Telecom Lead India: SES has selected Boeing to build a new communication satellite that will address growing opportunities Asia.

The new satellite will expand the satellite major’s capabilities to provide direct-to-home broadcasting and other communications services in Northeast Asia, South Asia and Indonesia, as well as maritime communications for vessels in the Indian Ocean.

The company did not share financial details.

“We look forward to work again with Boeing on an important addition to our global fleet: SES-9 will greatly expand our transmission capacity over Asia, while adding increased flexibility and redundancy to a strategic orbital slot. SES is convinced that Boeing’s 702HP will prove to be mission-critical in order to provide state-of-the-art, high-power satellite capacity to the thriving markets of Asia,” said Romain Bausch, president and CEO of SES.

SES said the spacecraft will be positioned at the orbital slot of 108.2 degrees East and provide incremental as well as replacement capacity slot over Asia, where it will be co-located with the existing SES-7 and NSS-11 satellites.

Boeing will build the new satellite at El Segundo Satellite Development Center based on the Boeing 702HP platform. The satellite is designed to operate for 15 years in geosynchronous orbit with a 12.7-kilowatt payload and 57 high-power Ku-band transponders.

Boeing has a 25-year relationship with SES. SES-9 is the 11th spacecraft that SES has ordered from Boeing and the contract includes an option for an additional satellite.

“We are pleased to be selected by SES to build a highly flexible 702HP satellite, which has a uniquely configured XIPS propulsion system and chemical bi-propellant system, reducing the spacecraft’s launch weight while allowing for maximum payload capacity,” said Craig Cooning, chief executive officer of Boeing Satellite Systems International.

Recently, TelecomLead.com reported that SES has inked a multi-year capacity deal with Eurovision to provide live transmission of international sporting events originating in, or broadcast to, North America, Latin America and Europe.

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