Canadian Satellite Television
The development and innovation of satellites and satellite technology soon followed on the heels of the development and increase of the number and variety of television channels, both in Canada and internationally.
In the 1960s and the 1970s, television networks used terrestrial microwave networks to expand signal reach and audiences. The 1980s and the 1990s saw a general migration of television signals from ground-based terrestrial networks to orbiting satellites as satellite technology expanded and the number of television channels increased exponentially.
Beginnings – Canada First
In 1969, the Government of Canada passed the Telesat Canada Act, establishing Canada's own domestic national satellite operator. Three years later, Telesat Canada launched its first satellite, Anik A1, on a Delta rocket, the first commercial, domestic communications satellite in geostationary orbit in the world.
