Eutelsat's ATLANTIC BIRD? 7 Satellite Goes Live, Boosting Resources and Reach at the Premier Video Neighbourhood in Middle East and North Africa

Eutelsat's ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7 Satellite Goes Live, Boosting Resources and Reach at the Premier Video Neighbourhood in Middle East and North Africa

PARIS, October 24, 2011/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) announces the full entry
into commercial service of its high-capacity ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7 satellite
one month after its launch to 7 degrees West.

The transfer of all television channels onto ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7 at 7
degrees West from the ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A satellite was completed in the
early hours of October 23 by Eutelsat's control centre, working in close
collaboration with broadcast clients and providers of uplink services.

More than 400 TV channels are now broadcasting via ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7
into almost 30 million homes located from the North African Atlantic
coastline across to the Gulf states. The satellite's increased Ku-band
capacity delivers headroom for growth at the premier video neighbourhood in
the region. Its significantly enhanced footprint will also enable
broadcasters to expand reach into satellite homes, notably across North
Africa and in the Gulf.

With ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7's entry into service, Eutelsat is strengthening
its relationship with Nilesat, the Egyptian satellite operator that also
manages its own system of three satellites at the 7 degrees West
neighbourhood. Nilesat is leasing new transponders on Eutelsat's satellite
in addition to leases transferred from ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A. The
supplemental capacity will further anchor the 7degree(s) West neighbourhood
in the satellite broadcasting market across the MENA region, enabling
Nilesat and Eutelsat to boost resources for digital channels and HDTV which
is rapidly making inroads at 7 degrees West, with 30 HDTV channels already
broadcasting.

Having completed its mission at 7 degrees West, the ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A
satellite is now released to continue full commercial service at another
Eutelsat location. The satellite is being redeployed to 3 degrees East to
address data and telecoms markets in Europe and South-West Asia. It will be
called EUTELSAT 3C and will be colocated at 3 degrees East with EUTELSAT 3A.

Built for Eutelsat by Astrium, ATLANTIC BIRD[TM] 7 is based on the
Eurostar E3000 platform, with a launch mass of 4.6 tonnes and a spacecraft
power of 12kW. Astrium was in charge of flight operations and specialised
support during the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) operations, and will
continue to support Eutelsat by monitoring the satellite throughout its more
than 15 year mission from its satellite monitoring centre in Toulouse.

Click on the link below for ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7's frequencies for TV
reception:

http://www.eutelsat.com/satellites/7w-ab7.html

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234)
is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 27
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. As of 30 June 2011, Eutelsat's satellites were
broadcasting more than 3,800 television channels. More than 1,100 channels
are broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East
alone 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 access to high speed internet
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 just over 700 commercial, technical and operational professionals
from 30 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

Source: Eutelsat Communications

For further information: Press: Vanessa O'Connor, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-37-91, voconnor@eutelsat.fr ; Frédérique Gautier, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-37-91, fgautier@eutelsat.fr . Analysts and Investors: Lisa Finas, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-35-30, investors@eutelsat-communications.com ; Léonard Wapler, Tel. : +33-1-53-98-31-07, investors@eutelsat-communications.com .

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