Belgium Satellite Services increases capacity with Eutelsat to boost development of VSAT services in Africa and Middle East

17 January 2013

Eutelsat Communications and Belgium Satellite Services (BSS), announced the signature of a new long-term contract for 46 MHz of C-band capacity on the EUTELSAT 10A satellite.

The contract reflects BSS's ambition to step up its activity in Africa and the Middle East, and follows its acquisition, completed last month, of INTERSAT, a leading provider of satellite-based data solutions with offices in Kenya and the United Arab Emirates. The new capacity on EUTELSAT 10A will allow BSS to expand VSAT services for the client base of more than 150 businesses, NGOs and government administrations built by INTERSAT in over 25 countries in Africa and the Middle East, and to develop new business. Networks will be managed by BSS using its teleport in Lessive (Belgium) and state of the art ground station equipped with the latest iDirect technology.

Nitin Dhawan, CEO of Belgium Satellite Services reports: "We are happy to take our strong 10-year relationship with Eutelsat to the next level. This is important for BSS as the acquisition of INTERSAT has significantly expanded the scope of our business. Thanks to the extensive C-band footprint on EUTELSAT 10A satellite we can build a strong platform for service provision across the African continent and the Middle East. We are now positioned to strengthen our response to businesses and multinationals in demanding enterprise sectors, including the banking sector, that need secure and scalable networks. The new capacity enables us to consolidate our long-term positioning in this part of the world, boosting our international expansion. "

Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet, Chief Commercial Officer at Eutelsat, added: "This new contract with BSS further anchors EUTELSAT 10A in dynamic regions across Africa and the Middle East. We are delighted that its performance and coverage will enable BSS to accelerate its growth and that our longstanding partner has renewed its confidence in us with this new lease."