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Eutelsat's W2A Satellite on Track for 3 April Proton Launch From the Baikonur Cosmodrome

Posted on: Tuesday, 31 March 2009, 04:29 CDT

PARIS, March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) confirms that its W2A satellite has begun final preparations for its upcoming launch by an ILS Proton Breeze M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Lift-off is scheduled for Friday 3 April in a launch window opening at 22.24 local time in Baikonur (16.24 GMT, 18.24 CET).

In addition to delivering significant new Ku-band and C-band resources for Eutelsat, the W2A satellite will take into orbit Europe's first S-band payload for video and data services for mobile handsets and vehicles. The S-band payload is commercialised by Solaris Mobile, a joint venture established by Eutelsat and SES Astra.

Designed to replace Eutelsat's W1 satellite at 10degrees East, W2A will boost and diversify capacity at one of the Group's most established neighbourhoods. Built for Eutelsat by Thales Alenia Space, using the Spacebus 4000C4 platform, the satellite's three distinct payloads will operate in three frequency bands:

- 46 Ku-band transponders will be connected to a wide footprint of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and a second beam over southern Africa and islands in the Indian Ocean. This capacity will benefit telecommunications operators, Internet Service Providers and professional video service providers operating in Europe and requiring interconnectivity between Europe and Africa.

- 10 transponders operating in the C-band will provide coverage of Africa, extending towards India and other parts of Asia as well as Latin America. This new mission at Eutelsat's 10 degrees East position will strengthen the Group's response to strong demand for C-band capacity for GSM trunking and for enterprise networks, notably in Africa.

- Services in the S-band provided by Solaris Mobile will be operated with a 12-metre antenna deployed on the W2A satellite. Operating in a frequency band immediately adjacent to the UMTS frequencies used for 3G networks, the S-band creates the possibility of a single network spanning Europe for standalone mobile video, data and interactive services via satellite, and hybrid satellite-terrestrial services. Satellite technology will hand over to terrestrial transmitters in built-up areas for deep indoor penetration. Outside these environments, mobile phones, personal media players and vehicles will operate with direct satellite reception. S-band resources will also be able to support the deployment of communications networks for emergency services in Europe, providing direct interconnectivity between teams operating in the field, vehicles and their home bases.

With a design lifetime of 15 years, W2A will have a launch mass of 5.9 tonnes and a payload delivering 15.4 kW of power.

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 26 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 31 December 2008, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,200 television channels and 1,100 radio stations. Almost 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 120 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 its teleport in Italy that serves enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 591 commercial, technical and operational experts from 27 countries.

SOURCE Eutelsat Communications

Source: PR Newswire

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