Page 47 - SAMENA Trends - March-April 2025

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Starlink Rolls Out New Ground Station in Mozambique for Faster Internet

Expanding in Africa hasn’t been easy for travel to the closest ground station in Africa. While the company doesn’t yet have
Starlink—regulations have thrown plenty of Nigeria. While Starlink’s inter-satellite laser a license to operate there, many users
hurdles in its way. But that hasn’t stopped communication is impressive, having a access the service through roaming plans.
the company from making moves. Its latest? nearby ground station would make a big The Mozambique station indirectly helps
A new ground station in Mozambique that difference. We saw this happen when these users by improving connectivity and
could give Southern Africa a much-needed Starlink launched a ground station in Kenya lowering lag. Compared to competitors
internet boost. At first glance, this might earlier this year proving just how impactful like OneWeb and Amazon’s upcoming
not seem like a game-changer, but for this can be. If Mozambique sees similar Project Kuiper, Starlink remains the leader
users in the region, it could make a huge results, Southern African users can expect in satellite internet, particularly in Africa,
difference in internet speed and reliability. a much smoother experience, whether operating in 19 out of 54 countries. With
Right now, Starlink users in countries like they’re gaming, streaming, or handling more ground stations popping up, it’s
Zambia and Zimbabwe experience higher business operations. This expansion also clear that Starlink isn’t just expanding—
latency—sometimes between 200ms comes at a time when Starlink continues it’s solidifying its hold on the continent’s
and 300ms—because their data has to to face regulatory roadblocks in South internet infrastructure.

Orange Africa and Middle East and Eutelsat Announce a Strategic Partnership
to Accelerate the Deployment of Satellite Internet in Africa and the Middle East.

Orange Africa and Middle East (OMEA) and partnership will make it possible to offer This proactive approach is part of a long-
Eutelsat announce a strategic partnership services tailored to both private individuals term vision to support digital development
to bridge the digital divide through satel- (B2C) and businesses (B2B), guaranteeing in all the areas where Orange is present,
lite connectivity in Africa and the Middle secure, reliable and high-performance con- using the best technologies available,
East. It aims to connect isolated areas with nectivity. The complementary nature of the while respecting national frameworks
broadband access, thereby strengthening fixed, mobile and satellite technology offers and enhancing local ecosystems. Jérôme
digital inclusion in the region. As part of will help to connect isolated territories and Hénique, Managing Director, Orange Af-
this multi-year partnership, Orange will use meet the growing need for Internet access rica and Middle East, comments: “This
the EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite, which in the region. The partnership is based on partnership illustrates our commitment
offers state-of-the-art broadband technolo- cutting-edge solutions offering speeds of to connecting all territories and bridging
gy, to provide reliable and accessible Inter- up to 100 Mbps, which, combined with Or- the digital divide in Africa and the Middle
net access. Initially, deployment will involve ange's capabilities, will make it possible to: East. Orange serves more than 160 million
Jordan, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and the Dem- • Cover remote and rural areas, customers in the region, and is pursuing its
ocratic Republic of Congo, with the aim of • Provide services tailored to local condi- ambition to provide digital access for all.
gradually extending to all countries in the tions and the needs of individuals and Drawing on our expertise and local roots,
region. By combining Orange's expertise in businesses, we are positioning ourselves as a key play-
telecommunications and Eutelsat's techno- • Provide reliable and secure connectivity, er in supporting evolving customer expec-
logical innovation in the satellite sector, this in compliance with national regulations. tations, while guaranteeing sustainable
connectivity that respects local legislation.”
Michael Trabbia, CEO of Orange Whole-
sale, said: “I am delighted with this strate-
gic partnership between the Orange Group
and Eutelsat Group, which is part of a long-
term relationship. It is part of our strategy
to offer our customers the best satellite
connectivity solutions in high and low orbit,
complementing our terrestrial networks.
Orange Wholesale's satellite factory has
all the expertise required to implement this
strategy for all Orange Group entities. We
also offer satellite operators the terrestrial
connectivity solutions they need, such as
teleports or long-distance fiber.”

47 MARCH-APRIL 2025