SES

Stock performance

History

SES was founded with Luxembourg government backing to launch and operate communications satellites, an ambitious undertaking for a country of Luxembourg's small size, and grew into one of the largest satellite-fleet operators in the world, providing television broadcast and data-communications capacity across Europe and beyond.

Business model

SES owns and operates a fleet of geostationary and medium-earth-orbit communications satellites, leasing capacity to television broadcasters, telecommunications companies, and government customers for video distribution and data connectivity services worldwide.

Market position

SES is one of the largest satellite-fleet operators in the world, competing with Luxembourg-based rival Intelsat (before SES's planned acquisition of Intelsat) and other global satellite operators, and has increasingly invested in newer low-latency medium-earth-orbit satellite technology.

Country impact

SES is one of the most internationally significant companies to originate in Luxembourg, and its success is frequently cited as a striking example of how the small country parlayed early strategic investment into one of the world's leading positions in commercial satellite communications.