Eutelsat Communications has agreed to sell all the available capacity on its Eutelsat Konnect satellite covering the French territory to the telco Orange.
It will enable Orange’s consumer customer base, even those living in the most isolated areas, to benefit from very high-speed fixed broadband via satellite from January 2021.
The agreement comes against the backdrop of Plan France Haut that has been adopted by the French government with the aim of rolling-out high-speed broadband of at least 30 mbps to the entire French territory by 2022.
“The period of lockdown we have just experienced has demonstrated more than ever the need for connectivity throughout France,” said Michel Jumeau, Executive Vice President, Orange France. “With this agreement with Eutelsat, Orange is proud to continue to fight against the digital divide by offering very high-speed fixed broadband throughout the country”.
The service will be distributed by Orange’s Nordnet subsidiary.
Added Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat: “This agreement secures the ramp-up of our EUTELSAT This agreement secures the ramp-up of our Eutelsat KONNECT satellite, and perfectly illustrates the complementarity between satellite and telecoms operators in ensuring ubiquitous coverage of the territory.”
The agreement will apply until the entry into service of the Konnect VHTS very high-speed satellite, including a transition period during which the installed base will be gradually transferred to the new satellite.
