The Hague, The Netherlands, March 29, 2001 – New Skies Satellites N.V. (AEX, NYSE: NSK), the Netherlands-based global satellite communications company, announced today that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has granted the company’s request for full authority to serve customers in the U.S. market.

To date, U.S.-based customers were allowed to use New Skies satellites only until August 2002. Removal of this temporary restriction was subject to New Skies’ compliance with a number of conditions established in a recent U.S. law.

In March 2000, the U.S. Congress passed the ORBIT Act, which addresses the privatization of the intergovernmental satellite organizations, including INTELSAT, and its spin-off, New Skies. One of the Act’s provisions was a requirement for the substantial dilution of New Skies’ inherited shareholder base through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) so that New Skies’ shareholder structure would be distinct from that of INTELSAT’s.

In October, 2000, New Skies successfully completed its IPO, selling over 30 million shares and diluting the shareholdings of its INTELSAT owners by more than 23 percent. Following its IPO, New Skies petitioned the FCC for normalization of its U.S. customers’ licenses.

Robert Ross, Chief Executive Officer of New Skies Satellites, said: “We are delighted that the FCC has normalized the licenses of our U.S. customers. This will allow us to compete on a level playing field with other private commercial satellite operators serving the U.S. market. It also encourages us to exploit our orbital slots in the U.S. arc and to expand both our satellite fleet and service offerings for the U.S. market.

“By ensuring that New Skies can compete fairly in the market, the FCC’s decision is a victory for New Skies and a victory for U.S. satellite users and the public.”

ABOUT NEW SKIES (AEX, NYSE: NSK)
New Skies is a global satellite communications company with five satellites in geosynchronous orbit and ground facilities around the world. New Skies has three new satellites under construction, one due for launch in late 2001 over the Atlantic Ocean Region, a second in late 2002 over Asia, and a third in late 2003 over the Americas. Headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands, and with offices in London, New Delhi, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, DC, New Skies is one of only three fixed satellite services companies with truly global satellite coverage. New Skies offers video, voice, data and Internet communications services to a range of telecommunications carriers, broadcasters, large corporations and Internet service providers around the world. In line with its growth strategy, New Skies has secured rights to make use of six additional orbital positions and continues to broaden and diversify its customer base and to expand its provision of value-added, bundled communications services.

By combining its satellite resources with terrestrial communications facilities, New Skies plans to provide a broadening range of state-of-the-art, value-added, high-quality satellite communications services. New Skies’ fastest growing revenue stream comes from data transmissions, including Internet traffic and corporate networks. New Skies estimates that approximately 61% of new business in 2000 was for Internet services. The company completed its Initial Public Offering in October 2000, listing on both the Euronext Amsterdam exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.

Additional information is available at http://www.newskies.com.

For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Hess, New Skies Satellites
+31 6 2906 2492
ehess@newskies.com