SES launches SES-6 satellite, signs up Oi Brazil

Satellite operator SES has successfully launched its SES-6 satellite and signed Brazilian telco Oi as a new anchor customer. 

Oi becomes the largest user of the new satellite through the long-term capacity agreement to provide DTH services in Brazil.

Oi chief operating officer James Meaney said the extra satellite capacity would allow the firm “to take its pay-TV services to the next level of development,” meeting demand for a bigger range of channels, including HD feeds.

“This very important capacity agreement for a large part of the Ku-band transponders of SES-6 enables Oi to launch a new DTH platform for the Brazilian market,” said Romain Bausch, president and CEO of SES.

“By early replacing the NSS-806 satellite and by adding new C-band capacity, the investment into the SES-6 satellite reflects our strong focus on the Latin American market and the development of an important video neighborhood at the 40.5 degrees West orbital position,” he added.

SES launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, yesterday and was successfully released into geostationary transfer orbit. SES-6 replaces SES’s NSS-806 satellite at the prime orbital position of 40.5 degrees west, providing continuity of service and expansion capacity in the C-band for video neighbourhoods in Latin America and the Caribbean.

It offers comprehensive coverage of North America, Latin America, Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, SES said. SES-6 was built by EADS Astrium in Toulouse, France, and is equipped with 43 C-band and 48 Ku-band transponders.