SATMEX WINS CONTRACT TO PROVIDE SATELLITE CAPACITY TO LATINET THROUGH
SATMEX 5
MEXICO CITY, August 24, 1999 ? Sat‚lites Mexicanos S.A. de C.V. (Satmex)
announced today that it has signed an agreement with Latinet, a
telecommunications service provider, to provide high-speed Internet
access services through two dedicated C-band transponders on the Satmex
5 satellite.
?We are very pleased to have signed this contract with Latinet,?
explained Juan Manuel Pinedo, Satmex sales and marketing executive
director. ?Since the successful launch of Satmex 5, we are pursuing
opportunities in the Latinet service region and applications market, and
we are very happy to see our efforts translated in large-scale capacity
contracts.?
Through its local companies and teleports in Miami, Panama, Costa Rica,
Venezuela and Ecuador, Latinet will deliver a complete range of services
throughout all of the Americas via the Satmex 5 satellite. Focusing on
the countries in the northern part of South America plus Central
America, Latinet offers end-user services such as private lines, private
networks, Internet services, broadcast, distance learning, dial tone and
VSAT networks. The two leased C-band transponders will give Latinet
total coverage of the Americas within the Satmex 5 footprint.
Mr. Sergei Kowalchik, Latinet?s chief technology officer noted that
?from a technical perspective, the answer to a customer?s inquiry about
service availability anywhere in the continent is simply ? yes. Thanks
to the wonderful and powerful footprint of the satellite, there is no
need to refer to beam coverage charts, or wait until you do a link
budget, to see if the link is feasible. We can therefore concentrate
immediately on the specifics of the customer?s requirement.?
Satmex 5, launched in December, 1998, is a geosyncronous satellite
operating at 116.8§ W.L. In addition to the beam coverage, Satmex 5 is
especially well suited for a significant portion of the Latinet target
market ? private lines between customers in Central/South America and
the Latinet teleports. ?Because of the high power of Satmex 5, our
customers can save money two ways? says Kowalchik. ?One is by installing
smaller, less expensive receivers at their locations. Two, their
satellite circuits can utilize bandwidth-saving higher coding rates,
which translates to lower monthly costs.?
Based in Mexico City, Satmex, a joint venture between Loral Space &
Communications, Principia and the Mexican Federal Government, delivers
voice, data and video services, such as direct-to-home applications
(including the leading DTH platforms in Latin America), broadcast
television, distance learning, government channels and radio. Satmex
currently operates three satellites: Solidaridad 1, Solidaridad 2 and
Satmex 5. For more information, visit Satmex's web site at
satmex.com.mx.
Satmex is also part of the Loral Global Alliance, which offers its
customers the advantages of a worldwide network of satellite capacity
currently not only on the Satmex fleet, but also on the North American
Telstar fleet, the trans-Atlantic Orion 1 satellite, the Asian Apstar
IIR satellite, and on future Europe*Star satellites. Each Alliance
member provides global satellite solutions, while focusing on the local
and inter-regional needs within its coverage regions.
Loral Space & Communications is a high technology company that primarily
concentrates on satellite manufacturing and satellite-based services,
including broadcast transponder leasing and value added services,
domestic and international corporate data networks, global wireless
telephony, broadband data transmission and content services, Internet
services and international direct-to-home satellite services. For more
information, visit Loral's web site at loral.com.
Principia is a leading Mexican telecommunications company that is
majority owned by the Autrey family and Mr. Lauro Gonz lez Moreno. In
1997, Principia and Loral Space & Communications were selected to
acquire 75 percent of Satmex in connection with the privatization of
Mexico's fixed satellite services. In association with Loral Space &
Communications and AirTouch Communications, Principia founded Globalstar
de Mexico in 1996. Besides its participation in Globalstar de Mexico and
Satmex, Principia also owns Optel Telecomunicaciones, a company that
provides computer network communications in 17 cities throughout Mexico.
Loral Space & Communications (NYSE:LOR) is a high technology company
that primarily concentrates on satellite manufacturing and
satellite-based services, including broadcast transponder leasing and
value-added services, domestic and international corporate data
networks, Internet services, global wireless telephony, broadband data
transmission and content services, and international direct-to-home
satellite services. For more information, visit Loral's web site at
loral.com
Latinet, based in Miami, is a leading provider of corporate
telecommunication services in Latin America's Northern Cone (Northern
South America and Central America). Since October 1994, Latinet has
focused on providing private network services to end users at the retail
and wholesale level, utilizing proprietary facilities throughout the
region.
Latinet has been extremely successful in capitalizing on the
opportunities available in each of the chosen markets. The company has
expanded from its original geographic base in Panama to the United
States, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Costa Rica, has grown annual revenues to
a current run rate of approximately $25 million, and has been able to
maintain positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization (EBITDA) throughout the expansion. In addition, Latinet
has accumulated an impressive customer base of over 1,500 corporate
clients and has built a technological infrastructure that enables the
delivery of the highest quality services to its customers throughout the
region.
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Contact: Lilia Abulhasan,
Satmex Mac Jeffery, Loral
Phone:
011-52-5-201-08-77
Phone: 212-338-5383
e-mail: labulhas@satmex.com.mx e-mail:
mac.jeffery@hq.loral.com |
