Eutelsat's W3C Satellite in Full Commercial Service - New W3C and ATLANTIC BIRD 7 Satellites Inject Additional Resources and Flexibility Into Eutelsat's Fleet

Eutelsat's W3C Satellite in Full Commercial Service - New W3C and ATLANTIC BIRD 7 Satellites Inject Additional Resources and Flexibility Into Eutelsat's Fleet

PARIS, November 9, 2011/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) today announced the full
entry into commercial service of the powerful W3C satellite at 16degree(s)
East.

The transfer of all traffic, including over 480 television channels,
onto W3C from the EUROBIRD(TM) 16, W2M and SESAT 1 satellites was completed
this morning by Eutelsat's control centre, working in close collaboration
with clients and providers of uplink services.

With the high-capacity W3C going on-line at 16degree(s) East, Eutelsat
is further equipped to service dynamic satellite broadcasting markets in
Central Europe and Indian Ocean islands. Over 11 million homes in Central
Europe and 500,000 in Indian Ocean islands are already equipped to receive
broadcast services from this longstanding Eutelsat neighbourhood.

Pay-TV platforms and public and private broadcasters using W3C include
SBB, Digitalb, TV Max, Tring and TV Romania that are addressing Central
Europe via a high-power footprint optimised for the region. A second
regional footprint centred over Madagascar and Indian Ocean islands is
serving the Canal+ Overseas, Parabole Reunion and Orange platforms as well
as France Televisions to support digital switchover in Reunion Island and
Mayotte.

SBB, operator of Total TV, the leading DTH platform in the Adriatic
region, is taking immediate benefit from W3C's increased capacity to add two
transponders to the six already leased at 16degree(s) East. SBB's additional
capacity, leased to 2020, will be used to support a number of new channels
in all of Total TV's markets.

W3C also opens a new route to Africa, in a region stretching from
Senegal to Madagascar for Direct-To-Home TV broadcasting as well as data and
broadband services. To address high demand for broadband, a new platform
using Sat3Play(R) hub technology provided by Newtec is currently being
installed at Eutelsat's Sardinia teleport. Due to enter commercial service
in early 2012, the new hub will provide broadband services for SOHOs, SMEs
and consumers in western and central Africa.

With a scheduled in-orbit lifetime exceeding 15 years, W3C is based on
the Thales Alenia Space Spacebus 4000 platform. Eutelsat's EUROBIRD(TM) 16
and SESAT 1 and W2M satellites remain in commercial service.

The new satellite enters service two weeks after Eutelsat's ATLANTIC
BIRD(TM) 7 satellite, and forms part of an in-orbit expansion programme that
will continue with the launches of six additional spacecraft from 2012 to
2014.

Click on the link below for W3C's frequencies for TV reception:

http://www.eutelsat.com/satellites/pdf/W3C_16E_FreqChanges.pdf

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234)
is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 29
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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