INTELSAT and Verestar Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of American Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT), announced today that they have successfully implemented the first satellite-based OC-3 (155 Mbit/s) duplex Internet service between the United States and China.
The service uses Verestar’s Brewster facilities, in Washington State, which provides access to the Intelsat space segment, as well as direct connectivity to the U.S. fiber backbone. The satellite capacity is a Ku- to Ku-band link offered on the INTELSAT spacecraft at 174*E.
"This is a first for us and Intelsat, and we’re extremely honored to be providing this level of service to China. We were able to be very creative and came up with a solution that fully met both the price and technical standards," said Prakash Sewpaul, Vice President of International Sales Development for Verestar. "It’s also a visible indication of the growth we’re seeing in international requirements for Internet use which is no longer necessarily asymmetric. Two OC-3 links is a very large amount of capacity but it’s consistent with the customer trend worldwide for increased amounts of bandwidth," Sewpaul continued.
Larry Valenciano, INTELSAT Group Director for the Asia Pacific, stated, "We understand the growing needs of the Asia Pacific region, and are pleased to offer the capacity and coverage that our customers required to support this important Internet connection. Intelsat is committed to ensuring that the World Wide Web is, indeed, worldwide. This new link solidifies Intelsat as a key provider of Internet via satellite in Asia. We are currently carrying over 2 Gbit/s of IP traffic to and from Asia – the equivalent of 400 million web pages or two billion email messages a day."
About INTELSAT
INTELSAT is an international communications provider offering Internet, broadcast, telephony and corporate network solutions around the globe through its fleet of 19 satellites. For nearly four decades, many of the world’s leading telecommunications companies, multinational corporations and broadcasters in over 200 countries and territories have relied on Intelsat satellites and staff for quality connections, global reach and unrivaled reliability.
About Verestar, Inc.
Verestar, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of American Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT), is a carrier-neutral provider of integrated satellite and fiber network access solutions worldwide, delivering and managing customer’s mission critical communications on the ground, in space and at sea. Verestar, Inc. also owns and operates: Interpacket Networks, which provides international Internet Service Providers (ISPs) high-speed Internet backbone connectivity and Internet business services; Maritime Telecommunications Network, Inc. (MTN), offering Internet, voice and data services to the cruise ship, oil and gas industries; and General Telecom, Verestar’s voice-switching company. The company owns more than 10 Satellite Network Access Points (SNAPs), with an inventory of over 175 antennas. For more information, visit our web site at www.verestar.com.
About American Tower
American Tower is the leading independent owner, operator and developer of broadcast and wireless communications sites in North America. Giving effect to pending transactions, American Tower operates approximately 13,500 sites in the United States, Mexico and Canada, including approximately 300 broadcast tower sites. Of the 13,500 sites, approximately 12,500 are owned or leased towers and approximately 1,000 are managed and lease/sublease sites. Based in Boston, American Tower has regional hub offices in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Mexico City. For more information about American Tower Corporation, please visit our web site www.amerciantower.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" concerning future expectations, plans or strategies that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. American Tower Corporation, "the Company," wishes to caution readers that certain factors may have affected the Company’s actual results and could cause results for subsequent periods to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by or on behalf of the Company. Such factors with respect to Verestar include, but are not limited to (i) the reliance on increasing demand for internet and international data transmissions, (ii) the use of satellites and fiber for internet data and other transmissions, (iii) risks inherent in extensive foreign operations, including governmental regulation of business in general and internet content and operations in particular, government expropriation, currency fluctuations, inability to repatriate any earnings or other funds, and language and cultural differences that could impair management control and operations, (iv) large fixed costs based on long-term leases of satellite space, (v) dependence on third-party satellite operators, (vi) competitive pressures from third-party satellite operators, several of whom are large international companies, and (vii) the successful operational integration of acquisitions. Additional factors relating to the Company include, but are not limited to (i) substantial capital requirements and leverage principally as a consequence of its ongoing acquisitions and construction activities, (ii) the success of the Company’s tower construction program and (iii) the successful operational integration of the Company’s business acquisitions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.
For further information about this release, please contact us at media.relations@intelsat.int or at +1 202-944-7500