Photo: Thales Alenia Space

Eutelsat Communications signed a letter of agreement with Thales Alenia Space for the procurement of Eutelsat 10B, a new all-electric satellite built on the Spacebus NEO platform. Scheduled to be launched in 2022, the satellite will be located at 10 degrees East, an orbital position that offers a visibility spanning from the Americas to Asia. It aims to ensure service continuity for existing customers on Eutelsat 10A, while supporting the development of the Group’s activities in mobile connectivity thanks to two new incremental High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) payloads. These two payloads are intended to provide in-flight and maritime connectivity.

Firm multi-year capacity commitments have already been secured with several In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) service providers, representing more than one third of the incremental HTS capacity. Gogo was revealed to be one of these customers, and as part of its new multi-year agreement, the leased bandwidth will be leveraged over Europe and the Middle East.

“We are thrilled about our ongoing relationship with Gogo, a long-standing partner and a leading provider for inflight connectivity,” said Philippe Oliva, Eutelsat’s Chief Commercial Officer. “This agreement highlights the relevance of our newly ordered Eutelsat 10B for inflight connectivity and we look forward to supporting Gogo as they increase capacity in Europe and the Middle East to provide the best services to their airline partners.”