Eutelsat S.A. is a French satellite operator.[2] 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.[3]
 | |
| Company type | Société Anonyme |
|---|---|
| Euronext Paris: ETL
CAC Mid 60 Component | |
| Industry | Communications satellite |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
Key people | Eva Berneke (CEO) |
| Revenue |  €1.13 billion (2022/23)[1] |
 €573 million (2022/23)[1] | |
| €328 million (2022/23)[1] | |
| Total assets | €7.41 billion (2022/23)[1] |
| Total equity | €3.07 billion (2022/23)[1] |
| Owner |
|
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.[4]
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.[5]
On 26 July 2022, Eutelsat announced a merger with LEO satellite internet operator OneWeb.[6] When the merger was completed in September 2023, the company became a subsidiary of a new entity, "Eutelsat Group".[7]
History
The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Eutelsat) was originally set up in 1977 (47 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.[8]
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.[9] 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.[10][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).[11][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.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14]
In December 2015, the company announced a partnership[15] 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.[16]
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.[17]
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.[18]
In December 2021, Eva Berneke was appointed Chief Executive Officer to replace Rodolphe Belmer. She will take up her position on 1 January 2022.[19]
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, Deutsche 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.[20] The petition is signed by all members of the Ukrainian regulatory body, the National Radio and Television Council.[21][22]
Distribution of East European TV
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.[23]
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".[24]
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.[25] 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.[20]
Services
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.[26]
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.[27]
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
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.[28]
| Satellite | COSPAR ID | Location | Launch Vehicle | Regions served | Launch | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eutelsat Konnect VHTS | 2022-110A | 2.7°E | Ariane 5 ECA | Europe | 7 September 2022 | Very High Throughput Satellite. Hosting the most powerful on-board digital processor ever put in orbit. |
| Eutelsat 3B | 2014-030A | 3°E | Zenit-3SL | Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Brazil | 26 May 2014 | Entered service in July 2014[29] |
| Eutelsat 5 West B | 2019-067A | 5°W | Proton-M/Briz-M | Europe, North Africa | 9 October 2019 | |
| Eutelsat 7B (Eutelsat W3D/Eutelsat 3D) | 2013-022A | 7°E | Proton-M/Briz-M | Europe, Middle East, Africa | 14 May 2013 | |
| Eutelsat 7C | 2019-034B | Ariane 5 ECA | 20 June 2019 | |||
| Eutelsat Konnect | 2020-005B | Europe, Africa | 17 January 2020 | First satellite to use Thales Alenia Space's all-electric Spacebus NEO platform | ||
| Eutelsat 7 West A (Atlantic Bird 7/Nilesat-104) | 2011-051A | 7.3°W | Zenit-3SL | Middle East, North Africa | 24 September 2011 | Formerly named Atlantic Bird 7 until March 2012 |
| Eutelsat 8 West B (Nilesat-104B) | 2015-039A | 8°W | Ariane 5 ECA | Africa, Middle East | 20 August 2015 | |
| Eutelsat KA-SAT 9A[30][31] | 2010-069A | 9°E | Proton-M/Briz-M | Europe | 26 December 2010 | |
| Eutelsat 9B (EDRS A)[32][33] | 2016-005A | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | 30 January 2016 | |||
| Eutelsat 10A (Eutelsat W2A) | 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.[34][35][36] Solaris Mobile filed the insurance claim and should be able to offer some, but not all of the services it was planning to offer.[37][38][39] | |
| Eutelsat 10B | 2022-157A | Falcon 9 Block 5 | North Atlantic corridor, Europe, Mediterranean basin, Middle East | 23 November 2022 | ||
