While releasing its latest financial results, Shaw Communications confirmed today that it expects its Direct-to-Home satellite service, Shaw Direct, to have a third satellite - Anik G1 - in space by November 2012.

Anik G1 will join Anik F1 and F2 which have been used to beam Shaw Direct signals to consumers since April 2001. Anik G1 will increase Shaw Direct's satellite capacity by 30%.

The telecommunications satellite from Telesat Canada will be built by Space Systems/Loral and will launch aboard an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton-M rocket.

Originally envisioned as a 3,000-kilogram satellite carrying just 16 Ku-band transponders, enought to fulfill Telesat's contract with Shaw Direct, the satellite has since been enlarged to add an additional 24 C-band and 12 Ku-band transponders for Latin America plus three channels of X-band coverage. X-band capacity is used by civil and military agencies worldwide and demand is growing as governments continue to increase their reliance on commercial satellites

Anik G1 is expected to have a 15 year mission life located at 107.3 degrees west longitude.

In order to make use of the new satellite in space, Shaw has recently been working on a new 60 cm triple look xku LNBF satellite dish capable of supporting signals from Anik G1.

The new outdoor equipment will start to be deployed in customer satellite dishes during the fourth quarter.

Discuss Anik G1 in our Shaw Direct discussion forum.