Industry Canada has awarded the final satellite slot for a Canadian communications satellite at 118.7° West to Telesat. The company has promised to get to work right away to ensure the new satellite is in orbit by 2026."Telesat is excited about the opportunity to expand its efforts to give all Canadians access to state-of-the-art communications services - no matter where they live," said Larry Boisvert, Telesat's president and CEO.
As part of its proposal, Telesat will make two channels on the new satellite available - at no cost - for the federal government to use to serve public institutions in remote and/or underserved areas of Canada. For example, the two channels, or transponders, would be able to provide enhanced multimedia connections to hundreds of remote communities.
This means the company may also be able to tap into whatever funds come from the recently announced National Broadband Task Force Report when building the satellite.
Telesat was given the right to use the slot after a comprehensive competitive process between it and a new company, Bird Satellite, which was headed by former Star Choice and Canadian Cable Television Association president Richard Stursberg.