SES expands US high-def capacity

SES Americom has reported the successful launch of AMC-18, a new satellite designed to deliver high definition broadcasts to local cable headends across the United States.

AMC-18 will enter service at 105°W as part of SES Americom's "HD-Prime" satellite neighbourhood. The two existing satellites in that neighbourhood were reaching capacity as the number of HD services carried by cable operators increases.

"The launch of AMC-18 is a proud moment for the Americom team. It is also a proud moment for the Lockheed Martin team who has built and delivered an exceptional spacecraft, and for the Ariane team, which has just launched the 25th spacecraft for SES," said SES Americom president and CEO Edward Horowitz. "We now look forward to bringing AMC-18 into service as we will be creating America’s only three-satellite HDTV neighborhood, HD-Prime. At this tipping point in the development of the HD market, we’re investing in critically needed bandwidth to fuel this new channel growth."