EUTELSAT COMMUNICA : EUTELSAT AND SPEEDCAST TEAM WITH FURUNO FOR SATELLITE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS AT SEA IN KU-BAND

PR Newswire/Les Echos/

PR/01/09

EUTELSAT AND SPEEDCAST TEAM WITH FURUNO FOR SATELLITE-BASED
COMMUNICATIONS AT SEA IN KU-BAND

FURUNO, world leader in maritime navigation and communication systems, has
entered the MVSAT airtime broadband market in Ku-band with its new "SafeComNet"
service using the innovative seamless Auto Beam Switching (ABS) Ku-band service
provided by its partners Eutelsat and SpeedCast

Hong Kong / Paris, 14 January 2009

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and SpeedCast announce a major
commercial agreement with Furuno, one of the leading companies in the maritime
equipment and service sectors. According to the agreement, Eutelsat and
SpeedCast will provide their innovative seamless Auto Beam Switching (ABS)
Ku-band broadband maritime service, satellite capacity and teleport services to
support Furuno's new "SafeComNet" service which provides maritime fleets with
seamless communications across all major shipping lanes and regions covered by
Ku-band satellites.

Furuno's SafeComNet service is principally targeting operators of merchant
shipping and fishing fleets who want to integrate enhanced on-board applications
in order to optimise productivity and improve crew welfare. The satellite-based
broadband service will enable secure offshore Virtual Private Networks to be
established with land-based offices so that a ship in effect becomes a mobile
office fully integrated into an overall network. Additional services to crew,
including Internet access, email, GSM connectivity, Video-on-Demand and IPTV
services could be carried through the same satellite broadband connection.

With the launch of SafeComNet, Furuno is entering the MVSAT airtime business to
complement its core products and services with a unique proposition. Using
SpeedCast and Eutelsat's Ku-band maritime broadband network, Furuno will be able
to offer the maritime industry innovative Auto Beam Switching technology in
Ku-band, which offers a seamless service with no manual intervention for crew as
vessels pass from one satellite coverage to another.


The new service will serve key shipping routes using Ku-band capacity,
principally on Eutelsat and AsiaSat satellites. In addition to a fixed fee per
ship, irrespective of usage, the use of small one-metre stabilised satellite
antennas marks a major innovation. Compared with 2.4 metre C-band systems,
Ku-band antennas will reduce equipment costs by more than 50% and space occupied
on deck by more than 60%.

Commenting on the agreement with Furuno, Arduino Patacchini, Eutelsat's Director
of Multimedia said: "We are very excited to build with Furuno a highly-targeted
broadband access solution for the shipping industry. The development of this
service underscores Eutelsat's objective to expand and diversify our range of
mobile satellite broadband products into transport markets at sea and in
flight."

Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast in Hong Kong added: "We are delighted to
sign a partnership agreement with such a recognised company in the maritime
industry as Furuno. Our service required an established maritime partner with
sales and maintenance capabilities, and this is definitely what Furuno brings to
the table. With this partnership, Furuno will now be able to offer its customers
a true "one-stop-shop" solution which includes equipment, bandwidth, servicing
and applications. This opens the promise of a seamless and cost-effective
broadband telecommunications service for the maritime industry."

"In response to the constantly growing demand for reliable and efficient
maritime communications solutions offering increased bandwidths at affordable
rates, Furuno decided to team with two of the world-leading satellite service
providers, Eutelsat and SpeedCast, to launch SafeComNet. Our partnership allows
us to combine hardware offered by Furuno with satellite airtime services for our
"One Stop Shop Solution" of all-inclusive satellite-based broadband
communications services. Our co-operation with Eutelsat and SpeedCast will help
improve the connectivity at sea required by an increasing number of ship-owners
worldwide." said Freddie Hansen, Managing Director of Furuno Denmark.

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 30
September 2008, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,180
television channels and 1,100 radio stations. Almost 1,100 channels broadcast
via its HOT BIRDTM 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 538 commercial, technical and operational experts from
27 countries. 
www.eutelsat.com

For further information

Press
Vanessa O'Connor   Tel:[phone]  [e-mail]
Frédérique Gautier Tel:[phone]  [e-mail]
Investors
Gilles Janvier     Tel:[phone]  [e-mail]



About SpeedCast
Founded in September of 1999, SpeedCast is a leading satellite communications
service provider in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Fully owned by Asia
Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (AsiaSat) SpeedCast is specialized in
delivering communications solutions ranging from Broadband Internet to managed
bandwidth to triple play networks. It is also a pioneer in the delivery of
digital media content and turnkey video platforms to Service Providers and Media
Broadcasters, including 3G TV and DVB-H solutions. Operating on many different
satellites in both C-band and Ku-band, and partnering with Tier 1 carriers for
fibre requirements, SpeedCast and its 80 partners worldwide provide first-class
services and 24/7 technical support.

For more information please contact
 
Caroline Paul
Tel:[phone]
Email:[e-mail]
                      
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