Arianespace will orbit Hellas Sat 3-Inmarsat S EAN, a “condosat” for Hellas Sat and Inmarsat.

Its Hellas Sat 3 payload, the second Hellas Sat satellite, will deliver DTH (direct-to-home) and telecom services maintaining and expanding Hellas Sat business reach.

Hellas Sat (member of the Arabsat Group) is a premium satellite operator, offering services in Europe, the Middle East and South Africa from the orbital position of 39 East. It was established in August 2001 and owns and operates the Hellas Sat 2 high-power satellite.

Hellas Sat 3 will deliver in-orbit back-up DTH and telecom services in its designated coverage areas, maintaining and expanding Hellas Sat business reach with additional capacity and bringing video content in High Definition and Ultra High Definition format to the covered regions. The FSS/BSS coverage zones are Europe, the Middle East and Sub Saharan African countries, including a cross-trap service between Europe and South Africa.

A second Hellas Sat satellite is in Arianespace’s order book to enhance Hellas Sat service availability and support the company’s business plan to create the next DTH hotspot at 39 East.

The Inmarsat S EAN (European Aviation Network) payload is the ninth Inmarsat satellite to be launched by Arianespace.

Inmarsat is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air.

The European Aviation Network (EAN) builds upon a visionary and unique commercial and technological opportunity created by the European Commission’s DG CONNECT and subsequently supported by Member State telecoms regulators.

EAN is being brought to Europe in conjunction with strategic partner Deutsche Telekom. Scheduled to commence commercial services in the second half of 2017, EAN will deliver the most advanced aviation passenger Wi-Fi experience anywhere in the world and provide Europe’s aviation industry with an opportunity to build global leadership in aviation passenger Wi-Fi.

Inmarsat S EAN, the satellite component of the new network, will be placed into geostationary orbit over Europe, providing continent-wide S-band connectivity.