Eutelsat and Camusat delivering connectivity to rural Africa

Details: James Barton; Category: Satellite Networks; 20 November 2015; 5974 views

Global satellite operator Eutelsat and infrastructure provider Camusat have partnered to deliver turnkey connectivity solutions for mobile operators in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The agreement will drive the growth of mobile communications in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite recent dramatic expansion, communications are still under-developed in remote rural areas where over half of Africa’s population lives. In the vast territories yet to be covered, terrestrial infrastructure would require heavy investment over several years to link unconnected communities to mobile networks.

Eutelsat and Camusat are drawing on their respective expertise of connectivity markets in Africa to provide mobile operators with turnkey solutions. Eutelsat can deliver satellite coverage of all African territories while Camusat provides expertise in telecom infrastructure deployment, including building, providing electrical power and maintaining towers for mobile telephony networks via more than 1,000 employees in the African continent.

Michel Azibert, Eutelsat's Commercial and Development Director, said: "This partnership marks a new step in our collaboration with Africa's mobile telephony operators. In addition to regular lease of satellite capacity to support network development, our new partnership with Camusat equips us to offer solutions covering the entire communication chain with maximum flexibility and irrespective of location."

Camusat CEO, Richard Thomas, added: "This new partnership with Eutelsat in a tremendously dynamic market represents a future growth driver from which our mobile operator clients will be able to derive maximum benefit by extending the limits of their markets. This agreement will ensure connectivity for communities who have remained beyond reach of mobile networks."