Tunisia wants 30 satellites for IoT
July 17, 2019
By Chris Forrester
Tunisia-based Telnet Group is linking with two Russian companies to help achieve a mini-constellation of 30 small satellites for Internet of Things (IoT) services.
Telnet has signed a contract with Sputnix and GK Launch Services. According to the terms of the agreement, Sputnix will build the satellites that will be launched on a Soyuz-2 rocket by a subsidiary of Glavkosmos.
Financial terms were not revealed, but the target is to get the satellites launched by 2023.
“The joint efforts of Telnet Holdings, Sputnix and GK Launch Services will not only create new space technologies and telecommunication solutions that are in demand on the world market, but also lay the foundation for the development of space industry in Tunisia,” said Mohamed Frikha, Director of Telnet.
Telnet was founded by Frikha in 1994 and in 2018 it announced its venture into satellite communication with the creation of a new aerospace centre in Sfax Aerospace Valley.
In its most recent financial year, Telnet posted 40 million Tunisian dinars (€12 million) in consolidated revenue for 2018.
The agreement was signed at the Skolkovo Technopark.