[1] Eutelsat and Alcatel Alenia Space announced in December 2006 that the two companies have signed a contract under which Alcatel Alenia Space will manufacture and deliver the Eutelsat W7 communications satellite.

[2] Manufactured by Thales Alenia Space in its Cannes Mandelieu Space Center, based on a Spacebus-4000C4 satellite bus, it features up to 70 Ku-band transponders, 12 kW of power, a weight of 5,627 kg (12,405 lb), and has a lifetime of about 17 years (2009-2026).

Digital broadcasting and direct-to-home (DTH) video services is beamed to customers in Russia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The new satellite replaced all the capacity on the SESAT 1 (now Eutelsat 16C) satellite, which was redeployed to 16° East after nearly 10 years of operations at 36° East.

Eutelsat 36B communications payload is connected to five downlink beams for Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.