Sea&Space Exploration Signs Contract for Capacity
on Telesat’s Telstar 11N Satellite to Serve Africa
September 7, 2011
Telesat, a leading global fixed satellite services operator, announced today that Sea&Space Exploration of Belgium (Sea&Space) has signed a contract for capacity on Telesat’s Telstar 11N satellite that they are using to bring advanced broadband services to remote African communities.
Telstar 11N is an all Ku-band spacecraft located at 37.5 degrees West that connects Europe and Africa to the Americas and also provides single beam coverage of the Atlantic Ocean from the Arctic Circle to the equator. Sea&Space is utilizing T11N over Central and West Africa to support an initiative called “SatFinAfrica” backed by the European Space Agency (ESA). SatFinAfrica is an ESA pilot project focused on expanding the availability of reliable and secure financial services in emerging African countries. Through SatADSL, a Sea&Space operating company, African customers now have access to advanced broadband via Telstar 11N. SatADSL serves individuals, small businesses and remote corporate sites as well as money transfer companies, microfinance institutions and ATMs.
“It is very gratifying to enter into this agreement with Sea&Space for Telstar 11N capacity that is bringing satellite broadband and secured financial services to the people of Central and Western Africa,” said Nigel Gibson, Vice President, International Sales for Telesat. “We look forward to working closely with Sea&Space and ESA in their efforts to drive economic growth in Africa through the use of today’s high powered satellites.”
“Sea&Space is very pleased with the performance of Telstar 11N and the quality of the broadband services we are delivering,” said Thierry Eltges, Managing Director of Sea&Space Exploration. “African businesses in remote regions of the continent are achieving new levels of growth, expanding operations and increasing their need for reliable high speed communications which can only be met by satellite. We expect our partnership with ESA to boost satellite broadband services that are central to supporting the region’s growing economy.”
