ASTRA CONNECTS EUROPE TO ASIA ASTRA-AsiaSat gateway opens one-stop-shop solution

On the occasion of the official visit of the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Zhu Rongji, to SES' headquarters and satellite control facilities in Betzdorf (Luxembourg) today, SES is pleased to announce that the ASTRA-AsiaSat gateway is now fully installed and operational.

Based in Cyprus, the gateway creates a single-hop turnaround for Europe-based broadcasters and multimedia service providers who want to make their services available throughout Asia, Australasia and the Middle East.

Services from ASTRA's digital customers at 19.2° East and 28.2° East can be downlinked to the Cyprus hub station and uplinked to AsiaSat 2 at the orbital position of 100.5° East for retransmission to audiences within the AsiaSat footprint.

This new technical facility provides a simple and efficient route for SES' clients who now only need to contract with SES to reach potentially 3/4 of the world's population under the combined ASTRA and AsiaSat footprints.

Comments Romain Bausch, Director General and Chairman of the Management Committee of SES: "Europe's and Asia's leading satellite operators are combining forces to create a one-stop-shop solution that will offer our clients an easy way of significantly extending the reach of their services. Following the installation of an ASTRA-Net multimedia platform in Hong Kong, this is a major step towards achieving our objective of establishing a broadband satellite infrastructure with global connectivity."

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About SES/ASTRA

Société Européenne des Satellites S.A. (SES) is the operator of ASTRA, Europe's leading direct-to-home Satellite System. Via nine active satellites at the orbital positions of 19.2° East and 28.2° East, ASTRA transmits in analogue and digital more than 950 different television and radio channels as well as multimedia and Internet services to an audience of close to 78 million homes in Europe. Four additional satellites are under construction and due for launch before end 2001. SES is also a major shareholder in AsiaSat (34.13% since January 15th, 1999).

SES is a pioneer of interactive and multimedia services through SES Multimedia, a wholly owned subsidiary. SES Multimedia operates the ASTRA-NET platform, enabling service and content providers to transmit data directly, via satellite, to personal computers in businesses and homes across Europe.

SES expects to be the first European satellite operator to commercially exploit the Ka-band frequency for interactive and multimedia services in Europe. In 2000, SES will commence operations of a return channel system via satellite which will serve the growing market in Western and Central Europe for 2-way asymmetric, high-speed broadband collection and delivery of multimedia.

SES securities are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (symbol: SES) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (symbol: SDSL).

About AsiaSat

Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), the leading provider of high-quality satellite transponder capacity in Asia, serves over two-thirds of the world's population with its satellites. The AsiaSat satellite system provides services to both the broadcast and telecommunications markets. Over 90 analogue and digital television channels and 100 radio channels are now delivered by the company's satellites, reaching over 70 million households, with more than 250 million viewers across the Asia Pacific region. AsiaSat also serves many telecommunications customers for services such as public telephone networks, private VSAT networks and high speed Internet and multimedia services.

AsiaSat is a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, a company listed on both the Hong Kong (HKSE: 1135) and New York (NYSE:SAT) stock exchanges. AsiaSat's two major shareholders are China International Trust and Investment Corporation ("CITIC") and Société Européenne des Satellites ('SES'), the operator of Europe's premier ASTRA satellite system.

Additional information about AsiaSat can be found at: www.asiasat.com