PanAmSat Receives Authorization to Operate PAS-9 in Brazil; Powerful Spacecraft to Offer Next-Generation Satellite Services.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAO PAULO, Brazil--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 25, 2003

PAS-9's Ku-band Payload to Provide Sweeping Coverage of Brazil,

Boosting Broadcast, Internet and Data Connectivity

PanAmSat Corporation (NASDAQ: SPOT) today announced that ANATEL, the government agency that regulates all telecommunications services in Brazil, has authorized its Brazilian subsidiary, PanAmSat do Brasil, Ltda., to commercialize its PAS-9 Ku-band payload to deliver video, data and Internet services across the country. In particular, PAS-9 will offer Brazil's growing telecom market extensive broadband VSAT applications. PAS-9 is the second PanAmSat satellite to have received authorization from ANATEL to operate under its subsidiary, PanAmSat do Brasil, Ltda., providing direct access to one of Latin America's strongest economies.

"By granting PanAmSat additional access to the Brazilian market, ANATEL has opened the door for even more growth opportunities," said Carmen Gonzalez-Sanfeliu, Vice President, Latin America Operations, PanAmSat. "In less than two years, we have closed deals with major broadcasters, taken customers around the globe and opened a second office in Rio de Janeiro. Now, with the approval to operate the PAS-9 satellite, we will be able to work with even more customers in the Brazilian market."

PAS-9, a Boeing 601 HP model satellite employing 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders, operates at 58 degrees west longitude. On the spacecraft's Ku-band payload, transponders are specifically tailored to cover Brazil, while its C-band payload serves as the premier video neighborhood for the entire Latin American region. The Ku-band footprint of the Brazil beam, with its high level of uniformity, provides an ideal platform for broadband VSAT networks, allowing the use of low-cost antennas and installation.

PAS-1R, located at 45 degrees west longitude, was the first satellite to receive ANATEL approval to operate in Brazil under PanAmSat do Brasil, Ltda. The 36 C-band and 38 Ku-band transponder spacecraft offers value-added services throughout Brazil, including global program distribution, Internet backbone connectivity, business communications and data services as well as special event and ad hoc services. PAS-1R, one of the largest and most powerful commercial geostationary satellites ever launched, offers an expanded and enhanced reach throughout Brazil as well as the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. To date, PanAmSat counts Embratel and Telespazio as just a few of its many its blue-chip customers in Brazil.

About PanAmSat

PanAmSat Corporation is the premier provider of global video and data broadcasting services via satellite. Operating a global network of 21 in-orbit spacecraft, the company reaches 98 percent of the world's population through cable television systems, broadcast affiliates, direct-to-home operators, Internet service providers and telecommunications companies. PanAmSat is 81 percent owned by HUGHES Electronics Corporation. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.panamsat.com.

About Hughes

Hughes Electronics Corporation, a unit of General Motors Corporation, is a world-leading provider of digital television entertainment, satellite-based private business networks, and global video and data broadcasting. The earnings of HUGHES are used to calculate the earnings attributable to the General Motors Class H common stock (NYSE:GMH).