Satellite Spring Forum 2008

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Press Coverage

December 2007

Introducing Our Second Satellite Spring Forum

Satellite Finance, Dec. 2007.With 2008 shaping up to be a stand-out year for mobile satellite services projects, both from a regulatory, technical and financial perspective, SatelliteFinance and Euroconsult are proud to announce the Second Annual Satellite Spring Forum. To be held in London on March 18 2008, the conference will again focus squarely on the financing and business prospects for MSS projects, both for new projects that will see their satellites being launched in 2008 and beyond and those with existing businesses that are looking to replenish their in-orbit fleets or raise capital for new ventures. The event will also have a dedicated financing panel as well as put the spotlight on the MSS sector's fast-moving services and applications markets. We will be announcing the full programme and line up in the coming days, so to make sure you are on kept up to date with all developments, drop a line to the managing editor at:oliver.cann@satellitefinance.com

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April 2007

Arianespace reiterates readiness to support mobile satellite services industry

Indian Television- Digital Edge, 9 April 2007.MUMBAI: Arianespace has reiterated its commitment to supporting the future evolution of the mobile satellite services (MSS) industry, offering reliable access to space on its heavylift Ariane 5 and medium-weight Soyuz launch vehicles. At the Mobile Satellite 2007 conference in London, Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said the increase of Ariane 5 mission capacity to eight launches annually by 2009 will provide significant payload launch opportunities for MSS satellites of various sizes.

Ariane 5 is operated from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, with six missions planned in 2007 and seven for 2008. Le Gall says, "This increase in production capability - coupled with the available performance of the Ariane 5 at about 10 tons and its 5-meter fairing - makes Ariane 5 the vehicle of choice for MSS satellites with their large antennas and high masses. "On the lower end of the mass range between 5,500 kg. and 6,000 kg., the MSS satellites remain compatible with our dual launch offering on Ariane 5, hence providing our customers twice the launch opportunities and significant cost savings." http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k7/apr/apr105.php (1 sur 3) [25/06/2007 10:01:28] Indiantelevision.com's Digital Edge: Arianespace reiterates readiness to support mobile satellite services industry For smaller MSS satellites, Arianespace also offers launch services with the Soyuz vehicle, operated by its Starsem affiliate. Starsem missions currently are performed from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and this workhorse medium-lift vehicle will join Ariane 5 in service from the Spaceport in French Guiana.

Le Gall noted that Arianespace's involvement with the mobile satellite services industry started in December 1981 with the launch of the first mobile satellite - Marecs-A for Inmarsat, and has continued successfully through the years with many Ariane missions performed for Inmarsat, as well as six Soyuz flights for Globalstar. "Our future involvement in the MSS industry will be no different; last year, we signed new agreements to launch the TerreStar-1 spacecraft and two further launches for Globalstar. These contracts continue our long and fruitful partnership with the MSS sector. I thank both TerreStar and Globalstar for their confidence, and look forward to follow-on TerreStar satellites and Globalstar 2." Le Gall also raised a red flag about MSS satellites that are not compatible with the Ariane 5's dual launch capability. These spacecraft are not equipped with the necessary systems to perform the North/South station-keeping maneuvers that keep them positioned in the equatorial plane in their inclined orbits.

Without such ability to perform the station-keeping maneuvers, the spacecraft need to be launched into a specific orbit and inclination - making them incompatible with the Ariane 5's standard dual launch orbital parameters. "For a small additional increase in cost and mass, these satellites can be made compatible with the dual launch, providing MSS operators the full flexibility and availability of Ariane 5 to support their launch and avoid any delays in the deployment of their systems," Le Gall said. He added that compatibility with Ariane 5 is not only important from an operational point of view, but also is relevant from the financial perspective. "As some mobile satellite ventures are highly leveraged, the financial community has to pay greater attention to the deployment of these systems and wants to be sure it can rely on the leader of the industry, Arianespace, for the launch of these satellites," Le Gall stated. Le Gall pledged the support of Arianespace's technical teams - which are available to address this issue with MSS operators and the satellite manufacturers, and to highlight the benefits of restoring such dual launch capability for these spacecraft. He noted that Inmarsat's satellites have always carried the capability of North/South station keeping, and thus have always retained complete compatibility with Ariane.
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Press Coverage

March 2007

Mobile Satellite 2007 Forum A Success

Satellite Finance, 27 Mar 2007. The first Satellite Spring Forum took place in London last week, with delegates, speakers and sponsors at the sell-out event all hailing the event a flying success. Themed on the dynamic mobile satellite sector, which is receiving huge levels of investor interest currently, the forum provided the perfect platform for discussion of the hottest topics in the mobile sector right now. Issues covered included the sustainability of new mobile satellite systems, financing options available to mobile satellite operators and the viability of new business models in the broadcasting and communications worlds.

Controversially, there appeared a consensus among the investment bankers on the opening finance panel that, while finance would likely be available for all the MSS players currently seeking to raise funding, it was less certain whether the mobile satellite services market would be large enough to support such a large pool of players, with consolidation a plausible outcome. This was a view challenged by many of the MSS operators presenting on the day.

New developments in the industry such as Iridium’s secondgeneration satellite constellation, SES and Eutelsat’s S-band joint venture, the value of ATC spectrum in the US and Europe and Inmarsat’s planned acquisition of Stratos Global were also debated by top-level panellists. With operators such as Terrestar, ICO and MSV all on the verge of rolling out next generation services and Inmarsat set to launch its own voice product this year, next year’s event should have just as much to talk about. Email oliver.cann.satellitefinance.com to be kept informed of future SatelliteFinance events.

Press Coverage

December 2006

Introducing Mobile Satellite 2007

Satellite Finance, Dec. 2006. Following eighteen months of frenetic deal-making, which has seen two MSS IPOs and over US$2.5bn in funds raised for MSS projects, SatelliteFinance is proud to announce it has partnered with Paris-based satellite research and consultancy specialists Euroconsult to produce the satellite industry’s first ever conference dedicated to the financing and strategy of mobile services. Mobile Satellite 2007 will be held in London on March 20, 2007 and will focus on growth prospects for mobile satellite, including S-band and other regulatory developments, mobile broadband and broadcast opportunities and consolidation. Please submit papers, speaker or attendance requests to Oliver Cann, Managing Editor at oliver.cann@satellitefinance.com

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