Telespazio will market broadband services from Eutelsat’s Ka-Sat satellite in Italy under a new agreement between the companies, the Paris-based satellite operator announced Nov. 26.
Rome-based Telespazio, which is jointly owned by Finmeccanica and Thales Group, will integrate Ka-Sat capacity with existing fixed and mobile services, primarily in Italy but also in other European economies. The arrangement supports Italian government efforts to narrow the digital divide.
“We are particularly pleased with this agreement with Telespazio, a longstanding Eutelsat partner,” Eutelsat Chief Executive Michel de Rosen said in a prepared statement. “Cooperation in KA-SAT services will lead to a significant growth of the Italian market, where Telespazio has always played a central role in the business, corporate, and institutional sectors. We are confident that this new step will favour increased take-up of services through KA-SAT by large Italian telecommunications companies.”
Ka-Sat, a high-throughput Ka-band satellite built by Astrium, was launched in December 2010 and operates in geostationary orbit at 9 degrees east longitude. It is Eutelsat’s primary offering in the Ka-band market.
