Vodafone and Intelsat, the integrated satellite and terrestrial network operator, recently extended their partnership to offer broader coverage of temporary and mobile satellite connectivity services to organizations operating in hard-to-reach or disaster-affected areas.
According to Industry sources, this agreement will complement Vodafone’s terrestrial networks by offering businesses with broadband connectivity in remote and underserved areas. This means businesses, governments, and charities will be able to support a range of applications such as tracking valuable goods, connecting new or temporary sites, providing additional resilience, and responding to emergencies.
Industry sources further confirmed that Intelsat’s service will be leveraged to aid Vodafone’s charitable arm, the Vodafone Foundation, in its connected health and education initiatives across Europe and Africa. The Vodafone Foundation is also ready to assist NGOs, governments, and relief agencies in their response to environmental and humanitarian disasters.
Marika Auramo, CEO of Vodafone Business, stated: “Vodafone’s agreement with Intelsat strengthens the reach and depth of our global network. With these new services, we can provide additional connectivity and greater resilience to our customers in some of the hardest-to-reach locations, whether they are on the move or needing to quickly establish communications following an environmental or humanitarian disaster.”
“The well-being of communities and their citizens is increasingly linked to the ability to access reliable connectivity services,” stated Jean Philippe Gillet, senior vice president of Media, Mobility and Networks at Intelsat. “The goal of our Flex services is to make it easier for our customers to leverage the reach and reliability of the Intelsat network to provide connectivity wherever they operate, whether it’s for charitable initiatives like the Vodafone Foundation, or connectivity for global enterprises, industrial operations or rapid response organizations.”
Industry sources further added that Vodafone leverages Intelsat’s Flex portfolio to its comprehensive range of satellite connectivity products for the private and public sectors worldwide. Through the Intelsat service, based on a network of GEO (geostationary Earth orbit) satellites, Vodafone offers two types of secure, reliable, and easy-to-use satellite connectivity products: Communications-on-the-Move (COTM) uses a vehicle-mounted antenna, while Communications-on-the-Pause (COTP) consists of a compact satellite terminal.
