Press Release: GEE and Intelsat sign ‘Epic’ expansion deal

RWGPRHubn press

Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, powered by its leading satellite backbone, and Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE) (NASDAQ: ENT), have entered into a new and expanded contract to deliver reliable, high-performance broadband connectivity across five continents and multiple vertical markets across air, land and sea.

The multi-year, global service will utilize C- and Ku-band services on eight satellites in Intelsat’s current mobility infrastructure as well as two Intelsat EpicNG satellites, Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 35e. Overall, GEE now has contracted satellite services on three out of the seven planned Intelsat EpicNG satellites and 17 Intelsat satellites in total.

Earlier this year, Intelsat successfully launched Intelsat 29e and Intelsat 33e, the first two satellites in its next-generation, high throughput satellite (HTS) platform, Intelsat EpicNG. Since late March 2016, new and existing networks have seamlessly transitioned to Intelsat 29e, with customers experiencing up to 165% improvements in efficiency. Using next generation hardware, Intelsat and its partners have demonstrated potential efficiency gains of up to 330%.

The flexibility of Intelsat EpicNG’s open architecture and backward-compatible design enables service providers such as GEE to seamlessly transition to the Intelsat EpicNG platform and immediately realize the efficiency improvements. As a result, they are able to deliver higher throughput enterprise-grade broadband services with improved efficiency to customers across all their vertical applications.

“Our business model is based on helping our customers deliver an at-home experience to millions of people moving around the planet – on planes, cruise ships, superyachts and more. To do this, we need a seamless, global and fully interoperable infrastructure that can be customized to meet diverse and totally dynamic user demands. The performance, scalability and global reach of Intelsat’s solutions will nicely complement our extensive global ecosystem of satellite networks, enabling us to provide ubiquitous, broadband connectivity and to shift resources quickly – critical in the mobility markets we serve,” said Abel Avellan, President and Chief Strategy Officer, GEE. “Intelsat EpicNG satellites help us ensure our customers – and theirs – have access to super reliable, high-speed broadband whether they’re in the air, on land or at sea.”

Kurt Riegelman, Intelsat SVP Global Sales and Marketing, stated, “Rapid changes taking place in consumer technology are altering demands for broadband connectivity on a seismic scale. As a result, service providers need flexible, secure and reliable technology that can quickly adjust to these changes. Intelsat’s Globalized Network, with its open architecture platform and scalable network, is perfectly suited to deliver and provide our customers with the infrastructure they need to seamlessly and cost-efficiently upgrade their fleet, meet surges in demand and efficiently expand as well as shift services to new regions as needed. In addition, the breadth and depth of Intelsat’s satellite fleet and the power and improved economics delivered by Intelsat EpicNG will allow customers such as Global Eagle Entertainment to deliver seamless and reliable broadband connectivity anytime or anywhere around the world.”

Supporting Resources:

smartsky press releasesAbout Intelsat

Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) operates the world’s first Globalized Network, delivering high-quality, cost-effective video and broadband services anywhere in the world. Intelsat’s Globalized Network combines the world’s largest satellite backbone with terrestrial infrastructure, managed services and an open, interoperable architecture to enable customers to drive revenue and reach through a new generation of network services. Thousands of organizations serving billions of people worldwide rely on Intelsat to provide ubiquitous broadband connectivity, multi-format video broadcasting, secure satellite communications and seamless mobility services. The end result is an entirely new world, one that allows us to envision the impossible, connect without boundaries and transform the ways in which we live. For more information, visit www.intelsat.com.

About Global Eagle Entertainment

Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ:ENT) is a leading provider of satellite-based connectivity and media to fast-growing, global mobility markets across air, sea and land. Supported by proprietary and best-in-class technologies, GEE offers a fully integrated suite of rich media content and seamless connectivity solutions that cover the globe. With approximately 1,500 employees and approximately 50 offices on six continents, GEE delivers exceptional service and rapid support to a diverse base of customers around the world. Find out more at: www.geemedia.com.