Page 56 - SAMENA Trends - January-February 2023

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

to continue delivering reliable high-speed said: “Our long-standing partnership with
connectivity to DRC’s mining industry SES has already helped us to improve
through our O3b high-throughput and low- the profitability of our extraction, and
latency connectivity services, enabling supported our goal of improving the safety
mining companies to implement new and welfare of all of our staff. In addition
services and applications that will improve to that, O3b connectivity services will also
workers’ safety, digitalize operations and help us leverage the latest applications,
maximize profitability through increased communicate in real time and maximize
agility and automation.” Anil Udayabhanu, our productivity.”
Head of Technology at Kamoa Copper,

SES Secures €300M Financing from European Investment Bank

The European Investment Bank (EIB), the broadband services for the benefit of both to broadcast high-quality content from our
financing institution of the European Union, the private and public sectors in Western prime TV neighborhood serving 118 million
and leading global content connectivity Europe and beyond. Space is a key driver TV households across France, Germany
solutions provider SES announced details of innovation in Europe and we are eager and Western Europe. These next-generation
of their €300 million financing agreement to support space entrepreneurship. The satellites are also able to support the
at a press briefing at the SES headquarters size of the loan, the largest ever provided most ambitious plans for companies
in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. The seven-year by the EIB to a Luxembourgish company, and governments across Europe and
term loan will back investments related also demonstrates how strategically beyond, enabling them to enter the new
to the design, procurement and launch important the space sector is for the EIB era of networked connectivity services.”
of three previously announced satellites and the European Union.” Sandeep Jalan, The transaction follows the EU and EIB
that will deliver advanced broadcast and Chief Financial Officer of SES, said, “We are commitment to strengthen their support
broadband services spanning Western very happy to have secured this term loan for European space companies. It is in
Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The from the European Investment Bank. This line with the Gigabit Society targets of the
loan is the largest amount ever provided by diversifies SES’s sources of financing on European Commission that all households
the EIB to a Luxembourg-based company. attractive financial terms. The agreement in Europe shall have access to at least 100
The project supported via EIB financing enables us to deliver on our commitment Mbps internet connectivity by 2025.
includes the procurement of three satellites
from Thales Alenia Space to deliver
video broadcasting as well as network
services. Operating from SES’s prime TV
neighborhood of 19.2 degrees East (ASTRA
1P, ASTRA 1Q) and 57 degrees East (SES-
26) will enable SES to strengthen its world-
class satellite broadcast over Europe and
Africa, and support dynamic connectivity
needs for companies and governments
from the heart of Europe across Africa and
the Middle East. Two of the three satellites
are next-generation, flexible and fully
software-defined satellites that will enable
service reconfiguration and instant in-orbit
adjustment to SES customers’ demands.
All three satellites, when launched in 2024,
will be operated from SES’s headquarters
in Luxembourg. EIB Vice-President Kris
Peeters said: “Space technology, data and
services have become indispensable in
the lives of Europeans. I am therefore very
enthusiastic about this agreement with
SES, which directly supports the EU space
policy. It is a big step in the successful
launch of a new generation of satellites
able to deliver advanced broadcast and

56 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2023