Gazkom, the operator of the Gazprom satellite network, plans to launch two new Yamal communications satellites at the end of next year, company Deputy General Director Andrei Shestakov said at a conference of operators and users of satellite communications and broadcast networks in the Moscow region town of Dubna.
Gazkom has fully paid to produce the payload for the satellites, under contracts with France¿s Alcatel, Japan¿s NEC and Italy¿s Alenia Spazio.
The total volume of the satellite channels on the new satellites will amount to 60 channel-transponders. Therefore the total volume of the Gazkom space satellite group will be 70 transponders.
At the moment Gazkom is operating the Yamal-100 satellite, equipped with 10 transponders, which was launched at the end of 1999.
Increasing the capacity of the satellite group will allow the company to meet Gazprom¿s communications requirements in full and also to increase commercial services.
The Yamal-100 satellite is currently being used to broadcast 12 digital channels in various regions of Russia, including seven channels in the provinces and five Central TV channels, Shestakov said.
Gazkom plans to increase the number of TV channels to 20 this year. The Yamal-100 is also used to offer commercial satellite communications services. In particular, having won a tender Gazkom is currently setting up a satellite communications network using small VSAT land based station in 17 cities in Komi republic.
