This partnership relates to the new satellite to be launched at the orbital slot of 119.5 degrees East. Under the agreement, Eutelsat is committed to leasing and operating the service for 50% of the satellite capacity during its lifetime of 16 years. Thaicom is currently finalizing the procurement process for the satellite.
Thaicom’s new satellite is a new generation of broadband software-defined high throughput satellites (HTS). It will allow flexibility and instant reconfiguration to adapt dynamically to the service areas and will provide a significant confidence boost for the company’s valued customers and partners throughout Asia Pacific. The Software Defined HTS’s performance will assure an unparalleled quality of service to enable End-to-End service solutions.
Patompob Suwansiri, Thaicom's Chief Executive Officer, said that “ This partnership is strategic for our new satellite project at the orbital slot of 119.5 degrees East as it not only provides a long-term and secure utilization of 50% of our new satellite, but more importantly, it will create synergies between the two organizations to capture new growth opportunities in the future. This is an important milestone for Thaicom as we continue our journey to be a leading space tech company in the region.”
Eva Berneke, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat Communications commented: “This strategic partnership with Thaicom to leverage the 119.5° East position, perfectly located to address the entire Asian region, represents a great opportunity for Eutelsat as well as an innovative investment approach. We are confident in Thaicom’s experience as a leading satellite operator in Asia with over 30 years of experience in the industry and its expertise in the Asia-Pacific market. This new generation satellite, fully compatible with our future LEO-GEO offer will enable Eutelsat to address the dynamic growth in connectivity demand in the region.”