Vodafone Group has extended its partnership with satellite network operator Intelsat to provide portable satellite broadband services to businesses in underserved areas.
The telco noted that Intelsat will help the company to provide wider coverage of temporary and on-the-move satellite connectivity services to organizations operating in hard-to-reach areas or disaster zones.
Vodafone said that the extended agreement means that businesses, governments, and charities can support multiple applications such as tracking valuable cargo, and connecting new or temporary sites.
The carrier said it will add Intelsat’s Flex portfolio to its comprehensive satellite connectivity product range aimed at both private and public sectors around the world.
Vodafone will use Intelsat's service, based on a network of GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) satellites, to provide two types of secure, reliable, and easy-to-use satellite connectivity products – Communications-on-the-Move (COTM), which uses a vehicle-mounted antenna, and Communications-on-the-Pause (COTP) connectivity, which comprises a compact satellite terminal.
“Vodafone’s agreement with Intelsat adds depth and breadth to our global network," said Marika Auramo, CEO of Vodafone Business.
"With these new services, we can provide additional connectivity and resilience to customers in some of the hardest-to-reach places, whether they’re on the move, or need to quickly establish communications following an environmental or humanitarian disaster.”
Jean Philippe Gillet, SVP, media, mobility, and networks, Intelsat, added: “The goal of our Flex services is to make it easier for our customers to leverage the reach and reliability of Intelsat’s network to deliver connectivity wherever they may operate."
Earlier this year, European satellite firm SES agreed to acquire Intelsat for €2.8 billion ($3.1bn).
Vodafone also has satellite agreements in place with other satellite providers, including Lynk in Kiribati and Ghana, and through Amazon's Project Kuiper via its South African subsidiary Vodacom.
The carrier, along with US giants AT&T and Verizon is also an investor in AST SpaceMobile.
