Pakistan-based converged communications service provider Wateen Telecom has partnered with satellite operator SES Networks to provide cellular backhaul services to local mobile operators.
The agreement will see SES provide C-band capacity on its NSS-12 satellite to provide backhaul services across Pakistan.
Wateen Telecom will support the delivery of both 2G and 3G backhaul services to Pakistan’s leading mobile operators using the satellite capacity, and will provide system integration capabilities for these customers.
Mobile operators will be able to use the capacity to address coverage gaps including remote mountainous areas in the north and inaccessible southern regions of the nation.
SES Networks VP of fixed data for APAC Imran Malik said the arrangement will allow Pakistan’s operators to improve internet speeds for mobile users throughout the nation, in both urban and rural areas.
“While Pakistan has had success deploying quality telecommunications services within its city centres, existing gaps in coverage and infrastructure in the outer parts of the country will pose challenges to its growth,” he said.
“Satellite-based backhaul, within a standards-driven industry ecosystem, will certainly support countries such as Pakistan that are hampered by limited infrastructure to bridge the connectivity gap, achieve 4G capabilities, and eventually 5G rollouts.”
Meanwhile Solomon Telekom Company in the Solomon Islands has expanded its partnership with SES Networks to enhance connectivity between the nation’s capital Honiara and remote provinces of the archipelago.
Solomon Telecom Company, which operates under the brand Our Telekom, has contracted capacity on SES’ Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite fleet to deliver improved connectivity to communities scattered throughout the nation’s more than 900 islands.
Our Telekom launched 4G services in the Solomon Islands in November using SES’ O3b Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation. The companies first signed a 2G connectivity agreement four years ago.