AMC-12 and AAP-1 satellites re-named
SES NEW SKIES, an SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), is pleased to announce that the SES satellites AMC-12/ASTRA 4A and AAP-1 have been transferred to SES NEW SKIES which will now be responsible for all customer and capacity management activities associated with these satellites. The spacecraft have subsequently been renamed NSS-10 and NSS-11. The SES NEW SKIES fleet now comprises seven spacecraft optimized for connectivity between the different regions of the world, as well as for the provision of regional interconnection and distribution capacity serving those parts of the world outside of Europe and North America.
The SES NEW SKIES satellites as of today are: NSS-11 (formerly AAP-1) at 108.2° East, NSS-10 (formerly AMC-12/ASTRA 4A) at 322.5° East, NSS-806 at 319.5° East, NSS-7 at 338°East, NSS-703 at 57° East, NSS-6 at 95° East and NSS-5 at 183° East. In addition, SES NEW SKIES has also assumed commercial responsibility for the West Africa beam on ASTRA 2B at 28.2° East. Together, the SES NEW SKIES satellites provide global coverage, with the transferred satellites boosting fleet capacity at SES NEW SKIES by 48%, from 215 to 318 transponders. The additional capacity comprises 67 transponders on NSS-10 (reduced from the maximum 72 due to current beam configuration), 28 transponders on NSS-11 and the 8 transponders on the West Africa beam of ASTRA 2B. SES NEW SKIES will further enhance its orbital resources through the addition of NSS-9 in 2009. Positioned at 183° East, it will allow NSS-5 to replace the NSS-703 satellite as it nears the end of its life.
States Robert Bednarek, President and CEO of SES NEW SKIES: “The incorporation of NSS-10 and NSS-11 into the SES NEW SKIES fleet provides clarity and consistency to the customer community when dealing with the SES family. The availability of these assets when coupled with our NSS-9 plans demonstrates SES NEW SKIES’ continued commitment to growth and expansion within its regions. We are also looking at several options for the replacement of the recently lost NSS-8 satellite and will update our customers on our latest fleet expansion planning within the coming weeks.”
Note to the Editor
At the end of 2006 SES NEW SKIES carried 508 television channels, a growth of 9% compared to the end of 2005. In total it is estimated that these channels are received by some 44 million cable and satellite households: 25 million in India, 3.5 million in Africa and 15 million in Latin America. Transponder utilization on the SES NEW SKIES fleet grew from 65% at the end of 2005 to 71% at the end of 2006.
About SES NEW SKIES
SES NEW SKIES is an SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) offering satellite communication services to a range of customers including telecommunications providers, broadcasters, corporations and governments around the world. SES NEW SKIES owns and operates a global fleet of seven satellites in orbit, with an additional spacecraft under construction (NSS-9) and ground facilities around the world. Headquartered in The Hague, the company has offices in Hong Kong, New Delhi, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C. In addition to SES NEW SKIES, SES wholly owns the market-leading satellite operators SES ASTRA in Europe and SES AMERICOM in North America and also holds strategic participations in SES Sirius in Europe, Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions via a combined fleet of 43 satellites across the globe. Further information on the company is available at www.ses-newskies.com and on SES at www.ses-global.com
