 2009 | Formerly named Eutelsat W7 until March 2012 |
| Eutelsat 36C | 2015-082A | 36°E | Russia, Africa | 2015 | |
| Eutelsat 36 West A | 2002-040A | 36.5°W | Europe, Middle East, Americas | 28 August 2002 | Formerly named Atlantic Bird 1 until March 2012, and Eutelsat 12 West A |
| Eutelsat 48D | 2008-065B | 48°E | Afghanistan, Central Asia | 20 December 2008 | Co-branded Afghansat 1. Formerly named Eutelsat 28B until January 2014, Eutelsat 48B until August 2012, W2M until March 2012.[43] |
| Eutelsat Quantum | 2021-069B | 48°E | Middle East, North Africa | 30 July 2021 | First in-orbit reprogrammable satellite |
| Eutelsat 65 West A | 2016-014A | 65°W | Americas | 9 March 2016 | |
| Eutelsat 70B | 2012-069A | 70.5°E | Europe, Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, South East Asia, Australia | 3 December 2012 | |
| Eutelsat 113 West A | 2006-020A | 113°W | Americas | 27 May 2006 | Formerly Satmex 6 until May 2014 |
| Eutelsat 115 West B | 2015-010B | 114.9°W | Americas | 2 March 2015 | |
| Eutelsat 117 West A | 2013-012A | 116.8°W | Americas | 26 March 2013 | Formerly Satmex 8 until May 2014 |
| Eutelsat 117 West B [44] | 2016-038B | 116.8°W | Americas | 15 June 2016 | Formerly Satmex 9 |
| Eutelsat 139 West A | 2004-008A | 139°W | Americas | 16 March 2004 | Formerly named Eutelsat W3A until March 2012, then Eutelsat 7A |
| Eutelsat 172B | 2017-027A | 172°E | Asia-Pacific | 1 June 2017 | |
| Eutelsat 174A | 2005-052A | 174°E | Asia-Pacific | 29 December 2005 | Formerly Eutelsat 172A, and GE-23 satellite |
| Eutelsat Konnect VHTS | 2022-110A | Europe | 7 September 2022 | Very High Throughput Satellite. Hosting the most powerful on-board digital processor ever put in orbit. |
Rented capacity Edit
| Satellite | Location | Regions served | Launch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eutelsat 28E | 28.2°E | Europe | 29 September 2013 |
| Eutelsat 28F | 28.2°E | Europe | 28 September 2012 |
| Eutelsat 28G | 28.2°E | Europe | 27 December 2014 |
| Express AT1 | 56°E | Europe, Asia | 16 March 2014 |
| Express AT2 | 140°E | Europe, Asia | 16 March 2014 |
| SESAT 2 | 15°W | Europe, Americas | 19 October 1999 |
Former satellites Edit
| Satellite | COSPAR ID | Location | Launched | Inclined | Retired | Lost | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eutelsat I F-1 | 1983-058A | 13°E | 1983 | 1989 | 1996 | — | |
| Eutelsat I F-2 | 1984-081A | 7°E | 1984 | 1990 | 1993 | — | |
| Eutelsat I F-4 | 1987-078B | 7/13°E | 1987 | 1993 | 2002 | — | |
| Eutelsat I F-5 | 1988-063B | 10°E | 1988 | 1994 | 2000 | — | |
| Eutelsat 2 F-1 | 1990-079B | 13°E | 1990 | 1999 | 2003 | — | |
| Eutelsat 2 F-2 | 1991-003B | 10°E | 1991 | 2000 | 2005 | — | |
| Eutelsat 2 F-3 | 1991-083A | 16°E | 1991 | 2000 | 2004 | — | |
| Eutelsat 2 F-4 | 1992-041B | 7°E | 1992 | 2001 | 2003 | — | |
| Hot Bird 1 | 1995-016B | 13°E | 1995 | 2006 | 2007 | 2012 | |
| Eutelsat W2 | 1998-056A | 16°E | 1998 | — | 2010 | — | |
| Eutelsat W3B[45] | 2010-056A | 16°E | 2010 | — | 2010 | — | |
| Eutelsat W75 | 1997-049A | 4°E | 1997 | — | 2011 | — | Former Hot Bird 3 and Eurobird 4 satellite |
| Eurobird 4A | 2000-052A | 4°E | 2000 | — | 2012 | — | Former Eutelsat W1 satellite |
| Eutelsat 4B | 1998-057A | 4°E | 1998 | 2014 | — | Formerly named Eurobird 2 until March 2012, now at 4E and called Eutelsat 4B | |
| Eutelsat 5 West A | 2002-035A | 5°W | 5 July 2002 | January 2023 | — | Formerly named Atlantic Bird 3 until March 2012, was also called Stellat 5 | |
| Eutelsat 16B | 1998-013A | 16°E | 1998 | 2015 | — | Formerly named Eurobird 16 until March 2012; former Atlantic Bird 4 and Hot Bird 4 satellite | |
| Eutelsat 16C | 2000-019A | 16°E | 2000 | 2018 | — | Formerly named SESAT 1 until March 2012. Operated in inclined orbit at 16° East | |
