Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) has put a new satellite into orbit that will allow it to provide VSAT mobility services and direct to home (DTH) television broadcasting in Central and Eastern Europe.
The THOR 7 high-throughput satellite (HTS) contains both Ku-band and Ka-band payloads, TSBc revealed.
The first will allow TSBc to deliver television services for customers in Central and Eastern Europe and will also provide capacity for the future growth of DTH services in the region.
Meanwhile, the on-board Ka-band payload has been specifically designed for the VSAT mobility market in order to provide high-powered coverage over shipping lanes in the North, Norwegian, Red, Baltic and Mediterranean seas.
TSBc has also sold capacity on THOR 7 to Space Norway to help with the distribution of meteorological data from Antarctica’s Troll research station.
The satellite will now begin an in-orbit testing stage, with the aim of being ready to deliver DTH services in six weeks’ time.
THOR 7’s HTS mobility services will be ready for commercial use by the end of the year, TSBc said.
Morten Tengs, CEO of TSBc, said: “I am delighted to see that THOR 7 has safely reached geostationary transfer orbit and thank both Arianespace and our manufacturing partner SSL for this successful launch.
“The THOR 7 satellite will provide growth capacity for DTH services across Central and Eastern Europe and deliver optimal satellite coverage across Europe’s business shipping lanes for the provision of maritime VSAT services.”
In March, Spanish airline Veuling launched an aircraft that leverages HTS to deliver high speed, in-flight Wi-Fi to passengers.
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