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