
Highly accretive acquisition
The transaction will be free cash flow accretive to SES from Year 1 and brings together two trusted operators with a combined gross contract backlog of €9 billion, growth-oriented portfolios concentrated on Networks segments with expanding demand, shared vision of delivering seamless end-to-end customer solutions, and complementary investment in innovation, while also sharing strong balance sheet metrics and long-term cash generation fundamentals.
By integrating the two companies, SES expects to deliver synergies with a total net present value (NPV) of €2.4 billion (after approximately €155 million of estimated realisation costs), representing an annual run rate of €370 million of which approximately 70% is anticipated to be executed within 3 years after closing of the transaction. The NPV of the synergies is equivalent to 85% of the total equity value of the transaction, while opportunities to realise further synergies will be explored before and after closing.
Most of the synergies are expected to be executed from the combination of selling, general, and administrative savings as well as optimisation of third-party capacity costs and future efficiencies in procurement. The remaining synergies will be captured from optimising the combined satellite fleets and ground infrastructure with the process expected to start soon after closing.
Creating a stronger multi-orbit operator in the new market landscape
Bringing together these two companies, with the associated synergies, will create a stronger multi-orbit operator better able to compete in a fast-moving satellite communications landscape and respond to the evolution of competing communications technologies.
With a combined fleet of more than 100 Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and 26 Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites, the combined SES will benefit from enhanced coverage, greater network resiliency, complementary spectrum (C-, Ku-, Ka-, Military Ka-, X-band, and Ultra High Frequency) rights, and improved service delivery utilising an expanded network of ground segment assets.
By end-2026, 8 new GEO (including 6 software-defined) satellites and 7 new MEO (O3b mPOWER) satellites are expected to be launched adding further redundancy and additional growth capacity.
On a pro forma basis, Government, Mobility, and Fixed Data segments with expanding customer demand for reliable, high-performance connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea, or in the air will represent around 60% of SES’s total expanded revenue base of €3.8 billion, underpinning the group’s orientation to valuable growth segments.
The integrated company will have a stronger financial profile compared with the standalone SES, with combined gross backlog of €9 billion (on 31 December 2023) underpinning future cash flow visibility, expected Adjusted EBITDA of €1.8 billion (year ended 31 December 2024) demonstrating robust profitability, and expected Adjusted EBITDA less CapEx of €0.8 billion (year ended 31 December 2024) supporting recurring cash generation fundamentals.
In turn, the stronger financial profile enhances the ability to better invest in future network infrastructure, customer solutions, and future use-cases and/or business diversification opportunities with a better risk profile, than could be done by the two companies on a standalone basis.
Strengthening competitive positioning with enhanced customer solutions
With the creation of a stronger multi-orbit operator, customers across Government, Mobility, Fixed Data, and Media segments will benefit from an expanded set of capabilities and solutions which will enable them to expand their network reach, add further resiliency, improve productivity across their operations, and bring world-class experiences to their end-users.
3