SES-8 Satellite for Asia-Pacific Market Now Fully Operational

SES S.A. announced that the SES-8 satellite has been successfully co-positioned with SES’s NSS-6 satellite at the orbital location of 95 degrees East and is now fully operational to serve the thriving markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

SES-8 was launched on December 3, 2013 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on board a SpaceX/Falcon 9 booster in SpaceX’s maiden launch into geostationary transfer orbit. Since then, extensive in-orbit tests have confirmed the flawless functioning of the spacecraft.

SES-8 was manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation. The satellite features up to 33 Ku-band transponders (36 MHz equivalent) and is equipped with high performance beams to support the rapidly growing markets in South Asia and Indo-China, as well as to provide expansion capacity for DTH, VSAT and government applications.Through the co-location with NSS-6 at 95 degrees East, SES-8 not only provides incremental high performance capacity, notably for DTH services, but also delivers greater reliability and additional security for SES’s customers at that orbital position.

The company also announced the signature of a major capacity agreement with Telefonica Global Solutions to enhance and extend the reach of Telefonica’s popular VIVO mobile voice and data services across the Northern and Northeast region of Brazil. VIVO is the largest national mobile voice and data service provider in Brazil.

As part of the multi-year, multi-million dollar deal, Telefonica will utilise 290 MHz of C-band capacity aboard SES’ NSS-7 satellite to meet fast-growing demand for VIVO mobile services in both underserved cities and tough-to-reach rural towns. VIVO voice and data offerings, including high-speed broadband 3G, will be delivered over reliable SES capacity into urban hubs such as Macapá and Boa Vista to serve the Amazon region’s largest metropolitan areas, with a combined population of more than two million people.

The vital C-band connectivity will also enable the delivery of VIVO services, through mobile backhaul 2G, into many isolated Amazon communities for the very first time, opening up new opportunities for economic development. This is the latest deal in a close Telefonica-SES relationship aimed at enabling the delivery of a broad range of communications services throughout the Latin American region, where connectivity and content delivery is in high demand.

“This important agreement with SES represents a milestone for mobile connectivity across Northern and Northeast region of Brazil, as it opens the door to higher quality voice and data services and the opportunities they bring to the region,” said Ignacio García-Comín, Satellite and New Services Business Unit of Telefonica Global Solutions. “Reliable capacity and trusted expertise are essential elements of our growing relationship with SES, as we strive to anticipate and meet the escalating demand for mobile voice and internet access services,” added Ignacio.

“The Telefonica Global Solutions-SES relationship is enabling people and businesses across Latin America to experience highly reliable, flexible and innovative content and connectivity services,” explained Dolores Martos, Vice President of Latin America Sales for SES. “VIVO consumers can enjoy top quality services, even in communities and regions of Brazil that – until now – were underserved and out of reach.”