Eutelsat Satellite Broadband Selected for Free Public Internet Access in Albania

PARIS, October 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) today announced that its satellite broadband service has been chosen by the Albanian Government via the Albanian Postal Service to connect 850 post offices, schools and local government offices in rural areas to the Internet as part of the "Digital Age of Communications Agenda" initiated to increase free public Internet access for Albanian citizens.

Eutelsat's Skylogic affiliate has teamed up with its longstanding partner in Albania, Tring Communications, to equip schools and post offices with the Tooway broadband service powered by the KA-SAT satellite. The first of a total 1,000 access points are currently being deployed, using an 8 Mbps satellite service that enables users to benefit from the Internet for information and education and to access services that include video streaming. The schools and post offices benefiting from Tooway are located across Albania, including in the most rural and hard-to reach areas that are easily served by a satellite service.

Tring Communications is the newest brand of Albanian Satellite Communications (ASC), a private company headquartered in Tirana with operating facilities around the region.

Albania's Prime minister, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, commented on the project: "We have a very special terrain in our country and it is important that our villages, towns and cities do not suffer and are not discriminated against because the private sector does not wish to invest in a broadband infrastructure in these difficult or remote areas. By licensing private companies to build their own networks, the government has expanded the broadband infrastructure. The last mile can now be completed by the public sector or in partnership with the private sector. It can also be assigned to the private sector by the Albanian Postal Service. As a result, we will very soon have more than 1,000 free Internet access points throughout Albania."

Arjan Kraja, General Director of Tring Communications confirmed that the first phase of the project is beginning in the peripheries of Tirana and will then expand to other cities, towns and villages. "Called Public Access Points (PAP), this project opens opportunities for Albanians to have free access to the fastest and highest quality Internet service, even in the deepest rural areas of the country,. Tring Communications will make this initiative possible in six weeks through satellite technology and fibre."

Jean-Francois Fenech, Skylogic CEO, added: "Our satellite broadband solutions delivered by KA-SAT have been designed to ensure that users throughout Europe and the MediterraneanBasincan have access to broadband services today, not tomorrow or the day after. We are delighted to be involved in this important initiative to bring these services to Albanian citizens."

About Albanian Satellite Communications

Established in 2006, Albanian Satellite Communications (ASC) is a privately held company with operating facilities around the region and its headquarters are located in Tirana. Its mother company, Edil Group, is one of the largest in the country with solid experience and status to fully support the success of ASC. ASC is fully operational since 2007 as a new and advanced operator in Albania, offering integrated telecommunications solutions for all markets. In the summer of 2008 ASC launched its newest trademarked brand, Tring Communications.

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A. With capacity commercialised on 29 satellites that provide coverage across Europe, as well as the Middle East, Africa and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators. As of 30 June 2012 Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 4,250 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 high speed Internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve consumers, enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ just over 750 commercial, technical and operational professionals. This culturally diverse staff comprises employees from 30 countries. http://www.eutelsat.com; http://www.tooway.com

SOURCE Eutelsat Communications