The Eurobird 1 satellite, built for the operator Eutelsat, provides broadcasting and
telecommunication services primarily to the Western and Central European region from an
orbital position of 28.5° E. Launched in the first quarter of 2001, the satellite is
designed for 24-channel operation over its minimum lifetime of 12 years. The satellite
provides continuity for the telecommunication services currently provided by the DFS-Kopernikus satellite, including business services,
satellite news gathering and television and radio programme distribution. In addition, the
high transmit power of the Eurobird satellite makes it ideal for providing broadcast
programmes and multimedia services into very small and inexpensive satellite dishes. As
well as a fixed beam, the satellite has two steerable beams which offer the possibility
for service provision at either a national or a regional level.
In December 2011 Eutelsat announced, that their satellite assets will be renamed under a unified brand name effective from March 2012. This satellite became Eutelsat 28A. In July 2015, it was renamed Eutelsat 33C and redeployed at 33° East, where it will be co-located with Eutelsat 33B.
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