SES/ASTRA and iBeam to Create iBeam Europe

IBeam Broadcasting Corp. and European DTH satellite system operator SES/ASTRA, have created iBeam Europe. The joint venture will combine iBeam's hybrid satellite-fiber Internet broadcast network with SES' multimedia technologies and market presence to bring broadband Internet streaming to 20 countries in Europe via the ASTRA Satellite System. IBeam Europe is headquartered in London and will be operational in the third quarter of this year.

IBeam Europe will be responsible for deploying the iBeam broadcast network by partnering with ISPs, high-speed cable services, DSL services and other access providers throughout its European territory. IBeam Europe's customers are European content providers, corporations and anyone else needing high-quality hosting and Internet broadcasting services to audiences within Europe and, through peering relationships with iBeam Broadcasting and iBeam Asia, across the world. IBeam Europe received seed funding from iBeam Broadcasting and SES/ASTRA, but has reserved equity for strategic investors.

The strategic round is expected to close in August.

iBeam Europe will use the iBeam platform, taking advantage of ASTRA-NET to stream media to the "edge" of the European Internet. This infrastructure will enable iBeam Europe to deliver Internet content to ISP points of presence as close as possible to end-users, thus bypassing the congestion and packet loss associated with the Internet.

"Our vision is to build a global Internet broadcast network," said Peter B. Desnoes, iBeam president and CEO. "By partnering with SES/ASTRA, the leading direct-to-home satellite system in Europe, to create iBeam Europe, we can confidently extend our network into one of the most important and dynamic regions of the world. IBeam Europe will bring enhanced business and educational content to Europe and offer content providers the distribution capability of reaching new audiences."

Romain Bausch, director general and chairman of the management committee at SES, commented: "IBeam Europe fits perfectly with SES' strategy of building a global satellite broadcasting system. The new partnership with iBeam Broadcasting will build on SES' unique experience of the European satellite broadband services market and satellites' competitive edge in broadband multicasting to provide Internet users in Europe with richer and better IP content from all over the world."