HISPASAT Marks its 25th Anniversary by Investing in Growth
Madrid, Spain, October 23, 2014- Spanish satellite telecommunications operator, HISPASAT, celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday, with a concert held at the Royal Theatre in Madrid. The event was presided by His Majesty the King, the Spanish Minister of Industry, José Manuel Soria, also being present. Other renowned members of the Spanish government attended as well, alongside key executives from the aerospace, telecommunications and television industries.
In her speech during the anniversary celebration, the president of HISPASAT, Elena Pisonero said that the company was born “from a shared dream to achieve independent space communication and drive a project that would propel the national space industry”. “We should feel genuinely proud of achieving this dream”, she said, while thanking “the team of highly-qualified professionals, who made it possible” for their hard work and effort”. Pisonero pointed out that the expansion in Brazil, which began to take shape in 2001, was “the most important business decision” the company had ever made, since it “created a foothold for expansion across the Atlantic where today, over half of the company’s income is generated."
The HISPASAT president also spoke about the new growth and expansion stage the operator is now entering into, which includes “the firm support of our majority shareholder, Abertis, dedicated to backing this ambition."
HISPASAT was founded on June 30, 1989, given the Spanish government’s interest in gaining independence in the satellite telecommunications field, through a company which would serve to drive the national aerospace industry. The Hispasat 1A and 1B, the first HISPASAT satellites to be built, located at 30º West, made it possible to distribute RTVE (The Spanish Radio and Television Corporation) broadcasts to the Americas. This later gave rise to the operator entering the Latin American market.
This trend was reinforced through the acquisition of new orbital rights at 61º West, where HISPASAT’s fleet of Amazonas satellites were later located in 2000, with HISPAMAR, its Brazilian subsidiary, being founded in 2001. HISPASAT thus began to internationalize, which led it to become a regional benchmark operator in the booming Latin American market. As a result, HISPASAT has continued to grow over the past few years, despite the economic crisis and shrinking European markets. In 2013, 55.6% of the company’s income generated through renting space capacity came from America, whilst the remaining 44.4% came from the European and North African markets.
HISPASAT is currently the ninth highest ranking satellite telecommunications operator in the world. It has satellites in four orbital positions and seven satellites in orbit, with a further three currently being built. This positive evolution backed by Abertis as its majority shareholder since late 2013 means HISPASAT is currently immersed in a new growth and expansion process, aiming to convert the Group into a global player in the satellite communications sector.
Investment in new satellite programs has therefore increased, with the aim of doubling the size of the fleet from five satellites to ten, between 2012 and 2016. The Company are currently seeking new orbital positions through formal bidding and award processes and partnerships with other operators, such as the agreement reached with Intelsat to jointly operate at 55.5º west. They are furthermore looking into inorganic growth opportunities, which will make it possible to expand the Group’s coverage and offer.
To celebrate this anniversary, the operator launched a website (http://www.hispasat.com/hispasat25/index_en.html) which gives a chronological tour of the company’s most relevant milestones since it was founded and will soon announce new activities related to its anniversary.
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