Eutelsat’s W2A enters service

Satellite operator Eutelsat has announced that the W2A satellite has gone into commercial service.

The satellite, which was launched on April 3, almost triples the operator’s capacity at the 10º West position, serving Europe and Africa. Last night, services from W1 were transferred to W2A, which will enable full continuity of service for Eutelsat’s clients operating in Ku-band. The new satellite will also enable the operator to offer additional space to new and existing customers. W2A includes 10 C-band transponders, centered over Africa, with a footprint that covers large parts of the Middle East and central Asia to parts of Latin America. France Telecom has signed a long term contract for long-distance services between Europe and Africa.

W1 will be repositioned to 4º East in early June where it will operate under the name Eurobird 4A.