Artist’s rendition of the Eutelsat Quantum class satellite. Photo: Airbus Defence and Space

Eutelsat Communications and Intelsat secured the 48 degrees East orbital position for the EUTELSAT QUANTUM satellite, in which both operators have orbital rights. The satellite is well-suited for coverage in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at the 48 degrees East position, and it is expected to launch by the end of 2020.

EUTELSAT QUANTUM’s capacity will be distributed by Eutelsat and it subsidiary, Eutelsat Americas, and Intelsat and its subsidiary, Intelsat General. Intelsat is focused on the government vertical, in which it plans to offer the EUTELSAT QUANTUM satellite payload with additional security enhancements including payload management, customized power allocation, and on-demand beam forming. With these enhancements, Intelsat aims for the satellite payload to meet the U.S. government’s Information Assurance (IA) and Cybersecurity requirements.

Eutelsat American CEO David Bair CEO said about the agreement: “We are delighted to partner with Intelsat to optimize the commercial potential of the assets represented by the 48°East position and the innovative features of EUTELSAT QUANTUM. This ground-breaking satellite has already attracted significant interest from potential Government customers, and we are also excited to team with industry leading systems integrators to provide this unique capability as part of a high value solution”.