| Hot Bird 13B (Hot Bird 8)[40] | 2006-032A | 13°E | Proton-M/Briz-M | Europe, North Africa, Middle East | 5 August 2006 | Formerly named Hot Bird 8 until March 2012 |
| Hot Bird 13C (Hot Bird 9) | 2008-065D | Ariane 5 ECA | 20 December 2008 | Formerly named Hot Bird 9 until March 2012 | ||
| Hot Bird 13E (Hot Bird 7A/Eurobird 9A/Eutelsat 9A)[41] | 2006-007B | 11 March 2006 | Formerly named Eurobird 9A until March 2012; former Hot Bird 7A satellite / Eutelsat 9A | |||
| Hotbird 13F | 2022-134A | Falcon 9 Block 5 | 15 October 2022 | All-electric Eurostar Neo bus | ||
| Hotbird 13G | 2022-146A | 3 November 2022 | All-electric Eurostar Neo bus | |||
| Eutelsat 16A (Eutelsat W3C) | 2011-057A | 16°E | Long March 3B | Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Indian Ocean Islands | 7 October 2011 | Formerly named Eutelsat W3C until March 2012 |
| Eutelsat 21B (Eutelsat W6A) | 2012-062B | 21.5°E | Ariane 5 ECA | Europe, Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, Central Asia | 10 November 2012 | Fully operational since 19 December 2012.[42] |
| Eutelsat 33C (Eurobird 1/Eutelsat 133 West A/Eutelsat 28A)[43] | 2001-011A | 33°E | Ariane 5G | 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 (Hot Bird 10/Atlantic Bird 4A/Hot Bird 13D/Eutelsat 3C) | 2009-008B | Ariane 5 ECA | Europe, South-West Asia | 12 February 2009 | Formerly Hot Bird 10 and Atlantic Bird 4A[44] | |
| Eutelsat 36A (Eutelsat W4/Eutelsat 70C) | 2000-028A | 36°E | Atlas IIIA | Africa, Russia | 24 May 2000 | Formerly named Eutelsat W4 until March 2012. |
| Eutelsat 36B (Eutelsat W7) | 2009-065A | Proton-M/Briz-M | Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia | 24 November 2009 | Formerly named Eutelsat W7 until March 2012 | |
| Eutelsat 36C (Ekspress AMU1) | 2015-082A | Russia, Africa | 2015 | |||
| Eutelsat 36D | 2024-059A | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Europe, Africa, Russia | 30 March 2024 | Replacement for Eutelsat 36B | |
| Eutelsat 36 West A (Atlantic Bird 1/Eutelsat 12 West A/Eutelsat 59A) | 2002-040A | 36.5°W | Ariane 5G | Europe, Middle East, Americas | 28 August 2002 | Formerly named Atlantic Bird 1 until March 2012, and Eutelsat 12 West A |
| Eutelsat 48D (Afghansat 1/Eutelsat W2M/Eutelsat 48B/Eutelsat 38B) | 2008-065B | 48°E | Ariane 5 ECA | 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.[45] |
| Eutelsat Quantum | 2021-069B | 48°E | Ariane 5 ECA+ | Middle East, North Africa | 30 July 2021 | First in-orbit reprogrammable satellite |
| Eutelsat 65 West A | 2016-014A | 65°W | Ariane 5 ECA | Americas | 9 March 2016 | |
| Eutelsat 70B (Eutelsat W5A) | 2012-069A | 70.5°E | Zenit-3SL | Europe, Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, South East Asia, Australia | 3 December 2012 | |
| Eutelsat 113 West A (Satmex 6) | 2006-020A | 113°W | Ariane 5 ECA | Americas | 27 May 2006 | Formerly Satmex 6 until May 2014 |
| Eutelsat 115 West B (Satmex 7) | 2015-010B | 114.9°W | Falcon 9 v1.1 | Americas | 2 March 2015 | |
| Eutelsat 117 West A (Satmex 8) | 2013-012A | 116.8°W | Proton-M/Briz-M | Americas | 26 March 2013 | Formerly Satmex 8 until May 2014 |
| Eutelsat 117 West B (Satmex 9)[46] | 2016-038B | 116.8°W | Falcon 9 FT | Americas | 15 June 2016 | Formerly Satmex 9 |
| Eutelsat 139 West A (Eutelsat W3A/Eutelsat 7A) | 2004-008A | 139°W | Proton-M/Briz-M | Americas | 16 March 2004 | Formerly named Eutelsat W3A until March 2012, then Eutelsat 7A |
| Eutelsat 172B | 2017-027A | 172°E | Ariane 5 ECA | Asia-Pacific | 1 June 2017 | |
| Eutelsat 174A (Eutelsat 172A/AMC 23/GE-23) | 2005-052A | 174°E | Proton-M/Briz-M | Asia-Pacific | 29 December 2005 | Formerly Eutelsat 172A, and GE-23 satellite |
Rented capacity
| Satellite | Location | Launch Vehicle | Regions served | Launch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eutelsat 28E (Astra 2E) | 28.2°E | Proton-M/Briz-M | Europe | 29 September 2013 |
| Eutelsat 28F (Astra 2F) | 28.2°E | Ariane 5 ECA | 28 September 2012 | |
| Eutelsat 28G (Astra 2G) | 28.2°E | Proton-M/Briz-M | 27 December 2014 | |
| Eutelsat 53A (Ekspress AM 6) | 56°E | Europe, Asia | 21 October 2014 | |
| Ekspress-AT1 | 56°E | 16 March 2014 | ||
| Ekspress-AT2 | 140°E | |||
