Telesat announced Oct. 3 that is began commercial service on its Anik F1R satellite. The satellite, which carries 32 Ku-band transponders, 24 C-band transponders and two navigation transponders, provides broadcasting and telecommunications capacity in Canada and enhances the GPS system for aviation use across North America.

Anik F1R is co-located at 107.3 degrees West with Anik 1F. Telesat plans to transfer existing North American traffic from Anik 1F to Anik 1FR to allow Anik 1F to focus on providing service to South America.

EADS Astrium manufactured Anik F1R, which has an estimated lifetime of 15 years. The satellite was launched Sept. 9 on a Proton/Breeze M from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by International Launch Services.