EUTELSAT and France Telecom have reached a partnership agreement whereby the Telecom 2 satellite currently operated by the latter at the 8 degrees West position will be incorporated into EUTELSAT’s fleet.

According to the agreement EUTELSAT will take over the 11 Ku-band transponders on France Telecom’s Telecom 2 satellite at 8 degrees West until the end of its nominal lifetime which is anticipated in the course of 2004. By this time a new satellite will be deployed at 7/8 degrees West.

The agreement will enable EUTELSAT to satisfy increasing demand for intra-European capacity for business networks, notably the fast growth area of IP-based traffic. The incorporation into the fleet of the Telecom 2 satellite at 8 degrees West will also contribute to the development of EUTELSAT’s Atlantic Gate mission at the neighbouring 12.5 degrees West position, both slots offering comparable earth visibility.

Commenting on this agreement, EUTELSAT Director General Giuliano Berretta indicated: «The partnership with France Telecom is an important step in EUTELSAT’s strategy of geographical expansion. Coming very soon after the decision to order the Atlantic Bird 1 satellite for 12.5 degrees West, the agreement with France Telecom on 8 degrees West clearly demonstrates EUTELSAT’s commitment to keeping the lead as a European operator while also becoming a strong actor on the transatlantic market».

“This agreement will broaden the relationship between EUTELSAT and France Telecom and will ensure the continuity and the development of France Telecom multimedia services at 8 degrees West which offers tremendous opportunities of growth” said Michel Combes, CEO of GlobeCast.

With a fleet of 14 satellites Paris-based EUTELSAT ranks as one of the world’s leading satellite operators, delivering services to Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. In addition to pioneering the delivery of Internet backbone, push and cache services in Europe, EUTELSAT’s satellites broadcast more than 500 digital and analogue television channels to over 70 million satellite and cable homes, and are used for corporate networks, satellite newsgathering, telephony and mobile voice, data and positioning services.

France Telecom is one of the world’s leading telecommunications carriers, with 1998 consolidated operating revenues of 24.6 billion Euro and operations in more than 50 countries. Through GlobeCast, its Broadcast Services Division, France Telecom is also the world’s leading provider of satellite video and audio transmission services. GlobeCast, present in all continents through its business units and partners, offers one-stop-shopping for end-to-end services covering every link in the audio and video broadcast chain, spanning production and post-production, satellite broadcasting, satellite-delivered multimedia and business TV.