Global satellite operator SES S.A. and Russian fixed satellite service operator Gazprom Space System (GSS) announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership to provide additional satellite capacity to serve the Russian market.

Under the terms of a multi-year agreement, SES has re-located its ASTRA 1F satellite previously located at 51 degrees East to the orbital location 55 degrees East.

GSS will utilize 16 Ku-band FSS transponders on the ASTRA 1F satellite to provide communication services for Western Russia ahead of the arrival of GSS' Yamal-402 satellite in 2012. In return, SES will use capacity on GSS' Yamal-402 once it becomes operational at 55 degrees East. Yamal-402 is currently under construction and scheduled for launch in November 2012.

The use of ASTRA 1F at 55 degrees East is part of a strategic partnership between SES and Gazprom to explore opportunities for the provision of satellite capacity for Russia.

GSS will use the capacity on ASTRA 1F and later Yamal-402 together with Russian satellite service providers to deliver a wide spectrum of services including the transmission of TV bouquets for direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV operators, the distribution of TV signals to cable and terrestrial networks and broadcasting stations, the delivery of broadband access for corporate clients and the consumer market, and point-to-point communication, as well as cellular backhauls and Satellite News Gathering (SNG) services.

Dimitry Sevastiyanov, General Director of GSS said: "The move of ASTRA 1F is good news for the Russian market. The additional satellite arrives at a time of high demand and scarce capacity and brings us in a position to meet the actual and growing capacity needs of our customers. The cooperation with SES is very productive and we may see additional joint projects in the future."

Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES, commented: "The agreement to move ASTRA 1F over Russia demonstrates SES' capability to quickly respond to market demands and highlights the advantage of a global and flexible satellite fleet. The launch of ASTRA 5B scheduled for 2013 we will bring additional capacity to Russia. With Gazprom we have found an excellent partner to tap this highly important growth market."