Intelsat partners with BMW WilliamsF1 Team

Issued by Intelsat
Johannesburg, 02 Jun 2004

The BMW WilliamsF1 Team has chosen the Intelsat system to transmit mission-critical information during all European Grand Prix races and testing days. Beginning this year, Intelsat`s 905 satellite at the 335oE orbital location will carry telemetry information about the Formula One race car`s performance including heat output, revolutions and engine performance, fuel consumption rates, tire performance and other important data. Additionally, Intelsat will provide a virtual private network and onsite database replication to support the BMW WilliamsF1 Team.

During race weekends and test days, WilliamsF1 and BMW will alternately have trucks located on-site at the race track and will relay and process telemetry information received directly from the car to the IS-905 satellite. Information regarding chassis and engine performance will then be sent for analysis to Oxfordshire, UK and Munich, Germany, where WilliamsF1 and BMW are respectively based.

"I am delighted that the BMW WilliamsF1 Team will benefit from the vast competence, operational flexibility, satellite reliability and engineering excellence for which Intelsat, which has supported many seminal events in history, is known," said Frank Williams, BMW WilliamsF1 Team Principal. "Not only is it a privilege to have the endorsement of such a pedigree brand, but self-evidently, Intelsat will make a real contribution to our on-track performances."

Ramu Potarazu, COO, Intelsat Ltd., stated, "The BMW WilliamsF1 Team need now only use one provider, Intelsat, for its European races, supplying it with a robust but simple solution that gives the team constant access to the mission-critical information it needs to win races. Having the chance to work with the BMW WilliamsF1 Team gives Intelsat the opportunity to partner with a top quality organization and provide a winning technology formula to support the overall success of the team."

Intelsat

Building on 40 Years of Leadership. As a global communications leader with 40 years of experience, Intelsat helps service providers, broadcasters, corporations and governments deliver information and entertainment anywhere in the world, instantly, securely and reliably. Intelsat`s global reach and expanding solutions portfolio enable customers to enhance their communications networks, venture into new markets and grow their businesses with confidence. For more information, visit www.intelsat.com.

WilliamsF1

WilliamsF1 is one of the world`s leading Formula One teams. Formed in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head, the company has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles. Nine of these titles have been won in the Constructors` Championship in association with Cosworth, Honda and Renault. The remaining seven titles are Driver`s Championships, won with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.

Today WilliamsF1 employs around 500 personnel at a 40ha technology campus based in the heart of the UK`s 'Motorsport Valley` in rural Oxfordshire. The company`s core competencies are the design and manufacture of Formula One race cars, and the deployment of this expertise in running the team`s entries into the Grands Prix each season.

Away from the race track, WilliamsF1 has grown into a significant international business over a quarter of a century, and its achievements earned its founder, Frank Williams, a knighthood in the 1999 New Year`s Honours List to augment France`s highest decoration, the Legion d`Honneur. Corporately, WilliamsF1 has also been awarded two Queen`s Awards for Export Achievement, and is today recognised as one of the most enduring and successful organisations in global sport.

The company`s business model is relatively unique. WilliamsF1 is one of the very few wholly independent Formula One teams and its income is largely derived from sponsorship. Supplementing this are a number of secondary income streams, including an international business and conferencing facility at the company`s Grove HQ, with an extensive interactive museum tracing over twenty five years of success in Formula One. www.bmw.williamsf1.com.

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