(2 December 2005 8:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Intelsat Limited and APT Satellite Company Limited, a subsidiary of APT Satellite Holdings Limited today signed a strategic cooperation agreement to work together using their combined satellite fleets.

In a signing ceremony at the Island Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, the two companies agreed to market each other's satellite capacity and ground resources, as well as to provide broadcast and telecommunications services to the Asia Pacific region, including China.

This strategic move will allow Intelsat, as well as its media and corporate data customers, to access the Asia Pacific market through APT Satellite's two newly launched satellites, APSTAR 5 and APSTAR 6.

APT Satellite executive director and president Ni Yifeng said, "Forming this strategic alliance will significantly strengthen APT Satellite's and Intelsat's sales and marketing functions in the region. The alliance will also enable APT Satellite to provide more comprehensive services to its customers."

APT Satellite will have access to Intelsat's capacity in other regions of the world via Intelsat's fleet of 28 satellites, thereby expanding APT Satellite's reach and giving it the ability to seamlessly carry its customers' traffic wherever they may need service.

"Both Intelsat and APT will continue to explore other potential cooperation initiatives in the region, such as satellite digital multimedia broadcasting services," added Yifeng.