ANKARA, Turkey and PARIS, December 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Türksat, the Turkish satellite operator, and Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL), one of the world's leading satellite operators, today announced an agreement whereby Eutelsat will redeploy its EUTELSAT 33A satellite in May 2014 from 33° East to 31°East, where it will be operated by Türksat under its satellite network filings. Eutelsat will continue to provide services at 33° East using the EUTELSAT 33B satellite which was redeployed to this position last month.*

Türksat currently operates two satellites at the 42° East orbital location and will launch Turksat 4A in Q1-2014 to 42° East and Türksat 4B in Q2-2014 to 50° East.

Following the signature between both companies, signed in Paris at Eutelsat's headquarters, Eutelsat Chairman and CEO, Michel de Rosen, said: "We are delighted to take our relationship with Turksat to a higher level with this new arrangement at 31° East. We share a common objective to leverage our strengths and experience for the benefit of our customers and to deliver satellite resources and service solutions that support the expansion of a vibrant digital economy for Turkey."

Ozkan Dalbay, Türksat CEO, said: "Turksat collaborates with Eutelsat on satellite broadband services for Turkey so that users anywhere can benefit from a quality Internet experience. Today's agreement, signed in a spirit of collaboration, is a significant marker that further strengthens the ties between Turksat and Eutelsat."

* Formerly the EUTELSAT 25C satellite operated at 25.5° East.

About Turksat A.S

Turksat A.S. is the only satellite operator company in Turkey. Turksat manages and operates its satellites and provides all types of satellite communications through Turksat and other satellites. With its high-tech infrastructure and experienced staff, Turksat is one of the world's leading operators in the satellite communication business. Through innovative projects to meet the communication demands of the communities in the East hemisphere, Turksat provides services not only for Turkey, but also for the people all over the world. http://www.turksat.com.tr

About Eutelsat Communications

With capacity commercialised on 31 satellites delivering reach of  Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, significant parts of the Americas and the Asia-Pacific, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the world's leading satellite operators. As of 30 September 2013, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 4,700 television channels to over 200 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Group's satellites also provide a wide range of services for TV contribution, corporate networks and fixed and mobile broadband markets. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ over 780 commercial, technical and operational professionals from 30 countries. http://www.eutelsat.com

SOURCE Eutelsat Communications