Eutelsat secures Thales SpaceGate broadband
September 2, 2022
By Chris Forrester
Thales Alenia Space has bought capacity on Eutelsat’s new Konnect VHTS craft for its SpaceGate high-speed broadband service across Europe. The satellite is due for launch on September 6th.
Thales Alenia developed the Konnect VHTS (for Very High Throughput Satellite) for Eutelsat and it had been expected to take capacity on the craft. The satellite is capable of handling 500 Gb/s of data transmission.
Thales says the new service will provide wideband connectivity with the best spectral efficiency, significantly increasing the Konnect VHTS ground segment performances. In all, it is composed of baseband equipment to be deployed in the Eutelsat ground stations as well as terminals, allowing internet connectivity over fibre-less areas thanks to the satellite.
Marc Henri Serre, EVP Telecommunications at Thales Alenia Space, said: “Bridging the Digital Divide is a priority for the growth in France and in Europe, we are proud to contribute to this important target by offering a French/European network access solution which is also matching the sovereignty and connectivity key stakes. We are also very enthusiast to reinforce our collaboration with Eutelsat and by implementing together new innovative challenges”.
Pascal Homsy, CTO of Eutelsat, added: “We’re delighted to be teaming up with one of our long-standing industry partners, Thales Alenia Space, on this new line of ground segment products for our Eutelsat Konnect VHTS satellite. This partnership is yet another proof of our ongoing commitment to digital inclusion, and will bolster our service offering provided by this satellite, which spearheads our strategy of shifting to telecom connectivity. By offering a ground segment designed and built by one of the leading space companies in France to complement the ground infrastructures developed by our other partner, Hughes, we’re also supporting France’s space sovereignty in this market”.