Telesat chief executive Dan Goldberg. (Darren Brown, OBJ)

Telesat will begin commercial service on its newest satellite this week, the Ottawa-based company announced today.

The satellite operator, which was spun off from BCE in 2006, said its former parent will use the new Nimiq 4 satellite to enhance and expand its Bell TV high-definition (HD) TV channel services across Canada.

Commercial service will begin on Oct. 11 on the satellite, which is fully leased to Bell TV.

"I am particularly pleased that we have been able to start commercial service on this new satellite just three weeks after its launch, an impressive technical and operation achievement," said Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg, who noted the announcement was a "milestone" for the company, and added that the satellite is expected to make a "significant contribution" to the company's financial results for many years.

The satellite, which was launched Sept. 30, has an estimated mission life of 15 years.