Eutelsat S.A. is a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
operator. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas, it is the world's third-largest satellite operator in terms of revenues.
Eutelsat's satellites are used for broadcasting nearly 7,000
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
stations, of which 1,400 are in
high-definition television
High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...
, and 1,100
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
stations to over 274 million cable and satellite homes. They also serve requirements for
TV contribution services, corporate networks, mobile communications,
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
backbone connectivity and broadband access for terrestrial, maritime and in-flight applications. EUTELSAT is headquartered in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Eutelsat Communications
Chief Executive Officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
is currently
Eva Berneke
Eva Berneke (born 22 April 1969) is a Danish engineer and company executive. Since January 2022 she is the CEO of Eutelsat.
Biography Early life and education
She graduated from DTU - Technical University of Denmark, where she obtained a master ...
.
In October 2017, Eutelsat acquired Noorsat, one of the leading satellite service providers in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, from
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
's Orbit Holding Group. Noorsat is the premier distributor of Eutelsat capacity in the Middle East, serving blue-chip customers and providing services for over 300 TV channels almost exclusively from Eutelsat's market-leading the Middle East and
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
neighbourhoods at 7/8° West and 25.5° East.
On 26 July 2022, Eutelsat announced a merger with LEO satellite internet operator
OneWeb
OneWeb (legally Network Access Associates Ltd) is a communications company that aims to build broadband satellite Internet services. The company is headquartered in London, and has offices in Virginia, US and a satellite manufacturing facility ...
.
History
![Eutelsat w3b](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Eutelsat_w3b.JPG)
The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Eutelsat) was originally set up in 1977 (), by 17 European countries as an
intergovernmental organisation
An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states an ...
(IGO). Its role was to develop and operate a satellite-based telecommunications infrastructure for
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. The Convention establishing the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization Eutelsat was opened for signature in July 1982 and entered into force on 1 September 1985.
In 1982, Eutelsat decided to start operations of its first TV channel (
Satellite Television
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna comm ...
) on the Orbital Test Satellite (OTS) in cooperation with
European Space Agency
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...
(ESA). This was the first satellite-based direct-to-home TV channel launched in Europe. In 1983, Eutelsat launched its first satellite to be used for telecommunications and TV distribution
Initially established to address satellite telecommunications demand in
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
, Eutelsat rapidly developed its infrastructure to expand coverage to additional services (i.e. TV) and markets, such as
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
in 1989, and the Middle East, the African continent, and large parts of
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
and the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
from the 1990s.
EUTELSAT was the first satellite operator in Europe to broadcast television channels direct-to-home. It developed its premium neighbourhood of five
Hot Bird
Hot Bird (also styled HOTBIRD) is a group of satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13 °E over the equator ( orbital position) and with a transmitting footprint over Asia, Europe, North Africa, Americas and the Middle East.
Only digital r ...
satellites in the mid-1990s to offer capacity that would be able to attract hundreds of channels to the same orbital location, appealing to wider audiences for consumer satellite TV.
With the general liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in Europe, Eutelsat's assets, liabilities and operational activities were transferred to a private company called Eutelsat S.A. established for this purpose in July 2001. The structure role and activities of the new intergovernmental organisation
Eutelsat IGO
The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT IGO) is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 49 member states. It is headquartered in Paris, France. The mission of EUTELSAT IGO is to maintain the rights to use radio f ...
evolved. According to Eutelsat IGO's amended constitution in 2016, the main purpose of
EUTELSAT IGO
The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT IGO) is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 49 member states. It is headquartered in Paris, France. The mission of EUTELSAT IGO is to maintain the rights to use radio f ...
has been to ensure that Eutelsat S.A. observes the Basic Principles set forth in the EUTELSAT Amended Convention entered into force in November 2002. These Basic Principles refer to public service/universal service obligations, pan European coverage by the satellite system, non-discrimination and fair competition. The Executive Secretary of
EUTELSAT IGO
The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT IGO) is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 49 member states. It is headquartered in Paris, France. The mission of EUTELSAT IGO is to maintain the rights to use radio f ...
participates in all meetings of the Board of Directors of Eutelsat Communications S.A. and Eutelsat S.A. as an observer to the Board (''censeur'').
In April 2005, the principal shareholders of Eutelsat S.A. grouped their investment in a new entity (Eutelsat Communications), which is now the holding company of the Group owning 95.2% of Eutelsat S.A. on 6 October 2005. As of 2009, the holding company owned 96.0% of Eutelsat S.A.
On 31 July 2013, Eutelsat Communications announced the 100% acquisition of Satélites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. ("
Satmex
Satmex (Satélites Mexicanos) was a company set up in Mexico in the mid-1990s through 2014 that operated space communication satellites that provide services to the Americas.
In 2014, it was acquired by Eutelsat, and Eutelsat now operates the t ...
") for US$831 million in cash plus the assumption of US$311 million in Satmex debt, pending government and regulatory approvals. The transaction was finalized on 2 January 2014. Based in Mexico, Satmex operates three satellites at contiguous positions, 113° West (Satmex 6), 114.9° West (Satmex 5) and 116.8° West (Satmex 8) that cover 90% of the population of the Americas.
