Eutelsat Americas: Satellite Eutelsat 117 West B will help us close the digital gap in LatAm

The satellite Eutelsat 117 West B was successfully launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from the SpaceX Complex in Cape Canaveral Wednesday 15th at 10:29am. Patricio Northland, CEO of Eutelsat Americas, told PRODU that this satellite is very relevant because it helps close the digital gap in Latin America, expands regional video networks (DTH), supports growth of 3G and 4G mobile phone networks and increases governments’ social networks.The Eutelsat 117 West B, the second of the company’s fleet of 40, which is electrically powered, has 48 Ku band transponders connected to four regional beams that will offer coverage in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America and the South Cone. “An essential mission is to take Internet to the remotest places in en Latin America,” adds Northland.He mentioned that the 48 transponders of the satellite allow offering television in an optimal manner, which for Eutelsat is very important. “We are a leading company in this area, with more than 6 thousand TV channels, reaching a billion people worldwide. It is our job to continue offering all our users education and entertainment, whether on TV or over the Internet”, he expressed.He highlighted that the electrically powered Eutelsat 117 West B reduces by two tons the satellite mass, which makes the launcher much smaller and much more inexpensive. “This allows us to offer end users a more economic cost”, he added.