New Skies’ primary European gateway to NSS-6 satellite to offer video, voice and IP links to Middle East and Asia Pacific
THE HAGUE, Netherlands, February 9, 2004 – New Skies Satellites N.V. (AEX, NYSE: NSK), the global satellite communications company, today announced a new teleport in Athens, Greece, which will serve as its primary European gateway to the Middle East, Africa and Asia, relaying broadband Internet, voice and data traffic, as well as digital video transmissions via the NSS-6 satellite. The hub will be provided by Greece’s UNITEL Hellas S.A., the latest partner in New Skies’ growing global mediaport network.
The new Mediterranean mediaport, located outside of Athens, features Ku-band uplink facilities accessing New Skies’ NSS-6 satellite. As the company’s primary European gateway to NSS-6, New Skies will be able to use the facility to offer existing and potential customers throughout Europe high-powered and complete coverage of the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and Australia.
New Skies also announced the launch of a new IPsys® IP transmission platform at the mediaport, which will be capable of providing a number of value-added services, including direct Internet backbone connectivity and Voice over IP (VoIP) transmissions. The new platform will be dedicated to Internet service providers, telecommunications carriers, government agencies and businesses located throughout Europe and the Middle East.
With the addition of the new IPsys® platform, New Skies will operate a total of 20 platforms for IPsys® services via five satellites and six separate teleport facilities on four continents. In total, these platforms provide over 1 Gbps of contracted capacity to more than 100 customers throughout the world. This makes New Skies the world’s leading provider of satellite-delivered IP traffic.
Nigel Gibson, New Skies’ vice president of sales for Europe, said: “The new Mediterranean mediaport will act as a principal hub for communications between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, supporting the transmission of video, telephony and Internet communications, including Voice over IP, between Europe and the Middle East and Asia.
“Additionally, through this new gateway, we offer a powerful platform for the contribution of European video content to cable systems and DTH operators throughout the Asia Pacific, and vice versa. In fact, it’s the only Ku-band network with complete coverage of Asia and Australia at DTH power levels.”
Given the facility’s location just outside of Athens, the new mediaport will be instrumental in supporting New Skies’ special events and occasional-use services associated with the 2004 Athens Games. With direct access to NSS-6, newsgatherers and broadcasters will be able to contribute continuous coverage from the games to virtually any location in Asia or Australia at DTH power levels.
The agreement with UNITEL builds on New Skies’ comprehensive strategy of partnering with leading teleport operators throughout the world for the global transmission and distribution of customer broadcast feeds, cable programming, IP traffic and voice and data services.
In addition to UNITEL, New Skies has agreements with Hong-Kong’s REACH, Singapore-based ST Teleport, the United Kingdom’s Kingston inmedia and Satlink in Israel, as well as mediaport partners in the United States for international gateway services to the Pacific Ocean region. The company also operates its wholly owned mediaports in Washington D.C. and in Perth and Adelaide, Australia. Together, these facilities compose a worldwide mediaport network providing first-class connectivity to New Skies’ global satellite fleet, one of the industry’s youngest and most reliable networks.
About UNITEL Hellas
UNITEL Hellas, a member of the Info-Quest Group of Companies (Athens Stock Exchange: IQT) is one of the most dynamic teleports in Southeast Europe, covering both east and west with its infrastructure. By investing in the latest technologies and know-how, UNITEL has retained a leadership position in the Mediterranean basin for the last 10 years. It offers specialized telecommunication services, within the cutting edge of satellite communications. In addition, UNITEL is positioning itself as a major player in the upcoming Olympic Games by developing a one-stop-shop solution for any broadcaster, with services such as pre- and post-production facilities, studios, SNGs, standup locations and administrative offices.
About New Skies Satellites
New Skies Satellites (AEX, NYSE: NSK) is one of only four fixed satellite communications companies with truly global satellite coverage, offering video, voice, data and Internet communications services to a range of telecommunications carriers, broadcasters, large corporations, Internet service providers and government organizations around the world. New Skies has five satellites in orbit, ground facilities around the world and one additional spacecraft under construction. The company also has secured certain rights to make use of additional orbital positions for future growth. New Skies is headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands, and has offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, New Delhi, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C. Additional information is available at www.newskies.com.
For additional information, please contact:
Elizabeth Hess, New Skies Satellites
Tel: +31 70 306 4133
Mobile + 31 6 29062492
ehess@newskies.com
