Global satellite operator SES and Russian satellite operator Gazprom Space Systems (GSS) announced the formation of a strategic partnership last week to provide additional satellite capacity to serve the Russian market.
Under the agreement, SES has repositioned its ASTRA 1F satellite from 51 degrees East to 55 degrees East, reported Telesputnik, a Russian publication covering satellite and related issues.
GSS will use Ku-band FSS transponders on the ASTRA 1F satellite to provide communication services for Western Russia ahead of the arrival of GSS’s own Yamal-402 satellite. In return, SES will use the capacities of Yamal-402 once it becomes operational at 55 degrees East. Yamal-402, currently under construction, is scheduled for launch in November 2012. The financial arrangements of the partnership deal have not yet been disclosed.
Intelsat has also signed an agreement with DTH provider Orion Express operating under the brands Kontinent TV and Telekarta. According to agreement, Intelsat will reposition its Horizons-2 satellite to a new orbital position of 85.2 degrees East by the end of December 2011. According to ComNews.ru, a Russian site specializing in telecom and IT issues, the contract amounts to approximately $100 million. As part of the deal, Orion Express will receive access to 12 Ku transponders to 2023.
This new satellite capacity will provide Orion Express with the capability to deliver television and media services across Russia, a move intended to increase the number of its subscribers. According to J’Son & Partners, Orion Express counted about 300,000 subscribers in Q1 2011, a far cry from leading competitor Tricolor TV’s 8 million subscribers.
The Russian market is currently characterized by an acute need for additional satellite resources due to the launch failure of the EADS Astrium Express AM4 satellite in August of this year and the uncertainties surrounding the launch schedule of the Yamal Express satellites. Some Russian operators will redeploy second-hand satellites previously launched by foreign operators in order not to loose their reserved space segment.
According to Resolution 49 of the World Radiocommunication Conferences, an international congress that reviews global radio communication legislation every 4 years under the auspices of the International Telecommunications Union, satellite communication operators can be deprived of their space segment if they do not use it.
