New Skies announces new communications hub linking Europe with Middle East, Africa and Asia via NSS-6
New Skies Satellites N.V. (AEX,
NYSE: NSK), the global satellite communications company, today announced a
new teleport in Athens, Greece, which will serve as its primary European
gateway to the Middle East, Africa and Asia, relaying broadband Internet,
voice and data traffic, as well as digital video transmissions via the NSS-6
satellite. The hub will be provided by Greece’s UNITEL Hellas S.A., the
latest partner in New Skies’ growing global mediaport network.
The new Mediterranean mediaport, located outside of Athens, features Ku-band
uplink facilities accessing New Skies’ NSS-6 satellite. As the company’s
primary European gateway to NSS-6, New Skies will be able to use the
facility to offer existing and potential customers throughout Europe
high-powered and complete coverage of the Middle East, North Africa, Asia
and Australia.
New Skies also announced the launch of a new IPsysÆ IP transmission platform
at the mediaport, which will be capable of providing a number of value-added
services, including direct Internet backbone connectivity and Voice over IP
(VoIP) transmissions. The new platform will be dedicated to Internet service
providers, telecommunications carriers, government agencies and businesses
located throughout Europe and the Middle East.
With the addition of the new IPsysÆ platform, New Skies will operate a total
of 20 platforms for IPsysÆ services via five satellites and six separate
teleport facilities on four continents. In total, these platforms provide
over 1 Gbps of contracted capacity to more than 100 customers throughout the
world. This makes New Skies the world’s leading provider of
satellite-delivered IP traffic.
Nigel Gibson, New Skies’ vice president of sales for Europe, said: "The new
Mediterranean mediaport will act as a principal hub for communications
between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, supporting the transmission of
video, telephony and Internet communications, including Voice over IP,
between Europe and the Middle East and Asia.
"Additionally, through this new gateway, we offer a powerful platform for
the contribution of European video content to cable systems and DTH
operators throughout the Asia Pacific, and vice versa. In fact, it’s the
only Ku-band network with complete coverage of Asia and Australia at DTH
power levels."
Given the facility’s location just outside of Athens, the new mediaport will
be instrumental in supporting New Skies’ special events and occasional-use
services associated with the 2004 Athens Games. With direct access to NSS-6,
newsgatherers and broadcasters will be able to contribute continuous
coverage from the games to virtually any location in Asia or Australia at
DTH power levels.
The agreement with UNITEL builds on New Skies’ comprehensive strategy of
partnering with leading teleport operators throughout the world for the
global transmission and distribution of customer broadcast feeds, cable
programming, IP traffic and voice and data services.
In addition to UNITEL, New Skies has agreements with Hong-Kong’s REACH,
Singapore-based ST Teleport, the United Kingdom’s Kingston inmedia and
Satlink in Israel, as well as mediaport partners in the United States for
international gateway services to the Pacific Ocean region. The company also
operates its wholly owned mediaports in Washington D.C. and in Perth and
Adelaide, Australia. Together, these facilities compose a worldwide
mediaport network providing first-class connectivity to New Skies’ global
satellite fleet, one of the industry’s youngest and most reliable networks.
About UNITEL Hellas
UNITEL Hellas, a member of the Info-Quest Group of Companies (Athens Stock
Exchange: IQT) is one of the most dynamic teleports in Southeast Europe,
covering both east and west with its infrastructure. By investing in the
latest technologies and know-how, UNITEL has retained a leadership position
in the Mediterranean basin for the last 10 years. It offers specialized
telecommunication services, within the cutting edge of satellite
communications. In addition, UNITEL is positioning itself as a major player
in the upcoming Olympic Games by developing a one-stop-shop solution for any
broadcaster, with services such as pre- and post-production facilities,
studios, SNGs, standup locations and administrative offices.
About New Skies Satellites
New Skies Satellites (AEX, NYSE: NSK) is one of only four fixed satellite
communications companies with truly global satellite coverage, offering
video, voice, data and Internet communications services to a range of
telecommunications carriers, broadcasters, large corporations, Internet
service providers and government organizations around the world. New Skies
has five satellites in orbit, ground facilities around the world and one
additional spacecraft under construction. The company also has secured
certain rights to make use of additional orbital positions for future
growth. New Skies is headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands, and has
offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, New Delhi, S„o Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and
Washington, D.C. Additional information is available at www.newskies.com.
