Telco operators will be able to deploy high-performance 4G services in rural and remote areas, expanding their market reach in the region

LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Communities living across the eastern most peninsula of Africa will be able to enjoy 4G services on their mobile phones following a three-year partnership agreement signed by fixed satellite solution and professional service provider, iSAT Africa and SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions. The two companies announced today that this new service will be available first via SES’s O3b medium earth orbit (MEO) constellation to subsequently migrate and expanded to SES’s next-generation MEO system, O3b mPOWER, in 2022.

iSAT Africa is well-established in the region for embracing innovative mobile internet connectivity solutions for unconnected rural communities in Africa. Through SES’s highly-flexible and scalable O3b mPOWER system that can deliver low-latency high-speed connectivity services from tens of megabits to multiple gigabits per second to a single site, iSAT Africa will be able to quickly scale its network to meet anticipated extensive connectivity demands. The fibre-like connectivity will equipe iSAT Africa to enable local mobile operators to deploy 4G services to close the digital divide. iSAT Africa is among the first companies in Africa to sign up for O3b mPOWER.

According to the GSMA 2020 report, mobile coverage has been expanding in Sub-Saharan Africa quickly; 3G coverage expanded to 75% compared to 63% in 2017, while 4G doubled to nearly 50% compared to 2017. However, the coverage gap in Sub-Saharan Africa remains the highest globally as it is home to 67% of the world’s population not covered by mobile broadband. This is because attempts to deploy 4G networks in sparsely-populated rural and remote areas continue to be an economic challenge. With telcos and internet service providers increasingly seeking innovative, cost-effective yet reliable connectivity solutions, SES’s MEO satellite-based MEF-certified service that can ensure seamless interconnectivity with any network is an ideal solution.

“At iSAT Africa, we don’t just believe in delivering connectivity to everyone across Africa. It’s also about delivering differentiated, cost-effective and reliable services that will enable various businesses to expand. This agreement represents a leap towards achieving that mission with iSAT Africa being able to deliver 4G services to communities and businesses located in underserved areas. As long-term partners of SES, we are confident this innovative solution will enable us to offer differentiated connectivity services to our telco customers,” said Rakesh Kukreja, Founder and Managing Director at iSAT Africa.

John-Paul Hemingway, CEO of SES Networks said, “We will be able to revolutionise the connectivity capabilities of mobile operators across Africa together through this agreement with iSAT Africa. The O3b and O3b mPOWER systems will easily enable the deployment of 4G services and high-performance networks for cloud applications regardless of where they are across the region. The enhanced flexibility and scalability of O3b mPOWER will truly connect Africans living in underserved areas in the most economically viable manner.”

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About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world’s only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world’s leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES’s video network carries over 8,200 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 361 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.

About iSAT Africa

iSAT Africa, a fast-growing communication service provider in Africa and Middle East, is a UAE based company whose mission is to transform the way Africa gets and stays connected with the rest of the world. iSAT’s unique connectivity solutions deliver efficiency, reliability and affordability for Data, Internet, Voice and Video solutions . These customized solutions serve broadcast and media organizations, multinationals, major ISPs, Governmental and Non-Governmental organizations as well as Tier 1 telecom operators.

With its network of partners and service providers, iSAT Africa is able to satisfactorily deliver end-to-end solutions, turn-key solutions and managed services to it’s customers/ partners within the shortest time possible whilst adhering to agreed upon service level agreements.

iSAT’s Satellite Solutions, backed by powerful satellites, teleport and data infrastructure, latest technologies and inhouse human expertise is very unique in the industry. It is against this background that iSAT Africa partners with other leaders within the telco space in a bid to adequately meet its customers ever growing demand for telecommunication services across the African continent.