Brussels, June 27th, 2005 – The founding members of the Eurely and iNavSat consortia applaud the green light received from Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU) to pursue their joint approach for the Galileo Concession. Both Eurely and iNavSat can now complete the merger of their consortium and, jointly with the GJU, proceed towards the final concession contract negotiations which will formalize the Galileo Public Private Partnership by the end of this year.

Today’s GJU decision is an important step forward for both Egnos and Galileo programs as it brings the momentum of the confidence that the programs are on track. This decision marks a milestone in the development of one of Europe’s largest common programs.

“Our merged consortia brings together the highest levels of European technological expertise to deliver a European solution to this technical challenge. We believe this path will generate significant advantage to the people of Europe and the wider world. We are committed to a team solution, within the timeframe agreed with the GJU,” said representatives from the two consortia.

The merger of the consortia will enable them to exploit numerous synergies offered by the combination of respective resources and competencies:

  • By providing a unique European solution for Galileo, partners will be able to efficiently manage the program to the benefit of Europe, its individual Member States, its citizens and its stakeholders,

  • Addressing the markets with broad ambitions and an increased portfolio of revenue generating solutions in the domain of telecoms, transport and security,

  • Ensuring continuity between the current ESA driven In Orbit Validation and Full Deployment phases through the seamless involvement of all players,

  • Improving the global reach of the Concessionaire and enhancing international partnerships to support the European Commission international agreements,

  • Delivering a great range of innovative solutions to address key issues for the concession: finance, insurance, risk sharing.

The market perspective for the downstream European industries is enhanced with the potential creation of thousands of jobs throughout Europe.

Furthermore, the Galileo and Egnos programs will contribute to the European global influence, combining the industry commitment with the European Union’s strategic ambitions.

The founding members of Eurely and iNavSat are: AENA, Alcatel, EADS, Finmeccanica, Hispasat, Inmarsat, and Thales.

About AENA

Aena is a Public Business Entity entrusted with the planning, development, building, installation, operation and managing of the 44(+3) Spanish civil airports and the air navigation system for all airspace under Spanish responsibility, with 5 Area Control Centres covering 4 Flight Information Regions (FIR/UIR). Aena also manages 15 airports in Central and South America. Aena integrates all Spanish civil aeronautical infrastructure activities in one single organisation staffed by qualified professionals, with a business philosophy whilst keeping the best of public service spirit, technological innovation and safety management. Aena’s strategy is to operate as a service company offering its customers (airline companies and air transport users in general) a safe, efficient and high quality of service, fostering economic progress.

About Alcatel

Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks; applications and services, to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world. With sales of EURO 12.3 billion and 56,000 employees in 2004, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

About EADS SPACE Services:

EADS SPACE Services is committed to providing and developing satellite services in the areas of telecommunications and navigation. EADS SPACE Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE, which is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems. In 2004, EADS SPACE had a turnover of €2.6 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of €31.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 110,000. www.space.eads.net

About Finmeccanica

Finmeccanica is Italy’s leading high-tech company, operating in the design and manufacture of helicopters, civil and military aircraft, aerostructures, space satellites and infrastructure, satellite services, command and control systems, defence electronics and systems, communications, security and IT. Finmeccanica participates in some of the largest international programmes in the sector through well-established alliances with European and American partners. Finmeccanica also boasts significant manufacturing assets and skills in the transport and energy sectors. With operations in Italy and abroad, it employs around 51,000 staff in total. Finmeccanica spends 16 % of its revenues on research and development. For more information, please visit www.finmeccanica.it

About Hispasat

Hispasat is a Spanish group of companies that started in 1989 as satellite system operator for commercial and governmental/military communication services, provision of engineering solutions and new advanced projects. Its satellite fleet is located at 30 W and 61 W orbital positions to provide all types of communication services at both sides of the Atlantic. Hispasat has proven experience in satellite engineering, procurement, launch, testing and operations, with satellite ground control and monitoring premises in Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico as well as appropriate knowledge in Security. HISPASAT has been cleared by the Spanish Ministry of Defence (SMOD) since 1990.

About Inmarsat Ventures Ltd

Inmarsat plc (LSE: ISAT) is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organisations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. The company’s services are delivered through a world-class network of leading telecoms groups. For the year ended 31 December 2004, group revenue was $480.7 million, with operating profit of $159.1 million. More information can be found at www.inmarsat.com.

About Thales

Thales is an international electronics and systems group, serving defence, aerospace, services and security markets. The group employs 60,000 people worldwide and generated revenues of 10.3 billion in 2004. Thales is a pioneer in satellite navigation technology and is the only European company with end-to-end satellite navigation capability, from signals to products, to systems and services delivery. www.thalesgroup.com

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