KT Corporation has signed a multi-year, pre-launch contract for capacity on the Intelsat 17 satellite (IS-17). KT Corporation expects to use the IS-17 capacity to deliver enhanced broadband VSAT services to its government and enterprise customers with remote operations in other parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

After its launch in 2011, IS-17 will replace the Intelsat 702 satellite located at 66 degrees East. Once in service, IS-17’s Ku-band payload will provide optimal coverage over the entirety of Russia, the Middle East, and southern Africa. The C-band capacity on IS-17 will cover Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. It will also expand Intelsat’s C-band video distribution community in the Indian Ocean and Asia region.