Deutsche Telekom has partnered with Eutelsat Communications to provide satellite broadband services to remote and rural areas of Germany.
The German telco will provide satellite broadband services to customers via the Eutelsat Konnect satellite from the end 2021.
Deutsche Telekom and Eutelsat are currently piloting an initial deployment in the city of Heimerzheim where the fixed network was impacted by the floods in July. Connectivity has been re-established via satellite connection providing WLAN coverage for an information point where both relief workers and affected residents can access the Internet free of charge.
“We are excited to enlist the power of Deutsche Telekom as a distributor of our satellite broadband offer in Germany, one of Europe’s largest markets,” said Rodolphe Belmer, Eutelsat CEO. “This type of agreement illustrates the confidence of major telecommunications operators in our offer; it further highlights the relevance of satellite as a cost-effective and reliable infrastructure, enabling them to extend their reach beyond the scope of terrestrial networks and assure ubiquitous coverage of a territory.”
The two companies have also agreed to discuss an extension of their partnership with the aim of Deutsche Telekom offering its own products via Eutelsat’s current and future infrastructure.
In service since November 2020, Eutelsat Konnect has a total capacity of 75 Gbps and is capable of offering speeds of up to 100 Mbps to both individuals and companies. It covers the whole of Germany, as well as 14 other European countries.
“Our ambition is to be the leader in both fixed and mobile communications,” said André Almeida, Managing Director Private Customers at Telekom Deutschland. “The cooperation with Eutelsat is a perfect complement of our portfolio in the coming years to offer highspeed broadband via satellite in regions where we have no high speed currently and for remote areas.”
French satellite operator Eutelsat has previously signed similar wholesale agreements with Orange in France and TIM in Italy.
October has also seen Eutelsat up its stake in Low Earth Orbit satellite broadband providers OneWeb, investing an additional $165 million into the firm. It also announced an agreement with Globacom to deliver broadband via satellite to businesses and communities in unconnected and underserved areas throughout Nigeria. The French satellite firm also turned down an unsolicited takeover offer from French telecoms billionaire Patrick Drahi to buy the company.
