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Sat-ND,
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Brasilsat B4 is the sixth satellite entrusted to the European launcher by Brazil. It follows Brasilsat S1, launched in February 1985, Brasilsat S2 in March 1986 and Brasilsat B1, B2 and B3, placed into orbit in August 1994, March 1995 and February 1998, respectively.
The Brasilsat B4 satellite will be built by Hughes Space and Communications in El Segundo, California, using an HS 376W platform. Weighing 1,750 kg at lift-off, it will be equipped with 24 C-band and four extended C-band transponders.
Brasilsat B4 will be placed into position at 99 degrees West, from where it will work with Brasilsat B1, B2 and B3 to provide a full range of communications services, handling data and television transmissions, as well as telephone traffic all over Brazil.
With this fifth contract of 1998, Arianespace's orderbook stands at 40 satellites to be launched.
Using Eutelsat capacity, Canal Plus has already had considerable success in Poland with Canal Plus Polska, the country's largest pay-TV channel which was launched in 1995 and today has 250,000 subscribers. Nine additional Polish channels also broadcast via Eutelsat of which four are analogue and five digital.
According to the most recent audience research in Poland, nearly 90 per cent of the country' satellite television households watch channels broadcast from Eutelsat. Nearly 80 per cent of direct-to-home households are equipped for Hot Bird reception.
The launch of Canal Plus' digital package coincides with the start of Wizja TV's into the Polish digital direct-to-home market, which is also planned for September, but on Astra. Only three weeks ago Canal Plus Polska and Wizja TV terminated an agreement that called for the launch of a common digital bouquet.
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