SES Links With SolarKiosk to Bring Off-Grid Internet to Underserved Villages

Photo: SolarKiosk

[Via Satellite 12-15-2015] SES subsidiary SES Techcom Services and SolarKiosk, an energy and business gateway provider focused on underserved communities worldwide, have entered into a two-year partnership to deliver high-quality connectivity to communities worldwide.

Under the agreement, SolarKiosk will use satellite connectivity to provide Internet access to underserved areas, initially in Africa. This will be done via SolarKiosk’s E-HUBB structures — designed by the Berlin, Germany-based architecture firm Graft — which use solar technology to provide electricity to all systems, including the satellite dish, to enable a wide range of connectivity services to the local community.

The partnership is the first of many steps to deliver off-grid, connected solar infrastructure solutions for communities worldwide, targeting individual users, businesses, schools, medical centers and farms.

“Enabling reliable energy access in underserved regions is our core mission at SolarKiosk. Energy access is conditional to connectivity. All SolarKiosk E-HUBBs are powered by solar energy and are therefore able to bring satellite TV, Internet access and modern communication tools to our customers and partners in the respective communities where we currently operate. Through our partnership with SES, we can create a significant and positive impact on base-of-the-pyramid communities in Africa and around the world,” said Andreas Spiess, CEO of SolarKiosk.