Qatar's first satellite ready for service
Rebecca Hawkes | 30-10-2013
Eutelsat25B/Es'hail 1, the communications satellite jointly owned by Eutelsat and the Qatar Satellite Company, has gone into commercial service from its orbital slot of 25.5 degrees East.
The satellite, which was launched by Arianespace on 29 August 2013, will provide broadcasters, businesses and public agencies with increased Ku and Ka band capacity over the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.
The Doha-based Al Jazeera television network has already been lined up as a major customer for Es'hail 1.
Traffic was transferred from Eutelsat 25C onto Ku-band transponders on the new satellite overnight on 28 and 29 October. Eutelsat 25C is now being co-positioned in orbit with Eutelsat 33A at 33 degrees East.
The new Space Systems/Loral built satellite includes an anti-jamming feature for its payload. Satellites serving the Middle East operated by Eutelsat, Arabsat and Nilesat have all been subject to interference in previous years.
Qatar's second satellite, Es'hail 2, is currently under development. When launched in 2016, it will provide extra broadcasting capacity from its 26 degrees East location, after Arabsat ceded 500MHz of Ku band frequency to ensure both companies can operate without interference.
"The Es'hailSat programme plays an important strategic role as Qatar works to meet the rapidly growing communications needs in the region," said Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari, CEO, Es'hailSat at the satellite's launch.
"Qatar's first satellite will provide our strategic stakeholders and commercial customers with broadcasting independence, quality service and wide geographical coverage."
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