Eutelsat

Facebook has partnered with French satellite operator Eutelsat to deliver satellite broadband internet services in Africa.

Eutelsat and Facebook have reached a multi-year agreement with satellite communication firm Spacecom to utilise the entire broadband payload on the future AMOS-6 satellite.

Spacecom is building the AMOS-6 satellite, which is scheduled to be launched later this year.

Planned to be located in 4°W prime orbital position, the geostationary satellite will offer 39 Ku-band segments and 24 Ka-bands to provide high-gain spot beams covering large parts of West, East and Southern Africa.

Under the deal, the companies are preparing to build a dedicated system comprising satellite capacity, gateways and terminals, in order to cater to the demands of the sub-Saharan Africa from next year.

Eutelsat and Facebook will share the capacity and offer direct-to-user internet access through affordable equipment and devices.

Eutelsat chairman and CEO Michel de Rosen said: "We are excited by this opportunity to accelerate the deployment of our broadband strategy and to partner with Facebook on a new initiative to provide internet access services in Africa.

"Facebook’s mission is to connect the world and we believe that satellites will play an important role in addressing the significant barriers that exist in connecting the people of Africa."

"Eutelsat’s strong track-record in operating high throughput satellite systems will ensure that we can deliver accessible and robust Internet solutions that get more users online and part of the Information Society."

Eutelsat will establish a new company in London that to manage its African broadband vision and business.

Two years ago, Facebook started Internet.org with the aim of providing internet access to far flung areas in the developing world where the connectivity is not available.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: "To connect people living in remote regions, traditional connectivity infrastructure is often difficult and inefficient, so we need to invent new technologies."

Facebook has considered the new initiative as one of many technology investments to enable cost-effective broadband access to unconnected populations worldwide.

In order to cater to the rural areas of Africa, Facebook plans to work with local partners across the country.

Internet.org VP Chris Daniels said: "Facebook’s mission is to connect the world and we believe that satellites will play an important role in addressing the significant barriers that exist in connecting the people of Africa.

"We are looking forward to partnering with Eutelsat on this project and investigating new ways to use satellites to connect people in the most remote areas of the world more efficiently."

Image: Artistic impression of of the AMOS-6 satellite delivering broadband internet to Africa. Photo: courtsey of Eutelsat.