The European Satellite Operators Association Appoints Secretary General.

Business Editors

BRUSSELS, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2002

The European Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Fulvio Sansone as ESOA's Secretary General.

Mr. Sansone will manage and represent the Association on a day-to-day basis to achieve its objectives.

As Secretary General of ESOA, Mr. Sansone will work to ensure that the views of the satellite operators are shared with key decision makers, so that appropriate political, industrial, trade, and regulatory policies are developed and implemented. The objective is to ensure that the benefits of satellite-delivered services are available to everyone and that they will be an important component of the upcoming e-society, based on their unique characteristics, including extremely high reliability and ubiquitous coverage.

In noting the appointment, ESOA's Chairman, Mr. Romain Bausch, said: "We are very pleased that Mr. Sansone has accepted this appointment. ESOA's membership will benefit from Mr. Sansone's experience and dedication, to draw the attention of key policymakers on the benefits that satellite systems bring today to the provision of video, data, and Internet as well as voice services, and the ever expanding role that satellites play in helping to bring these services to everyone."

In accepting the assignment, Mr. Sansone said "It is a great honour for me to put my experience in the satellite and telecommunications fields to work to represent the interests of the European satellite operators and to ensure that satellite systems enjoy equal opportunities to fulfil their role in bringing advanced communications services to users in Europe and in linking Europeans with other parts of the world. This is a big challenge, but satellites offer so many benefits and satellite operators so many skilled people that I am sure we will succeed."

Mr. Sansone currently serves as Projects and Development Manager for ERTICO, a private public partnership for the implementation of Telematics. He was previously Branch Manager of SAG-Abel Belgium, a subsidiary of the German RWE group, active in cellular networks deployment. He has substantial experience in the satellite industry, gained while working with SAIT-RadioHolland (now Zenitel) a Belgian provider of wireless solutions, where his responsibilities included posts in the Business Development and Business Unit Management and through an assignment in the Business Analysis Office at the European Space Agency. Mr. Sansone started his career in the technical field with Ericsson, the well-known telecommunications company, and with Ansaldo Trasporti, an Italian company active in railway systems. Mr. Sansone obtained a degree in Electrical Engineering at University of Naples and later on a Master of Business Administration at CUOA Altavilla Vicentina. He lives in the Brussels area.

About ESOA and its members

European operators recently established ESOA as a non-profit organization to promote their shared interests. Its full members are Eurasiasat SAM, Europe(1)Star Ltd, Eutelsat S.A., Hispasat S.A., Inmarsat Ventures plc, New Skies Satellites N.V., Nordic Satellites A.B., SES GLOBAL S.A., Telenor Plus Holding A.S., and Telespazio S.p.A. ESOA is based in Brussels.

Membership in ESOA is open to those organizations involved in satellite communications systems. For additional information, please contact:

         Fulvio Sansone
         European Satellite Operators Association
         20th Floor, Bastion Tower
         5 Place du Champ de Mars
         B-1050 BRUSSELS
         Tel : [phone]
         [e-mail]

Editors Note:

1) In the name "Europe(1)Star Ltd", please note that an asterix

should be substituted for (1).