Customers in “the most isolated areas” will benefit from very high-speed fixed broadband from the satellite from January 2021, via Orange's Nordnet subsidiary. The scheme will deliver connectivity of “least 30 mbps to the entire French territory by 2022”.
Eutelsat's Konnect (pictured) launched in January and has total capacity of 75 Gbps. It can assure full or partial coverage of up to 15 countries in Europe and 40 in Africa, offering speeds of up to 100 Mbps.
Commenting on the agreement, Michel Jumeau, EVP of Orange France, said: “The period of lockdown we have just experienced has demonstrated more than ever the need for connectivity throughout France.
“With this agreement with Eutelsat, Orange is proud to continue to fight against the digital divide by offering very high-speed fixed broadband throughout the country”.
The agreement will apply until the very high-speed satellite Konnect VHTS enters into service, including a transition period during which the installed base will be gradually transferred to the new satellite.
Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat said: “We are pleased to reinforce and bring forward our collaboration with Orange to leverage our dedicated Connectivity capacity to deliver high speed internet to 100% of households in France. This agreement secures the ramp-up of our EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite, and perfectly illustrates the complementarity between satellite and telecoms operators in ensuring ubiquitous coverage of the territory.”
It has been a busy year to date for Orange, with several new appointments announced in European markets and an expansion of its international money transfer operations across Africa.
