Eutelsat Communications, one of the world’s leading satellite operators, today reported financial information for the first quarter ended September 30, 2009.

 Eutelsat reports record revenue groth in the first Quater 2009 - 2010: +11.6%

Strong revenue increase across all business applications:

• Video: +8.5%, driven by take-up of digital TV in emerging markets and by growth of HDTV
• Data and Value-Added Services: +16%, continued solid demand, notably in Africa and the Middle East

Commenting on performance during the first quarter 2009-2010, Giuliano Berretta, Chairman and CEO of Eutelsat Communications said: “Eutelsat Communications’ double digit revenue growth for our first quarter testifies to the success of our in-orbit expansion programme, which in combination with excellent commercial performance, has enabled us to leverage new capacity for markets recording the most buoyant growth. Following the entry into service in the second half of the 2008-2009 financial year of three satellites and the redeployment of five satellites already in orbit, our expansion programme takes a new step forward later this month with the launch of W7 to serve particularly dynamic broadcast and telecom markets in Russia, the Ukraine, Africa and Central Asia. Four more satellites are scheduled for launch by the end of 2011 to drive further growth. 

Our commercial efforts are supported by the ongoing dynamic of digital broadcasting and broadband services. Positioned at the heart of our business, these two activities fundamentally require satellites to serve users directly and to feed or complement terrestrial networks. Our video business has also benefited from the expansion of HDTV which requires on average 2.5 times the bandwidth used by a Standard Digital channel. Meanwhile, increased initiatives at national and regional levels to deliver broadband to users beyond range of ADSL are stimulating demand for our value-added broadband services for businesses, communities and consumers.  

With the pursuit of our ambitious strategy, backed by strong structural assets and markets showing significant potential for growth, Eutelsat can be confident of meeting our objectives and continuing our trajectory of lasting and profitable growth.”
FIRST QUARTER 2009-2010 REVENUE ANALYSIS

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all growth indicators or comparisons are made against the first quarter of the previous fiscal year or September 30, 2008. The share of each application as a percentage of total revenues is calculated excluding “other revenues” and “one-off revenues”.

The excellent performance achieved in the first quarter (+11.6%) reflects strong growth across all applications. The period fully benefited from an increase in in-orbit resources following the entry into service of three satellites over the last nine months and the redeployment of five satellites already in orbit. This additional capacity enabled Eutelsat to leverage the strong commercial momentum of buoyant markets in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

VIDEO APPLICATIONS (71.9% of revenues)

Video Applications registered sustained increase in revenue (+8.5%) to €180.8 million. With 3 329 TV channels broadcast by Eutelsat’s fleet at September 30, 2009 (+4.7%), Eutelsat further consolidated the commercial strength of its nine video neighbourhoods.

This strong performance was driven by the following:

For European markets, the successful launch of HOT BIRD^TM 9 and the redeployment of EUROBIRD^TM 9A2 and EUROBIRD^TM 163 further anchored the leadership of the premium HOT BIRD^TM video neighbourhood, and enabled the Group to increase capacity at 9° East and 16° East in order to enhance customer service.

Growth in the first quarter consequently reflects the full effect of contracts concluded over the last nine months through dynamic management of in-orbit resources. Significant long-term contracts include Sky Italia (Italy) and Cyfrowy Polsat (Poland) at the HOT BIRD^TM position, contracts at 9° East with Hello HD (Hungary) and Platforma HD (Russia) and at 16° East with SBB (Serbia) for the Total TV platform and with Globecast to broadcast channels produced by TVR, Romania’s national public broadcaster.

In Middle East and African markets, Eutelsat’s broadcasting resources at 7° West almost doubled with the entry into service of ATLANTIC BIRD^TM 4A. This satellite equips the Group to capture opportunities presented by the rapid take-up of digital TV in these regions within the framework of the strategic agreement concluded with the Egyptian operator, Nilesat. The number of channels broadcast at this neighbourhood rose by 64% year-on-year to 247 channels at September 30, 2009.

High Definition TV which increased at each of the Group’s video neighbourhoods. In total, the number of HDTV channels broadcast by Eutelsat’s fleet rose by over 60% during the period to break the barrier of 100 channels. With a share exceeding 40% of HDTV channels broadcast over Europe, Russia and the Middle East, Eutelsat reinforced its pole position in this growing market.

DATA AND VALUE-ADDED SERVICES (19% of revenues)

The 17.8% increase in Data Services revenues at €36.9 million shows strong demand for capacity for corporate networks and GSM backhaul in Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East and for Internet backbone connectivity for local Internet Service Providers operating in areas unserved by terrestrial networks. Revenue growth reflects in particular:

The activation of recently signed contracts, notably with British Telecom and Hughes Network Systems;

The entry into service of the W2A satellite whose excellent coverage of Europe and Africa enabled increased capacity to be leased in particular by ACS Angola, Globecast, Telespazio, SkyVision and the London Satellite Exchange (a subsidiary of Astrium Services).

