Steve Maine Appointed by SES ASTRA and Eutelsat as CEO of Joint Venture for Mobile Satellite Services

SES ASTRA (an SES company) (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) and Eutelsat
Communications (Paris: ETL) today announced the appointment, with
immediate effect, of Steve Maine as CEO of their jointly-owned venture
offering Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) in S-Band. The Joint Venture,
known under the name "Solaris", will commercialize the first satellite
infrastructure in Europe for broadcasting video, radio and data to
mobile devices and vehicle receivers as well as a range of interactive
mobile services. Eutelsat`s W2A satellite carrying the S-Band payload
is under construction since October 2006 and is scheduled for launch
at the very beginning of 2009.

As a seasoned executive in international telecommunications,
broadcasting and new media, Steve Maine brings industry-leading
experience into the S-band initiative driven by Europe´s two leading
satellite infrastructure operators. His professional achievements
include the expansion of Kingston Communications from a local UK
telephone company into a major player in voice, data, television and
Internet services. Steve began his career at British Telecom (BT)
where his posts included Director of Visual and Broadcast Services,
which pioneered a strong and lasting satellite broadcasting business
across Europe. He has also served on the board of Scottish Media
Group, Scotland´s main television and radio broadcaster.

Commenting on his appointment, Steve Maine said: "We are standing
on the verge of a whole new market for Mobile Satellite Services and I
believe that no two companies are better-placed than SES ASTRA and
Eutelsat to contribute their industry-leading knowledge and experience
towards a new set of mobile applications of real value to consumers
across Europe. I am convinced that this is the most innovative
opportunity in Europe´s telecommunications and media marketplaces and
I am very excited by the prospects for opening a new chapter in
satellite communications in Europe."

"We are extremely pleased that Steve will be heading one of our
major strategic satellite infrastructure initiatives," said Ferdinand
Kayser, President and CEO of SES ASTRA. "With the Solaris project, we
expand into the next generation of satellite-based businesses and
enter the sector of mobile services. Solaris will offer significant
advantages to network operators, broadcasters and providers of
interactive services."

"Steve has already made a real impact on satellite broadcasting
and telecommunications markets in Europe," said Giuliano Berretta,
Eutelsat Communications CEO. "He has a strong vision of the enormous
potential of the S-band for Mobile Satellite Services, both for
broadcasting and for interactive services, and is well-placed to take
our new venture to market as we head towards countdown to launch at
the beginning of 2009 of our innovative S-Band payload."

The "Solaris" S-band satellite infrastructure will enable the
deployment of a fully-fledged TV experience on mobile devices,
anytime, anywhere. For the first time in Europe a set of frequencies
are being set aside both for terrestrial and satellite services. These
S-Band frequencies sit alongside the UMTS frequencies already in use
across Europe for 3G terrestrial services, facilitating the inclusion
in mobile handsets of these new mobile services. Handsets equipped
with the first DVB-SH chipsets were successfully demonstrated last
week at the 3GSM conference in Barcelona in a demonstration of live
mobile TV in the S-Band. The "Solaris" satellite infrastructure will
also enable a wide range of interactive services for commercial and
public service applications.

About SES ASTRA www.ses-astra.com

SES ASTRA is the leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite system in
Europe, delivering services to more than 109 million DTH and cable
households. The satellite fleet currently comprises 12 ASTRA and three
SIRIUS satellites. The combined satellite system transmits a total of
2,295 analogue and digital television as well as radio channels. SES
ASTRA also provides satellite-based multimedia, internet and
telecommunication services to enterprises, governments and their
agencies. With 30 High Definition (HD) channels available via their
satellites today, ASTRA and SIRIUS are also the most important HDTV
broadcasting platform in Europe. The prime orbital positions for ASTRA
and SIRIUS are 19.2 degree East, 28.2 degree East, 23.5 degree East
and 5 degree East.

SES ASTRA is an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG). SES owns
three market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, SES
AMERICOM in North America, and SES NEW SKIES, which provide global
coverage and connectivity. The Company also holds strategic
participations in SES SIRIUS in Europe, Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in
Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions
via a fleet of 38 satellites in 25 orbital positions around the globe.
Additional information on SES is available at: www.ses.com

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code:
FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity
commercialised on 24 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. At 31
December 2007, Eutelsat´s satellites were broadcasting almost 3,000
television channels and 1,100 radio stations. More than 1,100 channels
broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East
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
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 538 commercial, technical and
operational experts from 27 countries. www.eutelsat.com