Foundation Telecommunications, Inc. and SES AMERICOM Announce Strategic Relationship Satellite-based Internet service combines low-cost, highest reliability for rural cable subscribers January 13, 2003 – Foundation Telecommunications, Inc (FTI). and SES AMERICOM, Inc., an SES GLOBAL company (Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG; Frankfurt Stock Exchange: SDSL) and U.S.-based satellite operator, announced a strategic relationship that will enable cable system operators to economically deliver broadband Internet connectivity to their subscribers. Available immediately, FTI’s new service is a low cost, high speed, two-way satellite Internet backbone connection specifically engineered for use in small system applications. The National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) has entered into an unprecedented five year agreement designating FTI as the exclusive satellite Internet service provider for all +6,300 NCTC member-operators. FTI’s Internet connectivity service is a comprehensive offer. The service includes all equipment, installation and FCC licensing for the satellite system up to the customer’s RF system interface, delivery of Internet content to cable headends at speeds in excess of 8 mbps, and end user trouble support. Internet content to and from the cable headends will be delivered via a combination of C-band and Ku-band capacity on SES AMERICOM’s AMC-4 satellite, resulting in exceptional levels of performance, reliability and reach at an attractive cost. FTI has priced the service based on a “grow with us philosophy.” Installations costs are low, customers can either lease or purchase necessary equipment, and monthly charges are the greater of a fixed percent of gross Internet billing or a fixed charge per subscriber per month. George Livergood, President / CEO FTI, said,. “The FTI offer was designed with the needs of the independent, suburban and rural cable system operator foremost in mind. We’ve eliminated the high monthly cost associated with typical terrestrial bandwidth commitments so that even the smallest cable operator can offer high-speed Internet connectivity.” He continued, “We are delighted with the fit between our target market of small cable operators and the AMERICOM-4 satellite, which distributes a wide array of entertainment, information, sports programming to cable head-ends in all 50 states.”  Orlando Skelton, SES AMERICOM’s VP of Sales Enterprise Solutions, said, “End users who access the Internet via a cable operator offering FTI’s service will experience unparalleled connection speeds, performance and availability. That’s because FTI’s service uses our premiere AMC-4 cable satellite to connect headends to our Woodbine, MD uplink facility. AMC-4 operates at a 99.99999% level of availability and our Woodbine uplink is directly connected by fiber to a Tier 1 ISP. Collectively, this means FTI’s Cable/Internet Solution is in a great cable/satellite neighborhood and is based on a technology platform of outstanding performance and reliability.”  NCTC Senior VP, Mark Bishop, commented, “We are excited at the joint efforts of Foundation Telecommunications, Inc. and SES AMERICOM in bringing an affordable solution to the provision of high speed Internet access to our members. NCTC members are always looking for additional ways to expand the value and menu of offerings to customers. We believe this service will be a major step toward elimination of the digital divide by bringing an important communications resource to the smallest communities in our country. FTI and AMERICOM have demonstrated a commitment to our constituency and their unique end-to-end technical solution and value proposition convinced us to endorse their service as a way to deliver an easy-to-implement, economical and all-in-one-box solution that should be profitable for our members. NCTC is pleased to be a part of this enterprise.” SES AMERICOM’s AMC-4 satellite became fully operational on January 3, 2000 at 101° W.L. AMC-4 carries twenty-four 36 MHz 110-watt Ku-band transponders providing Americas-wide coverage. Each Ku-band transponder is switchable between North America and South America, fully supporting two-way communication throughout the Americas. AMC-4 also has four extended 72 MHz Ku-band transponders that are able to support inter-American communications. In addition, AMC-4 has twenty-four 36 MHz 20-watt C-band transponders, committed to cable-oriented services, also providing fifty state, Canadian, Mexican and Caribbean coverage. About Foundation Telecommunications, Inc. Foundation Telecommunications, Inc. (FTI) was formed in February 1998, when FTI was acquired and combined with Lambda Communications. FTI has been recognized in the education industry as a pioneer of innovative high technology satellite based turnkey solutions to distance learning applications for over two decades. FTI currently provides high speed one-way and two-way interactive video, audio, Internet connectivity and data satellite network services to K-12 schools and colleges throughout the Unites States and Puerto Rico for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the Hispanic Educational Telecommunications System (HETS), Satellite Education Network (SEN) and Correctional Communications, as well as other colleges and universities. About SES AMERICOM With over twenty-five years' experience, SES AMERICOM, Inc. (www.ses-americom.com) is recognized as a pioneer and leading provider of global satellite communications services, currently providing capacity on 15 spacecraft capable of serving the Americas, Europe, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Regions, and Asia. As a member of the SES GLOBAL family, AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end tele-communications solutions to any region in the world. SES AMERICOM's key customers include ABC Radio Networks, AT&T Alascom, AOL TimeWarner, British Telecom, Deutsche Welle, Discovery, Fox, TV Guide/Gemstar, Gannett, HBO, Hughes Network Systems, Merlin, NBC, The New York Times, NHK, PaxNet, PBS, TELE Greenland, TV Europa, Verestar, and Viacom. In November 2001, SES AMERICOM was combined with SES ASTRA to form a new premier global satellite company, SES GLOBAL S.A. (www.ses-global.com). The new company has a fleet of 28 satellites and can deliver satellite services to more than 90% of the world's population. In addition, SES GLOBAL's strategic partnerships and participation in AsiaSat, NSAB, Star One, AMERICOM Asia-Pacific and Nahuelsat combine to give entertainment, telecommunications, Internet, news and enterprise customers access to a fleet of 41 satellites. # # # Contact: Shauna Scott, 479-636-8909  [email protected] Contact: Monica Morgan, +1-609-987-4143 [email protected]