iNavSat consortium delivers bid for Galileo Concession

The iNavSat consortium today delivered its offer to the Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU) to become the Galileo concessionaire, deploying the Galileo satellite constellation and operator of all subsequent services. The consortium was chosen in February as one of the three final bidders. The preferred bidder is expected to be announced in December 2004, followed by negotiations with the Galileo Joint Undertaking in 2005. The financial close of the concession contract is anticipated by December 2005.

The iNavSat consortium was founded by EADS Space, Inmarsat Ventures and the Thales Group. More than 20 associated partners providing valuable experience in their given fields of expertise (automotive, telecommunication, information technologies, etc.) and worked exclusively with the iNavSat consortium contributing to the bid.

The iNavSat consortium members are the respective European market leaders in the fields of mobile satellite communications, navigation-based products and services and aerospace. Together they bring an unmatched array of experience and skill to the Galileo Programme. iNavSat will ensure that Galileo becomes both a sustainable program and an innovative commercial success, developing service provision beyond the Galileo system baseline.

The Galileo project has been making headway over recent months and the consortium, supported by internal and external specialists, has compiled a compelling submission including structured project finance and a business case for a 20-year concession contract with the future Galileo Supervisory Authority (GSA).

Galileo is a European Union project to develop a new advanced satellite navigation system, more advanced than existing satellite navigation systems. The winning concessionaire is expected to take the lead in arranging for private financing of the deployment and operational phases of Galileo, and ultimately would become the Galileo Operating Company.

The Galileo programme marks a clear step forward for Europe. It is the first major European-level infrastructure procurement programme with a global dimension. It is also the first major Public Private Partnership (PPP) at a multinational level and will bring numerous benefits to Europe; notably the opportunity to demonstrate how government and industry can cooperate to achieve both market and policy success.

EADS SPACE Services is committed to providing and developing satellite services in the area of telecommunications and navigation. EADS SPACE Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE, which is dedicated to providing civil and defense space systems. In 2003, EADS SPACE had a turnover of €2.4 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. In 2003, EADS generated revenues of € 30.1 billion and employed a workforce of more than 100,000.

Inmarsat Ventures Ltd is a leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Its services include voice, fax, intranet and internet access and other data services used by multinational corporations, government agencies, media and international aid organisations and other enterprise level users in the maritime, land and aeronautical sectors.

Thales is an international electronics and systems group, serving defence, aerospace, services and security markets. The group employs 61,500 people worldwide and generated revenues of 10.6 billion in 2003. Thales has been pioneering in satellite navigation technology and is the only European company with end-to-end satellite navigation capability, from signals to products, to systems and services delivery.

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