The Atlantic Bird 4 satellite entered full commercial service providing direct-to-home services in the Middle East and Africa from its new location at 7 degrees West, Eutelsat Communications announced July 3. The satellite began operations in 1998 under the name Hot Bird 4, but began its new mission April 22.

In September, Eutelsat announced a deal with Egypt’s Nilesat to provide capacity on Atlantic Bird 4. Nilesat, which operates the Nilesat 101 and 102 satellites, has launched service via Atlantic Bird 4 with 18 channels. Capacity also has been leased by Bahrain-based Noorsat, which is expected to provide TV broadcasting services.