[SatNews] The Company has moved one satellite to enable additional capacity...

Global satellite operator SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) and Russian fixed satellite service operator Gazprom Space System (GSS) have entered into a strategic partnership to provide additional satellite capacity to serve the Russian market. Under the terms of a multi-year agreement, SES has re-located its ASTRA 1F satellite, previously located at 51 degrees East, to the orbital location 55 degrees East. GSS will use 16 Ku-band FSS transponders on the ASTRA 1F satellite to provide communication services for Western Russia ahead of the arrival of GSS’ Yamal-402 satellite in 2012. In return, SES will use capacity on GSS’ Yamal-402 once it becomes operational at 55 degrees East. Yamal-402 is currently under construction and scheduled for launch in November 2012.

The use of ASTRA 1F at 55 degrees East is part of a strategic partnership between SES and Gazprom to explore opportunities for the provision of satellite capacity for Russia. GSS will use the capacity on ASTRA 1F and later Yamal-402 together with Russian satellite service providers to deliver a wide spectrum of services including the transmission of TV bouquets for DTH satellite TV operators, the distribution of TV signals to cable and terrestrial networks and broadcasting stations, the delivery of broadband access for corporate clients and the consumer market, and point–to-point communication, as well as cellular backhauls and Satellite News Gathering (SNG) services.