LUXEMBOURG & PARIS - Thursday, January 30th 2014 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS
WIRE)-- SES (NYSE Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) and Eutelsat Communications
(NYSE Paris:ETL) announced today that the two companies have concluded a
series of agreements including a comprehensive settlement of legal
proceedings concerning the right to operate at the 28.5 degrees East
orbital position and containing long-term commercial as well as
frequency coordination elements.
The first agreement ends the
arbitral procedure between Eutelsat and SES that was initiated in
October 2012 under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce
(ICC) in Paris. The dispute concerned a right of use of 500 MHz spectrum
at the 28.5 degrees East orbital position. Eutelsat ceased to operate
this spectrum on 3 October 2013 and SES has operated this spectrum since
that date. The dispute over this right of use has now been resolved,
with SES continuing to operate its satellites at this location, and
Eutelsat independently commercialising part of the capacity of the
previously disputed frequencies.
According to the second
agreement between both companies, Eutelsat has therefore contracted
long-term satellite capacity on the SES satellite fleet at the 28.5
degrees East orbital position. Eutelsat will commercialise over Europe
on the SES fleet 125 MHz (eight transponders) of the formerly disputed
500 MHz. Eutelsat will also commercialise on the SES fleet the 250 MHz
(12 transponders) which was not the subject of the legal proceedings.
The 20 transponders will be operated on three new satellites which SES
is deploying at the 28.2/28.5 degrees East neighbourhood – ASTRA 2F,
ASTRA 2E and ASTRA 2G – of which the first two have been launched and
are operational, while the third is planned for a launch later this
year.
The third agreement between the two companies addresses
technical frequency coordination under the rules of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU). It will allow both parties an optimised
use of their respective spectrum at a number of orbital positions over
Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It confirms and clarifies in
technical terms the geographic coverage and transmission power levels
for frequencies at these positions.
"The agreements with Eutelsat
create a secure framework for operations in major broadcasting and data
markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa", said Romain Bausch,
President and CEO of SES. "They are beneficial for our whole industry
and, above all, for our customers and end users as they experience
optimal satellite services. The agreements allow SES to fully leverage
its satellite and fleet investments and operate its assets and frequency
spectrum efficiently. We can focus on further commercialising our
satellite capacity and ensuring excellent services for customers and
users worldwide."
Michel de Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Eutelsat,
said: "Guided by key objectives to deliver clients impeccable service
and to optimise spectrum use, Eutelsat and SES have taken a pragmatic
and business-like approach to reaching this settlement. These long-term
agreements clarify the conditions for interference-free operations,
enabling each company to independently expand its commercial activity in
a competitive environment. Eutelsat is committed to delivering
innovative services at one of the most vibrant neighbourhoods in the
broadcasting market and can now further improve the productivity of its
in-orbit resources and future investments."
About SES
SES
is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 55 geostationary
satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to
broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed
network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.
SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality
service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally
diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work
closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and
service requirements. SES (NYSE Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) holds
participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a
strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b
Networks. Further information about SES under: www.ses.com
About Eutelsat Communications
Established
in 1977, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code:
FR0010221234) is one of the world's leading and most experienced
operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on
34 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting
associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and Internet service
providers, enterprises and government agencies. Eutelsat’s satellites
provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa,
Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and
government communications to be established irrespective of a user’s
location. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the
globe, Eutelsat represents a workforce of 1,000 men and women from 32
countries who are experts in their fields and work with clients to
deliver the highest quality of service. For more about Eutelsat please
visit: www.eutelsat.com
Contacts
For further information please contact:
Markus Payer
SES
Tel : +352 710 725 500
Markus.Payer@ses.com
Yves Feltes
Media Relations
Tel. +352 710 725 311
Yves.Feltes@ses.com
Vanessa O’Connor
Eutelsat Communications
Tel : +33 1 53 98 37 91
voconnor@eutelsat.fr
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