Thales Alenia Space announced that it has signed a contract with the leading telecom services company in Indonesia, PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia TbK (Telkom), to build a new telecommunications satellite. Telkom-3S will increase the operator's C-band capacity from its orbital position at 118 East, and will also offer high-definition television (HDTV) and remote GSM/Internet services in Ku-band.

Thales Alenia Space is program prime contractor, with responsibility for the design, construction, testing and in-orbit delivery of the satellite. It is also in charge of the launch and early orbital positioning phase (LEOP) and in-orbit tests (IOT).

In addition, Thales Alenia Space will supply control center components and will train a team of engineers on site.

Built on Thales Alenia Space's new-generation Spacebus 4000B2 platform, Telkom-3S will be fitted with 24 C-band transponders, 8 extended C-band transponders, and 10 Ku-band transponders.

The C-band payload will cover Indonesia and Southeast Asia, while the extended C-band payload will cover both Indonesia and part of Malaysia. The Ku-band payload will specifically cover Indonesia.

The satellite will weigh about 3,500 kg at launch and offers payload power of 6.3 kW. It will be probably launched by Arianespace as preferred bidder end of 2016 for a 15-year expected lifetime.

"After an open international tender conducted by PT Telkom, we are very pleased that PT Telkom has renewed its trust in working with us" said Jean-Loic Galle, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space.

"It's very fulfilling to be able to support our customer's business development. The deployment of Telkom-3S will enhance PT Telkom's broadcast capacity and provide valuable services for enterprises, IP backbones and mobile network backhauling. Telkom-3S will be the 80th Spacebus satellite built by Thales Alenia Space and it's the fifth telecom program we have won since the beginning of the year."