Solaris Mobile selects Dublin for its Corporate HQ
Creating 50 new high level positions in new European satellite infrastructure
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan TD today (Wednesday 18th June 2008) announced that SES Astra SA and the Eutelsat Communications SA, Europe’s two leading satellite operators, have selected Ireland as the Corporate Headquarters for their new joint venture company, Solaris Mobile. With a combined investment to-date of ¤130 million in a new satellite, the new company, specialising in the emerging market for Mobile Satellite Services in Europe, is projected to create up to 50 exceptional high value jobs over three years in Dublin. All positions will require a third level qualification, with knowledge of the space, telecoms, regulatory or mobile industries. IDA Ireland worked closely with SES Astra and Eutelsat to win this project for Ireland and to assist them in establishing the operation.
The establishment of Solaris Mobile was announced in October 2006 by the two companies as a joint venture operation for the provision of a new satellite-based service throughout Europe. A satellite supporting the new service has been under construction since October 2006 and is scheduled for launch in early 2009. The Dublin HQ will have responsibility for all corporate functions including regulatory support, sales and marketing, communications and brand awareness, finance and billing, compliance and legal for the European market. It will also be responsible for identifying new business opportunities, negotiating and managing partnerships with international broadcasters, content developers, network operators and mobile phone handset manufacturers.
Solaris Mobile’s new infrastructure will enable the broadcasting of TV, video and radio, as well as providing a platform for new two-way communication services to handheld mobile devices - mobile phones, PDAs, vehicular devices, etc. The infrastructure will enable the deployment of a fully-fledged TV experience on mobile devices on an “anytime and anywhere” basis and, for the first time, will allow satellite infrastructure to compete and complement with existing terrestrial networks for the provision of broadcasting services to the mobile sector.
Tánaiste Coughlan, welcoming the investment, said “This project is the first investment in Ireland by international satellite operators and as such is a unique investment for the country, particularly as it is being made by two of the highest profile brand-name companies in the global satellite communications industry. The sophisticated technical qualifications, knowledge and experience requirements of the new positions is once again a significant endorsement of Ireland’s wealth of talent and expertise. It is also a measure of the confidence which leading global companies have in the ability of this country to deliver on projects at the forefront of their industry. This project will provide an important marketing reference for IDA’s continuing work to attract new business within the mobile, media and telecommunications sectors.”
“Ireland continues to be one of the most attractive places in the world as a location for global business. With our highly educated, skilled and adaptable workforce, our strong focus on R&D and knowledge, and our can-do, responsive and open attitude, we remain a location of choice. As a small open economy, Ireland welcomes the continued strong interest demonstrated by some of the world’s leading companies in investing and expanding here. Ireland has transformed as an economy over recent years, and we are well positioned to continue this transformation over coming years. We are pro-business, pro-European and proud to be always to the forefront of the minds of global business leaders as they make critical investment decisions”, the Tánaiste added.
CEO of Solaris Mobile, Steve Maine, said “Solaris Mobile is of major strategic importance to both our parent companies as it seeks a first mover advantage within the European market for the commercial delivery of TV and other broadband services to mobile phones and other portable devices via satellite. It also represents the first joint venture between the two companies who are combining their industry-leading experience and expertise in data and video broadcasting, as well as in two-way services, to support Solaris Mobile. With so much at stake we needed to find the right location in Europe for our Corporate Headquarters. Following a detailed assessment of a number of locations across Europe we decided that Ireland would deliver this project to the tight deadlines required and would be best at ensuring its successful development to the most stringent standards.”
ENDS/ETE1912
Note for Editors:
About SES ASTRA
SES ASTRA is the leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite system in Europe. The satellite fleet currently comprises 14 Astra and 2 SIRIUS satellites. The combined satellite system delivers services to more than 117 million DTH and cable householders and transmits to a total of 2,295 analogue and digital television and radio channels. SES ASTRA also provides satellite-based multimedia, Internet and telecommunication services to enterprises, governments and their agencies. With 34 High Definition (HD) channels available via its satellites today, ASTRA and SIRIUS represent the most important HDTV broadcasting platform in Europe. The prime orbital positions for ASTRA and SIRIUS are 5º East, 19.2º East, 23.5º East, 28.2º East and 31.5º East.
SES ASTRA is an SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG). SES owns three market-leading satellite operators, SES ASTRA in Europe, SES AMERICOM in North America, and SES NEW SKIES, which provides global coverage and connectivity. The company owns 90% of SES SIRIUS in Europe, as well as strategic participations in Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions via a fleet of 38 satellites in 25 orbital positions around the globe.
Additional information on SES is available at: www.ses.com.
For more information about SES Astra, visit: www.ses-astra.com.
About Eutelsat Communications
With capacity commercialised on 24 satellites providing coverage over the entire European continent, the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world’s three leading satellite operators and Europe’s longest established satellite operator. At 31 March 2008, Eutelsat’s satellites were broadcasting almost 3,000 television channels, including 39 in HDTV. More than 1,100 channels broadcast from Eutelsat’s family of HOT BIRD™ television satellites, which constitute a world-leading video neighbourhood, serving over 120 million cable and satellite homes across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group’s satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for consumers, enterprises and public agencies, as well as for train, maritime and in-flight markets. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 538 commercial, technical and operational experts from 27 countries. The Group is listed on Euronext Paris: ETL.
For more information on Eutelsat visit: www.eutelsat.com.
Last modified: 18/06/2008
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