[Satellite TODAY 11-11-09] Intelsat signed multi-year renewal and expansion deals with Gilat Satcom to increase and enhance domestic networks and broadband services in Africa, Intelsat announced Nov. 10.
Gilat renewed its contract for capacity on Intelsat 901 and Intelsat 702 and secured pre-launch capacity commitments on Intelsat 14 (IS-14) and Intelsat 17, which will be located at 315 degrees East and 66 degrees East, respectively.
    Gilat also initiated services on Intelsat 1R (IS-1R) at its current orbital location and contracted for additional capacity that it will use once IS-1R is moved to 310 degrees East following the launch of IS-14, scheduled for later this year. The Israeli company also will use Intelsat’s Fuchsstadt, Germany, teleport to host Gilat broadband platforms.
    The deal represents new direction and a new market for Gilat in Africa and increases Intelsat’s service over the continent. “By 2012, Intelsat will deliver approximately 5,000 megahertz of incremental capacity to the African region," Kurt Riegelman, Intelsat’s senior vice president of global sales, said in a statement.

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