Satellite Providers' News Опции

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Eutelsat Powers up a new orbital position to drive expansion in high growth markets

Paris 28 July 2011 www.eutelsat.com

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) today announced that it is expanding its commercial response to high-growth video, data, telecom and broadband markets with the opening of business at the 3° East orbital position. To support further long-term expansion, Eutelsat has selected Astrium to build a tri-band satellite, which will increase and diversify its resources for markets in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and South America. Called Eutelsat 3B, the satellite will operate in C, Ku and Ka-bands and be launched in early 2014.

In advance of Eutelsat 3B, resources on a satellite now called Eutelsat 3A were deployed this month to 3° East. This capacity is able to deliver users powerful coverage of Europe and North Africa for services that include GSM backhaul, data networks, IP backbone connectivity and maritime applications.

To complement Eutelsat’s capacity portfolio and geographic reach, the Eutelsat 3B satellite will add resources in three frequency bands connected to fixed and steerable antennas for maximum flexibility. With a single platform assembling Ku, C and Ka transponders, users will be able to select the most relevant frequency band for different types of service. Ku and C-band capacity will further consolidate Eutelsat’s response to broadcast and data markets that represent the two most dynamic applications in the Fixed Satellite Services sector. High throughput beams in the Ka-band, that will be individually steerable to regional and national markets and operated with scalable allocation of power and spectrum, will in addition support innovative applications in bandwidth-demanding markets.

Commenting on Eutelsat’s new programme, Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, said. “By opening a new orbital position for business now with Eutelsat 3A, and securing varied and highly flexible capacity for the future with Eutelsat 3B, we are adding a new layer of diversity to the resources we can provide to multiple markets with long-term growth potential. This is an exciting step forward for Eutelsat. It underscores our commitment to pursuing an active investment strategy in innovative satellite programmes in order to win and retain the confidence of customers operating in differentiated and vibrant markets.”

Up to 51 transponders on Eutelsat 3B will be configured as follows:

• A Ku-band payload of up to 30 transponders will be connected to widebeam footprints over extended Europe and East Africa. A steerable beam will add further flexibility, with coverage possible of South America or African regions. This capacity will address video contribution, corporate networks, data and telecom markets.
• A C-band payload with 12 transponders connected to a pan-African beam will respond to continued high demand for capacity for telecom services.
• A Ka-band payload of nine transponders connected to steerable beams that are in particular expected to cover Africa and South America will meet expanding connectivity requirements for corporate networks and Internet access.

The Eutelsat 3B satellite will be based on the Astrium Eurostar 3000 platform. Weighing 6 tonnes at launch, the satellite will be designed with 15 year life expectancy. The investment required for this programme is included in Eutelsat's capital expenditure outlook for the period July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014.

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SATELLITE FURTHER INCREASES TECHNICAL REACH IN GERMANY

Luxembourg, 6 September 2011

Global satellite operator SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced today that satellite has further increased its technical reach in Germany, its largest single market. According to the newest research, 17.1 million German households now watch television directly via satellite (Direct-to-Home), a gain of 430,000 households in the first six months of the year. The number of digital satellite households rose to 14.5 million, representing a digitalisation rate of 85 per cent and leaving 2.5 million analogue satellite households to be converted to digital reception until the analogue switch-off date end of April next year.

Cable has decreased its reach, now transmitting to 17.9 million homes, 260,000 less than half a year before. The digitalisation rate of cable infrastructures is 43 per cent. Digital terrestrial TV lost 300,000 households and now reaches 1.7 million homes.

These are the results of the most recent Satellite Monitor, a study that SES ASTRA conducts on a European scale every year. In Germany, SES ASTRA conducts these studies every six months in partnership with the regional regulatory authorities (Landesmedienanstalten) and through the market research institute TNS Infratest.

