Orange Niger and Intelsat S.A. are working together to see that the rural regions of Niger have access to cellular network.

The collaboration will see that Intelsat provides C-band broadband capacity to Orange Niger on Intelsat 903 at 325.5º East to support its deployment of cellular backhaul services in the country. Orange on the other hand will use its expanded network reach to offer high-quality, reliable broadband services to corporate enterprises and provide mobile telecommunications services to customers within Niger.

When the Intelsat 35e satellite enters service, which is scheduled for 2017, Orange Niger will be able to seamlessly transition to the new satellite.

“By partnering with Intelsat, we are now able to introduce mobile telecom services to corporations and communities in the most remote regions of the country,” said Brelotte Ba, CEO of Orange Niger. “Intelsat’s robust satellite services will support the rapid expansion of our service territory, much of which includes challenging terrain. The satellite-based solution will allow us to add new subscribers and introduce new services in a cost-efficient manner.

It will also provide much needed reliable broadband connectivity, which will have a positive economic impact on the businesses and the communities we look to serve,

Grant Marais, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Africa Sales said:  “Orange Niger has experienced first-hand how satellite backhaul solutions complement its existing infrastructure and support the broadband connectivity needs of its customers.

Our partnership with Orange Niger further illustrates Intelsat’s long-standing commitment to Africa and to delivering the benefits of mobile telephony and broadband connectivity via satellite. Orange Niger will also be well positioned to take advantage of the next generation Intelsat Epic satellite, Intelsat 35e.”