Eutelsat Communications, a France-based telecommunications company, Monday announced plans to launch a new broadband platform set to extend high-speed Internet across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Eutelsat said the new platform called ‘IP Easy’ broadband platform is expected to bring high Internet broadband for use by residential users, offices and SME enterprises.
The service, which delivers downlink speed of up to 4Mbps is available from the service area, would stretch from the Gulf of Guinea to Madagascar. The service can be configured to support VOIP and satellite reception of TV channels in triple play mode.
Eutelsat’s commercial director Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet said IP Easy responds to pent-up demand for broadband from the many users beyond terrestrial networks and adds a new layer of diversity to our portfolio of services for the African continent.
Eutelsat further said that IP Easy would combine the strengths of Ku-band capacity on the recently-launched EUTELSAT 16A satellite with Newtec’s Sat3Play technology.
Eutelsat Communications is the holding company of Eutelsat SA. With capacity commercialized on 28 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat boasts as one of the world’s three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues.
As of 31 March 2012, Eutelsat’s satellites broadcasted over 4,250 television channels. More than 1,100 channels are broadcast via its HOT BIRD video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East alone which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
