W3A will be positioned in orbit at 7 degrees East which is currently occupied by Eutelsat's W3 satellite. In addition to enhancing the coverage of Europe provided through W3 and extending reach into sub-Saharan Africa, W3A will introduce innovative technologies to Eutelsat's 7 degrees East location including Skyplex on-board processing and Ka-band frequencies.

An artist's concept of W3A. Photo: EADS Astrium

Eutelsat's 7 degrees East location is one of its most longstanding and strategic orbital positions from which the company can serve Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In order to optimise its potential Eutelsat will deploy a mix of technologies and coverage zones on W3A that equip the new satellite to assume all the services on the W3 satellite it will replace, and open substantial new opportunities for geographic and service expansion.

Combining Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies as well as Skyplex on-board processing, W3A is the largest satellite ever launched for Eutelsat. It is designed to serve Europe, the Middle East and North Africa through a highpower footprint optimised for direct-to-home pay-TV, video exchanges, VSAT networks and broadband services. Eutelsat's 7 degrees East location already serves a blue chip client base which includes the European Broadcasting Union, the Digiturk pay-TV platform which has 700,000 subscribers in Turkey, corporations and service providers such as Reuters, Hughes Network Systems and Volkswagen for international business networks. Eutelsat also operates consumer broadband services through its OPENSKY DVB/IP platform at 7 degrees East.

Through a new Ku-band beam over sub-Saharan Africa, W3A will also strengthen and diversify Eutelsat's capacity for regional African communications and for connectivity between Africa and Europe for VSAT corporate networks, GSM trunking, broadband services, voice over IP, video contribution and distribution.

W3A's full payload of 58 transponders (of which 50 can be simultaneously operated) is divided into four missions:

• 35 Ku-band transponders for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which will assume the full range of services currently carried by W3. This capacity can also be used in conjunction with Eutelsat's Skyplex on-board processing facility which enables individual digital carriers to be uplinked to the satellite and multiplexed on-board. Up to eleven of the 35 transponders can be connected on the downlink into the widebeam over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, or into a high-power beam optimised for south-east Europe and Turkey and reaching south into Ethiopia and Somalia.
  
  
• Up to 12 new Ku-band transponders over Europe, the Middle East and North Africa that will provide additional capacity for broadband services and can also be used with Eutelsat's Skyplex on-board processing facility.
  
  
• Up to eight transponders for two-way communications between Europe and Africa. Six are forward-link transponders providing communications from Europe to Africa and two are return link transponders for communications from Africa to Europe. Communications over Africa are in the Ku-band and over Europe in Ka-band, with switching managed by the satellite. This is ideally suited for access networks with hub stations in Europe and terminals in Africa. Applications for this capacity include broadband Internet access, WAN/LAN interconnection, voice over IP, distance-learning and other videoconferencing services for businesses, government and aid agencies.
  
  
• Up to 3 Ku-band transponders for regional telecommunications in sub- Saharan Africa, also with possible access to Skyplex.

* W3, launched in 1999 with an expected performance of 14 years will continue in full commercial service at another orbital location.

W3A vital statistics

Spacecraft: Eurostar E3000
Main body dimensions: Height: 5.8 m; Length: 2.4 m; Width: 2.9 m
Solar Array Span deployed: 35 m
Launch mass: 4,250 kg
DC Power / End of life: 9 600 W
Operational lifetime: 15 years +
Orbital position: 7 degrees East
Frequency bands: Ku and Ka
Number of transponders: Full payload of 58 Ku-and Ka-band transponders (50 operational simultaneously)
Coverage: Europe, Africa, Middle East

About Eutelsat

With capacity commercialised on satellites that provide coverage from the Americas to Far East Asia, Eutelsat is one of the world's leading satellite operators. This satellite infrastructure gives the company the flexibility to offer direct-to-home broadcasting, video distribution and contribution services, corporate network solutions, positioning and communications services for mobile users and a portfolio of IP applications which include broadband Internet access and Internet backbone connections. Eutelsat has developed a range of turnkey broadband products (DSTAR, D-SAT, OPENSKY) for local communities, SMEs, SoHos and consumers beyond ADSL access. It has also set up a subsidiary called Skylogic Italia to market and operate broadband services through its multimedia platform in Turin (Italy). Eutelsat's satellites broadcast more than 1,400 television and 700 radio stations to an audience of 110 million cable and satellite homes.