Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo and Thales, have concluded a contract for the provision of satellite capacity for rural backhauling in the context of Peru's national telecommunications programme, Pronatel.
Under this multi-year agreement, Telespazio will use Ku-band capacity operated on several transponders on the EUTELSAT 117 West B satellite to bring telecommunications access to more than 1,300 underserved public sites, predominantly schools and health care facilities located across the Peruvian Amazon.
This agreement is yet another testimony to Eutelsat's commitment to digital inclusion programmes initiated by public authorities in emerging countries. It also reflects the Group's steadfast commitment to bridging the digital divide, one of the cornerstones of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy.
Eutelsat Americas CEO Juan Pablo Cofino commented: "With this agreement, Telespazio will be able to leverage the EUTELSAT 117 West B satellite to deliver connectivity to communities and infrastructures in low-access areas of the Amazon region. This agreement underscores the effectiveness of satellite in addressing the needs of public entities in the area of digital inclusion, supporting the roll-out of a programme to reduce the digital divide that has become a landmark for the South American continent.”
Nicolás de Gracia, General Manager of Telespazio Peru, added: "Eutelsat's EUTELSAT 117 West B satellite is located at a prime orbital position for coverage of South America, thus enabling us to access all the sites to be served under the initiative of Pronatel. Moreover, this high-performance Ku satellite is fully compatible with our ground infrastructure, enabling us to optimise our existing assets to respond to the demand for connectivity required in the shortest possible timeframe.”
Source: Eutelsat Press Release