Intelsat Ltd. announced in April 2009 its plan to add a new satellite to its global fleet. The Intelsat 22 (IS 22) communications satellite was ordered in July 2009. The satellite was launched in 2012 and serves at the 72° East longitude orbital location over the Indian Ocean region.

The design of the Intelsat 22 payload is optimized to address high-growth service areas, provide continuity of services, and support Intelsat's strategic initiatives. The satellite will supply 48 C- and 24 Ku-band 36 MHz equivalent transponders to network services and media customers in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, providing incremental capacity for commercial and government applications. The Intelsat 22 satellite will feature custom-tailored beams to meet traffic patterns in these high-demand regions including C-band capacity for Africa and Asia, and an ability to cross-connect between the two regions. Its Ku-band payload will provide coverage of the Middle East and East Africa, with connectivity into Europe. The Ku-band payload will include a mobility beam bridging South East Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the coastline of Africa that will support Intelsat's global mobility strategy for maritime and aeronautical applications.