| Eutelsat 12 West B | 2001-042A | 12.5°W | 2001 | 2020 | Formerly named Atlantic Bird 2 until March 2012 and Eutelsat 8 West A until October 2015, when it was redeployed to 12.5° West | ||
| Eutelsat 31A | 2003-043A | 31°E | 2003 | 2018 | — | Formerly named Eurobird and Eutelsat 33A | |
| Eutelsat 33B | 2002-051A | 33°E | 2002 | 2015 | — | Formerly named Eutelsat W5 until March 2012; lost one of two solar panels 16 June 2008.[46] Now at 25° East and called Eutelsat 25C. | |
| Eutelsat 115 West A | 1998-070A | 114.8°W | 1998 | 2015 | — | Formerly Satmex 5 until May 2014 | |
| Eutelsat 48A | 1996-067A | 48°E | 21 November 1996 | 2017 | — | Formerly named Eutelsat W48 until March 2012; former Hot Bird 2 and Eurobird 9 satellite; operating in inclined orbit. | |
| Eutelsat 25B | 2013-044A | 25.5°E | 29 August 1998 | Eutelsat's share in the satellite sold to Es'hailSat in 2018.[47] |
Bibliography Edit
- (in French and English) Guy Lebègue, (trad. Robert J. Amral), «Eutelsat II: OK For West-to-East Service!», in Revue aerospatiale, n° 73, November 1990
References Edit
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- ^ . Satellite Evolution Group. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
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- ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
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- ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- ^ de Selding, Peter B. (1 August 2013). "Eutelsat's Satmex Acquisition Expands Satellite Fleet Operator's Global Reach". SpaceNews.
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- ^ Woods, Ben (13 December 2020). "French satellite firm looks to muscle in on Britain's broadband market". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ "Successful launch of EUTELSAT QUANTUM, the first full software-defined satellite". Mynewsdesk. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ "Eutelsat Names Eva Berneke as Company's First Female CEO". 20 December 2021.
- ^ a b "News". Denisdiderot. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ "Calls for sanctions on Russian pay-TV satellite platforms Tricolor and NTV+". /www.broadbandtvnews.com. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ Національна рада підписала петицію Комітету імені Дені Дідро про запровадженя санкцій проти двох операторів платного ТВ і закликає медійників також її підтримати, ТСН 6 April 2022
- ^ "Petition / Pétition".
- ^ "Dansk topchef om russisk censur af vestlige tv-stationer: Jeg forholder mig neutralt". 5 May 2022.
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- ^ "Eutelsat launches Eutelsat ADVANCE for end-to-end managed connectivity services". Mynewsdesk. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
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- ^ Jonathan Amos (26 December 2010). "Ka-Sat net-dedicated spacecraft lifts off". BBC News.
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- ^ "Display: 2006-007B". NASA. Retrieved 5 March 2008. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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- ^ Julian Clover (28 January 2009). "In orbit failure for Eutelsat W2 replacement". broadbandtvnews.com. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
- ^ Mission events timeline for Falcon 9’s launch for ABS and Eutelsat Spaceflight Now Retrieved 15 June 2016
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- ^ Caleb Henry (9 August 2018). "Eutelsat sells shared satellite to Es'hailSat". Space News. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
External links Edit
- Media related to Eutelsat at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website