SES, Eutelsat Settle Dispute Over 28.5 Degrees East Orbital
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SES and Eutelsat Communications have concluded a series of agreements including a comprehensive settlement of legal proceedings concerning the right to operate at the 28.5 degrees East orbital position and containing long-term commercial as well as frequency coordination elements.
The first agreement ends the arbitral procedure between Eutelsat and SES that was initiated in October 2012 under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris. The dispute concerned a right of use of 500 MHz spectrum at the 28.5 degrees East orbital position. Eutelsat ceased to operate this spectrum on 3 October 2013 and SES has operated this spectrum since that date. The dispute over this right of use has now been resolved, with SES continuing to operate its satellites at this location, and Eutelsat independently commercialising part of the capacity of the previously disputed frequencies.
According to the second agreement between both companies, Eutelsat has therefore contracted long-term satellite capacity on the SES satellite fleet at the 28.5 degrees East orbital position. Eutelsat will commercialise over Europe on the SES fleet 125 MHz (eight transponders) of the formerly disputed 500 MHz. Eutelsat will also commercialise on the SES fleet the 250 MHz (12 transponders) which was not the subject of the legal proceedings. The 20 transponders will be operated on three new satellites which SES is deploying at the 28.2/28.5 degrees East neighbourhood – ASTRA 2F, ASTRA 2E and ASTRA 2G – of which the first two have been launched and are operational, while the third is planned for a launch later this year.
The third agreement between the two companies addresses technical frequency coordination under the rules of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It will allow both parties an optimised use of their respective spectrum at a number of orbital positions over Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It confirms and clarifies in technical terms the geographic coverage and transmission power levels for frequencies at these positions.
“The agreements with Eutelsat create a secure framework for operations in major broadcasting and data markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa”, said Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES. “They are beneficial for our whole industry and, above all, for our customers and end users as they experience optimal satellite services. The agreements allow SES to fully leverage its satellite and fleet investments and operate its assets and frequency spectrum efficiently. We can focus on further commercialising our satellite capacity and ensuring excellent services for customers and users worldwide.”
SES’s Astra 2E Satellite Goes Live at 28.2/28.5 Degrees East Over EMEA
ASTRA 2E satellite entered into commercial service in the orbital arc of 28.2/28.5 degrees East on February 1, 2014. The satellite was launched on board an ILS Proton launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 30, 2013.
Extensive in-orbit tests have since then confirmed the satellite to be fully operational and performing to specifications.
The satellite was built for SES by Astrium of France. Based on the highly reliable Eurostar E3000 platform, the spacecraft carries 60 Ku-band transponders, including 12 incremental transponders for delivery of services outside Europe, as well as 4 Ka-band transponders. ASTRA 2E enables the delivery of next generation broadcast and broadband services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ASTRA 2E, which had a launch mass of 6 tonnes, features a wingspan of 40m after its solar arrays have been deployed in orbit, and is designed to generate 13 kW of spacecraft power up to the end of its 15-year design lifetime.
SES, Orange Business Services Renew Capacity Deal on NSS-12
Orange Business Services, a global IT and communications services provider, has renewed and expanded a capacity contract with SES to support growing connectivity needs in the Russian Federation.
The capacity leased by Orange Business Services will be hosted on the high-powered NSS-12 satellite located at 57 degrees East, enabling the company to continue to provide a suite of top quality communications services to businesses across the Russian Federation. The increase in satellite capacity will allow Orange Business Services to provide point-to-point as well as corporate network connectivity covering significant parts of Siberia.
Vladimir Valkovich, director of Technical and IT Departments, Orange Business Services in Russia and CIS, said: “Our long-lasting partnership with SES has run parallel to our continued growth in the Russian market. Reliable connectivity, especially when it comes to remote and wide geographical areas like Siberia, is of vital importance to our customers’ businesses. Partnering with SES helps us to ensure we meet our customers’ expectations and further strengthen our leading position as international communication and integration services provider in the business-to-business sector.”
“Orange Business Services is one of our longstanding customers with multi-transponder capacity in both C- and Ku-band, and we are pleased that our collaboration over the years has enabled it to tap the Russian market with competitive services,” said Deepak Mathur, Senior Vice President, Commercial Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, who is also responsible for Data and Mobility services at SES. “The last decade has seen a steady increase in connectivity demand in the region, and we are delighted to continue to provide flexible and reliable solutions tailored to the growing needs of our customers.”
