MUMBAI: Intelsat Limited and APT Satellite Company Limited, a subsidiary of APT Satellite Holdings Limited today signed a strategic cooperation agreement to work together using their combined satellite fleets.

In a signing ceremony at the Island Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, the two companies agreed to market each other's satellite capacity and ground resources, as well as to provide broadcast and telecommunications services to the Asia Pacific region, including China.

This strategic move will allow Intelsat, as well as its media and corporate data customers, to access the Asia Pacific market through APT Satellite's two newly launched satellites, APSTAR 5 and APSTAR 6.

APT Satellite executive director and president Ni Yifeng said, "Forming this strategic alliance will significantly strengthen APT Satellite's and Intelsat's sales and marketing functions in the region. The alliance will also enable APT Satellite to provide more comprehensive services to its customers."

APT Satellite will have access to Intelsat's capacity in other regions of the world via Intelsat's fleet of 28 satellites, thereby expanding APT Satellite's reach and giving it the ability to seamlessly carry its customers' traffic wherever they may need service.

"We believe that the agreement with APT positions us well to take advantage of any new business initiatives or opportunities that arise in the Asia Pacific region, including China, over the near and longer terms. We believe that entering into this agreement creates value at the company and customer levels; it enables Intelsat to expand its service offerings in the region while creating a new avenue for customers of both companies to seamlessly take their traffic into or out of the region," stated Intelsat Ltd CEO David McGlade.

"Both Intelsat and APT will continue to explore other potential cooperation initiatives in the region, such as satellite digital multimedia broadcasting services," added Yifeng.