SES to Use O3b MEO Capacity for Government Customers

A map of O3b’s service coverage. Photo: O3b Networks

[Via Satellite 05-21-2014] SES Government Solutions (SES GS) will be the first provider to offer O3b Networks’ services from its Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation of satellites directly to the United States government. The O3b capacity will be offered on SES GS’ General Services Administration (GSA) schedule as of June 30, 2014. The MEO satellites offer clients connectivity of up to 1.6 Gbps throughput and latency of less than 150 milliseconds.

SES GS will have the capability to offer government customers both fixed and mobile geostationary services with broad coverage, along with the additional high throughput MEO satellite solution in O3b’s footprint. This will help provide coverage to customers that operate in remote areas without access to terrestrial fiber infrastructure and where low-latency applications are needed.

O3b’s coverage area currently encompasses Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, with a coverage area population of more than 3 billion. In March of 2014, O3b initiated commercial services to its customers in the Cook Islands off the coast of New Zealand as part of its expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.