PR/64/09

EUTELSAT EXPANDS TELEPORT INFRASTRUCTURE WITH SARDINIA FACILITY OPTIMISED FOR BROADBAND AND BROADCAST CLIENTS
IN AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

Cagliari, Paris, 8 December 2009

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) announces the expansion of its network of on-ground infrastructure with the opening of a new teleport in Sardinia (Italy) operated by Skylogic Mediterraneo which belongs to the Group’s Skylogic affiliate. Joining Eutelsat’s teleport infrastructure in Rambouillet, near Paris, and Skylogic’s SkyPark facilities in Turin, the new facility broadens opportunities for Eutelsat to leverage its expanding satellite resources to serve its community of clients.

The three teleports and associated fibre network are designed to provide an extensive range of service solutions for broadcasters, telecom, data and broadband service providers operating in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, central Asia and the Americas. Services already supplied from Rambouillet include satellite control and test operations, round-the-clock traffic monitoring and broadcasting video and radio channels. SkyPark has in parallel been built into an international reference point for delivering broadband solutions, notably the D-STAR professional broadband and the Tooway™ consumer broadband services.

Located in the South of Sardinia, the Cagliari site in the commune of Macchiareddu was selected for its strategic position in the Mediterranean Basin, enabling optimum response to enterprises and agencies working in Africa and the Middle East. It will also address service providers offering IP access for the maritime market, and is equipped to provide value-added broadcast services. The facility is in addition being geared up to play a key role in Eutelsat’s KA-SAT satellite programme with a network management operations centre for Tooway™.

Commenting on the opening of the Cagliari teleport, Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat said “In parallel to the on-going expansion of our satellite fleet and the extension of its geographic reach, Eutelsat has actively pursued the development of on-ground infrastructure that optimises the potential of our in-orbit resources and broadens our commercial response. The Cagliari teleport adds a new element to this ambition, sharpening our response to dynamic markets across Africa and the Middle East, and hosting core components of the Tooway™ service that will be provided through the KA-SAT satellite programme.”

Investment in the teleport has been made by Eutelsat in partnership with Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development and with the support of the Region of Sardinia in order to develop ICT skills among the local population and promote Sardinia as a hub for international communications.

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 27 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 30 September 2009, Eutelsat’s satellites were broadcasting 3,300 television channels and 1,100 radio stations. More than 1,000 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 123 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group’s satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 615 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries.

www.eutelsat.com