Intelsat expands Africa’s satellite infrastructure

Global provider of fixed satellite services, Intelsat has announced new satellite capacity for the African region via its newest satellites Intelsat 25 (IS-25), Intelsat New Dawn and IntelsatOne Terestrial architecture.

Last year, the company acquired the Protostar 1 satellite, now renamed Intelsat 25 and repositioned it to offer broader coverage in Africa, meeting the requirements of African wireless operators, broadband service providers and media customers.

The IS-25 satellite provides capacity for high growth applications that include cellular backhaul for expansion services to remote locations, IP Trunking for robust Internet connectivity and video services for programming.
The second satellite, New Dawn, is expected to join the other 24 African satellites later this year.

For converged data, voice and video solutions, Intelsat has developed IntelsatOne Terestrial architecture, consisting of an IP/MPLS-based network, teleports and points of presence and delivering fully integrated transmission solutions for African customers.

MTN Business South Africa, Angola-based MSTelcom and Gateway Communication are among the mobile and Internet-based communications providers that have already purchased capacity from Intelsat’s new satellite infrastructure, mainly for offering corporate network connectivity to its enterprise customers.

Furthermore, Intelsat will be involved in broadcasting the 2010 FIFA World Cup worldwide with more than 700 MHz of satellite capacity on seven satellites and via IntelsatONE network of teleports, fiber and points of presence, including satellite newsgathering services and transmission services from the event locations, plus managing platforms for encoding, multiplexing and compression equipment in both High Definition and Standard Definition.

Intelsat is a global provider of satellite services worldwide, delivering information and entertainment for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet Service Providers and governmental agencies.