[10-08-07 – Satellite Today]  Intelsat Ltd and Telenor Satellite Broadcasting have completed an agreement for Intelsat to purchase 10 transponders on Telenor’s Thor 6 satellite, the companies announced Oct. 8.

Intelsat will gain additional capacity to expand its direct to home (DTH) business within Central and Eastern Europe, as well as to further develop 1ËšWest as a leading broadcasting position in this region.

David McGlade, CEO of Intelsat said, "Central and Eastern Europe is fast becoming a highly competitive market, placing ever-increasing demands for quality DTH capacity. This agreement represents a new phase in growing our long-standing relationship with Telenor Satellite Broadcasting and enables us to provide our customers with the capacity required to support their future expansion plans in this region.”

Thor 6 is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2009.