Satellite broadband start-up Via Sat Brasil has bought Eutelsat-3B’s entire high throughput payload ahead of its launch in a few weeks in a multi-year deal.
The move will see the group, formed in 2011 to become the first telecom operator to provide…
Satellite broadband start-up Via Sat Brasil has bought Eutelsat-3B’s entire high throughput payload ahead of its launch in a few weeks in a multi-year deal.
The move will see the group, formed in 2011 to become the first telecom operator to provide satellite broadband in certain parts of Brazil, covering the entire country for the first time.
Up until now it has been using three Ka band spot beams on Hispasat’s Amazonas-3 bird that was launched in February 2013. Those beams are pointed at the main cities of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia, and cover the Goias, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo regions.
France-based Eutelsat said it will be working closely with Via Sat Brasil to configure the satellite’s five steerable Ka band spotbeams. Eutelsat-3B, due to launch on 26 May, will also see Brazil benefit from nationwide satellite coverage in the Ka band for the first time, complementing the fixed and mobile terrestrial infrastructure that is used for broadband services.
Via Sat Brasil CEO Antonio Castro said: “[Eutelsat 3B’s] unique architecture will enable us to offer high-quality ICT solutions that will reduce the digital divide across the entire country.
“Thanks to the broadband service we will offer, no business will be deprived of the opportunity to grow because connectivity simply doesn’t meet their requirements.”
As well as Ka-band, the Airbus-built spacecraft also has Ku and C band transponders. It is set to be placed by Sea Launch on a Zenit 3SL rocket.
Demand for capacity in Brazil is expected to surge in the coming years with the country’s hosting of the World Cup in June and the Olympic Games in 2016. The country is also generally underserved by terrestrial infrastructure for internet services.
