An artist’s rendition of Intelsat 20, the satellite with which Intelsat 36 will colocate. Photo: Intelsat

[Via Satellite 10-06-2016] Intelsat 36, launched Aug. 24 aboard an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket, has entered service for satellite operator Intelsat, the company announced today. Built by Space Systems Loral (SSL) in less than two years, the satellite is collocated with Intelsat 20 at 68.5 degrees east, providing broadcasting and Direct-to-Home (DTH) services for African DTH giant MultiChoice.

MultiChoice will use the Ku-band payload, and Intelsat will use the C-band payload to provide in-orbit resilience for its media neighborhoods serving Africa and the Indian Ocean regions.

“There are dynamic changes taking place across the global media landscape, and Intelsat 36 supports our customers as they address the growing demand for content throughout the African continent,” said Brian Jakins, regional vice president of Africa sales at Intelsat. “This satellite will enable our customer, MultiChoice, to extend high definition channels throughout the region. The C-band payload will provide additional redundancy for media customers to ensure that all viewers have access to reliable, high quality content.”