Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks, has announced that it has become the first foreign GEO satellite operator licensed to sell products in the Philippines.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) of the Philippines has granted Intelsat a Satellite Service Providers and Operators (SPPOs) license.
This allows the company to provide satellite access and backhaul solutions to mobile network operators, telecommunications carriers and ISPs throughout the 7,600 islands of the archipelago inhabited by a population of over 110 million.
The licence will allow Intelsat’s Philippine partners to expand cellular networks beyond their existing terrestrial limits to provide 4G anywhere in the country, allow ISPs to offer internet access to Philippine citizens living in remote Barangays (small territorial and administrative districts forming the most local level of government) and add redundancy and resiliency to their microwave and fibre networks.
Gaurav Kharod, regional vice president of Asia Pacific Sales at Intelsat, says: “We are dedicated to empowering a range of customers across the MNO, enterprise and ISP segments, by addressing their mission-critical requirements, offering service-level guarantees, and delivering comprehensive end-to-end integration and operational support, all customised to suit their distinctive and demanding operating landscapes.”
This is clearly more positive news for Intelsat after the recent boost from the SES purchase of the company and at a time when GEO satellite operators are facing a number of challenges, something we discussed earlier this month.
