Eutelsat 117 West B launch. Photo: SpaceX

[Via Satellite 01-17-2017] Eutelsat Communications’ Eutelsat 117 West B satellite has entered into full commercial service and is now ready to support customers across Latin America. Commercialized by the Eutelsat Americas affiliate, Eutelsat 117 West B is the second all-electric satellite in Eutelsat’s fleet. It is equipped with 48 Ku-band transponders, a 36 MHz equivalent, and connected to four beams covering Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, the Andean region and the Southern Cone.

Eutelsat’s new satellite complements its Eutelsat 117 West A, launched in 2013, to create a multi-satellite neighborhood at 117 degrees west, which is already used by Millicom’s Tigo Star, Stargroup and Televisa. It will also provide key services to telecom operators and government service providers in Latin America, according to Jan. 16 statement released by the company.

Eutelsat 117 West B features a new-generation Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) payload operated by Raytheon as prime contractor for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will go live in 2018. Developed for the civil aviation community, the WAAS payload is designed to receive signals from ground stations that verify signal accuracy and rebroadcast the information to GPS users, including airline cockpits, the most demanding of civil GPS applications. It will increase GPS signal accuracy from 10 meters to 1 to 2 meters, enhancing aviation safety for users in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the continental United States including Alaska, according to Eutelsat.