Eutelsat's Tooway(TM) Satellite Broadband Service to Help Deliver Ireland's National Broadband Scheme

Eutelsat's Tooway(TM) Satellite Broadband Service to Help Deliver Ireland's
National Broadband Scheme

PARIS, October 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eutelsat Communications
(Euronext Paris: ETL), Europe's leading satellite operator, today announced
that its Tooway(TM) satellite broadband service has been chosen under
Ireland's National Broadband Scheme to deliver high speed broadband
connectivity to homes and businesses in rural Ireland.
Tooway(TM) distributor Satellite Broadband Ireland will deliver the
service under its recently won contract from 3, the leading Irish mobile
broadband provider running the National Broadband Scheme on behalf of the
Irish Government. Under the scheme, Tooway's(TM) satellite broadband service
will be delivered to up to 5% of the 223,000 targeted buildings across rural
Ireland. Those qualifying under the scheme will receive Tooway's(TM) 3.6 Mbps
broadband service for EUR19.99 per month, following a one-off EUR49.00
installation & hardware charge.
The National Broadband Scheme sees an estimated EUR223 million investment
by 3, of which a maximum of EUR79.8 million will be contributed by the Irish
Government and EU, to provide broadband services to the designated electoral
districts covered by the scheme.
Arduino Patacchini, Eutelsat Multimedia Director, said: "The choice of
Tooway(TM) and our partner Satellite Broadband Ireland to deliver broadband
services to the most rural homes and businesses in Ireland underlines the
core role satellites are actively playing in building an inclusive digital
environment across Europe."
Kevin Ryan, CEO of Satellite Broadband Ireland, said; "Satellite
Broadband Ireland chose to use Eulestat's world-leading Tooway(TM) satellite
broadband technology as they are the largest broadband provider through
satellite in Europe. Eutelsat's experience in this sector was also a major
factor in our selection."
Commenting on the announcement Damien Gallagher, NBS Project Director, 3
said: "This strategic agreement with Satellite Broadband Ireland is an
important part of our National Broadband Scheme roll-out. Satellite broadband
is the only viable option in a small percentage of buildings without which
certain parts of rural Ireland would remain unconnected. 3 chose Satellite
Broadband Ireland's cutting-edge, innovative technology and their
highly-skilled and experienced Irish workforce."
Tooway(TM) is the first two-way satellite broadband service in Europe
offering speeds and costs similar to ADSL. The service is based on Eutelsat's
satellite coverage, the commercial and infrastructure operating experience of
Eutelsat's subsidiary Skylogic, and SurfBeam technology developed by ViaSat.
This technology used by Tooway(TM) comes to Europe after acquiring extensive
experience on the North American market, where ViaSat already provides the
equipment and network for over 400,000 homes with satellite broadband access
fully independent from the terrestrial network. Today, Tooway(TM) already
serves customers via more than 40 distributors in 24 countries including
Ireland, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Greece, with
additional countries across Europe rolling-out over the coming months.
The Tooway(TM) solution consists of a small satellite dish and a modem
connected to the PC, giving customers immediate broadband access following a
simple installation. In addition, the Tooway(TM) service has the ability to
deliver Voice over satellite telephony services and Direct-to-Home television
using the Tooway(TM) dish. Tooway(TM) is delivered via a network of certified
distributors whose contact details can be found at http://www.tooway.com.
In 2010, Eutelsat will expand the service with additional broadband
access up to 10Mbps. These revolutionary broadband speeds will come from the
launch of KA-SAT, the dedicated new satellite from Eutelsat specifically
designed for broadband delivery in Europe. The satellite, which has the
combined capacity of 40 traditional satellites, will enable Eutelsat to serve
up to two million European homes at a similar speed, price and quality to
terrestrial ADSL2 services.
About Eutelsat Communications
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is
the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 27
satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well
as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the
Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in
terms of revenues. At 30 June 2009, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting
almost 3,200 television channels and 1,100 radio stations. More than 1,000
channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees
East which serves over 123 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the
Middle East and North Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a wide range
of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets,
corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and
for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband
subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates services through teleports in
France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government
agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 610 commercial,
technical and operational employees from 28 countries.
http://www.eutelsat.com
About Skylogic
Skylogic provides satellite broadband communications services for
Internet access (via IP protocol) and for television transmissions to
corporate enterprises and public bodies. The Turin-based company is a
subsidiary of Eutelsat. SkyPark, Skylogic's teleport, houses one of the
largest platforms in the world for two-way broadband IP transmissions.
Skylogic's satellite networks are interconnected by optic fibre to the
largest operators in the sector, guaranteeing connectivity in Europe, the
Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, North Africa and America.
For further information visit: http://www.skylogic.com and
http://www.tooway.com

For further information

Press contacts
Vanessa O'Connor
Tel: + 33-1-53-98-38-88
voconnor@eutelsat.fr

Frederique Gautier
Tel: + 33-1-53-98-38-88
fgautier@eutelsat.fr

Investor relations
Gilles Janvier
Tel: + 33-1-53-98-35-30
investors@eutelsat-communications.com

UK Press Contact:
Paul Smith
Email: Psmith@rscassociates.net
Tel: +44(0)7770-828525

SOURCE Eutelsat Communications

For further information: Press contacts, Vanessa O'Connor, Tel: +
33-1-53-98-38-88, voconnor@eutelsat.fr; Frederique Gautier, Tel: +
33-1-53-98-38-88, fgautier@eutelsat.fr; Investor relations: Gilles Janvier,
investors@eutelsat-communications.com, Tel: +33-1-53-98-35-30,
investors@eutelsat-communications.com; UK Press Contact: Paul Smith, Email:
Psmith@rscassociates.net, Tel: +44(0)7770-828525