Satellite fleet operator Eutelsat is sticking with its forecast that its new Ka-Sat Ka-band satellite will generate 100 million euros ($140 million) in new revenue per year by 2014, three years after it was commercialized.
Nomura financial analyst Henrik Nyblom said the market “does not believe” Eutelsat’s numbers, but Eutelsat, in response to Space News inquiries, said analysts covering the company, which is traded on the Euronext market, have estimates as low as Nomura’s 70 million euros ranging up to 120 million euros in incremental revenue from Ka-Sat.
“The consensus of 20 analysts falls in the region of 100 million euros,” Eutelsat said in a Sept. 16 statement.
Eutelsat Chief Financial Officer Catherine Guillouard said Sept. 14 that all the early indications from Ka-Sat, which began commercial operations in late May, point to a success. It is the first large all-Ka-band satellite launched over Europe, and is capable of a throughput of some 70 gigabits per second. The commercial offer, which has several levels of price and performance, is for about 10 megabits per second for consumers, and 15 megabits per second for businesses.
“We are in line technically and commercially with our expectations,” Guillouard said when asked whether Eutelsat is having second thoughts about the satellite’s prospects. “We have absolutely no reason to cut back on our forecast of 100 million euros of top-line growth [from Ka-Sat] in 2014, for both broadband and professional video services. We see a significant trend around Ka-Sat from a commercial point of view. For me it’s clear: HTS [high-throughput satellites such as Ka-Sat] is the only way to compete with terrestrial networks. We have it.”
