[Satellite TODAY Insider 03-22-11] Optus has contracted Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) to build and deliver the Optus 10 satellite by 2013, the Australian telco announced March 21.
    The satellite, which will provide service across Australia and New Zealand, signifies a change in the company’s five-year strategy, as Optus Director of Satellite Paul Sheridan previously told Satellite TODAY Insider that the operator had enough capacity to meet its unserved-area requirements with the addition of the D3 satellite last year. "We are always looking at new opportunities. If I look forward to the next satellite that needs replacing, that is the C1 satellite, and that satellite was only launched in 2003. That requirement is still a fair way off."
    Optus 10 will be fitted with 24 Ku-band transponders on an SS/L 1300 satellite platform to accommodate missions requiring smaller satellite payloads. In a company statement, Optus spokeswoman Vicki Brady said the satellite would be a vital part of its infrastructure for areas without access to terrestrial telecommunications.
    "Optus 10 will provide more capacity to the Optus satellite fleet as well as enhancing the resilience of the fleet for the benefit of the entire Trans-Tasman market. The satellite will deliver customers the flexibility to provide high-quality broadcast services to households, and two-way voice and data communication services to areas in and around Australia and New Zealand well into the future," said Brady.
    In October, Optus said its D-series spacecraft, launched as replacements for older satellites in 2006, 2007 and 2009, increased its fleet capacity 30 percent and represented an overall investment of more than $597.17 million. Financial details of the Optus 10 contract were not disclosed.

Related Stories-

Australian Satellite Pay-TV Market Subscriber Growth Stalls in 2010    Satellite Today   February 25, 2011
[Satellite TODAY Insider 02-25-11] Australian satellite pay-TV operators Foxtel and Austar reported disappointing subscriber growth in 2010 due to the challenging market environment created by the economic recession, the companies announced in…

NewSat CEO Unveils Jabiru-2; Projects Jabiru-1 to Earn More Than $1.5 Billion    Satellite Today   November 29, 2010
[Satellite TODAY Insider 11-29-10] Australian satellite communications provider NewSat will launch a second satellite, Jabiru-2, in early 2013 and provide 216 megahertz of Ku-band capacity over Australian territories PNG and Timor Leste, NewSat…

Satellite Industry Struggles to Communicate Rural Broadband Advantages    Satellite Today   October 29, 2010
[Satellite TODAY Insider 10-29-10] The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) recently commissioned global telecoms, media and technology adviser Analysys Mason to study the costs and capabilities of wireless and satellite technologies in order to…