Echostar-owned Hughes Network Systems announced on Wednesday that Kazakhstan’s Republican Center of Space Communication (RCSC) will deploy its Jupiter System ground platform to connect remote villages in the country.
Under the deal, Hughes will supply Jupiter System equipment to more than 200 villages throughout Kazakhstan, helping communities access broadband internet connectivity and e-Government services through the ‘Digital Kazakhstan’ program.
RCSC is a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development. Hughes said the contract will be fulfilled through Kazakhstan import company Timir LLP. No financial details were disclosed.
“After reviewing the requirements in the tender, we felt that this was the best solution for the RCSC," said Timir general director Sergey Tsvetkov.
Hughes says the latest version of Jupiter incorporates software-defined satellite networking and dynamic in-route reconfiguration "for the highest possible efficiency". Meanwhile, each terminal sports a new system-on-a-chip to support increasingly high speeds and a variety of services.
“We value the opportunity to support RCSC in its efforts to connect the unconnected across Kazakhstan with reliable satellite broadband,” said Vaibhav Magow, VP of Hughes’ international division.
Kazakhstan has been exploring satellite options to bridge the country's digital divide. In October last year, the government launched a pilot project with SpaceX’s Starlink to connect 10 schools in rural locations to broadband connectivity. A month later, Bagdat Musin, head of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation & Aerospace Industry (MDAI), said at a government briefing that legislation will be amended to permit the general use of Starlink sometime this year.