EUTELSAT COMMUNICATIONS AND TELEKOM SRBIJA ANNOUNCE NEW CONTRACT<br />FOR LEASE OF CAPACITY ON HOT BIRD™ 7A SATELLITE<br />Paris 4 January 2006<br />Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and Telekom Srbija today announced the<br />signature of a contract for the lease of capacity on the HOT BIRD™ 7A broadcast satellite,<br />which is scheduled for launch on 21 February 2006. The contract concerns one HOT BIRD™<br />7A transponder for an initial period of three years, extendable to five.<br />Telekom Srbija, Serbia’s leading telecommunications operator, will use the capacity to<br />develop a new offer of digital broadcasting services via a digital platform which will be<br />operational for HOT BIRD™ 7A’s entry into commercial service. It will support the<br />development of domestic digital broadcasting in Serbia and Montenegro, while the broad<br />reach of Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood will also enable reception of channels<br />throughout Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, thereby providing a connection for the<br />region’s expatriate population. Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood reaches a measured<br />audience of more than 110 million homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, of<br />which 45 million are satellite homes.<br />Commenting on the contract’s signature, Drasko Petrovic, Chairman of Telekom Srbija, said:<br />“The introduction of our digital broadcast platform – the first in Serbia – is an important step<br />for the entire audiovisual landscape of our country. By employing the most recent digital<br />technology, we have the best means of supporting the television and radio programmes of<br />Serbia and Montenegro in their desire to reach all of our people who live in Europe and the<br />Mediterranean countries. Maintaining the link between our homeland and the expatriate<br />community is an extremely important task, which we can fulfil by making our domestic<br />television and radio news programmes accessible in our own territory and in the world.”<br />Giuliano Berretta, Eutelsat CEO, said: “We are particularly pleased to work with Telekom<br />Srbija in launching the country’s first digital broadcast services. The agreement shows the<br />true dynamics of the remarkable digital age in central and eastern Europe and the key role of<br />our HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood in enabling these countries to achieve coverage of their<br />national territories and develop reach across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.”<br /><br />About HOT BIRD™ 7A<br />Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ 7A broadcast satellite will be located after launch in geostationary<br />orbit at 13 degrees East, the company’s prime neighbourhood for television and radio<br />broadcasting to cable and satellite homes. To be launched by Arianespace, the satellite is<br />built by Alcatel Space and its mass at launch is approximately 4 tonnes. Equipped with 38<br />Ku-band transponders, it will replace existing capacity at 13 degrees East and, together with<br />the HOT BIRD™ 8 satellite due for launch in the first half of 2006, will provide in-orbit<br />redundancy and sparing at the HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood, which today hosts 850<br />television channels and 550 radio stations.<br />About Eutelsat Communications<br />Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding<br />company of Eutelsat S.A. The Group is a leading satellite operator with capacity<br />commercialised on 22 satellites providing coverage over the entire European continent, as<br />well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas. The<br />Group is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. Its satellites<br />are used for broadcasting over 1,700 TV and 860 radio stations to nearly 120 million cable<br />and satellite homes. The Group also provides TV contribution services, corporate networks,<br />mobile positioning and communications, Internet backbone connectivity and broadband<br />access for terrestrial, maritime and inflight applications. Eutelsat Communications is<br />headquartered in Paris, and the Group’s workforce comprises over 450 commercial,<br />technical and operational employees from 25 countries.<br />
www.eutelsat.com<br />Eutelsat<br />Vanessa O’Connor, Frédérique Gautier<br />Tel: + 33 1 53 98 38 88<br />voconnor@eutelsat.fr<br />fgautier@eutelsat.fr
