AMN and Intelsat Partner to Connect Ultra-Rural sub-Saharan Africa
October 16 2018 - 3:30AM
Business Wire
Intelsat makes a strategic investment in AMN to accelerate the
adoption of mobile connectivity in the region and close the digital
divide
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) (“Intelsat”), operator of the world’s
first Globalized Network and leader in integrated satellite
communications, and Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) announced today
that Intelsat has made a strategic investment in AMN. The purpose
of the investment is to accelerate the deployment of mobile
connectivity to unserved communities across multiple countries in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Given the economic and geographic complexities of expanding
mobile connectivity to the ultra-rural areas of Africa, many mobile
network operators (MNOs) face barriers when trying to deploy their
networks to these areas. AMN provides MNOs with a
network-as-a-service (NaaS) solution in which AMN will fund, build
and operate the ultra-rural network for the operators. As a result,
African mobile operators will be able to extend their coverage with
minimal opex and capex risk, enabling them to grow their subscriber
and revenue base, and better serve all their customers.
At the core of AMN’s solution is a low-cost, small cell solution
that is powered by a highly reliable solar-based system which can
be rapidly deployed and installed in less than 6 hours. As part of
the long-term agreement, AMN will leverage the power,
performance and efficiencies generated by
Intelsat’s next-generation Intelsat
EpicNG high-throughput satellites (HTS), as well as the 23
Intelsat satellites covering the continent to provide the
optimal balance between coverage and high-throughput for the
enabled sites.
Once installed, the sites will connect over the Intelsat fleet
to the core of the mobile network operator and deliver 2G mobile
services, such as GSM voice, SMS and GPRS/EDGE packet data, with
the ability to upgrade the base stations to 3G and 4G as data
demands allow.
“The high performance, redundancy and flexibility of Intelsat’s
satellite fleet over Africa made them an ideal partner for us,”
said Michael Darcy, AMN’s chief executive officer. “Intelsat shares
our view that mobile coverage is not spreading quickly enough and
as such, invested in AMN’s vision of installing a cell site in
every African village. Together, we can accelerate the deployment
of mobile connectivity and work to ensure that communities,
wherever they are located, have equal access to high quality,
sustainable and affordable broadband connectivity.”
Jean-Philippe Gillet, Intelsat’s vice president and general
manager, broadband, said, “Bringing mobile connectivity to the most
rural parts of Africa requires hybrid networks and innovative
business models to truly close the business case. By investing in
and partnering with AMN, we can rapidly, and cost effectively
expand an MNO’s reach and deliver critical connectivity to
communities who many thought were impossible to connect. We look
forward to our partnership with AMN and the ability to deliver a
network that will support the social and economic development of
communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa.”
About Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) operates the world’s first Globalized
Network, delivering high-quality, cost-effective video and
broadband services anywhere in the world. Intelsat’s Globalized
Network combines the world’s largest satellite backbone with
terrestrial infrastructure, managed services and an open,
interoperable architecture to enable customers to drive revenue and
reach through a new generation of network services. Thousands of
organizations serving billions of people worldwide rely on Intelsat
to provide ubiquitous broadband connectivity, multi-format video
broadcasting, secure satellite communications and seamless mobility
services. The end result is an entirely new world, one that allows
us to envision the impossible, connect without boundaries and
transform the ways in which we live. For more information, visit
www.intelsat.com.
About AMN
AMN’s mission is to build mobile network base stations serving
rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa which have no existing
service, providing mobile network operators with a capex-free route
to add new subscribers and new revenues and with incremental costs.
The vision of AMN is a fully-connected Africa, with no community of
any significant size being without basic telecommunications
services to deliver social, economic, educational and other
benefits to the population. For more information contact AMN at
info@africamobilenetworks.com
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181016005320/en/
IntelsatMichele Loguidice, +1-703-559-7372Director, Corporate
Communicationsmichele.loguidice@intelsat.com
Intelsat (NYSE:I)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Intelsat (NYSE:I)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024