Loral Skynet do Brasil and Comsat to Support Brazilian Lottery and Banking Projects

BEDMINSTER, N.J., April 21, 2006/Satnews Daily/ ¾ Loral Skynet do Brasil, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (NASDAQ:LORL), has reached an agreement with Vicom, a subsidiary of Comsat International, McLean, Va., to lease Ku-band capacity on Skynet's Estrela do Sul 1 (Telstar 14) satellite for a unique, IP-based VSAT (very small aperture terminal) network connecting more than 6,000 lottery and banking outlets across Brazil.

Comsat said it will use Estrela do Sul 1 (Telstar 14) to operate and manage the satellite component of its hybrid communications network for Caixa Economica Federal, Brazil's state-owned financial institution. Comsat's network provides robust, high-bandwidth broadband services to thousands of Caixa locations across Brazil to support lottery transactions and general banking functions.

Comsat is one of the largest and most important communications network providers in Brazil and across Latin America, according to Patrick Brant, president of Loral Skynet. “With our new relationship with Comsat, Loral Skynet do Brasil continues to establish itself as a premier provider of flexible and reliable satellite services in Brazil. Customers on our Estrela do Sul 1 (Telstar 14) Brazilian satellite have access to one of the most powerful satellites in the region, supported by our world-class team of in-country satellite experts,” he said.

Loral Skynet do Brasil was the first private Brazilian satellite company to offer Ku-band satellite services. Using Loral's Estrela do Sul 1 (Telstar 14) satellite, the company provides fixed satellite services in Brazil and South America. Estrela do Sul 1 (Telstar 14) hosts a variety of video and data services for companies across Brazil, as well as trans-Atlantic coverage for Connexion by Boeing's in-flight Internet service. Loral Skynet do Brasil has a ground station in Rio de Janeiro that provides tracking, telemetry, and control and access management from in-country technical staff.

Comsat provides local, national and pan-regional network services and solutions for more than 2,000 enterprise, government and service-provider customers over modern, integrated terrestrial and satellite network facilities in key Latin American markets. It owns domestic networks in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and throughout Central America and Turkey and has two gateway interconnect points in the USA. It also provides services via terrestrial and satellite links to Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay.

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