SES ASTRA, an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG), announced
today that it has signed an agreement with the leading Spanish pay-TV
operator Sogecable to use an additional transponder. This transponder
located at the prime orbital slot 19.2(degrees) East will allow
Sogecable to transmit new digital TV channels as well as to broadcast
in High Definition (HD) quality. With the new agreement, Sogecable has
secured a total of 11 transponders with SES ASTRA on a long term
basis.
"The new agreement with Sogecable underlines the importance of our
main orbital position 19.2(degrees) East for the Spanish market and
for the delivery of standard digital and HD programming", said
Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA. "We will
further build on our relationship with our long-standing customer
Sogecable and continue to deliver highest quality services to
broadcasters and satellite TV homes in Spain."
SES ASTRA is the one of the leading satellite operators in Spain.
The SES group is present in Spain since 1993, mainly with its customer
Sogecable, and since 1997 also with the transmission of the first
digital satellite TV platform Canal Satelite Digital (CSD).
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 ASTRA satellite fleet currently comprises 13
satellites, transmitting 1,864 analogue and digital television and
radio channels. SES ASTRA also provides satellite-based multimedia,
internet and telecommunication services to enterprises, governments
and their agencies. With 26 High Definition (HD) channels available
via its satellites today, ASTRA is also the most important HDTV
broadcasting platform in Europe. ASTRA's prime orbital positions are
19.2(degrees) East, 28.2(degrees) East, and 23.5(degrees) 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 37 satellites in 25 orbital positions around the globe.
Additional information on SES is available at: www.ses.com
