Eutelsat’s headquarters in Paris. Photo: Eutelsat

Eutelsat has a new agreement with a Thaicom subsidiary to lease half the capacity on a new software-defined satellite over Asia to increase its service over the continent. The deal announced Monday is between Eutelsat’s subsidiary Eutelsat Asia and Space Tech Innovation Limited (STI).

Eutelsat is committed to lease and operate the service for half of the capacity on the new satellite during its lifetime, expanding its in-orbit assets over Asia by about 50 Gbps of incremental capacity. 

STI plans to procure a Geostationary software-defined satellite, to be delivered in the calendar year 2027. A manufacturer was not announced, and further financial details were not disclosed.

Thaicom CEO Patompob (Nile) Suwansiri applauded the deal for securing 50% capacity utilization for the satellite, and for other growth opportunities with Eutelsat in the future. 

“This strategic partnership with Thaicom to leverage the 119.5 degrees East position, perfectly located to address the entire Asian region, represents a great opportunity for Eutelsat as well as an innovative investment approach,” commented CEO Eva Berneke. “This new generation satellite, fully compatible with our future LEO-GEO offer will enable Eutelsat to address the dynamic growth in connectivity demand in the region.”