| SESAT 2 | 15°W | Europe, Americas | 19 October 1999 |
Former satellites
| Satellite | COSPAR ID | Location | Launch Vehicle | Launched | Inclined | Retired | Lost | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eutelsat I F-1 (ECS 1) | 1983-058A | 13°E | Ariane 1 | 1983 | 1989 | 1996 | — | |
| Eutelsat I F-2 (ECS 2) | 1984-081A | 7°E | Ariane 3 | 1984 | 1990 | 1993 | — | |
| Eutelsat I F-4 (ECS 4) | 1987-078B | 7/13°E | 1987 | 1993 | 2002 | — | ||
| Eutelsat I F-5 (ECS 5) | 1988-063B | 10°E | 1988 | 1994 | 2000 | — | ||
| Eutelsat 2 F-1 | 1990-079B | 13°E | Ariane 44LP H10 | 1990 | 1999 | 2003 | — | |
| Eutelsat 2 F-2 | 1991-003B | 10°E | 1991 | 2000 | 2005 | — | ||
| Eutelsat 2 F-3 | 1991-083A | 16°E | Atlas II | 2004 | — | |||
| Eutelsat 2 F-4 | 1992-041B | 7°E | Ariane 44L H10 | 1992 | 2001 | 2003 | — | |
| Hot Bird 1 (Eutelsat 2 F-6) | 1995-016B | 13°E | Ariane 44LP H10+ | 1995 | 2006 | 2007 | 2012 | |
| Hot Bird 6 (Hot Bird 13A/Eutelsat 8 West C/Eutelsat 33D/Eutelsat 70D) | 1995-016B | — | Atlas V 401 | 2002 | — | 2016 | — | |
| Eutelsat 21A (Eutelsat W6/Eutelsat W3/Eutelsat 48C) | 1995-016B | — | Atlas IIAS | 1999 | — | — | — | |
| Eutelsat 8 West D (Sinosat-3/Chinasat-5C/Eutelsat 3A) | — | Long March 3A | 2007 | — | — | — | ||
| Eutelsat 59A (Atlantic Bird 1/Eutelsat 12 West A/Eutelsat 36 West A) | 2002-040A | — | Ariane 5G | 2002 | — | 2018 | — | |
| Eutelsat W2 | 1998-056A | 16°E | Ariane 44L H10-3 | 1998 | — | 2010 | — | |
| Eutelsat W3B[47] | 2010-056A | 16°E | Ariane 5 ECA | 2010 | — | 2010 | — | |
| Eutelsat W75 (Eurobird 10/Eurobird 4/Hot Bird 3/ABS 1B) | 1997-049A | 4°E | Ariane 44LP H10-3 | 1997 | — | 2011 | — | Former Hot Bird 3 and Eurobird 4 satellite |
| Eutelsat 4A (Eurobird 4A/Eutelsat W1) | 2000-052A | 2000 | — | 2012 | — | Former Eutelsat W1 satellite | ||
| Eutelsat 4B (Hot Bird 5/Eurobird 2/Arabsat 2D/Badr-2/Eutelsat 25A) | 1998-057A | Atlas IIA | 1998 | 2014 | — | Formerly named Eurobird 2 until March 2012, now at 4E and called Eutelsat 4B | ||
| Eutelsat 5 West A (Atlantic Bird 3) | 2002-035A | 5°W | Ariane 5G | 5 July 2002 | January 2023 | — | Formerly named Atlantic Bird 3 until March 2012, was also called Stellat 5 | |
| Eutelsat 16B (Hot Bird 4/Nilesat-103/Atlantic Bird 4/Eurobird 16) | 1998-013A | 16°E | Ariane 42P H10-3 | 1998 | 2015 | — | Formerly named Eurobird 16 until March 2012; former Atlantic Bird 4 and Hot Bird 4 satellite | |
| Eutelsat 16C (SESAT 1) | 2000-019A | 16°E | Proton-K/Blok DM-2M | 2000 | 2018 | — | Formerly named SESAT 1 until March 2012. Operated in inclined orbit at 16° East | |
| Eutelsat 12 West B (Atlantic Bird 2/Eutelsat 8 West A) | 2001-042A | 12.5°W | Ariane 44P H10-3 | 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 (eBird 1/Eutelsat 33A/Eurobird 3) | 2003-043A | 31°E | Ariane 5G | 2003 | 2018 | — | Formerly named Eurobird and Eutelsat 33A | |
| Eutelsat 33B (Eutelsat W5/Eutelsat 70A/Eutelsat 25C) | 2002-051A | 33°E | Delta IV Medium+(4,2) | 2002 | 2015 | — | Formerly named Eutelsat W5 until March 2012; lost one of two solar panels 16 June 2008.[48] Now at 25° East and called Eutelsat 25C. | |
| Eutelsat 115 West A (Satmex 5) | 1998-070A | 114.8°W | Ariane 42L H10-3 | 1998 | 2015 | — | Formerly Satmex 5 until May 2014 | |
| Eutelsat 48A (Eurobird 9/Eutelsat W48/Hot Bird 2) | 1996-067A | 48°E | Atlas IIA | 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 (Es'hail 1) | 2013-044A | 25.5°E | Ariane 5 ECA | 29 August 1998 | Eutelsat's share in the satellite sold to Es'hailSat in 2018.[49] |
Failure of Eutelsat Satellite
| Satellite | COSPAR ID | Location | Launch Vehicle | Launched | Inclined | Retired | Lost | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eutelsat I F-3 (ECS 3) | — | Ariane 3 | 1985 | — | — | — | Launch Failure | |
| Eutelsat 2 F-5 | — | Ariane 44LP H10+ | 1994 | — | — | — | ||
| Hot Bird 7 | — | Ariane 5 ECA | 2002 | — | — | — | ||
Future satellites
| Satellite | COSPAR ID | Location | Launch Vehicle | Launched | Inclined | Retired | Lost | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flexsat | TBA | TBA | 2026 | — | — | — | ||
Bibliography
- (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
External links
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