Telesat and Orange partner for Lightspeed LEO Services. Photo: Telesat

Telesat signed new capacity agreements with Orange and Space Norway for Telesat Lightspeed Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) connectivity services, Telesat announced on March 11.

Space Norway will incorporate a multi-Gbps capacity pool from Telesat Lightspeed and the capacity will be backed by committed information rates and a service level agreement. This will allow Space Norway to customize services such as data rate prioritization and real-time modifications. 

The agreement also includes prioritization of services and data rates to each remote site and modification of online services via Space Norway’s own infrastructure. Telesat and Space Norway expect to finalize agreements by the second half of 2025.

Space Norway CEO Morten Tengs commented: “Space Norway found the Telesat Lightspeed network to be a natural next step in the continued evolution of our multi-orbit strategy. Its advanced architecture, including inter-satellite links and support of private landing stations, allows us to serve national requirements adhering to the strictest security and privacy standards.”

Orange will host a Telesat Lightspeed landing station at its teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe, France, connecting it to a point of presence in Paris via Orange Wholesale international private line (IPL). Orange has also agreed to integrate Telesat Lightspeed capacity into its global portfolio for businesses and telecom operators. Orange’s ground stations in 26 countries will support the deployment of Telesat Lightspeed services.

“I’m greatly honored that Telesat has chosen Orange’s Bercenay-en-Othe Teleport as the first European gateway for their Telesat Lightspeed network,” Orange CEO Emmanuel Rochas said. “We look forward to expanding our connectivity solutions with Telesat Lightspeed, enhancing the resilience of our network for mobile backhauling, crisis response, and remote connectivity.”

Both agreements feature the Lightspeed network’s zero-trust architecture which is designed to ensure cybersecurity and resilience, meeting the needs of customers in the Arctic region and across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Separately, Telesat on Monday announced a development contract to QEST for a Lightspeed flat panel antenna for commercial aviation. Under the terms of the agreement, QEST will extend its patented flat panel antenna technology for Telesat Lightspeed, including the development of the transmit and receive antenna apertures and the antenna control unit.