Es’hailSat, Arabsat in accord for 26° East broadcast hot spot

Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, which is preparing for the launch of its first satellite – Es’hail 1 – on August 29, announced yesterday a partnership with Arabsat to strengthen “the reach and penetration of the 26° East hot spot neighbourhood for TV broadcasting”.Es’hailSat will acquire the rights to 500MHz of premium Ku-band bandwidth at the 26° East TV broadcasting hot-spot.Es’hailSat’s second satellite, Es’hail 2, will use these frequencies and will be designed to provide DTH and other telecommunications services from the 26° East hot spot. This will significantly increase Es’hailSat’s capacity at the 25.5°/26.0° East TV broadcasting hot spot, and will strengthen Es’hailSat’s in-orbit back-up capability when both Es’hail 1 and Es’hail 2 are operational.The agreement was signed in Doha by Es’hailSat chief executive Ali al-Kuwari and Arabsat president and chief executive Khalid Balkheyour, in the presence of Qatar Minister of Information & Communication Technology HE Dr Hessa al-Jaber and Arabsat board chairman Fareed Khashoggi. Al-Kuwari expressed delight in working with Arabsat on the development of the 26° East prime TV broadcasting hot-spot.“With the imminent launch of our first satellite – Es’hail 1 – and our plans for Es’hail 2 now confirmed, we are moving closer to providing the necessary capacity to enable our customers to substantially increase their communications capability, particularly in broadcasting in HD and 3D,” he said.Balkheyour stated that the strategic long-term partnership will strengthen Arabsat’s 26° East hot spot and will provide a boost for Es’hailSat. “This partnership will provide our customers and viewers with more alternatives and variety of contents that will be beneficial for both operators and will make 26° East the premium hot spot of the region.”Es’hailSat, established in 2010, will own and operate satellites to serve broadcasters, businesses and governments.Es’hailSat has contracted with Space Systems/Loral to build its first satellite called Es’hail 1 which will share a spacecraft platform with the European satellite operator Eutelsat.