Nilesat and Eutelsat Sign a New Strategic Agreement to Develop the 7 degrees West Video Neighbourhood for the Middle East and North Africa

Nilesat and Eutelsat Sign a New Strategic Agreement to Develop the 7 degrees West Video Neighbourhood for the Middle East and North Africa

PARIS, March 24/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nilesat, the Egyptian satellite company, and Eutelsat
Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) today announced the signature of a new
strategic agreement to pursue the development of the 7 degrees West orbital
position which is used by both companies for satellite broadcasting across
the Middle East; the Gulf countries and North Africa. This new phase of
collaboration between Nilesat and Eutelsat follows the recent successful
launch of Eutelsat's HOT BIRD(TM) 10 satellite that will first be
commercialised at 7 degrees West under the name ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A.

Eutelsat has been partnering with Nilesat at 7 degrees West
since July 2006 when its ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4 satellite was copositioned with
the Nilesat 101 and Nilesat 102 satellites. This constellation of three
satellites at a single neighbourhood currently comprises 39 transponders,
which transmit more than 450 television channels to an audience over 38
million homes. The development of the shared neighbourhood will move into a
new phase with the commercial entry into service later this month of ATLANTIC
BIRD(TM) 4A at 7 degrees West, enabling Nilesat to boost through to 2019 the
number of transponders it leases from Eutelsat.

The collaboration between both operators will move into a
third phase with the deployment in mid-2010 of the Nilesat 201 satellite
procured by Nilesat. This will be followed in 2011 by the arrival of ATLANTIC
BIRD(TM) 4R which Eutelsat recently confirmed it will shortly procure.

When the agreement was signed, Amin Bassyouni, CEO of Nilesat,
said: "This new strategic agreement comes after a full leveraging of capacity
at 7 degrees West to meet the growing demand from Nilesat. We are pleased to
conclude this new agreement which shapes for the next decade the mutual
partnership and cooperation between Nilesat and Eutelsat. With this
achievement and the launch of Nilesat 201, Nilesat and Eutelsat are
developing 7 degrees West services and applications."

Giuliano Berretta, Chairman and CEO of Eutelsat
Communications, added: "With the deployment of ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A Eutelsat
is immediately increasing to 24 from 15 the number of leased transponders at
7 degrees West and thereby demonstrating a strong response to demand for
capacity. We are delighted with our continued spirit of close cooperation
with Nilesat which is fuelling the development of a fully digital
broadcasting environment in the Middle East, the Gulf and North Africa. Our
shared aim is to provide the optimal response to customer demand as we
jointly consolidate the leading role of the 7 degrees West neighbourhood with
the broadest array of regional and international channels."

Olivier Millies-Lacroix, Eutelsat's Commercial Director added:
"Dynamic management of our in-orbit resources is a fundamental issue for
Eutelsat, enabling us to address our growing community of users. By deploying
ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A to 7 degrees West we are immediately increasing our
available bandwidth at this position by over 30 per cent. Through dynamic
management of the resources on this new satellite and our ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 2
satellite at the adjacent position of 8 degrees West, we expect shortly to
further increase available capacity at 7 degrees West by up to four
transponders."

About Nilesat

Nilesat is the Egyptian Satellite Company, operating and
controlling the two satellites Nilesat 101 and Nilesat 102, in addition to
the capacity on Nilesat 103. Nilesat currently broadcast over 450 TV channels
and over 100 Radio channels, gaining the highest viewership within the MENA
region. As a continuity of its fleet, Nilesat will launch the newest
satellite Nilesat 201 by mid 2010, which will carry new services to the
viewers in the coverage area.

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 31 December 2008, Eutelsat's satellites were
broadcasting more than 3,200 television channels and 1,100 radio stations.
Almost 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) 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 591 commercial,
technical and operational experts from 27 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

For further information

Press contacts
Vanessa O'Connor
Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88
voconnor@eutelsat.fr

Frederique Gautier
Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88
fgautier@eutelsat.fr

Investor relations
Gilles Janvier
Tel: +33-1-53-98-35-30
investors@eutelsat-communications.com

Source: Eutelsat Communications

For further information: Press contacts: Vanessa O'Connor, Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88, voconnor@eutelsat.fr; Frederique Gautier, Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88, fgautier@eutelsat.fr; Investor relations, Gilles Janvier, Tel: +33-1-53-98-35-30, investors@eutelsat-communications.com

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