Hotbird 4, Nilesat 103 or Atlantic Bird 4?

[Analoguesat]

EUTELSAT OPENS NEW VIDEO NEIGHBOURHOOD AT 7 DEGREES WEST
WITH ENTRY INTO SERVICE OF ATLANTIC BIRD™ 4
Paris, 3 July 2006
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) announces that its ATLANTIC BIRD™ 4
satellite has gone into full commercial service at the 7 degrees West location. Operating
since 1998 as HOT BIRD™ 4 from Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood, the newlybranded
ATLANTIC BIRD™ 4 was freed to initiate its new mission at 7 degrees West with
the transfer on 22 April 2006 of broadcast clients onto HOT BIRD™ 7A.
Designed for consumer broadcasting, the satellite’s high-power footprint has been optimised
in particular to serve the Middle East and North Africa, enabling Direct-to-Home (DTH)
reception of digital services with domestic antennas from 7 degrees West.
ATLANTIC BIRD™ 4’s commercial entry into service triggers the contract for capacity
announced in September 2005 with Nilesat, the Egyptian satellite operator. Nilesat’s capacity
on ATLANTIC BIRD™ 4 equips it to boost development in dynamic broadcasting markets in
the Middle East and North Africa in complement to the more than 300 television channels it
already delivers through its Nilesat 101 and 102 satellites, which are also positioned at 7
degrees West. The first 18 channels have already begun broadcasting from ATLANTIC
BIRD™ 4.
Capacity leased on the satellite by Noorsat, the Bahrain-based provider of capacity and
video services, is also shortly expected to be activated for television broadcasting.
Commenting on ATLANTIC BIRD™ 4’s entry into service, Eutelsat CEO, Giuliano Berretta
said, “Eutelsat’s opening of a new video neighbourhood for North Africa, the Middle East and
the Gulf states at 7 degrees West underscores our objective to consolidate our longstanding
presence in these regions. In the same way we embarked over ten years ago on building the
HOT BIRD™ and EUROBIRD™ 1 neighbourhoods, we are now equipped to offer a new
premium satellite resource that can support the continued expansion of our clients in
dynamic digital broadcasting markets.”

[BGonaSTICK]

Hmm, that's an interesting if subtle shift in stance...