Page 44 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2024

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Eutelsat Group and InterSAT Aim to Enhance Remote African Coverage

Satellite communications company on Eutelsat’s Eutelsat 70B satellite to its delivered through powerful, geostationary
Eutelsat Group says it has extended its current portfolio which already includes capacity to reach remote areas as Hanif
partnership with InterSAT, one of Africa's Ka-Band capacity on the Eutelsat Konnect Kassam, Chief Executive Officer of InterSAT
leading satellite service providers, to satellite. Located at the 70.5° East orbital explains: "Leveraging our VSAT service
support InterSAT’s growth in the pan- position, Eutelsat 70B offers a broad wide expertise and our teleport infrastructure,
African enterprise and retail segments. beam coverage and four high-performance we are able to use satellite communication
Under the latest multi-year strategic fixed beams, with a high degree of on-board to deliver reliable and cost-effective
deal, InterSAT says it will add Ku-Band connectivity. As the partners point out, the connectivity to remote and underserved
capacity over Central and Eastern Africa deal highlights the role of VSAT services areas while assuring a high-end user
experience for our customers.” Ghassan
Murat, Eutelsat’s RVP of the AMEA region
adds: “The growth of VSAT services in
Africa is a testament to the potential of this
technology to transform the continent's
ICT landscape, connecting more people
and businesses than ever before, as well
as the ongoing relevance of our powerful
geostationary in-orbit assets to deliver
a compelling and reliable connectivity
service to the remotest areas.” This is
the second Africa-related announcement
from Eutelsat in only a few days. Eutelsat
Group and YahClick, the data solutions arm
of UAE-based Yahsat, have signed a multi-
year, multi-Gbps contract under which
Yahsat will lease capacity from the Eutelsat
Konnect satellite to extend YahClick’s
service coverage, particularly to Ethiopia.

Eutelsat is Said to Weigh Sale of Ground Station Network

Eutelsat is exploring options for its ground buy Intelsat Holdings Sarl for $3.1 billion. to launch a ground station in Bulgaria. In
station network, including a sale, that could Eutelsat’s ground station network consists January, the company said it’s making final
value the portfolio at more than €800 of antenna systems and other facilities preparations to launch commercial service
million ($850 million), according to people that provide connectivity for the company’s with Saudi Telecom Co. at their Tabuk
familiar with the matter. The company is network of satellites. Last year, Eutelsat ground station in the Gulf kingdom.
working with advisers to seek a buyer for teamed up with telecom operator Vivacom
the assets, said the people, who asked
not to be identified because they weren’t
authorized to speak publicly. The unit
is drawing interest from infrastructure
investment firms, the people said. No final
decisions have been made and Paris-based
Eutelsat may elect to keep the business, the
people said. A representative for Eutelsat
declined to comment. The divestment
would be the latest strategic move by
Eutelsat under Chief Executive Officer
Eva Merete Sofelde Berneke as it looks
to compete with billionaire Elon Musk’s
Starlink network. Eutelsat completed its
merger with UK-based peer OneWeb Ltd.
last year. More deals in the industry have
followed, including SES SA agreeing to

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