AAP-1 Used to Provide Internet Connection to the Top of the World

PRINCETON, N.J.-(BUSINESS WIRE)-April 23, 2003-The first-ever Internet cafe at the Mt. Everest base camp went live last week using  space segment on AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC's AAP-1 satellite to establish the connection between the cafe and the Internet. AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC, a 50/50 joint venture  company of Lockheed Martin and SES AMERICOM, donated bandwidth on the satellite to help make the cafe  possible.     

The Internet cafe is largely the result of the vision of Tsering Gyaltzen, a native Sherpa and grandson of one of the Sherpas who participated in the 1953 first conquest of Mt. Everest.  The path between the cafe and the outside world consists of a WiFi connection between the base camp located on a glacier and a satellite earth station installed within two miles of the camp at the height of 16,000 feet.  The AAP-1 satellite then connects the earth station to a teleport in Taipei, which in turn, is connected to the Internet backbone via fiber.  Although Tsering Gyaltzen is the main force behind the cafe, its existence was made possible through the support and contributions of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC, Cisco Systems, Teleport Access Services, Inc., and WorldLink Communications Pvt. Ltd. of Nepal.

Deepak Mathur, AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC Managing Director, said, "We are delighted and honored we are able to participate in this project.  Since we first became aware of its existence, everything about the cafe has intrigued us: from the entrepreneurial spirit of Tsering to the mystic nature of Mt. Everest to showcasing some of the unique benefits and capabilities of satellite communications technology to working with a number of esteemed companies to conquer the mountain once again."

Located at 108.2(degree) E.L., AAP-1 is a high-powered, all Ku-band FSS satellite with coverage of China, North-East Asia, the Philippines and India.  The satellite includes up to 28 transponders with 36 MHz bandwidth and is suitable for broadcast program distribution, DTH applications, broadband data networks and VSAT applications.

About AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC

Americom Asia-Pacific (AAP) is a joint venture company of Lockheed Martin, a world-class manufacturer of communication satellites, and SES AMERICOM, a pioneer and leading provider of global satellite communications services currently operating 15 spacecraft in orbital positions providing service throughout the Americas, across Europe, over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and throughout Asia.

Formed in 1998, AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC provides high-powered capacity and state-of-the-art services to programmers, telcos, carriers, ICPs and ISPs - and their customers - throughout the Asia-Pacific region via the AAP-1 satellite (formerly GE-1A).

AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC's regional headquarters are located in Singapore, with additional representative offices located in Hong Kong and Beijing.

For more information, contact:
AMERICOM ASIA-PACIFIC (Singapore) 
Suzana Tan Tel: 
+65-6326-3366 
Email:  
or
SES AMERICOM, Inc.
Monica Morgan 
609-987-4143  
Email: