Fixed satellite services provider Intelsat has announced that Etisalat UAE has signed a multi-year capacity contract on Intelsat’s (News - Alert) recently launched Intelsat 15 satellite (IS-15), located at 85º E.

 

Etisalat is a provider of telecom services in the Middle East delivering voice and data network services, having operations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Nigeria, Benin, Niger, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Togo, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Tanzania and -- most recently -- Sri Lanka.

 

Through this agreement with Intelsat, Etisalat (News - Alert) will now be powered to expand its network platform beyond the United Arab Emirates and provide higher-bandwidth broadband services to its enterprise customers throughout the Gulf region.

 

“Etisalat is the leading provider of connectivity in the Middle East. This is due to our investment in satellite coverage, alliances with strategic global partners and our investment in international cable systems. This agreement with Intelsat will enhance the service that we are able to provide all of our customers, especially those located in areas where it is not possible either to deploy or maintain a terrestrial network,” said Ali Amiri, executive vice president, Carrier and Wholesale Services, Etisalat.

 

IS-15 provides Etisalat with the Ku-band coverage that will further enhance its “already market-leading and reliable” network for Etisalat’s enterprise clients in the banking, energy, financial services, hospitality, retail and transport sectors, Amiri said.

 

“IS-15 will have a satellite footprint that covers the majority of the Middle East and Russia, making it an ideal spacecraft for delivering broadband, enterprise and video services to these regions,” said Jean-Philippe Gillet, regional vice president, Europe and Middle East, Intelsat.

 

Launched very recently, the IS-15 space craft was built by Orbital Sciences (News - Alert) Corporation, to provide video and data services. Expected to start its service from the first quarter of 2010, IS-15 will replace the Intelsat 709 satellite, and IS-15’s high-power Ku-band payload will serve the Middle East, Russia and the Indian Ocean region.

 

The space craft is said to help customers to distribute high growth applications that include cellular backhaul for wireless communications to remote locations; broadband networks for enterprise applications; IP Trunking for robust Internet connectivity; and video services for DTH programming.

 

“By 2012, IS-15 will be joined by three additional Intelsat satellites -- Intelsat 17, Intelsat 20 and Intelsat 22 -- that will offer incremental capacity to enable our customers to deploy more sought after applications,” Gillet said.