Press Releases

Multi-mission satellite to support DTH services for Shaw Direct in Canada, X-band services in the Americas and Pacific Ocean Region, and C-band and Ku-band services in South America

OTTAWA, CANADA, May 8, 2013 – Telesat, a leading global satellite operator, announced today the start of commercial service on its new Anik G1 satellite. Anik G1 carries 16 extended Ku-band transponders fully contracted to Shaw Direct for 15 years. Anik G1 also has three X-band transponders that are fully contracted to Astrium Services for 15 years to support government applications across the Americas and much of the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii.

Anik G1 is also bringing new capacity over South America to meet the growing demand for satellite communications services in that region. It will be co-located with Telesat’s Anik F1 satellite at 107.3 degrees West where it will effectively double both the C-band and Ku-band transponders serving South America from this orbital location.

“The start of commercial service on Anik G1 fulfills important objectives for Telesat and our customers,” said Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s President and CEO. “We’re pleased to have a significant portion of Anik G1’s capacity fully contracted for 15 years to Shaw Direct and Astrium Services. Telesat is also pleased to be bringing additional C-band and Ku-band capacity to South America, a region with growing demand for satellite services. We expect Anik G1 will make meaningful contributions to Telesat’s growth in 2013 and beyond given its coverage, capabilities and customer commitments. I would like to congratulate the teams at Telesat and SSL whose dedication and expertise enabled the start of commercial service on this powerful, new satellite just three weeks after launch, an impressive technical achievement.”

Anik G1 was manufactured by SSL and is based on SSL’s highly reliable 1300 platform. The satellite was launched by an ILS Proton rocket on April 16, 2013 local time from the Baikonur Space Center in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Anik G1 has a manufacturer’s service life of 15 years, a launch mass of approximately 4900 kg, and will operate from the 107.3 degrees West orbital location. Orbit raising, in-orbit testing and delivery to 107.3 degrees West were completed in only three weeks due to the use of Telesat’s innovative in-orbit testing system and close cooperation between SSL and Telesat.

About Telesat (www.telesat.com)

Telesat is a leading global satellite operator, providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices and facilities around the world, the company’s state-of-the-art fleet now consists of 14 satellites plus the Canadian payload on ViaSat-1. Telesat also manages the operations of additional satellites for third parties. Privately held, Telesat’s principal shareholders are Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space & Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LORL).

Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor

This news release contains statements that are not based on historical fact and are ‘‘forward-looking statements’’ within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words “expect”, “will”, “commitments” or other variations of these words or other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements as a result of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Detailed information about some of the known risks and uncertainties is included in the “Risk Factors” section of Telesat Holdings Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, and the amendment thereto, as well as Telesat Holdings Inc.’s other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filings can be obtained on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Known risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: risks associated with operating satellites and providing satellite services, including satellite construction or launch delays, launch failures, in-orbit failures or impaired satellite performance, volatility in exchange rates and risks associated with domestic and foreign government regulation. The foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. The information contained in this news release reflects Telesat’s beliefs, assumptions, intentions, plans and expectations as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, Telesat disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise the information herein.

For further information:                                                                               

Gerry Nagler, Telesat +1 908 470-4907 (gnagler@telesat.com)