Satellite operator Intelsat has increased the number of satellites it has serving Africa to 24 with the operational launch of Intelsat 25.
The operator acquired the ProtoStar 1 satellite, which was renamed Intelsat 25, late last year and repositioned it to 328.5° East. It has now commenced service, offering C- and Ku-band coverage of a substantial portion of Africa. The Intelsat New Dawn satellite is also scheduled to be launched this year and will join IS-25 to bring the number of satellites within Intelsat’s fleet that serve Africa to 25.
Separately, Intelsat has launched a new terrestrial network, IntelsatONE. Powered by Cisco, IntelsatONE is a global, terrestrial architecture, consisting of an IP/MPLS-based network, fibre, teleports and points of presence. It is integrated with Intelsat’s global satellite fleet. The operator says it provides a single source for converged voice, video and data solutions. In Africa, MTN Business, a provider of mobile and internet-based communications services, will use IntelsatONE through its multi-year contract that includes teleport services and hosting of its DVB-S2 platform in addition to capacity on the Intelsat 905 satellite, located at 335.5° East.
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