Leased services on the Intelsat system. I - Domestic service and international television

Intelsat began offering leased transponder capacity for domestic services in 1974. At the end of 1983, thirty-seven 36 MHz transponders had been leased by 24 countries. At present, seven leased international television channels are operating, with an eighth scheduled for 1984. Programming, program receiving, or both, is being shared by eight countries. Intelsat's satellite reliability record has encouraged many countries to realize the benefits of transponder leasing, which is currently based on the use of the Intelsat V and V A satellites. The domestic services provided by the 24 countries through Intelsat can be grouped into four categories: trunk telephony, thin-route telephony, television distribution intended for rebroadcast, and television distribution intended for community reception. Intelsat's international television service has grown from a total of 7300 hours in 1974 to more than 50,000 hours in 1982, using at least 4 channels each to cover the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian communities. International leasing of television programs among relatively large earth-stations complements Intelsat's television offerings.