Satellite Technology Feature Article
October 09, 2008
SES AMERICOM's AMC-21 Satellite Now Operational
By Jyothi Shanbhag, TMCnet Contributor
SES (News - Alert) AMERICOM announced that its the AMC-21 Ku-band satellite is now operational and delivering content and connectivity for broadcasters and mobile broadband service providers.
Anchor tenant PBS is using the satellite to broadcast 356 public television stations to millions of viewers nationwide.
The AMC-21 satellite was built by Thales Alenia Space and Orbital Sciences (News - Alert) on behalf of SES AMERICOM. It is fitted with 24 Ku-band transponders, each with 36 MHz of bandwidth and a life of 15 years. Weighing about 2,500 kilograms (5,512 lbs) at launch and having 6 kW of electrical power, AMC-21 is located at 125 degrees West.In addition to supporting PBS and other broadcasters, the satellite is enabling the delivery of mobile broadband services, including distribution to the oil and gas industry, the U.S. government, and maritime broadband users across the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
John McCoskey, PBS’s chief technology officer, said in a statement that PBS has relied on SES AMERICOM’s (News - Alert) proven distribution systems and expertise for years. He said that the organization is happy to continue this relationship through the consolidation of public television content distribution on the new AMC-21 satellite.
“Today we take a long-standing partnership between two innovators to the next level by consolidating public television’s great programming onto a single satellite,” said Bryan McGuirk, president of media services at SES AMERICOM. “The result is a robust, reliable and efficient distribution neighborhood set to serve PBS and other leading broadcasters and broadband companies for years to come.”
Jyothi Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Jyothi's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Mae Kowalke
