Tele Columbus Teams With Eutelsat Germany to Establish New Digital TV-Platform

Tele Columbus Teams With Eutelsat Germany to Establish New Digital TV-Platform

Digitisation of German Cable Homes From Eutelsat EUROBIRD(TM) 9 Satellite

HANOVER, COLOGNE, and BERLIN, February 7/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tele Columbus, Germany's third largest cable operator with
more than 3.7 million homes, and Eutelsat's German subsidiary, Eutelsat
Deutschland today announced they will establish a unique platform for
bundling digital channels and services for German cable homes from Eutelsat's
EUROBIRD(TM) 9 satellite. Located in proximity to Eutelsat's flagship HOT
BIRD(TM) position, EUROBIRD(TM) 9 is fast developing into an important video
neighbourhood for Europe. For Tele Columbus, the cooperation gives the
company more freedom in negotiations with content providers and further
strengthens its position with end-users as a multimedia service provider.

By enabling a portfolio of basic private digital channels to
be made available to Tele Columbus digital cable subscribers and other
network operators, the cooperation marks a milestone in accelerating the
long-awaited transition of Germany's cable market from analogue to digital.
The new platform will shortly begin testing and will officially launch in
May. Starting with two transponders, Tele Columbus plans to ramp up to five
transponders hosting more than 50 digital channels and services. The initial
offer of 20 private German channels will be multiplexed, encrypted and
uplinked to EUROBIRD(TM) 9 by Eutelsat. Digital cable homes served by Tele
Columbus will benefit from an extended variety of commercial channels with
digital quality. The platform is also an important step in extending the
digital service provided by KabelKiosk to independent cable operators and
also to other interested operators. KabelKiosk already delivers 60 German and
international channels to more than 230 cable network operators in Germany.

"We have found with Eutelsat a reliable and strong partner for
the realisation of our digital platform," said Markus Schmid, COO and
President of the Tele Columbus Group. "We will also continue on this path in
the future and drive the migration process from analogue to digital cable
through new initiatives and with the appropriate partners." For Tele
Columbus, the establishment of the new platform is a further important step
in the company's development from an infrastructure provider to a
customer-centered telecommunications and multimedia provider. To further
expand its end-customer business, the company will bundle its networks in
regions with signal access using its own headends, and will offer
individually designed programme bouquets and digital services.

"Our partner Tele Columbus is taking a pioneer role in the
German cable market. This unique partnership is very important for Eutelsat
in several ways. By bundling a basic package of encrypted private channels,
we are establishing a compelling digital offer which will speed the
transition of Germany's cable market from analogue to digital, and give
German homes more choice and improved quality. The selection by Tele Columbus
of EUROBIRD(TM) 9, our newest video neighbourhood, is also a strong signal of
its enormous potential for European cable markets," said Martina Rutenbeck,
Managing Director of Eutelsat Germany's subsidiary Eutelsat visAvision GmbH.

About Tele Columbus

The Tele Columbus Group was formed in November 2006 following
the merger of Tele Columbus GmbH and ewt multimedia GmbH under the umbrella
of Orion Cable. With around 3.7 million connected households Tele Columbus is
currently the third largest cable provider in Germany and the biggest cable
operator on network level 4. In addition to analog television, its range of
products includes digital television, internet and telephone via broadband.
Customers can subscribe to individual products or a real triple-play all-in
package.

http://www.telecolumbus.de

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code:
FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity
commercialised on 24 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 2007, Eutelsat's
satellites were broadcasting over 2,730 television channels, of which more
than 1,000 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood 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 teleports in France and Italy
that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid
organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in
Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 529 commercial, technical and
operational experts from 27 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

Tele Columbus Press contact
Susann Elste Peiner Str. 8
30519 Hannover
Tel.: +49-(30)-3388-1942
susann.elste@telecolumbus.de

Investor Relations
Ralph Poeppel
Tel. : +49-(0)511-9876-932
ralph.poeppel@telecolumbus.de

Eutelsat Press Contacts
Vanessa O'Connor
Tel. : +33-(0)1-53-98-38-88
Frederique Gautier
Tel. : +33-(0)1-53-98-38-88
fgautier@eutelsat.fr

Eutelsat Investor relations
Gilles Janvier
Tel. : +33-(0)1-53-98-35-35
investors@eutelsat-communications.com

Source: Eutelsat Communications

Tele Columbus Press contact: Susann Elste Peiner Str. 8, 30519 Hannover, Tel.: +49-(30)-3388-1942, susann.elste@telecolumbus.de. Investor Relations: Ralph Poeppel, Tel. : +49-(0)511-9876-932, ralph.poeppel@telecolumbus.de. Eutelsat Press Contacts: Vanessa O'Connor, Tel. : +33-(0)1-53-98-38-88, Frederique Gautier, Tel. : +33-(0)1-53-98-38-88, fgautier@eutelsat.fr. Eutelsat Investor relations: Gilles Janvier, Tel. : +33-(0)1-53-98-35-35, investors@eutelsat-communications.com

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