Nilesat and Eutelsat sign a new strategic agreement to develop the 7 degrees west video neighbourhood for the Middle East and North Africa

This new phase of collaboration between Nilesat and Eutelsat follows the recent successful launch of Eutelsat's HOT BIRD(TM) 10 satellite that will first be commercialised at 7 degrees West under the name ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A.

Eutelsat has been partnering with Nilesat at 7 degrees West since July 2006 when its ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4 satellite was copositioned with the Nilesat 101 and Nilesat 102 satellites. This constellation of three satellites at a single neighbourhood currently comprises 39 transponders, which transmit more than 450 television channels to an audience over 38m homes. The development of the shared neighbourhood will move into a new phase with the commercial entry into service later this month of ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A at 7 degrees West, enabling Nilesat to boost through to 2019 the number of transponders it leases from Eutelsat.

The collaboration between both operators will move into a third phase with the deployment in mid-2010 of the Nilesat 201 satellite procured by Nilesat. This will be followed in 2011 by the arrival of ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4R which Eutelsat recently confirmed it will shortly procure.

When the agreement was signed, Amin Bassyouni, CEO of Nilesat, said:

"This new strategic agreement comes after a full leveraging of capacity at 7 degrees West to meet the growing demand from Nilesat. We are pleased to conclude this new agreement which shapes for the next decade the mutual partnership and cooperation between Nilesat and Eutelsat. With this achievement and the launch of Nilesat 201, Nilesat and Eutelsat are developing 7 degrees West services and applications."

Giuliano Berretta, Chairman and CEO of Eutelsat Communications, added: "With the deployment of ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A Eutelsat is immediately increasing to 24 from 15 the number of leased transponders at 7 degrees West and thereby demonstrating a strong response to demand for capacity. We are delighted with our continued spirit of close cooperation with Nilesat which is fuelling the development of a fully digital broadcasting environment in the Middle East, the Gulf and North Africa. Our shared aim is to provide the optimal response to customer demand as we jointly consolidate the leading role of the 7 degrees West neighbourhood with the broadest array of regional and international channels."

Olivier Millies-Lacroix, Eutelsat's Commercial Director added: "Dynamic management of our in-orbit resources is a fundamental issue for Eutelsat, enabling us to address our growing community of users. By deploying ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A to 7 degrees West we are immediately increasing our available bandwidth at this position by over 30%. Through dynamic management of the resources on this new satellite and our ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 2 satellite at the adjacent position of 8 degrees West, we expect shortly to further increase available capacity at 7 degrees West by up to four transponders."