In December 2015, the company announced a partnership with
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
to launch an internet satellite over Africa by 2016 where Facebook lease all of a satellite's high throughput
Ka-band
The Ka band (pronounced as either "kay-ay band" or "ka band") is a portion of the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum defined as frequencies in the range 26.5–40 gigahertz (GHz), i.e. wavelengths from slightly over one centime ...
capacity, however, the satellite was destroyed during launch preparations.
In December 2020, Eutelsat launched
Eutelsat Konnect
Eutelsat Konnect is a Geostationary orbit, geostationary communications satellite operated by Eutelsat. The satellite was designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space on the Spacebus, Spacebus NEO 100 platform, and was launched on 16 Januar ...
, a domestic broadband service targeting remote localities, in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
with a planned subsequent launch across Europe.
In July 2021, Eutelsat launched Eutelsat Quantum, the first full software-defined satellite. It will enable users, notably in the Government and Mobility markets, to actively define and shape performance and reach thanks to its software-based design.
In December 2021,
Eva Berneke
Eva Berneke (born 22 April 1969) is a Danish engineer and company executive. Since January 2022 she is the CEO of Eutelsat.
Biography Early life and education
She graduated from DTU - Technical University of Denmark, where she obtained a master ...
was appointed Chief Executive Officer to replace Rodolphe Belmer. She will take up her position on January 1, 2022.
In March 2022, in the context of the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
and growing
censorship in Russia
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
, two of the Russian packagers active on the 36°E Eutelsat satellites, NTV Plus (a subsidiary of Gazprom Media) and Trikolor, unilaterally interrupted broadcasting of 8 international news channels (BBC World, CNN, Deustche Welle, Euronews, France 24, NHK World, RAInews 24, TV5 Monde). This interruption was denounced by the Denis Diderot Committee, made up of academics and professionals from the European audiovisual sector, which published a report and launched a petition asking for sanctions from the European Union and EUTELSAT IGO against the two operators.
The petition is signed by all members of the Ukrainian regulatory body, the National Radio and Television Council.
Distribution of East European TV
Eutelsat continues to collaborate with Russian TV platforms such as NTV-Plus and Tricolor. In France, the association Denis Diderot Committee has started a petition to put pressure on the EU to get Eutelsat to drop cooperation with the Russian channels. In a press release, the association writes that it is 'paradoxical and unforgivable' that European satellites are used to broadcast Russian channels, which 'only spread the Kremlin's official state propaganda.
As top manager of French Eutelsat, Danish
Eva Berneke
Eva Berneke (born 22 April 1969) is a Danish engineer and company executive. Since January 2022 she is the CEO of Eutelsat.
Biography Early life and education
She graduated from DTU - Technical University of Denmark, where she obtained a master ...
defended the strategy in a podcast interview with Techmediet Radar: "It is clear that then we would have to wave goodbye to some Russian customers, who would then move on to some Russian satellites or something else". Media spokesman Kasper Sand Kjær of the Danish Social Democrats comments this decision with: "I think everyone should decide for themselves which side you want to stand on in the story. I do not believe that one can get through the time we are in right now by saying that one is neutral".
Jim Phillipoff, co-founder of the Denis Diderot Committee explained further that Eutelat's declared "neutrality" is rather dubious granted the fact that Eutelsat only offers channels on to Russian customers but not independent Russian-language broadcasts, which could help break information monopoly of the Russian state. As described above, Russian customers already actively censored western channels in their broadcasts on 36°E, which made the claims of Eutelsat's neutrality even more absurd.
Services
In June 2021, Eutelsat launched Eutelsat ADVANCE, an end-to-end managed connectivity service, including network interconnection, a management portal and APIs for service providers and their clients. Available via Eutelsat's certified network of partners, Eutelsat ADVANCE enables service providers in Enterprise, Maritime, Aviation, Government and Telecoms to enhance their service portfolio by increasing the range of connectivity services they offer.
In September 2018, Eutelsat announced CIRRUS, which enabled broadcasters to deliver content to satellite and
over-the-top media service
An over-the-top (OTT) media service is a media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms: the types of companies that traditionally act as controllers or distributors ...
. Viewers can watch content on screens, phones and tablets, access multiple programmes, record and rewind and view detailed programme information.
With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Over 6800 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks.
Satellites
Eutelsat sells capacity on 36 satellites located in geosynchronous orbit between 133° West and 174° East. On 1 March 2012, Eutelsat changed the names of its satellites. The group's satellites mostly take the Eutelsat name, with the relevant figure for their orbital position and a letter indicating their order of arrival at that position. On 21 May 2014, Eutelsat Americas (formerly
Satmex
Satmex (Satélites Mexicanos) was a company set up in Mexico in the mid-1990s through 2014 that operated space communication satellites that provide services to the Americas.
In 2014, it was acquired by Eutelsat, and Eutelsat now operates the t ...
) aligned its satellite names with the Eutelsat brand.
Rented capacity
Former satellites
Bibliography
*
Guy Lebègue
Guy or GUY may refer to:
Personal names
* Guy (given name)
* Guy (surname)
* That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart
Places
* Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet
* Guy, Arkansas, US, a city
* Guy, Indiana, US, an unincorpo ...
, (trad. Robert J. Amral), «Eutelsat II: OK For West-to-East Service!», in ''
Revue aerospatiale'', n° 73, November 1990
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Communications satellite operators
Satellite Internet access
Telecommunications companies of Europe
Companies listed on Euronext Paris