Vodafone and Intelsat, the integrated satellite and terrestrial network operator, have extended their collaboration with the goal of improving satellite connectivity services for organizations operating in difficult locations or disaster areas.
This extended agreement will provide broadband access to remote and underserved areas of Vodafone’s terrestrial networks. Businesses, governments, charities, and other organisations will benefit from a range of applications, including cargo tracking, new or temporary site connections, and additional resilience in emergency situations.
Vodafone combines the Flex portfolio from Intelsat with its line of satellite connectivity solutions for private and public sectors around the globe. Vodafone will harness the Intelsat service, relying on a network of GEO satellites, to offer two types of connectivity products: COTM, using a vehicle-mounted antenna, and COTP, using a compact satellite terminal.
Intelsat services will also support funding for Vodafone’s charity arm, the Vodafone Foundation, dedicated to connected health and education initiatives across Europe and Africa. Again, Vodafone Foundation is prepared and willing to respond with its services to all environmental and humanitarian crises around the world upon appeal by NGOs, governments, or agencies involved.
Vodafone’s agreement with Intelsat adds depth and breadth to our global network. With these new services, we can offer additional connectivity and resilience to customers in some of the most inaccessible places on earth, regardless of their own pace of life or need to rapidly set up communications after an environmental or humanitarian catastrophe,” Vodafone Business CEO Marika Auramo explained.
“The well-being of communities and its citizens is quickly becoming tied to having access to reliable connectivity services,” said Jean Philippe Gillet, SVP, Media, Mobility and Networks for Intelsat. Our Flex services are designed to make it easier for our customers to utilize the reach and reliability of Intelsat’s network to extend connectivity wherever they might operate, whether it is charitable initiatives like the Vodafone Foundation or connectivity in behalf of global enterprises, industrial operations, or rapid-response organizations.
