The new offer, called FRANSAT™, will be available starting in June. Eutelsat’s 5 degrees West neighborhood, which is occupied by ATLANTIC BIRD™ 3, has operated as a complement to France’s terrestrial broadcasting network for more than 20 years by delivering channels direct by satellite to homes located beyond terrestrial reception. The transition to digital of this key French neighborhood in the analogue world is a logical step. It reflects the ‘Digital France 2012 Plan’ and the new broadcasting law of March 5, 2009, which aims to offer a solution to homes in areas with poor terrestrial reception to access DTT channels without incurring the extra cost of adjusting their existing dish installation. France’s free analogue channels will remain available via ATLANTIC BIRD™ 3.
The majority of France’s 18 free-to-air DTT channels are already transmitting from Eutelsat’s ATLANTIC BIRD™ 3 satellite. Assembled by Eutelsat in the FRANSAT™ platform, the 18 channels will be available from June with no subscription fee to all homes equipped with a dish pointed towards ATLANTIC BIRD™ 3 and a FRANSAT™ kit comprising a digital decoder and access card. In addition to the 18 Standard Definition DTT channels, FRANSAT™ will enable reception of the four free DTT channels broadcast in HDTV: TF1 HD, France 2 HD, Arte HD and M6 HD.