The contract has been signed today in Russia in the presence of the French Minister of Finance, Nicolas Sarkozy, Alcatel's President and Chief Executive Officer, Serge Tchuruk and the General Director of RSCC, Youri D. Ismaпlov.

The new Russian Express AM33 and AM44 communications satellites will carry C-band transponders, Ku-band transponders and L-band transponders. The spacecraft are designed to provide digital TV and radio broadcasting, telephony, data transmission channels, videoconferencing services and Internet access. The satellites will be also used to deploy communication networks by applying VSAT technology across the territory of Russia, CIS countries, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Alcatel Space has extensive experience in the development of Russian spacecraft equipment. Today three RSCC "Express-A" satellites (A1R, A2, A3) and the new Russian Express AM11 and AM22 communications satellites are equipped with the payloads produced by Alcatel Space. Lastly, Alcatel Space has delivered in August the Express AM2 satellite payload and AM3 is currently shipped from Alcatel Space facility in Cannes to NPO-PM factory in the same time this contract for the AM 33 & 44 payloads is signed in Moscow.

During the contract signing ceremony in the Hotel President, Serge Tchuruk said: "This latest contract confirms our position as a reference partner to the Russian Space industry for communications satellites. At the end of this program, we shall have delivered eleven payloads to NPO-PM for Russian and European telecommunication space programs."

Alcatel Space and industrial collaboration policy with Russia started in the mid-1990s with Sesat satellite construction for Eutelsat in cooperation with our NPO-PM partners.

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