Sky, operating in New Zealand since 1990, has more than 1 million residential TV subscribers, split evenly between its satellite and streaming services, and also offers broadband services.

The broadcaster currently uses the Optus D2 satellite which last year started to end its operational life and consequently became unstable in its orbit, causing signal interruptions for thousands of viewers.

Optus D2, a geostationary satellite originally launched in 2007, has already exceeded its specified minimum life span of 15 years.

The signal interruptions have sparked public complaints from affected users, who have taken to social media to express their frustration with many demanding refunds from Sky.

Complicating matters further, the replacement Optus 11 satellite will now not be launched into orbit until at least 2027, forcing Sky to find an interim satellite solution post haste.

Enter KoreaSat 6, an ageing satellite launched in 2010 that Sky believes has enough life left in it to act as a replacement for D2 until Optus 11 is launched and becomes operational.

According to Sky, KoreaSat 6 has been moved into an orbit close enough to D2 to take over its broadcasting operations and the broadcaster expects to switch to the interim replacement satellite by early April.

Meanwhile, Sky says it is working to resolve the issues of about 25,000 customers who have been experiencing signal problems by repositioning their antennae to point at a different angle to the sky.