Canada Awards Ciel and Telesat 12 Satellite Licenses
OTTAWA, June 14, 2007 - Satnews Daily - The Canadian government has awarded satellite operators Ciel Satellite LP and Telesat Canada a total of 12 licenses for the launch of broadcasting and telecommunications satellites to beam advanced services such as high definition TV (HDTV) and satellite Internet. The first of these satellites are expected to become operational as early as 2010.
Ciel will receive seven of the new licenses and Telesat five as part of a licensing initiative announced by the ministry of industry last year. Ciel and Telesat said they intend to invest several billion dollars in building and launching 10 new satellites. The satellites will also help connect all regions of Canada, especially in the north where satellites are vital in providing public safety, national security and government services.
Industry Minister Maxime Bernier said that by awarding these new licenses, the government is helping the expansion of satellite capacity and services that will benefit Canadians for years to come. “We're helping to foster an environment that will bring all the benefits of competition, including increased product and service offerings, choice in supplier, competitive prices and export revenues." She noted Canada needs to increase its satellite capacity to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for satellite services.
Last November, the Ciel Satellite Group filed nine applications with Industry Canada for multiple satellite orbital positions across several frequencies. The applications were submitted in response to Industry Canada’s Call for Applications to License Satellite Orbital Positions, the largest in Canadian history.
The Canadian government has been highly supportive of a dynamic and competitive marketplace for satellite services. In 2004, Ciel was awarded an orbital position at 129° W by Industry Canada and has since commissioned Alcatel Alenia Space to build Ciel-2, a Spacebus 4000 C4, the largest Spacebus class satellite ever built. The Ciel-2 satellite is scheduled to launch in late 2008 on a Proton Breeze M vehicle and to operate for at least 15 years.
Ciel-2 will be the inaugural launch undertaken by the Ciel Satellite Group, Canada's newest satellite operator. SES Americom Inc., a minority partner in Ciel, was the contracting agent for the launch.
Ciel Satellite Group is a Canadian-owned and controlled satellite operator with a combination of partners, including BPC Telecommunications Corp., a company controlled by Borealis Infrastructure and part of the Omers Pension Plan's group of companies; Canadian satellite pioneer Brian Neill and SES Americom, an SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: (SESG).
Telesat Canada last January awarded Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (NASDAQ:LORL), a contract to manufacture Nimiq 5, Telesat’s new high-power, direct broadcast satellite.
Based on SS/L's 1300 platform, the satellite will be equipped with 32 active high-power Ku-band transponders, providing a strong footprint across Canada. Planned for completion in 2009, Nimiq 5 will have a lifespan of more than 15 years, operating in its geostationary orbit location of 72.7 degrees west. Nimiq 5 will be the first satellite in Telesat's fleet to be manufactured by Space Systems/Loral.
Last December, Loral Space & Communications, Inc. and its Canadian partner, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), entered into a definitive agreement with BCE, Inc. (TSX/NYSE: BCE) to acquire 100 percent of the stock of Telesat Canada from BCE.
