O3b adds key Pacific clients
January 19, 2015
O3b, the satellite-by-broadband constellation that aims to reach ‘the other 3 billion’ people who have little or no access to Internet services, has added some important Pacific clients. It is now saying that O3b is the largest provider of satellite capacity over the Pacific region.
Norfolk Telecom, situated halfway between Australia and New Zealand, and which has been testing its links to O3b has now switched to O3b. It had been using a Geostationary satellite to link its telephone system with New Zealand.
Now, with access to SES-backed O3b, it has added services such as online banking, up-to-the minute weather information and access to Australian mainland services. The O3b service is also a big benefit for the Tourism industry. With O3b, Norfolk Island offers visitors the same services and customer experience that is available in Australia.
Similarly, the western Pacific island nation of Palau – and its 21,000 population, has successfully adopted O3b’s ‘fibre in the sky’ service. Palau comprises some 250 islands and does not have access to undersea cables and was thus quite isolated. Palau’s population can now use their internet and mobile cellphones for services such as Skype, streaming video, cloud-based business applications and voice services.
O3b’s clients in the Pacific region include: Digicel PNG, Digicel Samoa, Norfolk Island Telecom, PNCC, Palau Telecom, FSMtC Yap, Telecom Cook Islands and Timor Telecom.
Other posts by Chris Forrester:
- Bank: “Starlink 18 months ahead on D2D”
- AST SpaceMobile trims satellite demand
- Amazon’s Kuiper-1 launch brought forward
- SES and Eutelsat possibly in line for C-band $bn bonus
- Consultant: “European satellite mergers are failing”
- Ligado attempts to unravel Inmarsat L-band agreement
- SpaceX complains over South Africa investment rules
- Vodafone, AST test video call game changer
- Eutelsat shares hit all time low