Gilat will deploy both VSAT and hub equipment while providing hub installation and supervision over remote site upgrades at more than 100 cellular backhaul facilities. The Gilat SkyEdge 2 network will replace an existing SkyEdge network currently supporting the MNO’s 2G infrastructure to provide improved bandwidth efficiency and higher throughputs to the operator’s 2G and 3G networks.

   Gilat Head of VSAT Business Hagay Katz said that satellite-based cellular backhaul is increasingly becoming a viable and competitive option for MNOs looking to expand their 2G and 3G cellular service to remote and rural areas, or fill in network gaps in suburban areas.

   “We continue to see more deployments for 3G networks using satellite backhaul to connect remote base-stations, and these require ever increasing amounts of throughput,” Katz said in a statement.