Intelsat Ltd. said Jan. 18 that PT Indosat Tbk. signed a four-year, multi-transponder contract for leased capacity with Intelsat in order to support the growth of its satellite-based cellular and other telecommunications backhaul services within Indonesia. The capacity will be leased on the IS-709 satellite, located at 85 degrees East. Indosat will begin using the satellite during the first quarter of this year and expects to have the entire network up and running within 18 months. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“There is a significant rise in the uptake of mobile telephony in Asia, and a variety of mobile telephone operators choose Intelsat’s satellite-based cellular backhaul services to facilitate their local, regional and international growth,” Ramu Potarazu, Intelsat COO, said in a prepared statement.