INTELSAT AND ITU SIGN MoU AT TELECOM 99:

new partnership will promote and develop universal access in rural and isolated regions of the world

Jointly issued by the ITU and INTELSAT

Geneva, 13 October 1999 — INTELSAT and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote and develop universal access in rural and isolated areas. The MoU was signed this afternoon at TELECOM 99 by ITU Secretary-General, Mr Yoshio Utsumi and Mr. Leonard Dooley, INTELSAT Vice-President, External Affairs acting on behalf of INTELSAT Director-General and Chief Executive Officer. TELECOM 99 is ITU’s world telecommunication exhibition and forum which runs in Geneva 10 – 17 October at the Palexpo Convention Centre.

The implementation of the MoU will be carried out by ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) in cooperation with INTELSAT. The MoU establishes a framework for cooperation, which will encourage other leaders in the communications industry worldwide to join their efforts. During the upcoming year, both parties willl develop a cooperative programme to assess the technical and financial needs of rural and isolated areas and will recommend satellite-based pilot programmes to develop a communications infrastructure. INTELSAT will work closely with its Signatories to insure that the recommended solutions best meet local needs in a profitable manner.

"Wireless technologies have a tremendous potential to extend access to remote and under-served rural areas", said Mr Utsumi, when signing the agreement. "In addition to policy and regulatory incentives that can boost the supply of telecommunications, technologies can help, particularly in areas where it is difficult to attract investment" he also said. "The ITU is pleased to be able to cooperate with INTELSAT in bringing the benefits of telecommunications to large tracks of the world’s population living outside main urban centres", Mr Utsumi concluded.

"The ITU has a vision and commitment to make universal access a reality in as short a timescale as possible" said Mr. Hamadoun Touré, Director, ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. I want all areas of the world to rapidly have access to modern communications facilities and services and benefit in a tangible and sustainable manner from the economic benefits that such access can bring" he also said. "I believe that this MoU will help us progress in achieving these goals", he concluded.

"As we meet in Geneva to showcase history’s most advanced technologies for voice, data and the Internet, we need to remember that three-fifths of the world’s population is still without the most basic means of communications," commented Mr. Leonard Dooley. "We are pleased to be able to work with the ITU in our mission to close this ‘information gap,’ and believe that satellites provide the best solution for these regions."

The purpose of the INTELSAT/ITU MoU partnership programme will be to develop profitable, long-term, satellite-based solutions for these localities that will eventually lead to self-sustaining, cost-effective telecommunications networks serving rural and isolated areas. INTELSAT and the ITU will use their own resources to carry on their respective responsibilities under the MoU.

Note for Editors

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a global organization where the public and private sectors cooperate for the development of telecommunications and the harmonization of national telecommunication policies. It consists of 189 Member States and some 570 Sectors members representing public and private companies and organizations. The Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is the development arm of the ITU, the main responsibility of which is to foster telecommunication development in developing countries through policy advice, provision of technical assistance, mobilization of resources and initiatives to extend access to under-served communities.

INTELSAT owns and operates a global communications satellite system providing capacity for voice, video, corporate/private networks and Internet in more than 200 countries and territories.

For further information, visit the ITU Web site or the INTELSAT web site.

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