Satellite operator SES says its Ku-band broadband satellite, which is to serve Africa, is now fully operational.

The Luxembourg-based company, with a fleet of 51 geostationary satellites, said its latest satellite that was launched into orbit two months ago is operational at the orbital position of 5 degrees East.

SES-5, launched on July 10 on board an ILS Proton rocket, was designed and built for SES by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L).

The spacecraft features 36 active Ku-band transponders, and up to 24 active C-band transponders.

And it is now ready to deliver high performance and extensive coverage for Direct-to-Home (DTH) services, broadband, maritime communications, GSM backhaul, and VSAT applications in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, according to SES media relations manager Yves Feltes.

Its being fully operational comes a few weeks after Avanti, another such company, launched its Ku-band satellite, which the company forecasts could power local economies.