SES in Negotiations to Provide Back-up Services for Ethio Telecom

[Satellite TODAY 04-10-12] SES is in negotiations with the Ethiopian Ministry of Information and Communication Technology to provide satellite services to back-up the infrastructure of Ethiopia’s telecommunication provider, Ethio Telecom, the satellite operator announced April 9.

   SES said it is planning to invest more than 1 billion euro ($1.3 billion) in satellite infrastructure in Africa and expects to launch a satellite to serve East Africa and Ethiopia. SES recently launched an initiative to enter Africa and to build long-term partnerships with key players on the continent and participated at the Innovation Africa Digital Summit held in Addis Ababa. 
   Ethio Telecom has been seeking satellite service providers to back-up its telecommunication infrastructure for the past year. The company said it expects that it will reach an agreement with SES in the coming months.