EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 Satellite Now in Geostationary Orbit With All Communications Antennas Deployed

DOHA and PARIS, September 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and Es'hailSat announce that their jointly owned EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 satellite, launched on August 29, has reached geostationary orbit. The sequence for release and deployment of solar arrays and communications antennas has been successfully completed by Space Systems/Loral, the satellite's manufacturer, and the satellite's payload was switched on on September 8. EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 is now undergoing a series of in-orbit tests managed by Eutelsat from its Rambouillet teleport, near Paris.

Eutelsat and Es'hailSat schedule to bring their jointly owned satellite into service at 25.5° East at the end of October. EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 is designed to serve broadcasters, businesses and public agencies in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia via capacity in the Ku and Ka-bands. It will replace the EUTELSAT 25C satellite at the key 25.5° East position to provide both superior geographic coverage and increased capacity to address dynamically expanding digital markets. Following EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1's entry into service Eutelsat will redeploy its EUTELSAT 25C to another location where it will pursue commercial service.   

About Eutelsat Communications

With capacity commercialised on 32 satellites delivering reach of  Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, significant parts of the Americas and the Asia-Pacific, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the world's leading satellite operators. As of 30 June 2013, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 4,600 television channels to over 200 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Group's satellites also provide a wide range of services for TV contribution, corporate networks and fixed and mobile broadband markets. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ over 780 commercial, technical and operational professionals from 30 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

About Es'hailSat

Es'hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company was established in 2010. Based in Doha, Qatar, the company will own and operate satellites to serve broadcasters, businesses and governments. Es'hail 1, which shares a spacecraft platform with the European satellite operator Eutelsat, was successfully launched on 29^thAugust 2013. The satellite will provide television, voice, Internet, corporate and government services across the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond. Es'hail 2 is currently under development and will be located at the 26 degrees East TV broadcasting hotspot.

http://www.eshailsat.qa

SOURCE Eutelsat Communications