Completing a very busy few days for Intelsat, the satellite operator has added deals in Brazil and Mali to the recently reported Ku-band-related agreement in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Brazil TIM Brasil says it is expanding its Sky Coverage project to new points in the northern region of the country in partnership with Intelsat.
One of the objectives of the project, which currently has more than 1,000 sites, is to bring connectivity sustainably through off-grid sites to more distant areas of Brazil, where there is a deficit in electricity grid infrastructure.
TIM created the Sky Coverage project to cover districts, localities, highways and resorts, also using satellite connection in remote areas. This solution extends the reach of networks faster than terrestrial alternatives. The project also expands connectivity for the agribusiness sector, especially for equipment and investments in the Internet of Things (IoT).
As Marco Di Costanzo, director of Network Engineering at TIM Brasil, puts it: “Today we have the largest satellite backhaul in Latin America to support us in the expansion of 4G from north to south of the country. We want to support Brazil in digital inclusion with the Sky Coverage project and for that, we have important partners, such as Intelsat, with whom we work especially in the northern region.”
Intelsat has also been selected by Orange Mali, the leading mobile network operator in the country, to bring 3G and 4G connectivity to hard-to-reach areas in Mali, the eighth-largest country in Africa.
The agreement marks a first in Francophone West Africa – the successful deployment of 4G networks over satellite, judged to be the optimal solution given the size of the country and the logistics involved.
