Eutelsat Announces Distribution Agreement Between Skylogic and Teliasonera for its Tooway(TM) Satellite Broadband Service

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May 23, 2011, 08:10 ET

PARIS, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL), Europe's leading satellite operator, today announced a distribution agreement between its Skylogic subsidiary and TeliaSonera enabling the telecoms giant to provide the new-generation Tooway(TM) satellite broadband service in Finland. TeliaSonera will use the Tooway(TM) service, which will be delivered via Eutelsat's new KA-SAT satellite, to help close the digital divide by providing high-speed broadband services to customers beyond reach of terrestrial or wireless networks.

Under the agreement, the service will roll-out first in Finland, with TeliaSonera expecting to connect thousands of customers to Tooway(TM) over the next three years.

With download speeds of up to 10 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 4 Mbps, Tooway(TM) satellite broadband will bring fast, reliable and affordable Internet access for TeliaSonera customers in areas with limited alternative solutions for broadband. The Tooway(TM) solution consists of a small satellite dish and a modem connected to the PC giving customers Internet access with no need for a telephone line.

This new-generation Tooway(TM) service will be delivered via Eutelsat's innovative KA-SAT satellite, which was launched in December 2010 and is on track to go into full commercial service mid-2011. With its total capacity of more than 70 Gbps, KA-SAT ranks as the world's most powerful spacecraft and, as Europe's first High-Throughput Satellite (HTS), will usher in a new era of competitively-priced satellite-delivered services for homes and small businesses across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. The satellite forms the cornerstone of a new European satellite infrastructure which includes eight main satellite gateways across Europe connected to the Internet by a fibre backbone ring.

"We are proud and pleased to be able to bring this latest consumer technology to Finland. For the first time, the service will make broadband available to all Finns," says TeliaSonera Finland's Managing Director Juha-Pekka Weckstrom. "We believe that the service will be popular with users in both sparsely-populated and built-up areas, because we are convinced that the high data transfer rates and reasonable pricing are an attractive combination."

"Already selected to support National Broadband Programmes in Ireland, Switzerland and Italy, Tooway(TM) is perfectly positioned to serve the needs of TeliaSonera's customers in rural and urban not spot areas," added Arduino Patacchini, CEO of Skylogic. "We are delighted to be working with TeliaSonera to extend broadband to all, and look forward to building a close and longstanding partnership which contributes to achieving an inclusive and high-quality broadband environment in TeliaSonera's markets."

About TeliaSonera

TeliaSonera provides network access and telecommunication services in the Nordic and Baltic countries, the emerging markets of Eurasia, including Russia and Turkey, and in Spain. TeliaSonera helps people and companies communicate in an easy, efficient and environmentally friendly way. Our ambition is to be number one or two in all our markets, providing the best customer experience, high quality networks and cost efficient operations. TeliaSonera is also the leading European wholesale provider with a wholly-owned international carrier network. In 2010, net sales amounted to SEK 107 billion, EBITDA to SEK 37.7 billion and earnings per share to SEK 4.73. The TeliaSonera share is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.

Read more at http://www.teliasonera.com

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 March 31, 2011, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,800 television channels to over 200 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and 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 access to high speed Internet 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 700 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries.