The new satellite will be named Eutelsat 3B and will aim to increase the operator’s reach in markets across Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and South America by adding up to 51 Ku-, C- and Ka-band transponders connected to fixed and steerable antennas.

   “Ku- and C-band capacity will further consolidate Eutelsat’s response to broadcast and data markets that represent the two most dynamic applications in the Fixed Satellite Services sector. High throughput beams in the Ka-band, that will be individually steerable to regional and national markets and operated with scalable allocation of power and spectrum, will in addition support innovative applications in bandwidth-demanding markets,” Eutelsat said in a company statement.

    Eutelsat added that the investment for the program would be included in its capital expenditure outlook from July 2011 to June 2014. The program follows the deployment of Eutelsat 3A satellite resources earlier this month at the 3 degrees East slot.