WildBlue Announces the Successful Launch of Its First Satellite Payload at 8:44 pm EST, July 17th, 2004

WildBlue Announces the Successful Launch of Its First Satellite
Payload at 8:44 pm EST, July 17th, 2004
Launch is First Step for WildBlue to Provide High Speed Internet Service via
Satellite to Rural America and Smaller Cities 


DENVER, July 19  /PRNewswire/ -- WildBlue Communications, Inc.
(http://www.wildblue.com/), an emerging satellite broadband company, announced
that its first satellite payload, aboard Telesat's Anik F2 satellite, was
successfully launched Saturday night from Kourou, French Guiana.  The launch of
its first satellite payload will permit WildBlue to offer wireless high-speed
Internet access services to virtually anywhere in the continental U.S. 
WildBlue's offering is expected to be particularly attractive to the estimated
25 million homes and small businesses that don't have access to other broadband
Internet options.

To view the Multimedia News Release, complete with video, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/wildblue/12527/

"WildBlue is building a new platform to make affordable, two-way wireless
high-speed, Internet access available to small cities and throughout rural
America," said Tom Moore, WildBlue's CEO.  "We are very pleased to have met
this important milestone.  With our first satellite payload successfully
launched, we will now begin a thorough testing phase as we ramp up to consumer
availability in early 2005."

Telesat's Anik F2 satellite was successfully launched into orbit this weekend
aboard an Ariane 5G+ launch vehicle (Flight 163).  Anik F2 will be put into
operational service at the 111.1 degrees West longitude orbital location.

The Anik F2 satellite, manufactured by Boeing Satellite Systems and owned and
operated by Telesat Canada (Telesat), features C, Ka and Ku-band transponders,
and is one of the most powerful commercial telecommunications satellites ever
built.  WildBlue's satellite payload is a key component in its low-cost
wireless broadband infrastructure.  The new Ka-band "spot beam" technology will
allow multiple re-use of the same frequency, providing higher capacity at lower
costs than traditional Ku-band satellites.  WildBlue is also using a new
approach to satellite communications based on the proven DOCSIS(R) (Data Over
Cable Service Interface Specification) networking standard, the leading
consumer broadband technology in North America.  The use of DOCSIS(R) along
with digital broadcast satellite standards will result in low, competitive
customer equipment costs.

"WildBlue's key value is in offering broadband Internet service to markets that
wouldn't otherwise have this advanced access available," continued Moore. "We
are very proud to be working with some of the industry's top equipment
manufacturers and technology providers to make this new service a reality, and
we're happy to be, literally and figuratively, off the ground."

Backed by the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC), global
satellite leader Intelsat and Liberty Media (NYSE:LNYSE:LMC.B), WildBlue will
be marketing its new broadband solution to families, telecommuters and small
offices virtually everywhere in the continental U.S.

WildBlue's second payload will be carried on its own satellite, WildBlue-1,
under construction at Space Systems/Loral.  WildBlue-1 will be scheduled for
launch based on market demand for WildBlue's services.

About WildBlue (http://www.wildblue.com/)

Denver-based WildBlue Communications, Inc. was established to accelerate
consumer broadband access to the Internet in smaller cities and throughout
rural America.  WildBlue's services are designed to deliver on consumer desires
for a fast, affordable, always-on two-way technology for wireless Internet
access.  Service is slated to begin in early 2005.  More information on the
company is available at http://www.wildblue.com/. 

http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/wildblue/12527DATASOURCE: WildBlue
Communications, Inc.



CONTACT:  October Strategies, Inc., [phone], or [phone],

, for WildBlue Communications, Inc.



Web site:  http://www.wildblue.com/ 

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