The satellite was launched in August 2016, and expands the company’s services in C-, Ku and Ka-band to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and across the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.
Intelsat 33e has been made available to existing customers, and has also began to attract interest from other operators, according to the satellite firm. Africa Mobile Networks has signed up to connect rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The experience of implementing Intelsat EpicNG and bringing it to our customers has affirmed our beliefs about the potential of HTS,” said Stephen Spengler, CEO, Intelsat.
“We have a dynamic, open and evolving platform that will increase in capability over time, providing a technology hedge for our customers that need to make investments today on which they can build for a decade of growth. Intelsat is delivering on the promise of HTS, and our design and strategy will advance our vision of unlocking access to new, larger and faster growing sectors for Intelsat and our customers.”
It is the second Epic satellite to be launched by Intelsat, following Intelsat 29e, which went live in March 2016. Its footprint includes the Americas, the Caribbean, eastern United States, and the north Atlantic.
Intelsat is planning a further three launches in 2017 – Intelsat 32e, 35e and 37e – as it looks to expand its global footprint. Its Epic service will be completed when it launches Horizons 3e, in the second half of 2018.
In September, Intelsat announced a deal with TIM to provide its high-throughput satellite (HTS) services into its infrastructure in Brazil.
