SES AMERICOM and Iris Expand Digital Satellite Services to Europe and Northern Africa Cooperative Relationship Leverages Efficient Platform and Satellite Footprint

PRINCETON, NJ – October 13, 2003 - SES AMERICOM, an SES GLOBAL Company (Luxembourg and Frankfurt Stock Exchange: SESG), and Iris Gateway Satellite Services Ltd. announced a cooperative arrangement to provide Pan European digital satellite services through the Sirius 2 satellite and Iris’s Cyprus teleport. The arrangement combines a dedicated transponder on the Sirius 2 satellite and a state of the art, multi-channel, MPEG-2/DVB digital platform at the Cyprus teleport. Typical services made possible through this platform are: distribution of digital television programs with audio and data services to cable headends, point to point links, Direct-to-Home programming, and occasional use services.

Tassos Partzilis, Managing Director of Iris, said, “Cyprus is uniquely situated in the Mediterranean to send and receive signals from Europe, Asia and Africa. Our relationship with AMERICOM and this new service positions us as a premier communications enabler for this region. The strong coverage of Sirius 2 combined with the technical capabilities of our teleport provides customers with a wide range of value added services that can be tailored to specific customer needs over a vast geographic region.”

“Global broadcasters and programmers that want digital quality reach in Europe, the Mediterranean and north Africa will really appreciate what we and Iris have accomplished,” said Andreas Georghiou, SES AMERICOM’s Senior Vice President, International Satellite Services. “Through our combined efforts, live, end-to-end digital coverage of the Athens 2004 Olympics will be possible from each venue to homes and distribution points in the Sirius 2 footprint.”

Sirius 2 is a high-powered BSS satellite delivering DTH, cable television, broadcast and broadband Internet data applications within Europe and North Africa. Operational since January of 1998 from 5 degrees East, the satellite provides service for pan-regional broadcasters, regional feeds of global TV channels, business television, pay-per-view movie services for cable, and horse racing coverage. Sirius 2, owned and operated by NSAB, has been marketed by AMERICOM for its customers’ pan-European services since 1998.

About Iris Gateway Satellite Services Ltd.
Established in 1999, Iris is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cyta, the main provider of telecommunication services in Cyprus. The company provides turnaround services from its facilities in Cyprus, offering high quality links between Europe and Asia. The basic services are mainly based on DVB technology and focus on the provision of audio, video and data. By building on the strengths of its competent personnel and modern facilities, Iris remains committed to quality and offers premium services to its customers at competitive prices.
 
About SES AMERICOM
The largest supplier of satellite services in the U.S., SES AMERICOM, Inc. is recognized as a pioneer of global satellite communications services. Established in 1973 with its first satellite circuit for the U.S. Armed Forces, the company currently operates a fleet of 16 spacecraft in orbital positions providing service throughout the Americas, across Europe, over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and throughout Asia. As a member of the SES GLOBAL family, AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions to any region in the world. SES AMERICOM key customers include ABC Radio Networks, AT&T Alascom, British Telecom, Deutsche Welle, Discovery, EchoStar, Fox, Gannett, Gemstar/TV Guide, HBO, Hughes Network Systems, NBC, The New York Times, NHK, PaxNet, PBS, TELE Greenland, TimeWarner, TV Europa, Verestar, Viacom and, through AMERICOM Government Services, various agencies of the U.S. government.


CONTACT:

Yioula Papadamou, Iris Gateway Satellite Services Ltd
+357 22 707163
yioula.papadamou@irissat.com

or

Monica Morgan, SES AMERICOM
+1-609-987-4143
monica.morgan@ses-americom.com