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[Via Satellite 08-29-13] Intelsat and Japan-based SoftBank Mobile Corp. carried out a successful trial of a cost-effective, rural 3G mobile phone service in Kenya. Intelsat supported the demonstration through capacity on the Intelsat 10 satellite and via the company’s teleport in Fuchsstadt, Germany.

Intelsat’s fleet and IntelsatOne terrestrial network were used to enable the deployment in rural Kenya, an area of Africa not supported by traditional landline infrastructure. SoftBank Mobile also utilizes the Intelsat 8 satellite and a managed service offering via the IntelsatOne terrestrial network for the delivery of cellular and data backhaul services to its customers across the southern islands of Japan. Intelsat delivers a high throughput, managed VSAT-based 3G solution through the allocation of capacity based on traffic demands.

The agreement enables SoftBank Mobile to expand its service area and enhance the company’s offerings to its customers.

“There are still hundreds of millions of people who live outside mobile network coverage areas today,” said Junichi Miyakawa, executive vice president, director & CTO of SoftBank Mobile.

“The successful field trial of a cost-effective, managed VSAT-based, rural 3G service delivery solution is an excellent example of the collaborative innovation that our industry requires to properly support the demands of its end users,” said Intelsat Vice President of network services product management, Steve Good.