CAIRO: Algerie Telecom Satellite (ATS) has signed two contacts with Eutelsat Communications concerning the new Atlantic Bird 7 satellite, which was launched by Eutelsat recently at a vital location for broadcasting and communication services. The two 5-year contracts aim on expanding and penetrating Algeria's mobile telephony service and the government's data networks. It also comes as the Algerian government has announced the first bidding on a 3G network in the country, which should propel the North African nation into the Internet age. The move has analysts and customers excited about the possibility of accessing the web via their mobile phone devices. Algerie Telecom Satellite has said that they look forward to expanding their network to rural areas of Algeria and to focus on connectivity of the countries finance sectors. Algeria's government has recently announced a bolstering of efforts for the technology sector in the country and these contracts appear to be pushing that message forward. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/JuM2e Tags: Algerie Telecom, Eutelsat, Satellite, Telecom Section: Algeria, Tech