SES And Gazprom Space Systems Enter Strategic Partnership To Provide Additional Satellite Capacity To Russian Market

Luxembourg, Moscow, 7 September 2011

Global satellite operator SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) and Russian fixed satellite service operator Gazprom Space System (GSS) announced today that they have entered into a strategic partnership to provide additional satellite capacity to serve the Russian market.

Under the terms of a multi-year agreement, SES has re-located its ASTRA 1F satellite previously located at 51 degrees East to the orbital location 55 degrees East. GSS will utilize 16 Ku-band FSS transponders on the ASTRA 1F satellite to provide communication services for Western Russia ahead of the arrival of GSS' Yamal-402 satellite in 2012. In return, SES will use capacity on GSS' Yamal-402 once it becomes operational at 55 degrees East. Yamal-402 is currently under construction and scheduled for launch in November 2012.

The use of ASTRA 1F at 55 degrees East is part of a strategic partnership between SES and Gazprom to explore opportunities for the provision of satellite capacity for Russia. GSS will use the capacity on ASTRA 1F and later Yamal-402 together with Russian satellite service providers to deliver a wide spectrum of services including the transmission of TV bouquets for direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV operators, the distribution of TV signals to cable and terrestrial networks and broadcasting stations, the delivery of broadband access for corporate clients and the consumer market, and point-to-point communication, as well as cellular backhauls and Satellite News Gathering (SNG) services.

Dimitry Sevastiyanov, General Director of GSS said: "The move of ASTRA 1F is good news for the Russian market. The additional satellite arrives at a time of high demand and scarce capacity and brings us in a position to meet the actual and growing capacity needs of our customers. The cooperation with SES is very productive and we may see additional joint projects in the future."

Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES, commented: "The agreement to move ASTRA 1F over Russia demonstrates SES' capability to quickly respond to market demands and highlights the advantage of a global and flexible satellite fleet. The launch of ASTRA 5B scheduled for 2013 we will bring additional capacity to Russia. With Gazprom we have found an excellent partner to tap this highly important growth market."

MAGTICOM USES SES CAPACITY TO LAUNCH FIRST DOMESTIC PAY TV OPERATIONS IN GEORGIA

Tbilisi/Luxembourg/Amsterdam, September 8, 2011

SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced today that it has signed a long term agreement with the Georgian mobile and telecommunication company MagtiCom for several transponders at its 31.5 degrees East orbital position. MagtiCom will use the capacity to launch Georgia's first domestic direct-to-home (DTH) television platform. The operator will broadcast in DVB-S2 standard and MPEG 4 encoding.

MagtiCom will launch an attractive pay-TV bouquet for the Georgian market, offering local and international standard and high definition (SD and HD) channels starting from 1 January 2012. The 31.5 degrees East orbital position offers excellent growth opportunities for broadcasters in Central Eastern Europe and can accommodate the rising demand for SD and HD services in the region. Its excellent footprint covers the whole territory of Georgia with a powerful signal, allowing for direct-to-home reception with dishes sized at 60 cm. SES already provides a variety of services from this orbital position, ranging from the transmission of television channels in standard and high definition and the contribution of television and radio channels to cable and terrestrial networks, as well as data and voice services.

Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer at SES said: "The launch of MagitCom's DTH platform once again demonstrates the ability of SES to help new market entrants to succeed. SES stands for an excellent knowledge of the television market. Its fleet of 47 satellites today carries 43 direct-to-home platforms worldwide. This tremendous track record, coupled with the highest technical standards and the ambition to help its customers grow their businesses, makes SES and ideal partner for broadcasters worldwide. We look forward to the launch of the new platform - adding an exciting new programme choice to the TV offer in the region."

David Lee, General Director of Magticom said: "Together with SES we will accelerate the digitalization in Georgia. With the excellent satellite fleet and technical know-how of our partner, we will provide Georgian TV-viewers with the highest quality of digital television services. Moreover, the launch of this DTH platform represents a unique opportunity and a major step forward for the region, as it will allow Georgian TV viewers for the first time to receive a Georgian pay-TV offer from satellite."