SES NOTIFIED BY LUXEMBOURG ON ITU CONCLUSION REGARDING ORBITAL DISPUTE

SES has been notified by the Luxembourg administration of the conclusion by the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that the satellite network Europesat 1 has not been brought into use at 29° East within the required time period. The Board has instructed the Radiocommunication Bureau to no longer take Europesat 1 into account when analyzing modifications or enhancements to the BSS (Broadcast Satellite Services) plan.

Comments Romain Bausch, Director General and Chairman of the Management Committee of SES: "This conclusion by the ITU confirms our strongly held view that in orbit testing cannot be considered as 'bringing into use' of a satellite at an orbital position. We look forward to further developing, together with our private and public broadcasting clients, the 28.2° East position as the prime orbital slot for digital services targeting the UK and Ireland."

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Note to the Editor:

SES currently operates the ASTRA 1D satellite at 28,2° East and the satellite is used by BSkyB, BBC and Flextech. The digital programme line-up for the UK and Ireland will be further enhanced following the launch of ASTRA 2A scheduled onboard of a Proton launch vehicle for August 26^th, 1998.