AfSat Contracts Additional Capacity on SES NEW SKIES' NSS-7 Spacecraft for Satellite Internet Services into Africa



    SES NEW SKIES, an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG), today
    announced that AfSat, one of Africa's largest VSAT companies, has
    contracted additional capacity on the NSS-7 satellite for its 'iWay'
    broadband via satellite services. Afsat takes on the additional
    satellite capacity to specifically target sub-Saharan customers,
    notably in West Africa and Southern Africa. The terms of the
    five-year, multi-million dollar deal - comprising a bundled solution
    of space segment (approximately 2.7 transponders at 36 MHz) as well as
    teleport and IP backhaul and other services - remain confidential.

    Afsat was formed to provide high-end satellite data network
    solutions for corporations, banks and government organizations in
    Africa. Over the last 10 years, Afsat has been building an
    ever-growing VSAT network and has deployed over 4,000 active Very
    Small Aperture Terminals, making it one of the largest VSAT companies
    on the continent. Afsat offers its satellite broadband services under
    the flagship 'iWay' brand to corporations and public and educational
    establishments, as well as to individuals.

    Salim Suleiman, CEO of Afsat, welcomes the additional SES NEW
    SKIES capacity: "The additional capacity on NSS-7 is vital to the
    continued expansion and sustainability of our network."

    SES NEW SKIES' NSS-7 satellite is a state-of-the-art, hybrid Ku-
    and C-band spacecraft located at 338 degrees East over the Atlantic
    Ocean, providing coverage of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the
    Americas. ISPs and network providers supply North American Internet
    backbone connectivity to Points-of-Presence in Europe, the Middle East
    and Africa via established DVB platforms respectively on NSS-7's
    Ku-band Europe/Middle East beam, and C-band South East Zone beam into
    Southern Africa. NSS-7 is capable of delivering signals into West
    Africa at DTH-type power levels.

    States Jean-Pierre Kabanda, Director of Sales for Africa at SES
    NEW SKIES: "Internet access is increasingly vital for sustained
    economic as well as socio-educational development, and satellites are
    particularly well-suited to bridge any 'digital divide' between areas
    where the internet is accessible via terrestrial means and others
    where it is not. SES NEW SKIES is proud to provide state-of-the-art
    space technology to support Afsat's ubiquitous satellite internet
    service offering for sub-Saharan Africa."

    About NSS-7

    NSS-7 is a powerful, state-of-the-art Ku-band and C-band satellite
    located at 338 degrees East over the Atlantic Ocean. The satellite
    provides optimized coverage and power for the Americas, Europe, Africa
    and the Middle East for video, data, Internet and Government services.
    As the leading satellite for transatlantic video traffic and the
    primary satellite for video distribution across the whole of Africa,
    NSS-7 highlights include:

    -- Home to a DTH platform with 35 channels and an estimated
    100,000 subscribers;

    -- Potential reach of 58 million homes, 82 million people in 40
    nations across Africa;

    -- Positioned at 338 degrees East, one of the leading locations
    for permanent and OU/SNG feeds.

    About SES NEW SKIES

    SES NEW SKIES is an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) offering
    satellite communication services to a range of customers including
    telecommunications providers, broadcasters, corporations and
    governments around the world. SES NEW SKIES operates a global fleet of
    seven satellites in orbit, with 2 additional spacecraft under
    construction (NSS-9 and NSS-12) and ground facilities around the
    world. Headquartered in The Hague, the company has offices in Hong
    Kong, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C. In addition to
    SES NEW SKIES, SES wholly owns the market-leading satellite operators
    SES ASTRA in Europe and SES AMERICOM in North America and also holds
    strategic participations in SES Sirius in Europe, Ciel in Canada and
    Quetzsat in Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications
    solutions via a global fleet of 37 satellites in 25 orbital locations.
    Further information on the company is available at
    www.ses-newskies.com and on SES at www.ses.com