Revenue from Value-Added Services continued to rise steadily to €10.7 million (+10.3%) as a consequence of sustained demand for direct Internet access from enterprises and communities located in areas unserved by terrestrial broadband networks, and also for mobile services. With an installed base of 10,028 terminals at September 30, 2009, the D-STAR4 service gained further marketshare in the first quarter with new contracts including its selection to deliver a satellite-based broadband service to 470 Moroccan schools in rural areas. The Tooway^TM5 consumer broadband service, with 48 distributors in 22 countries at September 30, 2009, is gaining increasing interest from governments and institutions as a solution to the digital divide. Within the framework of Ireland’s National Broadband Scheme, Tooway^TM was recently selected by the Irish mobile broadband provider “3″ and Satellite Broadband Ireland in order to offer broadband to the 5 to 8% of Irish homes beyond reach of terrestrial broadband networks.

MULTI-USAGE (9.1% of revenues)

Multi-usage services (up 46.2% to €22.9 million) benefited from the entry into service in June 2009, of the EUROBIRD^TM 4A satellite (redeployment of W1 satellite at 4° East) which allowed the Group to activate new contracts for government services, notably in Central Asia and the Middle East.

Other revenues and one-off revenues

The slight €1.5 million decrease in other revenues is mainly due to lower currency hedging gains which were relatively high in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year.

UPCOMING SATELLITE LAUNCH: W7

The Group continues to execute its in-orbit expansion programme which encompasses the launch of five satellites by end 2011. The W7 satellite is currently in final stages of preparation for launch on November 23, 2009 from the Baikonour Cosmodrome on a Proton Breeze M rocket operated by International Launch Services (ILS).

Built for Eutelsat by Thales Alenia Space, Eutelsat’s newest and most powerful satellite to date will be colocated with W4 at 36° East to double resources at one of Eutelsat’s fastest-growing neighbourhoods.

Through a configuration of up to 70 transponders connected to five high-performance fixed and steerable beams, W7 will provide coverage of Russia and sub-Saharan Africa for digital broadcasting services including pay-TV, and add significant resources and flexibility for expanding video and telecommunications markets in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. The satellite will also enhance service provided since 2000 by SESAT 1, which after W7’s entry into service at 36° East will be redeployed at an alternative location.

Financial calendar

The financial calendar below is provided for information purposes only. It is subject to change and will be regularly updated.

November 10, 2009: Annual Shareholders’ Meeting

February 18, 2010: earnings for the first half ended December 31, 2009

May 12, 2010: financial report for third quarter ended March 31, 2010

July 29, 2010: earnings for the full year ended June 30, 2010

Utilizing capacity on Intelsat’s Galaxy 17 (G-17) satellite, located at 91º W, Altitude will broadcast regional hockey, basketball, lacrosse and soccer to millions of sports fans. G-17 is the premier sports neighborhood within Intelsat’s valuable Galaxy fleet, with marquee sports programming including the MLB Network, Versus, Speed, Fuel, FOX Sports and the Big Ten Network among others, transmitted to cable headends throughout North America.

Altitude is among the most watched regional sports networks in the 10-state Rocky Mountain Region. It is the official broadcaster of the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Mammoth (National Lacrosse League) and Colorado Rapids (MLS). Many college sports in the Big 12, Big Sky and Big East conferences are also carried on the network. In addition, Altitude offers music and theatrical programming, as well as boxing, rodeo, auto racing, golf, skiing and extreme sports.

“By joining Intelsat’s premier Galaxy neighborhood, we benefit from a superior distribution platform that is expected to help us grow our viewership,” said Matthew Hutchings, Altitude’s Chief Operating Officer. “Intelsat’s operational and technical expertise will enable us to provide the highest signal quality to viewers.”

“With Altitude on board, G-17 hosts more than 35 channels devoted to sports coverage, further strengthening our neighborhood and reinforcing Intelsat’s leadership in the distribution of sports programming,” said Peter Ostapiuk, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Cable & Emerging Media.

Internet via Satellite

SES ASTRA announced that the Lithuanian satellite service provider SatGate resumes its transmissions from SES ASTRA’s orbital position at 31.5 degrees East. SatGate uses four transponders to provide broadband and internet connectivity to Internet Service Providers (ISP), households and end customers in Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, its neighbouring countries and the Middle East. Part of the capacity will also be used to serve ISPs who do not have the necessary infrastructure themselves. SatGate was established in 2001 and has more than 50,000 active customers across different countries today.

