Intelsat has signed an agreement to lend Turksat a satellite to act as an orbital slot placeholder until the launch of Turksat’s new satellites in 2012 and 2013.
In return, Intelsat has the option to gain enhanced access to the Turkish and MENA markets…
Intelsat has signed an agreement to lend Turksat a satellite to act as an orbital slot placeholder until the launch of Turksat’s new satellites in 2012 and 2013.
In return, Intelsat has the option to gain enhanced access to the Turkish and MENA markets through capacity on one of said new satellites once they are launched.
Intelsat is loaning Turksat the Intelsat-26 spacecraft, the former JCSAT-R which Intelsat purchased from SkyPerfect JSAT in 2009.
Intelsat-26 is an aged satellite near retirement and is currently operating on an inclined orbit over the Indian Ocean.
It will be moved to 55E, an orbital slot where Turksat has priority filing that will expire if it does not place a satellite there this year. The presence of Intelsat-26 will preserve this filing.
For Intelsat, this continues its recent trend of entering into partnerships to grow its global presence with the minimal degree of capital expenditure, best exemplified by its New Dawn project in Africa.
Philip Spector, Intelsat executive vice president for business development, said: “Global partnering is an important aspect of our growth program, and Turksat is an attractive partner with a heritage of serving its country and the region for nearly 20 years. We look forward to expanding our relationship with Turksat and participating in its continued success as an important satellite operator in a region where demand for satellite services is increasing.”
Speaking at the Satellite 2010 conference in Washington DC, Turksat vice president and chief marketing officer Nihat Oktay said that at least one of the two new satellites will carry Ka-band capacity in addition to its traditional Ku and C-band transponder.
He stated that the new satellites would provide Turksat with around eight transponders worth of Ka-band capacity over Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa, with which the company will look to provide consumer broadband services.
“We know that there will be competition in this market from Eutelsat and Yahsat, but we feel we can compete with anyone in our region,” he said.
Turksat recently installed 5000 satellite broadband terminals in schools in remote areas across Turkey, which led to a request from the Turkish government to provide more broadband to villages. Turksat will also make the service available in other markets.
