Gateway delighted to receive recognition for innovation and quality from Intelsat, the world’s largest satellite provider

London, December, 2008 – Gateway Communications has been awarded the “Excellence in Innovative Cellular Backhaul Services” by Intelsat, the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, at Intelsat’s 4th Annual Excellence Awards for the Africa Region. This is further recognition from a global player of Gateway’s scale, resources and technical expertise to meet the requirements of the African telecoms industry.

Gateway, the largest independent provider of satellite network services in Africa, now uses over 45 transponders of capacity, principally supplied over Africa by Intelsat. The bandwidth that Gateway provides gives their customers across Africa, including over 80 cellular operators more access to high speed, high quality mobile Internet connectivity and rapid, flexible roll-out of communications services.

Africa is the fastest growing mobile telecommunications market in the world, with an estimated 280.7 million subscribers at the end of 2007, representing a penetration of 30.4%. Gateway’s Carrier Services Division has grown rapidly in recent years with growth of over 30% year in year, against a backdrop of overall market growth and liberalization.

Out of Intelsat’s global fleet of more than 50 satellites, the company operates 25 satellites that serve Africa with critical communication transmission services. The two companies share a commitment to Africa, with Intelsat operating on the continent for 40 years, and Gateway’s rapid expansion to 40 African country markets.

“The immense capacity that we can get from a constellation of satellites means we can transmit and receive anything for our customers, from simple voice or data to the most complex and bandwidth-intensive video, audio and Internet content,” said Peter Gbedemah, CEO of Gateway Communications. “Working with Intelsat has helped us scale our business to meet the growing demands from the African market. We are delighted to see that our continued innovation and high quality is once again recognised by other experts in our industry.”

“Gateway has shown that satellite communications can provide ongoing capacity for voice, video, cellular networks, transactional and multimedia applications, entertainment and information services to thousands of locations anywhere in the world,” said Flavien Bachabi, Vice President of Africa at Intelsat. “Gateway continues to be a prominent leader in Africa in provision of innovative cellular services, and we are pleased to reward that investment in technology and business.”