CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Pay TV operators serving the Middle East and Asia-Pacific will soon have a new satellite in place to reach subscribers with Monday’s successful early morning launch of SES’ SES-12 satellite aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket.
“More content. More immersive viewing experience. Blazing internet speeds. Reliable cell coverage. All of these dynamic customer requirements can now be met with the successful launch of SES-12, which will provide incremental high performance capacity and offer greater reliability and flexibility to our customers,” said Martin Halliwell, CTO at SES.
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The new satellite, designed with six wide beams and 72 high throughput user spot beams, will join SES-8 at 95 degrees east. It will be used for video, fixed data, mobility and government applications. Equipped with a Digital Transparent Processor to improve payload flexibility, SES-12 is one of the largest geostationary satellites SES has ever launched, the company said.
Built by Airbus Defence and Space, SES-12 will replace the SES NSS-6 satellite, joining SES’ network of seven geostationary satellites and 16 MEO satellites across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Along with SES-8, the new satellite will reach 18 million TV homes once in place and operational.
Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
