Eutelsat expands over Russian waters
September 21, 2021
By Chris Forrester
Eutelsat’s Konnect Russia subsidiary has signed a MoU with RTCOMM for connectivity distribution to sea and river vessels in Russia.
Eutelsat says the intention is for a strong focus on maritime VSAT services and showcasing satellite’s potential to connect hard-to-reach areas.
A press statement read: “Thanks to the in-orbit resources and infrastructure of Konnect Russia, the first company to launch mobility services in Ka-band in Russia, RTCOMM will reinforce its offer of satellite solutions, notably its fast-growing business of maritime VSAT services for sea and river vessels, leveraging the Ka-band coverage of Eutelsat’s powerful Eutelsat 36C satellite offering unparalleled coverage of the Western part of the Russian Federation and part of Western Siberia.”
“RTCOMM, a subsidiary of Rostelecom, is Russia’s leading distributor of communication services to customers in any hard-to-reach places where cellular and wire telecommunications are underdeveloped or absent,” the statement added.
Sergey Ratiev, CEO of RTCOMM, comented: “Konnect is the leading operator of Ka-band satellite communications in Russia with its own developed satellite infrastructure, and the signing of this partnership agreement will significantly expand the boundaries of satellite solutions provided by RTCOMM. It is significant for our users, whose activities are related to doing business in hard-to-reach and remote territories of the European part of Russia as well as for those categories of clients engaged in sea and river transportation.”
Dmitry Bronner, CEO of Konnect Russia, added: “Our company strives to provide satellite communication services to as many users as possible, regardless of their geographic location, including remote regions. Our dedicated state-of-the-art in-orbit resources enable telecom operators to work flexibly in the market of broadband Internet access services. RTCOMM is a company that both understands market demand and makes the most efficient use of the opportunities provided by us, whilst being guided by similar values in its activities. As such, we are optimistic about the success of this partnership.”