“Intelsat is on a mission to deliver high-quality, dependable connectivity to people around the world, regardless of where they live,” said Brian Jakins, general manager and vice president of networks at Intelsat.
“But for people in remote and rural locations, reliable and secure connectivity takes on a heightened level of importance. The Intelsat team is partnering with Orange Mali to help resolve a serious connectivity problem in a country where terrestrial infrastructure quality is less reliable.”
The agreement marks the first of its kind in Francophone West Africa as well as the eighth largest country in Africa. The successful deployment of 4G networks over satellite was selected as the optimal solution given the size of the country and the logistics involved.
“From a feasibility and economic standpoint, satellite communications are ideal for deploying 3G and 4G coverage in a country like ours,” said Moussa Yaro, technical director of Orange Mali.
“Intelsat’s reputation as an innovative market leader providing seamless coverage in some of the most remote corners of the world, along with our excellent current working relationship with the company, makes them the ideal solution for our needs.”
Earlier this week, Intelsat Vodacom DRC contracted Intelsat to provide its new Ku-band services and its CellBackhaul service as an alternative to fibre and microwave backhaul at various sites as part of Vodacom’s Rural Communication Solution (RCS) initiative.
Intelsat's portfolio of backhaul solutions includes platforms in Europe, the US and Japan.
While during MWC Orange revealed its plan to switch off its 2G and 3G legacy networks by the end of the decade. Michael Trabbia, Orange’s chief technology and innovation officer revealed that the carrier will phase out its 2G and 3G technologies from 2025 to 2030 across its European operations, freeing up spectrum for newer technologies – more specifically its 4G and 5G networks.
