The company says the coverage, from a Eutelsat satellite, will give business and industry coverage outside the normal terrestrial range.
CTO Khalid Murshed (pictured) said: “With the deployment of this satellite solution and technology, our customers will be able to access their data at 5G speeds even when terrestrial connectivity is unavailable, marking another important step towards the region’s 5G adoption and bridging the digital divide.”
The service e& is using is called Eutelsat Quantum, a new software-defined satellite that went into service in August last year. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with quantum science or technology. It orbits at 48° east, above the equator, offering coverage of Middle East and north Africa, and beyond.
Eutelsat said: “The satellite offers unprecedented mission reconfiguration capacity. Its beams can be reshaped and redirected to provide information to people on moving planes, trucks and cars in close to real time.”
Ghassan Murat, Eutelsat’s head of connectivity business unit for Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, said: “Our fully steerable beams are capable of meeting the most rigorous demands of next-generation mobile and satellite networks.”
Murshed said: “With the demand for ‘always-on’ connectivity as technologies like IoT, AI, and blockchain make a bigger impact on consumer lives, satellite connectivity can empower communities and businesses in this rapidly evolving digital landscape.”
