Intelsat Contracts With African Cellular Operators

[11-21-07 – Satellite Today] Intelsat Ltd. has signed two agreements to provide satellite-based cellular backhaul solutions to wireless operators in Kenya and Angola, the company announced Nov. 21.
    Angola’s MSTelecom, a subsidiary of Sonangol Holdings, will use additional C-band capacity on the Intelsat 3R satellite at 43° West to provide transmission services as it rebuilds and expands its network after the country’s civil war.
    “There is a big demand in Angola for reconstruction of telecommunications services — services cellular operators need immediately,” Angelo Gama, MSTelcom’s CTO, said in a statement. “Intelsat is the only satellite operator that is able to offer us the exact satellite capacity we need to ensure our customers will be able to build out their network infrastructures in a timely manner.”
    Safaricom Ltd. of Kenya will use the Intelsat 902 satellite at 62° East to support network expansion throughout the country and for international gateway connectivity.
     “Intelsat listened to our requirements and delivered the solution we needed,” Michael Joseph, CEO, Safaricom, said. “Working closely with us, Intelsat’s service and its flexibility in accommodating us with additional capacity on Intelsat 902 provides us with the efficient bandwidth we need to expand our cellular services network into remote regions of Kenya and for our international services.”