PRESS RELEASE
5 December 2022

THIRTEENTH TRIPARTITE MEETING AMONG INTERGOVERNMENTAL SATELLITE ORGANIZATIONS

The Thirteenth Tripartite Meeting of the Heads of the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT IGO), the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) and the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO), took place on 5 December 2022 in Paris, France. Hosted by Mr Piotr Dmochowski-Lipski, Executive Secretary of EUTELSAT IGO, the meeting was attended by Captain Moin Ahmed, IMSO Director General and CEO, and Mr Patrick Masambu, ITSO Director General and CEO.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the three organisations in 2009, in which it was agreed, inter alia, that they would explore areas where the three satellite organisations could usefully co-operate and contribute to the development of the satellite industry. Since then, Tripartite Meetings have taken place annually and been hosted by each organization in turn to discuss issues of common interest, relating to the respective companies that the three organizations oversee: Eutelsat S.A. (overseen by EUTELSAT IGO), Inmarsat Ltd as well as Iridium (overseen by IMSO), and Intelsat S.A. (overseen by ITSO).

During the Thirteenth Tripartite Meeting, the Heads of the three organisations reviewed the developments related to their organisations since the last Tripartite Meeting, which was held online on 9 February 2021. Mr David Bertolotti, Director of Institutional and International Affairs of Eutelsat S.A. was invited by the Executive Secretary of EUTELSAT IGO to make a presentation on the company’s activities, the recent developments regarding the combination of Eutelsat Communications and OneWeb and on its cooperation with the intergovernmental organisation. Given the challenges faced by the telecommunications and space sectors, both Eutelsat and EUTELSAT IGO recognised the quality of their partnership and reiterated the importance of maintaining an ongoing and mutually satisfactory collaboration.

During the meeting, the Heads of EUTELSAT IGO, IMSO and ITSO exchanged views on matters of common interest and concerns, taking into account the recent developments related to their respective governance structure, the relationships vis a vis their constituencies and the satellite operators they oversee which are facing increased competition in a multi-operator environment. Given that universal connectivity is critical for the future and that broadband satellite can significantly contribute to the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it was agreed that satellite intergovernmental organizations would further engage with their Member States and partners on that matter and jointly commit to capacity building.

Given the importance of the issues at stake for the use of radio-frequency spectrum in the context of the preparation towards the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference in November-December 2023, each organisation agreed that efforts will be made to jointly monitor satellite and maritime matters which are currently under review in order to safeguard the interest of the global satellite and telecommunications communities and raise awareness around the need to have a global and harmonised regulatory framework. Taking into consideration their respective scope of interest both internationally and regionally, it was further discussed that the intergovernmental satellite or organisations will coordinate their efforts and participation in international forums, with the aim of optimising their engagement vis a vis their respective Member States, reducing costs and increasing efficiencies.

The Heads of the three organisations reaffirmed their support and commitment to the UN efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and agreed to further explore areas where the three organisations could usefully cooperate in the short and medium terms. The three organizations will continue to meet on an annual basis under the terms of the MOU.

Mr Patrick Masambu, ITSO Director General, Mr Piotr Dmochowski-Lipski, EUTELSAT IGO Executive Secretary, and Captain Moin Ahmed, IMSO Director General, participated in the 13th Tripartite meeting hosted by EUTELSAT IGO on 5 December 2022.

About EUTELSAT IGO
EUTELSAT IGO is the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization. Established by an international treaty, the intergovernmental organisation is headquartered in Paris and comprises 49 Member States. Its primary mission is to ensure that the company Eutelsat S.A. complies with the Basic Principles of the EUTELSAT Amended Convention. It also ensures continuity of the rights to use radiofrequencies and orbital locations which were assigned collectively to the Member States and the
Organisation by the International Telecommunication Union. EUTELSAT IGO is an active contributing member of the international telecommunications and space communities.
For more information, visit www.eutelsatigo.int

About IMSO
IMSO (The International Mobile Satellite Organization) is the intergovernmental organization which oversees certain public satellite safety and security communication services provided via the Inmarsat satellites and also co-ordinates the System for the Long-Range Identification and Tracking of ships (LRIT). IMSO is established under the provisions of the Convention on the International Mobile Satellite Organization which also defines the public services, such as satellite services for the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS), which is subject to international oversight. Headquartered in London, UK, IMSO currently has 98 Member States.
For more information, visit www.imso.org

About ITSO
ITSO is an intergovernmental organization with 149-member states, that incorporates the principle set forth in Resolution 1721 (XVI) of the General Assembly of the United Nations, which established that communication by means of satellite should be available to the nations of the world as soon as practicable on a global and non-discriminatory basis. Originally established in 1973 as INTELSAT, the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization was restructured in 2001. The restructuring led to the creation of a private entity, Intelsat S.A. and to the continuation of the intergovernmental organization with a new acronym (ITSO). ITSO’s mission is to monitor the performance of Intelsat’s public service obligations and to safeguard the Parties’ Common Heritage.
For more information, visit www.itso.int

The Twelfth Tripartite Meeting of the Heads of ITSO, IMSO and EUTELSAT IGO, took place virtually on 9 February 2021. […]