SatGate originally started its services from 31.5 degrees East in August last year on the ASTRA 5A satellite which ended its mission in January 2009. In April, ASTRA 5A was replaced by ASTRA 2C. SES ASTRA offers 24 BSS transponders on that spacecraft and at that orbital position. With the new contract, SatGate uses five transponders on SES satellites: four on ASTRA 2C and one previously contracted on the Sirius 4 satellite.

Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA, said: “We are very pleased that SatGate has decided to resume services at 31.5 degrees East. With the move of ASTRA 2C we have demonstrated our strong commitment to develop 31.5 degrees East into an important position, especially for Central and Eastern Europe. The decision of SatGate shows that there is a strong demand for satellite capacity in this region and proves our customers’ confidence in our high quality and reliable services.”

Vitaliy Malashevskiy, CEO of SatGate UAB said: “Thanks to the cooperation with SES ASTRA SatGate is now able to deliver services to its customers from the 31.5 degrees East orbital position. SatGate is planning to extend its offers to its clients from this satellite position in the nearest future.”

The 4th Annual Oil & Gas Communications MENA conference, entitled: “Wireless, Satellite & Everything in Between” will take place at the InterContinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi, over 9th & 10th June 2009, and is sponsored by the conference series lead sponsor Schlumberger, and also by Yahsat, Hughes, and Thuraya. The conference joint-organisers, Global VSAT Forum (GVF) and United Kingdom Event Management Partners (UK-EMP), having recently concluded on 13th May 2009 the 2nd Annual Oil & Gas Communications Europe: Digital Applications & Communications Dynamics conference in Aberdeen, Scotland, have now announced further key features of the forthcoming Abu Dhabi conference programme.

Paul Stahl, Managing Partner of the Conference Series co-organiser, UK-EMP, noted in respect of the 4th Annual conference in the Oil & Gas Communications series dedicated to the Middle East and North Africa region that, “Following the success of the European region event in Aberdeen, we are very encouraged about the prospects for the MENA regional conference. In addition, Abu Dhabi is a new host-city for us, and whilst we achieved a series of conference successes in our previous host-city of Cairo, we are looking forward to transferring those established successes nearer to the regional heartland of E&P activity in the Middle East.” The Abu Dhabi gathering will deliver networking opportunities for, and promote dialogue between, senior executives from demand (oil & gas sector end-user) and supply (communications solution vendor) expert practitioners. It will characterise and detail the applications and communications imperatives of the energy market vertical, illustrating that, whilst it is true of these imperatives that, in relative terms, communications solutions represent a small fraction of energy companies? total CAPEX and OPEX, well-managed ICT networks can play a disproportionately great role in reducing expenditures in drilling, production, exploration, and in every other area of operations, and all across the global oil & gas patch.

A higher education is an almost sure-fire way to ensure that your finances will get better in the future. While there are many jobs that do not require a college degree, unless you are really fortunate, you will find that there is not much room for growth in these kinds of positions. Beginning or furthering your college education will absolutely help your financial struggles. As a single mom, you will find that financial aid for single mothers is not difficult to get, and you will be able to quickly get your career on track.

During the next decade we can see the introduction of serpentine shaped seats, delicate floral motifs, and beautifully carved cabriole legs. We often find piano stools from England and America produced during the Victorian era which featured elaborately carved legs and padded fabric seats.

The piano chair was introduced in the 1860s. Initially piano chairs had three legs and backs with beautiful carvings. The piano bench that many of us are familiar with today is first seen in the 1970s. Many of the first piano benches also included a storage area under the top cushion which was a convenient place in which to store sheet music.

The seat cushions of these early piano benches often feature delicate embroidery or needlepoint work. We see that piano benches are influcenced by the style of the Victorian era well into the 1920s. The piano benches of this time will often have delicate turned legs and beautiful glass ball and claw feet. Piano benches of that time were produced by a company other than the piano manufacturer, using the details provided by the maker of the piano.

There are three main types of antique piano benches that you can locate. The simple rectangular piano bench is the most common. These types are not adjustable and come in a standard height. A concert bench can be adjusted to various heights using circular knobs. These types of antique piano benches often feature plush upholstered seats. The most unusually type of piano bench is the piano chair. These were not a regular choice with the purchase of a piano and many pianists thought them to be uncomfortable.

What does this have in common with traditional Chinese medical acupuncture now? Basically, extremely easy, everything because they as Western medics have, due to a less effective way of belief, bruised on our own. Chinese people do not deal with global concepts easily because we feel them effortlessly and ignorance of their existence. Remain attentive, ignorance runs itself in the look of attitude which blocks us all. But fighters are not going to stop seeing things as they are, ever!